Civil War in Ukraine: Western Empire vs Russia

[luke wilson]

Thanks Siberia,

I think your take on this is very correct

Putin could be no more demonized even if the Russian military had invaded Ukraine, conquered it, and reincorporated Ukraine in Russia of which Ukraine was part for centuries prior to the Soviet collapse and Ukraine's separation from Russia at Washington's insistence.

However, surely by refusing to accept the breakaway republics, he has placed them in no-mans-land. Russia won't take them and well, Kiev/US/PTB want them destroyed... Ultimately they want Ukraine to be under the control of the west so chaos will continue until this happens. The rebels are in a no-win situation, their region will forever be engulfed in chaos because they stand in the way...

There can be no peace, yes? For peace to happen, the US has to abandon the policy of chaos in Ukraine... I think that is the thrust of the article? The peace deal doesn't recognize that the US has a policy of chaos towards Ukraine. The US and Russia are the 2 main players... Russia signs a peace deal that doesn't involve the US? Will the US just accept and quietly walk away and disband its proxy agents, army and policies?

I imagine Putin knows this so I don't know why he would sign a deal that will fail...(I know he personally didn't sign it, but still...)

 

[Psalehesost]

Here is another analysis of the agreement, which makes the case that Putin has put the US in a tight spot:
http://www.sott.net/article/292597-On-Minsk-agreement-Putin-wins-and-Obama-loses

Basically, as long as Merkel and Hollande continue on their current course, the agreement means the Obama administration won't have any excuse to give military support to Ukraine.

 

[Siberia]

Thanks Siberia,

I think your take on this is very correct

Putin could be no more demonized even if the Russian military had invaded Ukraine, conquered it, and reincorporated Ukraine in Russia of which Ukraine was part for centuries prior to the Soviet collapse and Ukraine's separation from Russia at Washington's insistence.

However, surely by refusing to accept the breakaway republics, he has placed them in no-mans-land. Russia won't take them and well, Kiev/US/PTB want them destroyed... Ultimately they want Ukraine to be under the control of the west so chaos will continue until this happens. The rebels are in a no-win situation, their region will forever be engulfed in chaos because they stand in the way...

There can be no peace, yes? For peace to happen, the US has to abandon the policy of chaos in Ukraine... I think that is the thrust of the article? The peace deal doesn't recognize that the US has a policy of chaos towards Ukraine. The US and Russia are the 2 main players... Russia signs a peace deal that doesn't involve the US? Will the US just accept and quietly walk away and disband its proxy agents, army and policies?

I imagine Putin knows this so I don't know why he would sign a deal that will fail...(I know he personally didn't sign it, but still...)

The republics are in a very dire situation now, it's true. But we don't know, if it's a no-win situation or if it will last forever.

Putin's plan is the same as it was from the beginning of this conflict: we need a strong and peaceful Ukraine which wouldn't be anti-Russian. It also coincides with the interests of the Donbass people. If Kiev didn't turn so blatantly anti-Russian, Donbass wouldn't want to separate from Ukraine. So it's mostly about recovering the normal relations with Kiev than about separating Donbass from Ukraine. These normal relations are only possible through negotiations, not through aggression.

You are right to suggest that peace is not what the US wants for Ukraine. But the US is not the only actor in this drama. It should be noted that before Minsk talks, Merkel and Hollande came to Putin at their own initiative. And nobody actually was present at these talks except the three of them: even the translators/interpreters/secretaries were asked to leave. This time peace talks were suggested by the leaders of the EU.

Also, it should be noted that the EU refused to supply weapons to Ukraine. Only the UK and the US have such desire at the moment, not the EU. It means that the EU is more cautious now than before.

The real problem is Kiev's authorities. You're right that they will most likely sabotage the peace process again. But I doubt that it can last forever: Ukraine is nearly bankrupt. If they continue along the same line for some more time, the state will simply collapse. So maybe we will just have to wait until the junta slowly buries itself. After that, the people of Ukraine may have a better idea of who is who and make the right choice. We'll see. fwiw

 

[thorbiorn]

About the conflict between the Right Sector and the usual army there was another incident:

Right Sector militants surrounded the Krasnoarmeisk Ukrainian command headquaters, threatening to storm it

One commander stood up to the looting of private property by some right sector members, who in turn called in 100 other members who showed up with mortars, snipers and other weapons. It is said that the commander called in help from UAF, but if he got it is not known. As Kristina Rus comments, this is a rare case, usually Right Sector get their way.

