Brothers, here’s a summary of March 5.
The bad news:
1. Despite our hopes, Putin’s tales of “no troops in Crimea” did not result in the occupant contingent quietly packing up and returning to the birch glades of their homeland. On the contrary – in the morning, we witnessed arrival of tanks to Crimea (Russian heavy armor is a novelty here, until now we only saw APCs and ‘Tigers’). Around the same time, command staff cars moved to the Turetskiy Val [next to the link to the mainland].
Essentially, the invaders are providing for an impenetrable defense of the Crimean peninsula. Alternatively, they could move onto Kherson oblast from here.
The latter option would be necessary for them (it would allow them to control water and power supply to Crimea), but it’s doubtful that good old Russia has enough fools that would travel to the beautiful Crimean resorts with Putin-Tour. Even if the forces move north, they would still have to control Crimea. In short, we have to monitor this situation carefully. Only Putin knows what goes on in Putin’s head (except maybe the ghost of his war comrade Adolf).
2. The occupants have a new tactic – complete blockade of Ukrainian military units. Earlier, they allowed an occasional delivery of medicines and food to our guys, and now they decided to recreate the Leningrad blockade. Once again, worthy students of Uncle Adolf. The situation is especially dire with the Headquarters of the Ukrainian Navy in Crimea – unlike in military units, no supplies are stored there.
3. Putin does not agree to any negotiations. It’s almost as if he believes his own propaganda now, and keeps saying that none of his soldiers are in Crimea, even when talking in his sleep.
4. Tensions are growing in the southeastern regions of Ukraine. “Russian tourists” there started partaking in some casual robbery, further rocking an already volatile situation. In the meantime, the Russian troops stationed in the Russian Federation oblasts adjacent to the Ukrainian border are going nowhere. We spotted no movement – no arrivals or departures. The date declared for withdrawal of troops is March 7. Let’s wait and see.
The good news:
1. UN special envoy Robert Serry, kidnapped and released in Crimea, is returning to Kyiv. There’s nothing good about this unprecedented incident as such – but it may have positive consequences for Ukraine. The envoy is not thrilled about his Crimean adventure, and maybe that will make the UN realize how serious the situation in Crimea really is. The real question is, what conclusions will be drawn from this revelation.
2. Kyiv city Shevchenko district court ruled to detain the self-proclaimed Crimean ‘gauleiters’ Sergey Aksyonov and Vladimir Konstantynov. Now this dynamic duo is officially wanted. Obviously, no one is going to run them down in Crimea right now – but now they know that every next step they take against Ukraine equals an extra year behind bars. The “now they’ve got nothing to lose” option is not very applicable, because traitors are usually also cowards.
3. Towards the evening, the occupants suddenly stopped blocking our units, packed up and left, leaving defenseless ‘Putin’s tourists’ to continue the blockade on their own. There is some uplifting information on this account, but I can’t share it yet (even though I really want to). Tomorrow, friends, you’ll find out.
In this regard, my comrades think that Putin finally got scared of the international sanctions that may come down on his head tomorrow. I’m more pessimistic, and think that this is rotation of troops (considering that 1,600 military men were brought over from Russia this morning). Therefore, it’s likely that by morning, the ranks of these relentless adventurers around our units will show some new faces.
Of course, I’d rather hope for the best. May this new day bring us the good news we’re hoping for.
Translated by Maria Stanislav
Source: FB