Reuters report: Russia massing tanks on Ukraine border

[KevinNYC]

Exclusive: Russia masses heavy firepower on border with Ukraine (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/27/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-military-idUSKBN0OC2K820150527) - witness


Russia's army is massing troops and hundreds of pieces of weaponry including mobile rocket launchers, tanks and artillery at a makeshift base near the border with Ukraine, a Reuters reporter saw this week.

Many of the vehicles have number plates and identifying marks removed while many of the servicemen had taken insignia off their fatigues. As such, they match the appearance of some of the forces spotted in eastern Ukraine, which Kiev and its Western allies allege are covert Russian detachments.

The scene at the base on the Kuzminsky firing range, around 50 km (30 miles) from the border, offers some of the clearest evidence to date of what appeared to be a concerted Russian military build-up in the area.

Earlier this month, NATO military commander General Philip Breedlove said he believed the separatists were taking advantage of a ceasefire that came into force in February to re-arm and prepare for a new offensive. However, he gave no specifics.

Russia denies that its military is involved in the conflict in Ukraine's east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting forces loyal to the pro-Western government in Kiev.

Russia's defense ministry said it had no immediate comment about the build-up. Several soldiers said they had been sent to the base for simple military exercises, suggesting their presence was unconnected to the situation in Ukraine.

Asked by Reuters if large numbers of unmarked weaponry and troops without insignia at the border indicated that Russia planned to invade Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a conference call with reporters:

"I find the wording of this question, 'if an invasion is being prepared', inappropriate as such."

The weapons being delivered there included Uragan multiple rocket launchers, tanks and self-propelled howitzers -- all weapon types that have been used in the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kiev's forces and separatists.

The amount of military hardware at the base was about three times greater than in March this year, when Reuters journalists were previously in the area. At that time, only a few dozen pieces of equipment were in view.

[Batz]

данк Так

[FatComputerNerd]

Putin = Alpha

[Nick Young]

Russia is going to fight against the white supremacist neo-nazi Ukrainians on their border? Good for Russia.

#PHUCKNAZIS

KevinNYC-if you support the Ukraine here, you are supporting white supremacy and neo-nazism. I hope you know that.

[gigantes]

Putin = Alpha
by "alpha" i guess you mean "deranged thug-dictator whose main goal is to stay in power even if it means taking down the whole world with him."

[Shade8780]

данк Так
Где мой гребаный водка ?

[outbreak]

and with the other demonstrations and war exercises going on right now and nato predicting a couple days back world war three would begin before summer this doesn't look good...

[zoom17]

and with the other demonstrations and war exercises going on right now and nato predicting a couple days back world war three would begin before summer this doesn't look good...

I swear people have been saying this for the last three years.

[Shade8780]

в твой матери
Я буду собственно Баш голову в , приятель .

[gigantes]

I swear people have been saying this for the last three years.
nobody has a crystal ball until it's too late.

[StephHamann]

and with the other demonstrations and war exercises going on right now and nato predicting a couple days back world war three would begin before summer this doesn't look good...

2/6

[outbreak]

I swear people have been saying this for the last three years.
yeah they have, we are probably closer than ever recently though

[Shade8780]

Лол, что?
За Родину.

[KevinNYC]

Russia is going to fight against the white supremacist neo-nazi Ukrainians on their border? Good for Russia.

#PHUCKNAZIS

KevinNYC-if you support the Ukraine here, you are supporting white supremacy and neo-nazism. I hope you know that.

You've already provided your full-throated defense of fascism in the other thread. No need to troll over here.

[oarabbus]

I swear people have been saying this for the last three years.


Exactly, not to mention Russia/Ukraine has no chance of causing a world war.

The modern era "powder kegs" are Israel/Palestine and India/Pakistan. Unless tanks are firing shells in those regions, people need to cool it with this WWIII nonsense.