I don't know if the stance of the Right Sector has anything to do with Poroshenkos decision to send 150 pieces of equipment to the planned to be demilitarized zone just a day before the ceasefire: http://novorossia.today/a-day-before-the-ceasefire-poroshenko-assigned-military-equipment-to-the-ato-zone/ Or will Poroshenko use them to get people out of the cauldron in Debaltsevo, which he so far has denied even exists. Poroshenko may also have in mind to find a pretext to blame the militia and declare martial law in all of Ukraine. This could give him a few more days of life as a president.

About people believing what they are told, there is an interview with a doctor who was in Slavyansk in May, June of 2014:

Slavyansk surgeon talks about another May 2nd massacre in Semenovka
[...]
- Many Ukrainians supporting ATO [anti-terrorist operation], believe that the militias fired on themselves.

- A person can be convinced of many things. I myself had to convince the terminally ill that they will recover. They believed.

- Recovered?

- No. They were dying. But believed.
[...]

The doctor told how some choose to believe, but in Europe people are also led to believe. In this youtube from about minute 2-12 a British reporter, Patrick Lancaster elaborates on his experiences with distortions being made to his reports before being shown in the British news: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkHtY7yMabI&feature=player_detailpage In one instance, On Demand News, belonging to the ITN group, put in a voice over which twisted the message completely. The Guardian got it wrong too, but later retracted and apologized after a complaint was made. In this case only SKY News aired the report truthfully.

What the British media report wrongly is then reported by other Journalists. Yesterday I watched a Danish journalist in Eastern Ukraine on the spot near Debaltsevo, but while he was on air he then interpreted the opinion of the Guardian, which was focused on Putin and the militia. He did not care to mention the statements and actions that have come from the Right Sector and their neo-nazi agenda.

Regarding the neo nazi leanings and the indifference in Western Media, there was one voice from the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung Junge Welt:

Out the 14.02.2015, page 12 / issue
"Kill for Wodan"
The Fascist group "Misanthropic Division" fights within the battalion "Azov" in the Ukraine. They want to build a racist "community" in the whole of Europe. The authorities do not bother.
By Peter Schaber
[...]
Further information can be found. The author is a photo before, on the two unrecognizable made activists of the "Misanthropic Division" with one of the most prominent neo-Nazis of Germany pose: Michael Regener. Earlier boss as a "criminal Association" classified Neonazicombo "Landser", it occurs today as "The Lunikoff Verschwörung". On the picture is also of the American neo-Nazi David "Griffin" Surette. [...]

You can gather a number of other circumstantial evidence for an interaction between German and Ukrainian neo-Nazis, as well as for a presence of the "Misanthropic Division in Germany [..]

Epilogue: "Our" Neo-Nazis

One can pose the question of why the German authorities are obviously not interested. The scandal by Germany pulling neo-Nazi Terrorbande, funded and supported by the protection of the Constitution, is still not processed, one can doubt that its full Dimension, depending on the Public penetrates. And, once again, is a network of armed fascists ignored.

Explaining why this is so, it must begin with the statement: Because nobody is interested. There are in the leading media of this country no sensitivity to the danger of these bands. Certainly not, currently, where all banned on the declared enemy of Russia rigid. During the Research for this article was published on 6. February in the taz, a comment of the head of the Auslandsressorts, Dominic Johnson, argued that the Ukraine have a "right to arms" from the West. In the Zeit from 10. February said Steffen Dobbert, it takes "weapons, in order to end this war". And Jörg Eigendorf wrote in Springer's Welt already eight days earlier, the "Ukraine needs to defend itself," because without "effective deterrence" will the country will soon be no more.

