Dmitry Tymchuk’s Military Blog: Summary – August 5, 2014

January 21 – Ukrainian army retreated from Donetsk Airport.

January 21 – 1 Ukrainian military was killed in the ATO area in the last 24 hours, – informed NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko.

January 21 – A large number of Russian soldiers in unmarked uniform was spotted near the city of Luhansk. Approximately 60 tanks, over 50 armored infantry carriers and 100 "Tigr" all-terrain infantry mobility vehicles have appeared in the city of Krasnodon. In the of Horlivka, militants of a terrorist group "People's Republic of Donetsk" are being replaced with military of regular Russian Armed Forces. Approximately 100 Russian tanks are located near the cities of Shakhtarsk and Torez, – informed NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko.

January 21 – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has spoken about two thousand Russian soldiers crossing Ukrainian border. In addition, he said, more military equipment, including 20 tanks, were relocated to Ukraine from Russia.

January 21 – A bridge over Sieverskyi Donets river in the village of Stanytsya Luhanska was blown up at approximately noon on Wednesday, – informed the Head of Luhansk Oblast State Administration Gennadiy Moskal.

January 21 – Ukraine has requested an explanation from the Russian Federation on the reasons behind stationing over 50 thousand Russian soldiers near the border with Ukraine, informed the spokesman of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Yevhen Perebyinis.

January 21 – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has called upon the civilized world to support Ukraine in its fight against terrorism and Russia's aggression when speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. The President noted that according to Ukrainian intelligence, 9000 Russian soldiers, 500 tanks, heavy artillery and armored vehicles are currently located in Ukraine. "If this is not aggression then what is?", – asked Poroshenko.

January 21 – 8 Ukrainian soldiers were captured by terrorists at Donetsk airport, – informed the Advisor to the President of Ukraine and Assistant to the Minister of Defense Yuriy Biryukov.

January 21 – Broadcasting via TV station "Luhansk 24", the terrorists of "People's Republic of Luhansk" have called upon the residents of the city of Shchastya and the village of Stanytsya Luhanska to rally and demand that Armed Forces of Ukraine leave the abovementioned municipalities, otherwise they will shell them with artillery, – informed the Head of Luhansk Oblast State Administration Gennadiy Moskal. Stanytsya Luhanska and Shchastya are under control of Ukrainian Armed Forces.

January 21 – President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Ann Brasser asked the Speaker of the State Council of the Russian Federation, Serhiy Naryshkin to help free the Ukrainian air pilot and deputy Nadiya Savchenko from Russian Prison. This is the content of the letter to the Head of the Russian Council, informs the PACE site. In her letter Brasser asked that Savchenko be released "in a timely fashion, so that she can be present at the opening of the January session of the Assembly that will take place on January 26th." In her letter, Basser noted that the state of Savchenko's health is critical as a result of the hunger strike and reminded that the Minsk protocol, approved by Russia and Ukraine, foresees the immediate of all prisoners and illegally detained people. "Therefore I ask you to pursue all avenues together with your managers in order to guarantee her immedia framework of the Minsk protocol either on humanitarian or other grounds," states the letter. She noted that Savchenko was elected to the Ukrainain Parliament, while additionally also being a member of the Ukrainian delegation in PACE.

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February 18 – Ukrainian troops left the city of Debaltseve as a result of massed intense fire by the Russian Army and pro-Russian terrorists – according to Minsk agreements Ukrainian military couldn't fire back in order not to break "Putin's ceasefire". "This morning Armed Forces of Ukraine together with the National Guards of Ukraine have completed a planned and organized withdrawal of forces from Debaltseve", – said the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, who led the operation.

February 18 – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has spoken about the use of modern weapons by the militants of "People's Republic of Donetsk" and "People's Republic of Luhansk" against Ukrainian military near Debaltseve. He did not specify the kind of weapon.

February 18 – "I call on Russia to withdraw all its troops from the east of Ukraine, to cease all support of the separatists, follow Minsk agreements and pressure on the separatists to force them to comply with ceasefire", – said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

February 18 – 167 wounded were transported to Artemivsk from Debaltseve. It was impossible to pick up the bodies of many who were killed.

February 18 – The militants supported by Russia demonstrate a clear intention to expand their control over the region, recognizes PACE, – said the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Anne Brasseur.

February 18 – European Union should consider deploying a military mission to Donbas if Minsk agreements are not adhered to and the fighting continues, – said the representative of Ukraine to the EU Konstantin Eliseev in his comment to BBC Radio. "We must use all our efforts and capacities (not only Ukraine, but the US and the EU) to press Kremlin to stop military fighting. If this fails, we must talk about a plan "B". Perhaps, it is time for the EU to consider the possibility of a military intervention in Donbas".

February 18 – According to President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, in Debaltseve, the mission of Ukraine's Armed Forces was fully accomplished, despite the fact that the Ukrainian Army totally left the city. "This position and successes were very necessary in Minsk during the negotiations, and after Minsk. We could demonstrate to the whole world the real face of the bandits, separatists, supported by Russia, which took on the role of the guarantor and a direct participant of the Minsk negotiations," emphasized Poroshenko.

The head of the country clarified information about the encirclement of the Debaltseve fighters as well as about the massive deaths of Ukrainian soldiers. "We stated and proved that Debaltseve was under our controll, there was no encirclement. Our forces and divisions left in a planned organized fashion. They left with their full artillery, with tanks, with BNP, with SAU, with tractors, with automobile technology," stated Poroshenko. According to the President, those who left Debaltseve included the 128th Mountain Infantry Brigade, parts of the sub-divisions of the 30th Brigade, the 25th Battalion, the rest of the 40th Battalion, Special Forces, and the National Guard.

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