[Nick Young]

by "alpha" i guess you mean "deranged thug-dictator whose main goal is to stay in power even if it means taking down the whole world with him."
Are you a supporter of the Ukrainian neo-nazi white supremacists then?:confusedshrug:

[Nick Young]

You've already provided your full-throated defense of fascism in the other thread. No need to troll over here.
So you do support the Ukrainian rebel groups made up largely of white supremacist and neo-nazis?

[KingBeasley08]

I honestly think the US has handled Russia perfectly. The way Obama has systemically been crushing the value of the Ruble and with it, the Russian economy has been ruthlessly brilliant. Gotta give props to him for it

[FatComputerNerd]

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/f9/f909a56a25d003f3aa68ee55854a8cefd7652df1d2202afb7c 5742ebbd80ca67.jpg

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/AlphaPutin.jpg

[fiddy]

Ей сега си еба майката

[gigantes]

Are you a supporter of the Ukrainian neo-nazi white supremacists then?:confusedshrug:
i'm a supporter of you growing up one day and becoming less of a general shithead and casual moron, if that helps you out.

[Nick Young]

i'm a supporter of you growing up one day and becoming less of a general shithead and casual moron, if that helps you out.
You constantly resort to ad hominem attacks because you have nothing intelligent to say.

I hope you are aware that the Ukrainian forces are made up of neo-nazis and white supremacists. Why do you want them to beat Russia? Why are you supporting racist skinheads?:confusedshrug:

[fiddy]

I hope you are aware that the Ukrainian forces are made up of neo-nazis and white supremacists. Why do you want them to beat Russia? Why are you supporting racist skinheads?:confusedshrug:
Because your country wants WW3?

[Nick Young]

American liberals are blindly supporting the European racist skinhead white supremacists.

Gotta love it:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Derka]

I dunno, man...

If Putin were as alpha as some of you seem to think he is, those tanks wouldn't be unmarked, those troops would be wearing the Russian markings they should be wearing and the Kremlin wouldn't be denying up and down that its Russia massing on the borders...or at the very least, supplying separatists with Russian materiel.

All the denying and hiding seems pretty bitchmade to me.

[Nick Young]

I dunno, man...

If Putin were as alpha as some of you seem to think he is, those tanks wouldn't be unmarked, those troops would be wearing the Russian markings they should be wearing and the Kremlin wouldn't be denying up and down that its Russia massing on the borders...or at the very least, supplying separatists with Russian materiel.

All the denying and hiding seems pretty bitchmade to me.
It's called smart leadership+military tactics. Putin pulling shit straight from Sun Tzu:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[Dresta]

I dunno, man...

If Putin were as alpha as some of you seem to think he is, those tanks wouldn't be unmarked, those troops would be wearing the Russian markings they should be wearing and the Kremlin wouldn't be denying up and down that its Russia massing on the borders...or at the very least, supplying separatists with Russian materiel.

All the denying and hiding seems pretty bitchmade to me.
That's the way of geopolitics in the modern world, unfortunately. I didn't see America trumpeting to the world their role in the Yanukovich putsch and the installation of a pro-EU and pro-Western puppet in Poroshenko - yet the fact that they were involved is plain for the world to see, and that the CIA has been undermining former Soviet satellites ever since the collapse of the USSR is also a matter of public record. Eventually the Russians weren't going to put up with this kind of interference any longer, regardless of who is in power (this has very little to do with Putin as an individual, as he hasn't done much more than the minimum, and what any Russian leader would be pressured to do in order to save face - Russians would still rather be feared than pitied, and the debauchery of the Yeltsin years is clearly fresh in the memory).

People blaming this all on Putin are being just as reductionist and idiotic as those that blamed everything in Libya on Gaddafi and everything in Syria on Assad, and consequently turned those countries into inhabitable wastelands. We now have proof the administration was lying to the American public about Syria - why do people expect it to be any different regarding Ukraine?

Oh, i see why, because people time and again fall for the demonisation of geopolitical enemies:


by "alpha" i guess you mean "deranged thug-dictator whose main goal is to stay in power even if it means taking down the whole world with him."