Not a single one of these authors mentioned that, of course, could not be prevented that from the West supplied weapons to the various fascist groups and battalions would go. German weapons, then went to people with swastika-Tattoos, soon to be available, the "race-war" to Europe want to wear - it is you simply do not care.

Peter Schaber is editor of the Politblogs "lower class magazine".

Like the focus on removing Assad as president of Syria helped to arm and create Islamic State, ikewise the conflict in Ukraine where the West supports the Kiev Junta and their Neo-Nazi collaborators, in what appears like an attempt to take down Russia, just so happens to take the attention away from the rearming and training of Neo-Nazi groups in Europe in general.

And last there was this from a FB page, a short story from the daily life in a war torn zone.

The reality of war:
14.02.15. Message from a former prisoner Alexander Medvedsky who took the side of the Donbass rebels – one of a few survived convicts of Ukrainian prison in Chernukhino which was caught under fire.

"The head of the prison Shinkarev and his first Deputy Shalupec opened the gates of the prison, and they sent more than 120 prisoners to the left from the checkpoint – right into the woods. After that, we only heard that we were fired by ‘Grad’ rockets from both sides. More than 100 people were killed there and they still lie there on the field - torn to pieces. They were not given a single chance to survive – despite, they were coming with white bands and white sheets in their hands. We were deliberately sent to death – they tried to make a living shield out of us, a cannon fodder. But after that Ukrainian officers, guarding the prison, fled amidst the chaos.
Those of us who survived - had to split into smaller groups, we were shot from machine guns. The entire field was filled with antipersonnel mines. Fortunately, we were helped by the weather itself – the mines were frozen and didn’t explode.
We are only 8 prisoners who survived out of 120. Then we helped to evacuate civilians locked up in the bombshelters – those who could go and who was not afraid to go with convicts. Together with them we went through, hiding in bomb shelters and basements.
Then we reached the village of Zaporozhets, where we were met by Donbass rebels of cossacks’ squadron - they fed us and helped to get here. They were kind to us, contrary to Ukrainian National Guard. [...]

The story is tragic but also shows that in times of distress, help may come from unexpected sides. First he was saved by fortune, then they helped some civilians and eventually found help. Let us see what comes out of the chaos in Ukraine.

 

[thorbiorn]

War divides people. Even in Oleh Lyashko's family from, and there is a video as evidence apparently from February 13.

The leader of the Radical party of Oleh Liashko in the program "Shuster live" admitted that his sister Victoria is fighting on the side of the militia.

My sister Victoria, with which we grew up together, fought with arms on the side of the Luhansk national Republic, - said the MP.

Although the next is in Russian, aparently from the 23 of November 2013. It is TV show or something where Vitali Klitshko talks about seeing into the future, he says that few can do it etc., then he says that the future for Ukraine is very bad, no roads or infrastructures. It is hard to say where he had it from, but it is my impression he believed it. The link is: http://antimaydan.info/2014/12/klichko_smotrel_v_budushee_ukraina_stanet_imenem_naricatelnym_202380.html

What these two cases show is that some of the puppets at the top are aware that their viewpoint is not the only one, and some have an inkling of where the actions lead.

 

[Lumiere_du_Code]

Ron Paul: Ukraine Coup Planned By Nato And EU

As Ron Paul recently exclaimed, the war propagandists are very active and are winning over the support of many unsuspecting American citizens. So we thought the followingg 90 seconds of 'pure Paul' would provide a refreshingly different perspective as he explains, "I'm not pro-Russia, I'm not pro-Putin, I'm pro-facts."
"The Ukraine coup was planned by NATO and EU... The best thing we can do for Ukraine is get the foreigners out."

As he previously concluded:
Our government has no more credibility in telling us the truth about the facts that require us to expand our military presence in this region than Brian Williams.
Constant war propaganda has proven too often to be our nemesis in supporting constant war promoted by the neoconservatives and the military industrial complex.
[...]
The only way that Congress can be persuaded to back off with our dangerous interventionism, whether it’s in the Middle East or Ukraine, is for the American people to speak out clearly in opposition.

