Why Russia’s military is now directly attacking Ukraine

2014/7/29 9:52:35

John Herbst: “As Ukrainian Army weakens Kremlin’s proxy forces, Putin steps up war to avoid defeat”

 

< Photo: One of several satellite images released by the State Department depicts what the US government says have been Russian cross-border missile strikes on Ukrainian troops in Ukraine. (State Department/Digital Globe)

 

 


By John E. Herbst* for the Atlanticist, July 27, 2014

 

The war in Ukraine has heated up significantly in the ten days since the Russian-led and supplied insurgents shot down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. Ukrainian forces retook the city of Lysychansk from the rebels late last week and have established control over most of their border with Russia. They are advancing on the city of Horlivka, a stronghold of the rebels and a gateway to Donetsk, the principal city of the Donbas region.

 

The Ukrainians’ steady advance, and the prospect that they might seal the border and cut insurgent supply lines, has led the government of President Vladimir Putin to again escalate its intervention in Ukraine. In addition to keeping up a steady flow of armored vehicles, missile systems and fighters to its agents in southeastern Ukraine, the Kremlin has sent heavy artillery. Russian forces along the Ukrainian border are directly attacking the Ukrainian military with artillery fire. In some locations, Ukrainian forces are under fire by the separatists to their west and the Russians to their east.

 

For Moscow, Ukrainian gains could not have come at a worse time. The European public’s fury at the destruction of MH17 only grew due to the spectacle at the crash site of an obstructed investigation, the looting of the remains and the carting off of evidence. This is driving ever-cautious European politicians to consider, for the first time, serious sanctions.

 

For the complete text, link below:

http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ ... irectly-attacking-ukraine

 

*John E. Herbst is director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council. He served as the US ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006.

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