The Economist explains
Who the
Ukrainian rebels are
Aug 31st
2014, 23:50 by N.S. | KIEV
- See
more at:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/08/economist-explains-21?fsrc=nlw|newe|1-09-2014|5356ceab899249e1cccba350|#sthash.evNRczQo.dpuf
[ My intention with my blog is to simply collect articles of
interest to me for purposes of future reference. I do my best to indicate who has actually composed the
articles. NONE of the articles have been written by me. – Louis Sheehan ]
THE tides of eastern Ukraine's war have shifted again. After weeks
of ceding territory, the Ukrainian rebels have dealt government forces a series
of swift counterstrikes. Backed by reinforcements from Russia, the separatists
retook several towns near the regional capitals of Donetsk and Luhansk over the
past week, and have opened up a third front to the south. The message was
clear: we aren't going anywhere. The pro-Western Ukrainian government in Kiev
has long asserted that the insurgency is a Russian creation. Despite moving
more than 1,000 Russian troops into Ukrainian territory over the past week, the
Kremlin calls the war a purely “domestic matter”, insisting that any Russians
that happen to be found fighting are simply “volunteers” or soldiers on
holiday. So who exactly are the rebels?
After Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February
and Russia annexed Crimea in March, a patchwork of poorly coordinated militias
began seizing government buildings throughout the Donetsk and Luhansk regions
in April. These groups, who were made up almost entirely of disgruntled
locals and sympathisers from elsewhere in Ukraine, declared independence in May
as the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. Together,
this budding statelet calls itself “Novorossiya” (New Russia)—a revived term
for southern Ukrainian territory conquered by the Russian empire in the 18th
century. Eastern Ukraine has since attracted a number of shadowy Muscovites,
some with ties to Russia's security services, who have transformed the ragtag
movement. Igor Girkin (aka “Strelkov”) took control of the Donetsk military
wing; while Alexander Borodai was appointed as Donetsk’s prime minister. They
returned to Russia in mid-August after being replaced by Ukrainians in an
apparent attempt to give Novorossiya a façade of local control.
The Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics maintain separate
administrations, complete with their own prime ministers and cabinets
(including separate defence ministers). The Luhansk region, which borders
Russia, has served as the primary conduit for arms and fighters, while the
Donetsk region further west has borne the brunt of the Ukrainian offensive.
They retain operational independence on their territories, but coordinate
closely. Throughout the summer, as weapons and fighters flowed across the
porous border, the separatist army has solidified into a formidable fighting
force, one that bears little resemblance to its initial incarnation. It now
possesses sophisticated weapons, including scores of tanks, artillery systems,
armoured personnel carriers and anti-aircraft missiles, like the SA-11
"BUK" believed to have downed a Malaysia Airlines aeroplane in July—a
tragically reckless act that the rebels still deny a hand in.
Although Vladimir Putin’s denials of Russian troop presence are
farcical, the true extent of Russian involvement remains unclear. A full-scale
invasion would probably include more than a few thousand troops—NATO officials
say as many as 20,000 troops are poised at the border. For now, Mr Putin
appears determined not to bear responsibility for a war that has killed nearly
2,600 people, most of them civilians. He continues to funnel his fighters and
weapons to the rebel army in an effort to create a frozen conflict as he has
done elsewhere, in the hope that he can one day insert “Novorossiya" into
his new map of the world.
- See
more at:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/08/economist-explains-21?fsrc=nlw|newe|1-09-2014|5356ceab899249e1cccba350|#sthash.iPRtTDn0.dpuf
Posted but not written by: Lou Sheehan
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