______________________________
An anonymous Ukrainian military source told us that a systems mix-up during a junta air defence units’ rocket launch exercise could be the cause of the Malaysia Airlines crash in Novorossiya, saying, “On 17 July, the commanding officer of 156 Anti-Aircraft Regiment received orders to conduct a training exercise of a unit stationed near Donetsk, which involved deploying troops and carrying out routine tracking and simulate destroying targets with the Buk-M1 SAM. It was to involve no actual launches”. Two Sukhoi Su-25s on a reconnaissance mission took part in the exercise. At some point, it’s likely that the flight paths of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 and one of the Su-25s overlapped. Despite flying at different levels, they became a single blip on the missile system radar. Of the two, the system automatically chose the larger target. The reason for the actual missile launch remains unknown and is still under investigation, as there hasn’t been launch exercises with Buk SAMs since 2001, when the Ukrainian military accidentally shot down a Russian Tu-154 airliner en route from Novosibirsk to Tel Aviv.
******
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said, “The use of unguided rockets in populated areas violates international humanitarian law and the laws of war, and may amount to war crimes”. According to HRW, unguided Grad rockets fired by junta forces killed at least 16 civilians and injured many more in attacks on 12-21 July. HRW accused both junta forces and opolchenie of using Grads and condemned those actions. Ole Solvang, senior emergencies researcher at HRW, said, “Grad rockets are notoriously imprecise weapons, one shouldn’t use it in populated areas. If [the opolchenie and junta forces] are serious about limiting harm to civilians, they should both immediately stop using these weapons in populated areas”. Dominik Stillhart, Director of Operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross, also called on the both sides to avoid dragging civilians into the conflict, saying, “Fighting in [Novorossiya] continues to take its toll on civilians, and we urge all sides to comply with international humanitarian law, otherwise known as the law of armed conflict. These rules and principles apply to all parties, and impose restrictions on the means and methods of warfare that they may use”.
******
On Friday, Major General Viktor Poznikhir the Deputy Head of Operations of the General Staff, said on Rossiya-24 TV, “Today, we have reliable confirmation that the Ukrainian forces used phosphorus munitions in cities and populated areas. We know this due to characteristic signs given off by phosphorus munitions. They have a high-speed descent, as opposed to star shells that shoot out bright burning elements over a large area, they look like raining sparks, creating large fires in their impact areas, and they burn at very high temperatures. The Ukrainian forces used phosphorus munitions at least six times. The Minoborony carefully studied existing information on numerous cases of phosphorous and cluster bombs used by the Ukrainian forces against civilians”. He went on to say that the Minoborony is aware that junta forces used phosphorus munitions on the following occasions:
- shelling of Slavyansk on 12 June
- phosphorous bombs used by the junta aircraft on Slavyansk and Kramatorsk on 21 June
- shelling of Semyonovka using phosphorous and cluster bombs on 24 June
- shelling of Semyonovka on 29 June
- shelling of Lisichansk on 7 July
- phosphorous bombs dropped by junta aircraft on Donetsk on 23 July
Nikolai Efimenko, Chief Surgeon of the Russian Armed Forces, said that using phosphorous munitions might produce irreversible consequences on people and might have a negative impact on environment. Phosphorous poisoning can cause serious illnesses, and even lead to death.
******
On Friday, SK RF spokesman Vladimir Markin said that SK RF investigators came under aimed mortar fire from the Ukrainian side of the border. The team arrived at Primiussky in Rostov Oblast to investigate previous shelling of Russian territory from the Ukraine. Markin said, “Apparently, only the poor training of Ukrainian soldiers and timely evacuation of investigators under cover of armoured vehicles prevented the shooters from realising their goal. They fired 47 mortar rounds, most likely 82-mm calibre, at the team. Another barrage of 32 mortar rounds hit the same area later”.
******
On Friday, Vasili Malaev, spokesman for the Federal Border Guard Service, told us that junta forces shelled Rostov Oblast, saying, “The shelling damaged six houses, with one house almost completely destroyed. There were no casualties”.