America is still paying the price of creating a war economy to deal with the Soviet threat. It's amazing how seamlessly the American casus belli has morphed from 'stopping Communism' to 'taking down the bad guys' to provide an endless justification for war (because there is no scarcity of 'bad guys' in the world to take down).

[Derka]

That's the way of geopolitics in the modern world, unfortunately...
Yeah, I suppose it is. And I would agree with the assessment of the US not trumpeting its subversive role in Eastern Europe (and plenty of other places)...but by the same token, "alpha" (or any word with a similar connotation) is never a word I would use to describe our methodology in the first place. Proxies and signing on with bad people who will do your dirty work for you are the name of the game.

Shady...knife-in-the-dark...terms that are a bit more apt in both instances.


Oh, i see why, because people time and again fall for the demonisation of geopolitical enemies:
Very true. We Americans are a very easily-led bunch.

[gigantes]

America is still paying the price of creating a war economy to deal with the Soviet threat. It's amazing how seamlessly the American casus belli has morphed from 'stopping Communism' to 'taking down the bad guys' to provide an endless justification for war (because there is no scarcity of 'bad guys' in the world to take down).
perhaps so, but i don't know how much choice the west had when stalin started grabbing up eastern europe. from that point on it turned in to a long arms race and chess match as i see it.

the biggest game-changer i'm aware of is when yeltsin chose putin as his main guy. then again, i'm not sure if it's truly possible for russia to be stable under a moderate leader.

[gigantes]

@dresta,
why would you consider the process 'amazingly seamless' in any case?

from my study of history, what you refer to is more or less the oldest story in the book. a combination of might-makes-right, economic and political pragmatics, the echo-chamber aspect that leaders occupy, and several other things.


(don't make me sic "nick young" on you, mssr)

[Dresta]

perhaps so, but i don't know how much choice the west had when stalin started grabbing up eastern europe. from that point on it turned in to a long arms race and chess match as i see it.


This is true, and it is difficult to say how much was necessary and how much was superfluous, and whether the sacrifice was truly worth it over the long run (we just don't know what would of happened, though i would have had more faith than Americans did in the inherently self-destructive nature of the Soviet system, and i'm not sure how much more than nuclear deterrence was truly necessary).

Honestly, the Soviet Union ****ed up the world big time (debasing both the Russian and North American continent, the two land-masses that were due to do great things in the 20th century): we are still paying the price for that Marxist piece of shit. In the late 19th century Americans used to have a close affinity for the Russians, seeing them as something like their oppressed brothers on the other side of the world (for example, the first Kennan), now they are seen as inherently slavish lovers of despotism.
@dresta,
why would you consider the process 'amazingly seamless' in any case?

from my study of history, what you refer to is more or less the oldest story in the book. a combination of might-makes-right, economic and political pragmatics, the echo-chamber aspect that leaders occupy, and several other things.


(don't make me sic "nick young" on you, mssr)
Not amazingly seamless that it happened, but that it was allowed and bought by a population that had, before WW2, always been rather sceptical of foreign entanglements. It's like people forgot this insane militarism was a Cold War thing, and that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, America simply put their toys to new use. Post-collapse was the ideal time to look through Cold War policies and really cut back on things like unaccountable intelligence agencies, but instead Americans were generally too busy patting themselves on the back over winning the Cold War (and with the typical enthusiasms of victors 'where can we bring freedom and justice to next!').

[Nick Young]

Gigantes and KevinNYC have admitted to supporting white supremacist neo-nazis in this thread.

[gigantes]

@dresta,
good points. i guess we're about on the same page here.

my sense of russia is that there is something of a national long-standing insecurity complex / resentment going on there. as in, for many centuries they were forced to play second fiddle to their much smaller, more advanced and potent neighbors to the west. then along comes a reckless leader like stalin and putin (and maybe ivan the terrible, i forget) and i could see some extra motivation to grab territory and impose one's will.



It's like people forgot this insane militarism was a Cold War thing, and that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, America simply put their toys to new use. Post-collapse was the ideal time to look through Cold War policies and really cut back on things like unaccountable intelligence agencies, but instead Americans were generally too busy patting themselves on the back over winning the Cold War (and with the typical enthusiasms of victors 'where can we bring freedom and justice to next!').
yeah. i am certainly not a fan of the democracy-building mentality, altho i think it was even moreso economic self-interest at the heart of it.




