An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 23 In recent months pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have taken control of key locations and have effectively created a land bridge from Russia through eastern Ukraine into Crimea. The well-organised and well-armed units involved in these actions have been described by Ukrainian media as resembling those that occupied parts of Crimea earlier in the year. Ukrainian military intelligence states that some groups are in fact Russian military reconnaissance and sabotage units. Media pictures reveal masked soldiers carrying Russian-made AK- 100 series assault rifles fitted with grenade launchers, a weapon current- ly issued to Russian Federation forces. Fuelling suspicions, military vehicles seen along the border were devoid of number plates. NATO's Supreme Allied Com- mander Europe (SACEUR), General Philip Breedlove, said that fighters in the region appeared to be highly trained and not a spontaneously formed local militia. He went on to say: "What is happening in eastern Ukraine is a military operation that is well planned and organised and we assess that it is being carried out at the direction of Russia." While this accusation has been repudiated by President Putin's gov- ernment, a Russian opposition politi- cian, Illy Ponomarev, said: "I am ab- solutely confident that in the eastern regions of Ukraine there are Russian troops in very small amounts. And it's not regular soldiers, but likely representatives of special forces and military intelligence." Whatever the case, the stand-off between the West and Russia over the Ukrainian crisis has sent relations between them to lows not seen since the Cold War. On 24th July, a week after the downing of MH17, the US government stated that it had evidence in the form of satellite imagery that the Russian military was firing on Ukrainian terri- tory from across the border. NATO has commenced a num- ber of training exercises in Eastern Europe, with increased air force monitoring of the region. Russia's intervention in the crisis has been condemned internationally, and in response Europe, the US, and others have implemented sanctions. At the time of writing, internation- al efforts continue to try to solve the crisis and the situation hangs in the balance. As gun battles escalate and the death toll mounts, many people fear that skirmishes between the Ukrainian military and the separat- ists may spiral out of control to the point that all-out war will engulf the region. Paul O'Brien is a regular con- tributor to An Cosantóir, and a recent winner of the Euro- pean Military Press Associa- tion (EMPA) 'Best Article' (2013) award for 'At the Gates of Hell – Mali'. He has carried out extensive research in relation to Irish and British military deploy- ments during the Easter Rising and has written a number of works focusing on the military aspects of the Rising. An anti-government protester at Independent Square, Kiev, February 2014. Photo: Uncensored Magazine Members of a military special unit stand guard in front of a Ukrainian parliament building in Kiev, March 2014. Photo: Reuters Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych with Russian president Vladimir Putin who agreed to buy $15 billion in Ukrainian bonds and to reduce the price for vital Russian gas supplies by one-third. Photo: Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images Ukrainian-flag- coloured ribbon tied to barbed wire by protestors. Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis General Philip M. Breedlove (SACEUR) Map of Ukraine. Lonely Planet Images

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