Pro Russian militias solidify positions east of Mariupol
2014-08-27
Posted by: badanov
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
As pro Russian militia forces attempt to solidify their gains on the southern coast of Ukraina, signs are appearing the Ukrainian military are preparing a general retreat west to the Dnepr River.
Sunday it was reported that a company of Russian paratrooper regulars from the Russian 98th Guards Airborne Division crossed the border near Novoazovsk, that 12 of that group were captured by Ukrainian military, and four tanks were destroyed. It appeared by all information that this was a Russian incursion far south of the area of operation that pro Russian militia have been fighting.
Now, pro Russian militia are claiming it was their forces that have launched an attack on the area, taking Novoazovsk. Announced as of Tuesday, pro Russian militia have also taken the smaller villages of Sedovo and Obpyv, which are between Novoazovsk and the Russian border. Information compiled by the pro Russian Voice of Sevastopol claims that Ukrainian military forces and officials have abandoned the area and have fled west to Mariupol.
However, the Ukrainian ATO Press Center Facebook page claims a Russian armored unit is in an area between settlements Markino and Shcherbak, just across the border with Russia, and are firing on Ukrainian forces. The center also says that the police battalion "Azov" is counterattacking, although it isn't clear if their target are Russian regular troops or pro Russian militia.
Late news reports are that the Russian armored incursion is one which a Russian commander may have stumbled across the border. At the summit conducted Tuesday in Minsk in Belorussia, it was reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense had yet to submit a report on the incident. So far, Russia has denied their units are across the border.
One police battalion identified as "Dnepr-1" has been destroyed near Novoazovsk. Militia claim all but about 15 effectives have been eliminated, while another said the unit was retreating from Novoazovsk. The unit had been stationed at Sedovo.
Three days ago this writer read a comment in the Colonel Cassad blog claiming that Ukrainian military forces were starting to build up defenses near Dnepopetrovsk as well as in Mariupol, presumably as a fall back line. Until the Novoazovsk operation, no clear signal existed that the Ukrainian military was planning to abandon southeastern Ukraina and fall back to more defensible positions further west near the Dnepr River.
Colonel Cassad also said that one of the reasons why pro Russian militias were able to so easily slip down close to the coast and Mariupol was the retreat of Ukrainian police battalion "Donbass" which went to Mariupol. The unit had previously been ordered to attack the western "wall" of the pocket at Ilovaisk, but left after being refused reinforcements by Ukrainian commanders.
Major combat is occurring in the town of Telmanovo, about 50 kilometers due south of Donetsk and about 16 kilometers north of Novoazovsk. Militias claim to have control of the road between Kuznetsovo and Mikhailovka, which is an area about 10 kilometers east of Telmanovo. Militias claim three Ukrainian soldiers dead and four wounded, plus one vehicle destroyed. Militias also claim two Ukrainian T-64 tanks destroyed in the same area of operation, near Alexandrovka.
According to the Russian military correspondent A. Barkov, much of the location security establishment of Mariupol have been evacuated, and militias now are saying that Mariupol could fall "in the coming days".
Pro Ukrainian press are silent on this and the other major problem they have in the region: the encirclement of 7,000 effectives near Ilovaisk, which have been surrounded, and which pro Russian militia claim to have begun destroying.
According to pro Russian militia news sources, "several hundred" Ukrainian troops have surrendered and "dozens" of armored vehicles have been captured as Ukrainian troops flee the zone. Militia reports say that some Ukrainian prisoners have been fired on by Ukrainian artillery, presumably for surrendering.
The Russian blogger Colonel Cassad said that a total of 180 military vehicles, and as many as 90 artillery pieces, tubes and launchers are inside the pocket.
But ATO Press Center claims that Ukrainian regular and special forces have killed almost 250 effectives and some heavy equipment in areas immediately west of Lugansk.
Last week, according to western media news accounts, Ukrainian regular and police forces had captured the Lugansk airport and were conducting civilian operations out of the police building in Lugansk proper.
Since then, the situation has changed dramatically. Pro Russian militia say that they have successfully driven Ukrainian forces away from the city and are quickly establishing checkpoints on roads from the northwest and the southwest which lead into Lugansk.
The pro Russian Information Press Center "Vostok" said that Lugansk has been abandoned by Ukrainian forces as the defensive perimeter held by militia forces expand as well as the number of checkpoints increase in the region.
The pro Ukrainian ATO Press Center says that elements of the Ukrainian 80th Independent Airmobile Brigade continue to hold the airport in Lugansk despite massive militia artillery fire.
In Donetsk, a temporary lull in Ukrainian artillery fire was experienced Sunday night to Monday morning. Since then a number of tube and rocket artillery attacks have been recorded in the city.
Monday night an artillery strike was recorded near Petrovsky, where some residences were struck, in the Kuibyshevsky district and near the airport. Reports are small arms fire was heard in some districts inside of Donetsk. Artillery strikes also were heard in Starobeshevo, Novoazovsk and Severodonetsk districts.
Chris Covert writes news for Rantburg.com
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