_http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-14/ron-paul-ukraine-coup-planned-nato-and-eu

https://youtu.be/G93SlyJIQSg


Lode Vanoost, a former deputy speaker of the Belgian Parliament, wrote in The BRICS Post Friday, that the Minsk agreement has a chance of success largely because the United States was not involved directly, yet he warns that

"for Washington, all options are still on the table. Considering the warmongering majority in the U.S. Congress, that is not a good omen for peace... A resumption of violence carries with it the risk for an all out war between nuclear powers. This is about a possible major war on European soil."

"Hardly ever mentioned in the news", wrote Vanoost, is the fact that the Kiev government and army are riddled with "extremist militias who do not bother to hide their fascist ideologies.... Considering their behavior on the battlefield so far, it is very doubtful that Kiev will be able to make them abide by the ceasefire conditions."

Also, he notes:
"While President Petro Poroshenko is more then willing to find a pragmatic solution to the conflict, his prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, however, is a fanatic Ukrainian nationalist, who is not a man of compromise."

_https://larouchepac.com/20150214/former-belgian-pol-warns-nuclear-war-nazi-militia

 

[Niall]

There can be no peace, yes? For peace to happen, the US has to abandon the policy of chaos in Ukraine... I think that is the thrust of the article? The peace deal doesn't recognize that the US has a policy of chaos towards Ukraine. The US and Russia are the 2 main players... Russia signs a peace deal that doesn't involve the US? Will the US just accept and quietly walk away and disband its proxy agents, army and policies?

I imagine Putin knows this so I don't know why he would sign a deal that will fail

Yes, there can be no peace, yet. I think Putin knows this. Of course the peace deal doesn't recognize that the US has 'a policy of chaos towards Ukraine'. That is 'conspiracy talk'. Remember, for the vast majority of people in the world, up until now, Russia is the aggressor and the US an innocent bystander. Out there in Western-istan, these are 'facts'.

To go from there to a peace deal that MAKES NO MENTION OF RUSSIA INVADING UKRAINE is a potentially huge realignment of the official narrative towards the objective one.

You know how Castaneda emphasises how careful one needs to be to stalk a petty tyrant? And how difficult it is to succeed? Well, imagine doing that on a global scale! There is so much to take into consideration when deciding what to do and when, and most of those considerations go way beyond the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The international central banking cartel, the balance of power in the Middle East, the Eurozone crisis, the international arms trade... Putin is up against the mother of all tyrants, a multi-headed, global hydra. He can't take them on all at once. He must play one off the other.

The US will not walk away: it will probably make increasingly mad decisions that increasingly isolate itself from the newly coalescing EU position. Putin appears to be baiting the US-UK into doing something outrageous (ie sending a load of weapons and 'advisors' to Kiev, in direct opposition to the main EU policy), thereby increasing the number of voices in the EU that realize the US is the problem, not Russia.

 

[SeekinTruth]

As Niall said, the whole problem needs to be dealt with in a way that makes the US the obvious aggressor. No matter what, the NAF will have to deal with the attacks, so the Minsk agreements change little on the battlefield really. It's showing the world what's really happening (and, for example, how Russia is NOT isolated, but the US is becoming so, etc. - they went running to Russia, not the other way round). The whole point also is that the German, French, and EU leaders in general are having to see how they are put into a very dangerous situation by the US actions and demands, period. They will take the lion's share of the damage, so they are trying to find a way to protect themselves from US's aggressive and dangerous escalations.

 

[thorbiorn]

It is alleged by the FB page of Southfront, but not confirmed from other sources that

Andrew Parubiy is going to the U.S. to ask for advanced weapons. In an interview a representative of Ukrainian Parliament also noted that Ukraine "have to strengthen the armed forces", as well as to ensure that the United States "will gave to Ukrainian army the high-precision weapons."

This is Ukrainian-styled ceasefire...

Indeed.

 

[griffin]

It is alleged by the FB page of Southfront, but not confirmed from other sources that

Andrew Parubiy is going to the U.S. to ask for advanced weapons. In an interview a representative of Ukrainian Parliament also noted that Ukraine "have to strengthen the armed forces", as well as to ensure that the United States "will gave to Ukrainian army the high-precision weapons."

