Russia’s president Vladimir Putin is starting an open war, writes Yuriy Butusov, a Ukrainian journalist and activist now working in the war zone in Eastern Ukraine.
Russian military started massive counterattacks on Donbas, which has substantially changed the situation over the last days, he says, adding that this is a clear Russian military intervention.
While the progress of the Ukrainian army threatened full capitulation of pro-Russian rebels, Putin has opted for an open war, he says.
From August 10th Russia has started deployment of the armored and artillery battalions, including 250 units of armored vehicles, up to 100 units of cannonry and mortar guns, as well as of multiple artillery rocket systems.
Russian army has also deployed the air defense systems, including surface-to-air missile systems Strela-10, Osa, Buk, etc, which makes it impossible for Ukrainian air forces to operate in the Ukrainian border regions.
Russia is also massively applies its artillery, stationed on Russian territory, deploying multiple artillery rocket shooting at Ukrainian army within a radius of 40 kilometres of the Ukrainian territory, which causes huge losses of lives.
It is clear that amateurish «insurgents» were not able to prepare hundreds squads of armory vehicles, ensure accuracy of artillery calculations, air defense system calculations, ensure intelligence, management, logistics, connection, repair, etc, the journalist argues.
This highly sophisticated work could have only been accomplished by the Russian army, which deploys estimated 20 thousand strong units to support the intervention. Additionally, Russia continues to supply the pro-Russian terrorists: the so-called “Bezler group” confirmed that it has received multiple artillery rocket system Uragan and mobile mortar Tulpan.
The strategy of the Russian army is to make it impossible for the Ukrainian military to seize Donetsk and Luhansk; Russia also wants to enlarge the front line southwards, to Marioupol.
As the Ukrainian army is often stationed on the open areas, without serious fortifications, it is subject to constant multiple artillery and mortar fire from Russia or Russian-supplied heavy military equipment, the journalist says.
All these facts testify the substantial changes of the situation on the ground, bearing signs of Russia’s open military intervention.
[hr]Source: szona.org, summarized and translated by Volodymyr Yermolenko
