Plane Shot Down in Ukraine

[depotoo]

49 dead as pro-Russia rebels down plane in Ukraine
49 dead. Guess this isn't winding down any time soon.

 

[depotoo]

Ukraine rejects Putin's gas discounts offer | Fox News

 

[Rozman]

I thought Obama's sanctions fixed this.

 

[depotoo]

MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia separatists clashed Friday in a southern port town, as the United States confirmed earlier reports that a convoy of armored vehicles including three T-64 Russian tanks moved into Ukraine from Russia and now is in the hands of the rebels.
Russian tanks confirmed amid new fighting in Ukraine - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Yeah, doesn't seem to be phasing the Russians, does it?

 

[shart_attack]

49 dead as pro-Russia rebels down plane in Ukraine

49 dead. Guess this isn't winding down any time soon.

Good.

 

[waltky]

Pro-Russian Ukrainian rebels bring down transport paratrooper jet...

Bloodiest day in Ukraine conflict as rebel missiles bring down military jet
Saturday 14 June 2014 ~ Il-76 transport plane destroyed at Luhansk airport, killing 40 paratroopers and nine crew

Pro-Russian rebels have shot down a military transport plane in Luhansk in the bloodiest single day of fighting in eastern Ukraine since the conflict began in April, setting back Kiev's efforts to end the crisis and establish control of the region. The Ukrainian government had appeared to finally be making progress this week after new president Petro Poroshenko spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Thursday and Kiev's forces retook the port city of Mariupol on Friday.

Rebels shot down an Il-76 transport plane in Luhansk, killing all 40 paratroopers and nine crew members who were aboard. Surveillance camera footage from the city showed a mid-air explosion after an object – apparently a rocket – streaked into the sky, followed by a larger explosion and fire on the ground. A Kiev military analyst later reported that the empty tubes of two Igla handheld surface-to-air missiles had been found near Luhansk airport, the only significant piece of infrastructure Ukrainian forces have been able to retain in the rebel-held city.

Vladimir Inogorodsky, spokesman of the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic, confirmed rebels had shot the plane down with Igla missiles and said they were currently blockading the airport. Rebels declared they would not allow any more flights into the airport last week. "No more airplanes have landed at the airport since last night, and if they do we will shoot them down," he said. In the city of Krasnodon in the Luhansk region, 20 armed rebels seized the security service building overnight, according to a regional interior ministry spokeswoman.

Fighting also picked up in the neighbouring Donetsk region. Rebels killed three border guards and wounded four when they ambushed an armoured column in Mariupol with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades on Saturday morning, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reported. On Friday, government forces had captured 30 rebels and weapons caches, and raised a Ukrainian flag over the rebel headquarters after a six-hour operation to take Mariupol back.

Rebels in the city of Gorlovka, which is held by former Russian lieutenant colonel Igor "Demon" Bezler, said they had shot down a government Su-25 fighter jet after a night air strike on the rebel headquarters that reportedly killed one civilian and wounded six rebels. A local named Alexei told the Observer he had seen a missile fired from the ground but could not tell if it had hit the plane. The Luhansk and Donetsk region anti-terrorist operation spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov later denied that the jet had been downed.

MORE

 

[depotoo]

Russia Cuts Gas Supply to Ukraine as Tensions Soar - ABC News
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/world/europe/ukraine-suspects-terrorism-in-pipeline-explosion.htmlUkraine Suspects Terrorism in Pipeline Explosion

well, that will tell 'em! What happens next?

 

[georgephillip]

"Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday proposed a unilateral ceasefire by his troops to allow pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country a chance to lay down weapons or leave the country, Russian and Ukrainian news agencies reported."

Maybe Poroshenko and his billionaire brethren will instruct their private armies to disarm, as well?

Ukraine crisis: ceasefire proposed by Petro Poroshenko - World - CBC News

 

[depotoo]

Let's see how long that holds by either side.

 

[georgephillip]

Let's see how long that holds by either side.

I suspect the banks and not the tanks will decide the short term issues:

"Russia on Monday cut gas supplies to Ukraine as a payment deadline passed and negotiators failed to reach a deal on gas prices and unpaid bills amid continued fighting in eastern Ukraine.

"The decision does not immediately affect the gas flow to Europe, but could disrupt the long-term energy supply to the region if the issue is not resolved, analysts said."

Russia cuts Ukraine's gas supply over nearly $4.5B debt - World - CBC News