25 July 2014
******
On Saturday, Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) sources posted on Twitter, “DNR army units fought their way to the Russian border, taking control of the Marinovka crossing point”. On Friday, witnesses heard intense and shelling in that area. Several shells exploded near a Russian border point… landing in fields and by the road linking the customs post with Primiussky.
******
An MVDU source confirmed for us the murder of O M Babaev, Mayor of Kremenchug (Poltava Oblast). Earlier that day, the newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda, citing an informed source, reported the mayor’s murder. Our source said, “Someone killed the Mayor of Kremenchug today at about 10.00 local time (00.00 PDT. 03.00 EDT. 08.00 BST. 11.00 MSK. 17.00 AEST). He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest on Sumskaya Street, near his home. An investigative group is at the crime scene; we’ve opened a case under the Article ‘Premeditated Murder’. It’s too early to speak about scenarios and motives for the crime”.
Editor:
No one knows who did this. Was the Right Sector? Was it Kolomoisky’s thugs or was it Clan Balogh? Was it a hit by Novorossiyan spetsnaz? Was it a local rival using the present crisis as a cover? We don’t know… it’s best not to speculate until we have some intel, and there isn’t any, now.
BMD
26 July 2014
Rossiya Segodnya
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140725/191242509/Ukrainian-Air-Defense-Exercises-Might-be-Behind-Malaysian.html
http://en.ria.ru/society/20140725/191248452/Use-of-Grad-Rockets-in-Ukraine-May-Constitute-War-Crime–Human.html
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140725/191264009/Ukrainian-Army-Used-Phosphorus-Bombs-on-Civilians—Russian.html
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140725/191278046/Russian-Investigators-Come-Under-Targeted-Fire-from-Ukraine.html
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140725/191279021/Ukrainian-Shells-Damage-Six-Houses-in-Russias-Rostov-Region.html
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140726/191308283/Independence-Supporters-Capture-Checkpoint-near.html
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140726/191310626/Ukraines-City-Mayor-Killed-outside-House–Interior-Ministry.html
Voices from Russia 
Ukie Military Source Suggests MH17 Shootdown Might be Due to “Systems Mix-Up” by Junta Unit
Tags: BM-21 Grad, Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic, Grad, Human Rights Watch, Kramatorsk, Novorossiya, political commentary, politics, Rostov Oblast, Russia, Russian, Slavyansk, Ukraine
______________________________
An anonymous Ukrainian military source told us that a systems mix-up during a junta air defence units’ rocket launch exercise could be the cause of the Malaysia Airlines crash in Novorossiya, saying, “On 17 July, the commanding officer of 156 Anti-Aircraft Regiment received orders to conduct a training exercise of a unit stationed near Donetsk, which involved deploying troops and carrying out routine tracking and simulate destroying targets with the Buk-M1 SAM. It was to involve no actual launches”. Two Sukhoi Su-25s on a reconnaissance mission took part in the exercise. At some point, it’s likely that the flight paths of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 and one of the Su-25s overlapped. Despite flying at different levels, they became a single blip on the missile system radar. Of the two, the system automatically chose the larger target. The reason for the actual missile launch remains unknown and is still under investigation, as there hasn’t been launch exercises with Buk SAMs since 2001, when the Ukrainian military accidentally shot down a Russian Tu-154 airliner en route from Novosibirsk to Tel Aviv.
******
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said, “The use of unguided rockets in populated areas violates international humanitarian law and the laws of war, and may amount to war crimes”. According to HRW, unguided Grad rockets fired by junta forces killed at least 16 civilians and injured many more in attacks on 12-21 July. HRW accused both junta forces and opolchenie of using Grads and condemned those actions. Ole Solvang, senior emergencies researcher at HRW, said, “Grad rockets are notoriously imprecise weapons, one shouldn’t use it in populated areas. If [the opolchenie and junta forces] are serious about limiting harm to civilians, they should both immediately stop using these weapons in populated areas”. Dominik Stillhart, Director of Operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross, also called on the both sides to avoid dragging civilians into the conflict, saying, “Fighting in [Novorossiya] continues to take its toll on civilians, and we urge all sides to comply with international humanitarian law, otherwise known as the law of armed conflict. These rules and principles apply to all parties, and impose restrictions on the means and methods of warfare that they may use”.
