Throughout Ukraine’s eastern civil war in 2014, officials were constantly claiming Russian invasions. Those claims dried up when the Russian-brokered ceasefire took hold, and even though no one ever saw the Russian troops leave, it wasn’t considered a big deal since no one ever seemed to be able to catch them on film at any rate.
When Ukraine decided to resume the war over the weekend, they decided to resume the allegations against Russia as well, claiming 700 troops were in Ukraine on Monday. As the war picked up, so did the claims, and now they’re saying 9.000 Russian troops are somewhere inside Ukraine.
Conspicuously absent from these claims are any solid evidence, as Ukraine continues to substitute footage of ethnic Russian rebels who are fighting them in the east for the swarm of military forces supposedly invading the country.
Russian officials reiterate that they don’t have any troops in Ukraine, and challenged the Ukrainian government to provide evidence of the putative invasion. They are also pushing for the resumption of the ceasefire.
One day West will understand that when Kiev has no money and do not receive anymore they suddendly discover more and more russian invasions.
It seems like a no-brainer but doesn't Poroshenko understand that if he provokes an actual fighting war with Russia that his chocolate factory and all his stores (and inherent income therein) are toast? But, if he's been on-the-ball he's been filtering some of the US taxpayer largesse away (in private Swiss or Dubai bank accounts) for that inevitable rainy day which when dealing with the US Empire is guaranteed.
This is the fundamental mistake of the pro-Putin faction. They take no account of patriotism. We Europeans are very patriotic people and most of us have seen our countries emerge from the control of large, overbearing neighbours in the 20th century. The Ukranians don't want to be the only ones that just lay down and let themselves be re-annexed. I think they want to do as the Poles (whom they greatly resemble in mentality) did in 1939. If they have to go down, they intend to do it with their heads high. It paid off for the Poles. Only six years after Hitler grabbed their country, he was dead and his ideology forever discredited. That's a small price to pay for honour and dignity.
It hardly matters whether there are any regular Russian forces in Ukraine. There are Russian citizens fighting the elected government of Ukraine and they are being openly supplied from Russia. That makes Russia complicit in the supposed "rebellion" and violates the Helsinki Final Act. That justifies use of international military force against the rebels and against Putin.
What business is it of "the elected government of Ukraine" whether or not Russia "openly supplies" other countries such as the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics?
What "large overbearing neighbors" are the Swedes of the Azov battalions liberating themselves from?
It is not an elected governement.Separatist regions did not vote for them and more over their two main parties were not autorized to participate to the elections,which turned because of that in a democratic farce for europeans people trying to show that democcracy is arriving in Ukraine.