Anti-Terrorist Operation

The day of July 4 was very efficient. Mykolaivka is finally taken by the ATO forces which led to a complete blockage of “Ho Chi Minh trail”. The ATO forces thoroughly entrenched in the village. However, there are unresolved issues with search of suspects collaborating with separatists.

Terrorists still try to burst through the border to the Russian Federation in the area of Izvaryne. This is evidenced by constant reports of tanks in the area of Krasnodon, Sukhodilsk and Vlasivka. Terrorists built a pontoon bridge near the village of Popivka connecting Ukraine with the Russian Federation over Seversky Donets River.

The shelling of Kramatorsk continues. According to the last Girkin’s statement, he is anxiously expecting help from the Russian Federation, namely the deployment of troops under the auspices of the peacekeeping forces. However, the question arises: last night when the checkpoint near Novoazovsk was shelled, locals heard noise of the Russian helicopters from the direction of the border. It is not clear yet what was the target of the helicopters: the checkpoint itself or the people attacking it.

Just at the moment we were preparing this summary, Nona started to shell Kramatorsk. It is based on 40 Let Oktyabrya St. (40 years of October St.) in Slovyansk. The answer was supposed to be a volley from MLRS “Grad“. However, the local residents managed to drive Grad out of Artemovskiy passage in Kramatorsk. Then vehicles began to move from Slovyansk to Melovyye Gory towards Bilen’ke. Most likely terrorists realized that the ring had closed in and decided to leave Slovyansk.

In addition to the above, we noticed that terrorists strengthened their positions in the area of Artemivsk. In the village of Krasne terrorists arranged fortifications near the water tower and the former airfield. Recall that the road from Konstiantynivka to Druzhkivka passes through Oleksijevo-Druzhkivka. This was the first village where terrorists had military equipment. On the credit side terrorists have several powerful checkpoints and population which mostly supports them. As may be supposed, it is Oleksijevo-Druzhkivka that will become Slovyansk #3.

Terrorists near Shchastya are in aggressive mood. If you recall the events of July 3, we can expect that terrorists will try to leave the territory of Ukraine. This is indirectly evidenced by Gubaryov’s hysterical speech and a solitary tear at the end of Girkin’s statement.

Finally, it is necessary to give more attention to Kyiv: according to the latest reports there are terrorist groups there. On July 4 during the press conference the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), Andrew Parubiy, officially informed about the possibility of large-scale introduction of martial law in Ukraine. The relevant document has already been prepared by NSDC.

International Developments

The evening of July 3 and the day of July 4 can be called the time of telephone conversations. Barack Obama and Angela Merkel assured each other and the international community of readiness to introduce a new wave of sanctions against the Russian Federation unless the RF takes steps to stabilize the situation in Ukraine.

It should be noted that such statements are not so easy for Merkel: on the one hand she is weighed upon by the international community interested in the confrontation with Russia, on the other hand she is weighed upon by the representatives of the German business structures which have huge connection with the Russian business and dispute to strain of relations with Russia.

Joseph Biden, U.S. Vice President, had a discussion with Petro Poroshenko about the same thing, namely, sanctions. He expressed willingness and appealed to Russia to stop letting militants and “humanitarian aid” pass the border. The conversation between British Foreign Secretary William Hague with the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry was in a similar vein.

Poroshenko had also telephone conversation with Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Poroshenko justly remarked that since the resumption of the ATO there were less servicemen perished than during the “truce” and that he was ready to continue negotiations for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Ashton on behalf of all EU countries assured the President that Ukraine had EU support. As everybody knows Europe has not gone further than just the declaration of support but it is better than nothing.

Nevertheless the EU acts with an eye to Russia. How else can we call a ministerial meeting on the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, which is scheduled for July 11? According to the press-secretary of the European Commission the purpose of the meeting is “to dispel unrest of the Russian Federation that free trade will have a negative impact on her”.

The Investigative Committee of Russian Federation is not the only one who can open cases. We started from Dmitry Kiselev, Russian mouthpiece of the lying propaganda. The Security Service of Ukraine accuses him with a criminal case of financing terrorism and assisting terrorist activities. It is a pity that our Criminal Code lacks an article “For Repeated Lies On the Air”.

On July 3 we reported on the statements of the Russian Federation regarding presence of trainers and representatives of the secret services of the US. Perhaps our servicemen in the uniform of American fashion impress Russia so much. But what should they be so impressed with to say that NATO allegedly sends Ukraine arms and military equipment? From Rogozin’s point of view, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, this is obvious because Ukraine for sure does not have anything good bit its military have something to fight with. Consequently, NATO gave that to Ukraine. No other options are possible.

Following the information about the international military exercises in the Black Sea where warships of Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and the Unites States take part from July 4 to July 14 there are reports that Russia will also perform similar exercises. They will take place in the Black Sea as well. Obviously this is an immediate response to the increase of the number of warships of the Alliance in the region.

We should pay attention to the contradictory information that deputies of the Russian Federation were not recommended to recess and had to be ready to attend an unscheduled meeting regarding the situation in Ukraine in one day. The next plenary meeting is scheduled to be held on September 16.

Exercises of the Russian Navy, alertness of the State Duma, the statement of the National Security Council about possibility of martial law… The chain of these events indirectly says that Russia still prepares for the full-scale conflict and the Security Council just knows more than others and prepares to respond to unpredictable changes in the situation.

Russian version: АТО. Сводка за день 04.07.14