Donetsk, DNR. Ukrainian media has been getting into the vodka this week to counter very real, photo documented reports of United States Special Forces, Canadian and NATO forces operating in the Donbass advance areas of the war zone. According to the Kiev creative minds, large numbers of Russian forces are stationed all over Donbass, ah but as always, no video, photos or locals can confirm the self created crap coming from Kiev crazies.
The total number of military personnel from the Russian Armed Forces who are active in the separatist-held territories of Eastern Ukraine is currently 5-6 thousand, wrote Ukrainian journalist and military “expert” Yuriy Butusov on ZN.UA news website.
“Nominally assigned to the command posts, the local separatists carry out, in the best case, the functions of students and ‘advisers’, or are otherwise ‘talking heads’ for propaganda. Russian mercenaries are the linchpins in all the military subdivisions of the military groups. The total number of Russian military personnel in the Donbas is constant and is around 5-6 thousand people,” the “expert” opined.
Contacted by News Front in Donetsk, ex-CIA Agent David Simpson had a different take; “Its nuts, it is straight up crazy to suggest mass numbers of active Russian combat troops are in Donbass. If they were here, you would see youtube videos, cell camera footage, their troops would be dating local girls and there are foreign observers all over Donbass from charity organizations, OSCE, ICRC, UNICEF, UNHCR and foreign press, this truly borders on cold war lunacy to keep suggesting these imaginary little green men are here.” Simpson stated.
The Kiev “expert” pointed out that the Donbass has become a training ground for the regular Russian army, and the leadership of the separatist armed forces is effectively made up of Russian officers. But again when asked for a News Front interview, Butusov declined and could not explain the “confirmation” of the information at the location of his reports.
“The subdivisions of the Russian Army are deployed here on a rotational basis. All systems of control, reconnaissance, artillery, radio-electronic warfare, and logistics – all of these are handled by Russian soldiers. The 1st and 2nd army corps of the occupation forces, on the levels from the battalion staff to the corps command are staffed by Russian officers with the status of ‘advisers’, who in actual fact have the powers of real commanders. Butusov suggests.
Simpson in Donetsk went further, “You know we should make this like a million dollar game show challenge, if Russian troops were here-really here, ask yourself WHAT would stop them from being in Lvov tomorrow? The US has told Moscow they will not go to war over Ukraine multiple times. Russia has no need for Ukraine and its just new cold war lies designed to gin up more support for defense contractors to sell systems, justify troop deployments and for giving billions in aid to Kiev.”