This is Ukrainian-styled ceasefire...

Indeed.

Andrew Parubiy apparently is the leader of the former "Socialist National" (i.e., nazi) brownshirts party that the CIA renamed "Freedom", that is, "Svoboda" in Russian, in the junta's so-called 'government', not to be confused with Dmitry Yarosh, the leader of oligarch Kolomoiskiy's brownshirt skinhead nazi renegade militias.

It's simply outrageous that the US recognized a 'government' that includes these fascists. Now these two groups are defying Poroshenko's authority, so he has to deal with them swiftly and decisively. He must disarm and either expel or exterminate both groups, if he wants to survive. He is in a tight spot.

 

[angelburst29]

It is alleged by the FB page of Southfront, but not confirmed from other sources that

Andrew Parubiy is going to the U.S. to ask for advanced weapons. In an interview a representative of Ukrainian Parliament also noted that Ukraine "have to strengthen the armed forces", as well as to ensure that the United States "will gave to Ukrainian army the high-precision weapons."

This is Ukrainian-styled ceasefire...

Indeed.

Andrew Parubiy apparently is the leader of the former "Socialist National" (i.e., nazi) brownshirts party that the CIA renamed "Freedom", that is, "Svoboda" in Russian, in the junta's so-called 'government', not to be confused with Dmitry Yarosh, the leader of oligarch Kolomoiskiy's brownshirt skinhead nazi renegade militias.

It's simply outrageous that the US recognized a 'government' that includes these fascists. Now these two groups are defying Poroshenko's authority, so he has to deal with them swiftly and decisively. He must disarm and either expel or exterminate both groups, if he wants to survive. He is in a tight spot.

I wonder if there might be an oligarch power play, now in the making, between Kolomoisky and Poroshenko, with Kolomoisky using Yarosh to force Poroshenko out?

 

[thorbiorn]

[...]
Andrew Parubiy apparently is the leader of the former "Socialist National" (i.e., nazi) brownshirts party that the CIA renamed "Freedom", that is, "Svoboda" in Russian, in the junta's so-called 'government', not to be confused with Dmitry Yarosh, the leader of oligarch Kolomoiskiy's brownshirt skinhead nazi renegade militias.

It's simply outrageous that the US recognized a 'government' that includes these fascists. Now these two groups are defying Poroshenko's authority, so he has to deal with them swiftly and decisively. He must disarm and either expel or exterminate both groups, if he wants to survive. He is in a tight spot.

True, however Poroshenko has another issue. As reported earlier, there are foreign mercenaries in Eastern Ukraine. Who pays them is not know and why they use NATO weapons as were found at the airport is also not completely clear. This "problem" has not gone away since the airport battle, according to a FB post https://www.facebook.com/albina.vyerovska/posts/414968595328989 which is a translation/summary of a Russian article http://cont.ws/post/75415 , posted yesterday before the cease-fire.

Ukrainian soldiers of all forces trying to take control of a village Логвиново, located near Debaltcevo. This is due not only to the fact that this is the key to the city, located on the Debaltcevo track - Artemovsk but also with the fact that nearly Логвиново probably stuck fairly large unit of NATO armed forces or the western mercenaries trying to get out of the boiler. Over the past two days, the army of Ukraine conducts violent attacks in the uprising to unlock NATO units.
According to the radio interception received intelligence of the army Novorossia mainly hear English and Polish. The same thing a few days earlier was confirmed by the Ministry of Defence of Donetsk. Edward Басурин said that according to reports, the foreign war from France, Poland and, apparently, the great Britain or the United states. He also said that Ukraine, the security forces are now producing elimination of all the evidence, that the side of the army of Ukraine are fighting foreign military, and that the army of Ukraine actively using NATO weapons.

