Russia and Ukraine Current Events

[Mendel]

One of the sources, I forget which one, implied that these insurgents were being fed and fueled by Ukraine, but not armed as such.

It's hard to imagine that citizens in a country applying to join the EU would be able to acquire fully functional tanks without a government permit.

in any other context, a country permitting its residents to do such a thing (instead of throwing them in jail) would be labeled a state sponsor of terrorism.

obviously it's much more logical to see the RDK and LSR as private military supporting Ukraine in the ongoing war, but Ukraine probably has to navigate restrictions attached to Western arms deliveries that prohibit it from seizing Russian territory (or restricts itself for fear of Russian response escalating) and therefore needs to deny official involvement.

 

[Mauro]

It's hard to imagine that citizens in a country applying to join the EU would be able to acquire fully functional tanks without a government permit.

The funny thing is Ukrainian are trolling Russian in exactly the same way Russians did when they invaded Donbass and Crimea in 2014, things such as:

"They are just local farmers rising up against the goverment". "But how did they get tanks, then?". "They bought them in local shops".

(sorry for not giving any links, I stumbled upon those sentences browsing around and I cannot find them again now).

 

[Oystein]

What I am particularly unhappy about is that Ukraine is giving prominence and limelight to what must very clearly be labeled neonazis and white supremacists - one of the two things Putin claimed to want to root out in Ukraine. The leaders of this group, for example this guy by the nom-de-guerre "White Rex" are well networked with the extreme, racist, militant right in several EU countries. We should consider the existance of such groups as a very serious threat, and not as friends of our friend Ukraine.

To attack Russia with 1 (one!) tank of course has to be considered trolling, little more than a PsyOp. The stated goal of protecting civilians on the UA side of the border from shelling can be dismissed out of hand: The incursion was too small, to limited in depth, to even get to any artillery positions, and since it must have been clear that they would in short order retreat or be liquidated by Russian defenses that eventially would show up, there cannot have been a speck of hope to prevent any artillery from being fired.

So, next time, they say, the incursion might get bigger, deeper, more sustained.
Sure.
That's PR.

 

[Mendel]

To attack Russia with 1 (one!) tank of course has to be considered trolling, little more than a PsyOp.

I agree that the raid was too small to have a lasting effect.
However, ISW reported, "two tanks, an armored personnel carrier, and nine other armored vehicles crossed the international border". Were they wrong about the number of tanks?

 

[Mendel]

Highly excerpted:

Article:

Denis Kapustin, who leads the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), [..] is known as a Russian nationalist, and his group openly says it wants a mono-ethnic Russian state.

At the news briefing Denis Kapustin denied reports that his fighters were using weapons provided by Western allies to Ukraine to help defend itself against Russia's full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.

Mr Kapustin said that Ukraine only provided support to the RDK with medical supplies, petrol and food.

Asked on Wednesday about reported neo-Nazis in the group's ranks, its leader responded that "it's all a question of perception" and went on to describe himself as having "traditionalist" and "patriotic" views.

In 2020, a Ukrainian investigative website alleged he had links to neo-Nazi groups and Mr Kapustin has spoken in the past of belonging to a movement of football hooligans.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65703548

 

[Duke]

It's hard to imagine that citizens in a country applying to join the EU would be able to acquire fully functional tanks without a government permit.

in any other context, a country permitting its residents to do such a thing (instead of throwing them in jail) would be labeled a state sponsor of terrorism.

obviously it's much more logical to see the RDK and LSR as private military supporting Ukraine in the ongoing war, but Ukraine probably has to navigate restrictions attached to Western arms deliveries that prohibit it from seizing Russian territory (or restricts itself for fear of Russian response escalating) and therefore needs to deny official involvement.

Has any credible source identified the specific tank(s) involved? T-72? T-90?

With the sheer number of Russian tanks destroyed/damaged/abandoned in over a year of fighting, it's not outside the realm of probability insurgents could have captured and repaired or cobbled together a tank or two. I remember photos from earlier in the war of Ukrainian farmers towing away damaged Russian tanks with tractors.

 

[FatPhil]

Has any credible source identified the specific tank(s) involved? T-72? T-90?

With the sheer number of Russian tanks destroyed/damaged/abandoned in over a year of fighting, it's not outside the realm of probability insurgents could have captured and repaired or cobbled together a tank or two. I remember photos from earlier in the war of Ukrainian farmers towing away damaged Russian tanks with tractors.

I'm pretty sure that one of the brief and highly excerpted video clips I saw in the last couple of days had at least one vehicle with a painted-over Zwastika on it. Reports did mention that they'd captured a new one whilst on the russian side of the border, perhaps it was that one, but it might have been what they first crossed the border with. Someone with fuller footage could perhaps check. (And even then, the whole crossed-out motif could have been painted afresh, it doesn't prove provenance.)

 

[Mendel]

Reports did mention that they'd captured a new one whilst on the russian side of the border,

The BBC article I quoted says that was an APC. Undoubtedly some people would call an APC a "tank" as well, but the same BBC article says they crossed the border with 2 tanks and 1 APC, so...