******
On Friday, Major General Viktor Poznikhir the Deputy Head of Operations of the General Staff, said on Rossiya-24 TV, “Today, we have reliable confirmation that the Ukrainian forces used phosphorus munitions in cities and populated areas. We know this due to characteristic signs given off by phosphorus munitions. They have a high-speed descent, as opposed to star shells that shoot out bright burning elements over a large area, they look like raining sparks, creating large fires in their impact areas, and they burn at very high temperatures. The Ukrainian forces used phosphorus munitions at least six times. The Minoborony carefully studied existing information on numerous cases of phosphorous and cluster bombs used by the Ukrainian forces against civilians”. He went on to say that the Minoborony is aware that junta forces used phosphorus munitions on the following occasions:
Nikolai Efimenko, Chief Surgeon of the Russian Armed Forces, said that using phosphorous munitions might produce irreversible consequences on people and might have a negative impact on environment. Phosphorous poisoning can cause serious illnesses, and even lead to death.
******
On Friday, SK RF spokesman Vladimir Markin said that SK RF investigators came under aimed mortar fire from the Ukrainian side of the border. The team arrived at Primiussky in Rostov Oblast to investigate previous shelling of Russian territory from the Ukraine. Markin said, “Apparently, only the poor training of Ukrainian soldiers and timely evacuation of investigators under cover of armoured vehicles prevented the shooters from realising their goal. They fired 47 mortar rounds, most likely 82-mm calibre, at the team. Another barrage of 32 mortar rounds hit the same area later”.
******
On Friday, Vasili Malaev, spokesman for the Federal Border Guard Service, told us that junta forces shelled Rostov Oblast, saying, “The shelling damaged six houses, with one house almost completely destroyed. There were no casualties”.
25 July 2014
******
On Saturday, Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) sources posted on Twitter, “DNR army units fought their way to the Russian border, taking control of the Marinovka crossing point”. On Friday, witnesses heard intense and shelling in that area. Several shells exploded near a Russian border point… landing in fields and by the road linking the customs post with Primiussky.
******
An MVDU source confirmed for us the murder of O M Babaev, Mayor of Kremenchug (Poltava Oblast). Earlier that day, the newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda, citing an informed source, reported the mayor’s murder. Our source said, “Someone killed the Mayor of Kremenchug today at about 10.00 local time (00.00 PDT. 03.00 EDT. 08.00 BST. 11.00 MSK. 17.00 AEST). He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest on Sumskaya Street, near his home. An investigative group is at the crime scene; we’ve opened a case under the Article ‘Premeditated Murder’. It’s too early to speak about scenarios and motives for the crime”.
Editor:
No one knows who did this. Was the Right Sector? Was it Kolomoisky’s thugs or was it Clan Balogh? Was it a hit by Novorossiyan spetsnaz? Was it a local rival using the present crisis as a cover? We don’t know… it’s best not to speculate until we have some intel, and there isn’t any, now.
BMD
26 July 2014
Rossiya Segodnya
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140725/191242509/Ukrainian-Air-Defense-Exercises-Might-be-Behind-Malaysian.html
http://en.ria.ru/society/20140725/191248452/Use-of-Grad-Rockets-in-Ukraine-May-Constitute-War-Crime–Human.html
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140725/191264009/Ukrainian-Army-Used-Phosphorus-Bombs-on-Civilians—Russian.html
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140725/191278046/Russian-Investigators-Come-Under-Targeted-Fire-from-Ukraine.html
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140725/191279021/Ukrainian-Shells-Damage-Six-Houses-in-Russias-Rostov-Region.html
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140726/191308283/Independence-Supporters-Capture-Checkpoint-near.html
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140726/191310626/Ukraines-City-Mayor-Killed-outside-House–Interior-Ministry.html