Gigantes and KevinNYC have admitted to supporting white supremacist neo-nazis in this thread.
wow it must suck being able to hold only one thought in your head at a time.

but yes, i am certainly a supporter of white supremacist neo nazis if it comes to kicking your ass.

[Nick Young]

yes, i am certainly a supporter of white supremacist neo nazis

Thank you for revealing your true colors.

You seem to consider yourself to be an intellectual. And at the same time you are completely unable to recognize how simple it is to play you like a puppet.

[warriorfan]

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/f9/f909a56a25d003f3aa68ee55854a8cefd7652df1d2202afb7c 5742ebbd80ca67.jpg

http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/AlphaPutin.jpg


:roll:

[gigantes]

Thank you for revealing your true colors.

You seem to consider yourself to be an intellectual. And at the same time you are completely unable to recognize how simple it is to play you like a puppet.
well mssr, for what it's worth, i've seen you bring up plenty of interesting topics / issues on ISH.

in any case, you seem to be rather miserable these days for whatever reasons that might be. no offense sorry... just noticing.

but let's say that HYPOTHETICALLY someone was in your corner, had nothing against you as a fellow human being, and was simply curious about your message and whoever or whatever is f-cking with you to this extent.

WHO would you say is being this mean to you and WHAT could a potential friend do to help you out...?

[Nick Young]

well mssr, for what it's worth, i've seen you bring up plenty of interesting topics / issues on ISH.

in any case, you seem to be rather miserable these days for whatever reasons that might be. no offense sorry... just noticing.

but let's say that HYPOTHETICALLY someone was in your corner, had nothing against you as a fellow human being, and was simply curious about your message and whoever or whatever is f-cking with you to this extent.

WHO would you say is being this mean to you and WHAT could a potential friend do to help you out...?
You don't know enough about psychology to play pseudo-ISH psychologist breh. You aren't smart enough or funny enough to do what you're attempting to do in your latest post.

I'm just trying to set you straight. It's easy for Americans to follow the propaganda and see the Ukrainian fighters as noble freedom fighters. In reality the Ukrainian troops are mostly white supremacists and nazis.

Putin is carrying on Russia's proud tradition of putting down nazis. Hopefully you and Kevin NYC will one day recognize this.

Keep on dancing, brah
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzt7gk6LU41qm6oc3o1_500.gif
:cheers:

[gigantes]

i feel a man-crush coming on. :banana:

[KevinNYC]

Exclusive: Russia masses heavy firepower on border with Ukraine (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/27/us-ukraine-crisis-russia-military-idUSKBN0OC2K820150527) - witness
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/03/us-ukraine-crisis-clashes-idUSKBN0OJ1DJ20150603

Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists on Wednesday fought their first serious battles in months and Ukraine's defense minister said an attempt by rebels to take the eastern town of Maryinka had been thwarted.

The Ukrainian military said the Russian-backed rebels had tried to advance using tanks and up to 1,000 fighters west of the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk, in the most significant escalation of the conflict in about three months and in defiance of a ceasefire deal.

HEAVY WEAPONS

The fighting, in which both sides used heavy weapons, went far beyond the regular low-level skirmishing which has regularly punctuated a ceasefire brokered in February by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.

The fighting started around 3 a.m. (midnight GMT) and ended almost 12 hours later.

"For the moment, storming operations have been halted," Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak told reporters.

A military spokesman was later quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that separatists had launched new attacks on Maryinka and that parts of the town were on fire. Other spokesmen said government troops were in control.

[KevinNYC]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/03/us-ukraine-crisis-clashes-idUSKBN0OJ1DJ20150603

Russia ready for open war?
Russia

[Nick Young]

Stop supporting racist white supremacists, bro.


Russia living rent free in your hipster brain.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02337/PussyRiot_2337991b.jpg