Since the question of who equips the DPR/LPR with arms is no longer debatable, let’s turn to the issue of how this process is working.

In the course of the detection and identification of Russian invading troop units and weapons concentrated along the eastern Ukrainian border we have identified new information. These photographs and videos, in addition to other sources of data, to some extent, unveil and explain the process of the arming of the “separatists” and Russian “volunteers” in the Donbas.

Just north from Malaya Kamenka village in the Kamen-Shakhtinsky region of Rostov area, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border the Russian military has established a base which appears to be a transfer point. From the photographs one can see the stockpiling of a range of different types of weapons and armored vehicles such as D-30 type howitzers, MRLS ‘Grad’, armored infantry vehicle (AIV) BTR–80, SP-artillery mount “Nona” based on the BMD fighting vehicle, as well as a number of covered Kamaz trucks – with black military number plates ”21/RUS” Southern Military District (SMD). There are also miscellaneous vehicle types, representing old models and not in the best shape. Their “Cossack” (Т-72), “Nemetz” (armored infantry vehicle) type of marking, indicate that this military equipment does not belong to any specific Russian troop unit (see images 1-10). More over such an amateur `art and graffiti’ is not encouraged in the Russian red army, while the “separatists” apply such signs all over. The conclusion one if forced to draw is that these are vehicles that the Russian side are supplying to the “volunteer/separatist” forces which have been deployed over the Ukrainian border.

As for the “Kamaz” trucks, they are used to deliver ammunition and other weapons into Ukraine. Video clips of such convoys of vehicles traveling from Russia into Ukraine have frequently appeared on social media.

Now let’s switch to the issue of from where and how these vehicles arrive at the borders of Ukraine from Russian stores. We can use the example of the South Military Command. Over the last years the Russian Federation (RF) has made significant progress in re-arming its forces with new, more modern weapons. New equipment includes T-90 main battle tanks, BTR-82 mechanized infantry combat vehicles, BMP-3 armored infantry vehicles, “Tornado-G” multiple artillery rocket system, and lots of others have come to replace the Т-72, BTR-80, BMP-2, and “Grad” systems which were the foundation of the RF military. This means there are significant numbers of old soviet era weapons and equipment now considered surplus.

Units which have been completely of partially refitted with new weapons in the SMD include the 136th Motorized Rifle Brigade (from Dagestan, Botlikh); 291st Artillery Brigade (from Ingushetia, Troitskaya); 205th Motorized Rifle Brigade (from Stavropolsky region, Budennovsk); 7th Occupation Base Gadauta (Abkhazia, Gerogia). Other units have no doubt been refitted as well. Much of the old equipment has been assigned to military supply bases, and was has not been dismantled, delivered for long-term storage, or sent for utilization for training purposes (vehicles for training often being marked with a letter “Y”).

It is clear that the Russian military command has carefully secured its old equipment for future use. It is this equipment which has popped up at the beginning of the hot phase of Donbas conflict. Everybody remembers an incredible number of SP artillery mounts “Nona” destroyed by Ukrainian army (that were mysteriously “resurrected” the next day), and various modifications of “Т-72” tanks which appeared in Ukraine (which are not available in the Ukrainian army meaning the separatists could not `legalize’ them as captured equipment).

The process of such vehicles and weapons deployment starts at the military units’ base, from where the vehicle is transported by means of railway to the Rostov region. From there track machines are reloaded onto tank carrier platforms, and for disguising delivery they travel within convoys of Russian troops on their way to the Ukrainian border. Wheeled vehicles run under their own power.

Here is an illustrative example shown in this video clip.
“Vehicles Convoy. Highway Rostov – Taganrog, 4/10/2014”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN_-wpPXzZE&feature=youtu.be),

This clearly shows old and `worse for wear’ MRLS ‘Grad’ ( running time 2:34) with rust on the launcher mounting, travelling together with “Kamaz” trucks having number plates of “АК/21/RUS” ЮВО (running time1:11).

Recently a video titled “Storming the airport, a day with Givi, Donetsk 30 09 14″ appeared on social media: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANu-guHdZ_I.

In this video Russian tanks “Т-72” flash briefly (running time 15:50, 23:30), with one of them clearly showing the sign of “Russian guards” ( see the final 11th image, screenshot). It turns out that until recently the tank belonged to one of the “guards” Russian troops. The tanks are identical both according their modification and better conditions to the earlier mentioned tank “Т-72” “Cossack”, and almost certainly arrived in the same delivery.

The information was prepared specially for InformNapalm/Burkonews. Any reprinting and using this material requires the reference to the author and our project name.

Author: Irakli Komaxidze

Translated by: Roman Vlasof
Original: https://www.facebook.com/irakli.komaxidze/posts/669503196496263