That people from Poland are in the game is not surprising considering the turn or manipulation of public opinion http://sputniknews.com/columnists/20150215/1018306086.html and that the British might be in, is business as usual. Besides there was this

UK to Ensure EU Unity on Russian Sanctions if Minsk Agreements Fail
© Sputnik/ Sergei Guneev
Ukrainian President's press-service announced that UK Prime Minister David Cameron assured Petro Poroshenko in a phone talk that the United Kingdom is ready to ensure the unity of European Union concerning Anti-Russia sanctions in case of noncompliance with Minsk Agreements.
[...]

UK is a US enforcer, but will they succeed? Serbia fx did not wish to be part of the latest round of sanctions to take effect Monday, February 16; that is today.

 

[Voyageur]

As Niall said, the whole problem needs to be dealt with in a way that makes the US the obvious aggressor. No matter what, the NAF will have to deal with the attacks, so the Minsk agreements change little on the battlefield really. It's showing the world what's really happening (and, for example, how Russia is NOT isolated, but the US is becoming so, etc. - they went running to Russia, not the other way round). The whole point also is that the German, French, and EU leaders in general are having to see how they are put into a very dangerous situation by the US actions and demands, period. They will take the lion's share of the damage, so they are trying to find a way to protect themselves from US's aggressive and dangerous escalations.

From Canada, after Merkel's visit on Feb 9th with Harper, whereby earlier that day she was in Washington: _http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/angela-merkel-stephen-harper-repeat-desire-for-diplomatic-solution-in-ukraine-1.2949986

Merkel ​was in Washington earlier Monday for a previously scheduled meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, amid reports of a rift between the U.S. and Europe over whether to arm Ukraine's military.

And whereby Harper had this to say:

"Unfortunately, to this point in time Putin has rejected diplomatic means, he seeks to move his agenda forward through military violence[...]. {lies are expected from Harper}

"We have provided a whole range of aid to our friends in Ukraine {he is talking about cash, night goggles etc. and are considering Satellite Imagery that Poroshenko asked for back in September}… we'll look at all options, but obviously we'll proceed extremely cautiously in partnership and in collaboration with all of our allies." {i.e. in doing what and only when they are told}

Jumping ahead to the 13th _http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-to-send-money-radar-satellite-images-to-ukraine-1.2957385, after the "sudden" departure of the Foreign Affairs Minister, Baird (Netanyahu's pal), the new guy, Defense Minister, Jason Kenney on the show 'Power & Politics', by Evan Salomon, who seems to be viciously cornering Kenny, putting words in his mouth concerning helping to arm Ukraine:

"Kenney said the idea of sending lethal aid is being talked about, including when German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Harper in Ottawa this week."
[...]
{Kenney} "We don't have huge stockpiles of equipment to supply, if we were to get into that kind of business it would be by acquiring it from other vendors and then supplying it to Ukrainians."

"We're not going to do anything in that regard without a consensus amongst our allies, Canada will not act alone in that regard."

Kenney seemed very nervous on the one hand, while Solomon was baiting him (starts at 6:45 from the Feb 11th video) _http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/jason-kenney-says-canada-is-open-to-training-ukrainian-forces-1.2954100 he essentially said, "so you are open to lethal weapons" (he doe not really answer him in the affirmative), which then comes close in the main CBC headline the next day - "Jason Kenney says Canada is open to training Ukrainian forces" based on the prior interview.

There are a great many people (journalists and politicians included) in Canada, who seem to know what is going on in Ukraine, who know what is being omitted from the MSN screen and they, OSIT, are very afraid and seem to fear the NATO war-whores, the U.S. and Israel, yet dance to their tune hoping something will go the other way. The government seems to be playing this minute by minute and against the mirror of the house opposition, yet all in all there is a sense that no one is talking that should be talking - there is a type of wait and see attitude.

For Putin, as Niall suggests, he indeed has so much to consider. There are likely "back channels" constantly talking and information being weighed. He is very aware that Western intent was always to influence events that would suck Russia into the theater of Ukraine; which PCR, in his article posted above, seems to gloss-over (he should know that). Putin has exercised his stance as best he could while understanding the goals of the west. It would be naive to think he was not talking to many other world leaders in how best to isolate the U.S., and by extension, its tentacles. The U.S. house on the hill seems hell-bent on maintaining chaos as the statuesque and worse, it is reaching very hard for a global conflagration of some type that is hard to understand without factoring war being the ultimate cover for "celestial intentions" as discussed by others.

