UPDATE: Russia's hybrid war in Ukraine 'is working' Note how Russia has used EW against UAV's layman terms, drones. While Obama plays checkers, Putin is playing chess on the geopolitical chess board. Reuben F Johnson, Kiev - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly >" Key Points A conference attended by influential Ukrainian and US officials has concluded that Russia's hybrid warfare campaign in eastern Ukraine is working Ukrainian forces continue to be outmatched, not only by the hardware they face but also the sophistication of the offensive they face A significant forum focusing on the current situation in eastern Ukraine and the future of the country in terms of its relationship with the EU and NATO has revealed that Russia's 'hybrid warfare' campaign in its former Soviet vassal state appears to be achieving Moscow's desired results. At a 14 February conference in the southern city of Dnepropetrovsk, Lieutenant General Ruslan Homchak, the head of the Ukrainian military's Operational Command South, and others involved in the combat in the eastern regions of Lugansk and Donetsk, along with a team from the Potomac Foundation, a Washington, DC-based private defence and foreign affairs think-tank, briefed the US Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, and two defence attaches from the US Embassy in Kiev. The Potomac team was led by its director, Dr Phil Karber, a former senior official within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and General Wesley Clark (rtd), who served as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) from 1997-2000. The main points made by the briefers were as follows: - There are currently 14,400 Russian troops on Ukrainian territory backing up the 29,300 illegally armed formations of separatists in eastern Ukraine. These units are well equipped with the latest main battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, plus hundreds of pieces of tube and rocket artillery. There are also 29,400 Russian troops in Crimea and 55,800 massed along the border with eastern Ukraine. - Russian units have made heavy use of electronic warfare (EW) and what appear to be high-power microwave (HPM) systems to jam not only the communications and reconnaissance assets of the Ukrainian armed forces but to also disable the surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operated by ceasefire monitoring teams from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Russian EW teams have targeted the Schiebel Camcopter UAVs operated by the monitors and "melted the onboard electronics so that drones just fly around uncontrolled in circles before they crash to the ground", said one of the briefers at the conference. - Russian EW, communications and other units central to their military operations are typically placed adjacent to kindergartens, hospitals or apartment buildings so that Ukrainian units are unable to launch any strikes against them without causing unacceptable and horrific collateral casualties. - The war against Ukraine is not a "new" strategy for Moscow; the Russian general staff has been preparing for Ukraine-type combat operations since 1999. - The Russian military's Zapad 2013 exercise (the word 'Zapad' meaning 'West' in Russian to denote that it was an operation designed to practice operations against NATO) was a dress-rehearsal for parts of the Ukraine campaign and future potential operations against the Baltic states. The exercise involved 76,300 total troops, 60% of which were drawn from the same Russian Interior Ministry (MVD) units that were used in the Chechen conflicts of the 1990s. - Russia's information warfare campaign includes budgeting for the state-run Russia Today network (more than USD300 million per annum) and support for pro-Russian NGOs (USD100 million per annum). Overall, the Ukrainian military continues to be severely disadvantaged by not being equipped with a list of the items that are becoming well known to those watching the current situation in eastern Ukraine: secure communications systems; anti-tank guided weapons with tandem warheads; counter-battery radars; UAVs for both reconnaissance and strike missions; and the ability to stream multiple intelligence sources into centralised command centres to get inside the 'decision loop' of the Russian-backed forces. "< http://www.janes.com/article/49469/...1&elqTrackId=4493fdb8d087439c84f080b445bc9df1
"Hybrid war". I like that cute newspeak. Labeling everyting as "war", even if it is not related to an actual war just to make it sound more horrific. For perhaps they should finally admit they are having their asses kicked because of incompetent leadership and demoralised conscripted cannon fodder opposing an army of volunteers instead of trying to save face with this "we are fighting Russian troops" bravados? Seriously, the upcoming cauldorn in Debaltsevo was so obvious even a kid with Down syndrome could see it. Apparently Ukrainian generals are dumber than that. As a result Debaltsevo was lost and Ukranian army suffered between 500 and 2000 KIA, while Kiev's officails and their propaganda even failed to admit there was a cauldorn in the first place. What are these brifiers are paid for? Spreading nonsence and propaganda? Even Ukranian MoD admitted that there are no regular Russian troops in Ukraine. Hardly a pro-Russian source. http://21stcenturywire.com/2015/01/...re-are-no-russian-troops-fighting-against-us/ Not so long ago NATO estimated that here are 500 Russian military experts in Ukraine. Again, not an unbiased source as well. Oh, we can melt drones electronics now. Awesome. Would be nice to see any kind of proofs. The Russian Vostok-2014, the word 'Vostok' meaning 'East' in Russian to detonate that it was an operation designed to practice operations against Pacific Ocean. Sounds legit. Yes yes, propagandists are accusing other propagandists in propaganda. Cute fingerpointing. As long as they have incompetent leadership and demoralised troops no amount of weapons is going to change Kiev's humilation in the forseeable future. In early summer they were outnumbering the rebels approximatelly 100:1 in armor. Rebels even used T-34-85 and IS-3 back then. And, guess what, Ukies have lost. Of course this leaflet has only one purpose - to suport US sending arms to Ukraine. Not that I am against it. It will end up in proper hands in no time. Like one of those American LCMR radars. At 4:30 [video=youtube;kjf95WiAo3g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjf95WiAo3g[/video]
Governments arent the best sources of information, as they will be selective at the best of times, and even manipulative in small doses if its strategic to do so during times of war. Its a good reason not to have a government controlled media (real or by proxy). This is a real weakness in Russia with its restrictions on press, but industry can be more open to give accurate 'approximates'. What should only matter is truth, and not bias one way or the other for we all know bias exists in both sides. Russia clearly orchestrated all this to secure Crimea, and must now think it has a real chance to take a large portion of connecting lands to secure the Crimea from geographic isolation. Putin probably was just happy with Crimea, but the lack of resolve in NATO (Obama) is a gift for Putin, which he is milking.
Can someone please tell me why the US should even want to get involved? It's not exactly like the Ukraine was ever a big friend to the USA under any circumstance.
How the Ukrainian Civil War Started http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/05/ukrainian-civil-war-started.html
This is the kind of inept and dangerous 'foreign policy' you get when you elect an idiot to the office of President, who then goes on to appoint other idiots to key State Dept. posts. This disaster started almostst his first month in office, when he went on his Big Peace Tour to the ME, purposely snubbing our only solid ally in the region in favor of kowtowing to nutjobs whose word means nothing, sending a message to the entire planet your administration is feckless and willing to dump even its long term allies in favor of silly superficial posturing, instilling distrust in you other allies while simultaneously encouraging every wannabee dictator into seeing its open season on everybody around them, prompts disasters like the Arab Spring', the current murder sprees in the ME, Africa, and Asia among the worlds' most violent and atavistic murderers and sociopaths and encouraging thugs like Putin to go about 're-acquring' the 'lost Russian empire', just to name a few results of moron stoners stuck in the 1960's who have deluded themselves into thinking they're 'smart' and sallying forth tilting at windmills. It's very very clear they have no plan and not even a remote concept of reality; clueless boboes with power, a true nightmare.
