16 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 32 others wounded today in an attack on a military checkpoint near Volnovakha, in the eastern Donetsk Oblast. The checkpoint was destroyed by the attackers.
But who were they? That’s the big question tonight. Ukraine’s government blamed eastern protesters, but military personnel disputed that, with one major dubbing the attackers “mercenaries,” and locals from a nearby village told a similar story.
According to the villagers, the troops at the checkpoint had refused orders to attack them, and several vans full of armed men linked to the far-right, and backed by helicopters attacked the checkpoint today to punish them for refusing to “crush the resistance.”
By contrast, a smaller militant faction in the east claimed they were the ones who attacked the checkpoint, and it remains unclear which side was really to blame. The interim government said they intended to present secret evidence of Russia’s involvement in the attack to the UN Security Council, but has declined to offer it publicly.
In addition to the checkpoint fight, several smaller gunfights were reported across Luhansk and Donetsk. The protest leaders in Luhansk put the number of Ukrainian troops in their territory at “around 6,000,” though many are not really fighting, but rather just setting up checkpoints.
The same fascist elements behind the sniper attacks in Kiev and the burning of the union hall in Odessa are almost certainly responsible.
Really? Why couldn't it be nationalist Ukranians attacking what they see as traitors supporting the illegal, 'western'-backed, coup-implemented regime?
Because citizens behind barricades don't have Mi-24 attack helicopters. The firepower involved says it was not them. But hey, I'm sure Fox News has already told you something different.
Clearly, the Cossack military contractors are still operating.
If they had evidence of Russian involvement, I'm sure they wouldn't keep it secret. That's a trump card that would make billions of US taxpayer dollars quickly flow directly into their pockets. They'd call a press conference and play that the second they got it.