Dark days.

PS. Hang in there, Lumiere!

 

[Jeremy F Kreuz]

short video of Doctors without Borders on the impact of the war on the civilian population.

http://www.msf.org/article/video-war-torn-minds-eastern-ukraine

 

[Jeremy F Kreuz]

From AP

On one hand the DPR and LPR maintain that the Debeltsevo Cauldron is not part of the cease fire - on the other hand the Junta says that the ceasefire is breached in the cauldron. The UN seems not ready to say something about the ceasfire - mainly because of the cauldron.

Ukraine says won't pull back heavy arms because of rebel fire
Publication: Agence France-Presse | Provider: Agence France-Presse | February 16, 2015 (11:30)
By Nicolas Miletitch, with Bryan McManus in Brussels

ATTENTION - UPDATES throughout /// Donetsk, Ukraine, Feb 16, 2015 (AFP) - A shaky new truce in Ukraine was already at risk on its second day Monday as Kiev said there was "no question" of its troops pulling back heavy weapons, and the EU ratcheted up sanctions on Russia.
"There is no question at the moment of us withdrawing heavy weapons" from the frontline because of persistent attacks by pro-Russian rebels, a Ukrainian military spokesman, Vladyslav Seleznyov, told AFP. Pulling back tanks, artillery and rockets from the frontline in Ukraine's east is meant to take place from midnight (2200 GMT) on Monday as the second phase of a European-mediated truce agreed last week.
But while OSCE monitors said the ceasefire that came into effect on Sunday was being generally followed, shelling was unabated around Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub linking the two main rebel-held cities of Donestk and Lugansk.
Thousands of government troops are in the hotspot town, mostly surrounded by pro-Russian separatists, some of whom have told AFP they were waiting for an order to take Debaltseve.
The situation around Debaltseve remains "dynamic" after troops repelled several rebel assaults, Seleznyov told a Kiev media conference on Monday.
The separatists early Monday "resumed shelling" and destroyed Debaltseve's police station without causing any casualties, a regional government official, Vyacheslav Abroskin, said on his Facebook page.
Journalists were unable to safely access the town to verify the claims.
Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had observed shelling around Debaltseve on Sunday but were barred access by rebels.
"We plan to go to Debaltseve today (Monday), but that depends on several factors," a member of the OSCE team, Iryna Gudyma, told AFP by telephone. "We cannot risk the lives of our observers." - EU blacklists Russian officials - While tensions rose on the ground, the European Union upped the ante on the diplomatic front, adding two Russian deputy defence ministers, Anatoly Antonov and Arkady Bakhin, to its travel-ban and asset-freeze blacklist for allegedly sending Russian troops and materiel in to Ukraine to support the insurgency.
Russia has denied repeated allegations it has sent troops and tanks to support the pro-Russian rebels. The West, though, has imposed sanctions that, along with the sharp decline in oil prices, are accelerating the Russian economy's slide into recession.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he has committed to the peace deal that ultimately aims to end the bitter Ukraine conflict that has claimed more than 5,000 lives since it started in April last year, and has sent East-West relations to lows not seen since the Cold War.
Separatists on Sunday told AFP they believed the ceasefire was just a pause, and that they would soon be ordered to launch an offensive to take the town.
Despite the collapse of a similar ceasefire agreed back in September, and deep mistrust between the West and Russia, there is international investment in seeing this latest peace effort take root.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande mediated the truce in marathon talks in Belarus last Wednesday and Thursday.
On Sunday, Hollande said after a follow-up phone call with Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that adherence to the ceasefire was "generally satisfactory" despite some "local incidents".
The UN Security Council was meant late Sunday to have met to seek a way to reinforce the Ukraine peace process. But Britain's ambassador to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant said that while consultations would happen, the body was not yet ready to adopt a resolution on the truce.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the ceasefire represented "a desperately needed respite" but noted "serious concerns" remained over the situation in Debaltseve.