Breaking News -Ukraine troops withdrawing from key town of Debaltseve

[malaise]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/18/ukraine-debaltseve-troops-withdraw-fighting-rebels-russia
<snip>
Ukrainian troops are retreating from the hotspot of Debaltseve after intense fighting in what marks an important strategic victory for pro-Russia forces.

“All units are being withdrawn. The order was given at six this morning by army command,” said Yevgeny Shevchenko, aide to the commander of the Donbass Battalion, on the road between Debaltseve and Artemivsk. He said 6,000 soldiers had been in the city.

Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, said more than 80% of his troops in the town had left.

The size of Debaltseve – it was home to about 25,000 people before the war emptied its streets – belies its strategic importance to rebels as the site of a rail junction connecting their strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk.
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The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, sought to delay a ceasefire by 10 days to give separatists time to capture the city, an EU summit was told last week.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

1. That last line is all you need to know if you are someone doubting Russia's involvement in this. nt

[malaise]

2. I already have no doubts about US involvement

from the coup to today - if you know what I mean

[Tommy_Carcetti]

10. No, I don't know what you mean.

But please, proceed.

[Fred Sanders]

4. Rebels Release 5000 trapped Kiev troops...you should be delighted. A few more days they are all dead

Thousands of Kiev Troops Flee Debaltseve, Hundreds Taken Prisoner

http://news.sky.com/story/1429501/ukrainian-troops-withdraw-from-key-town


Petro Poroshenko said: "This morning the Ukrainian armed forces together with the National Guard completed an operation for a planned and organised withdrawal from Debaltseve.

"As of now we can say that 80% of our units have left."

Hundreds, if not thousands, of Ukrainian troops were believed to be trapped in the strategically important town, which links the two rebel-controlled regions in the east of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.

A pro-Russian rebel official cited by the separatist press service DAN earlier said hundreds of government troops were surrendering to separatist forces there.

Russian television station Channel One showed the rebels hoisting their flag over a high-rise building in Debaltseve."

[Fred Sanders]

3. This is excellent news. Peace has a chance. The American media avoids coverage. Of course.

Funny how there is nothing but silence about Debaltsevo and the obvious role it has played in the ceasefire.

Those thousands of Ukraine soldiers, 6000, were doomed weeks ago....their "escape" was part of why Kiev caved to American and European pressure to agree to a ceasefire and a road map to peace.

If the rebels are so monstrous...why did they offer, now accepted, to release these soldiers from sure death?

But Kiev had to get the trapped soldiers and their incompetent leadership out of
Debaltsevo, or risk an acceleration of the collapse of their incompetent regime.

Duh.

[malaise]

5. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[Fred Sanders]

6. Another victory for Obama with not a sign of war mongering and sabre rattling...it is driving

the war Hawks and their sabre rattling media insane.

[malaise]

7. Joe Scum is truly pissed

that America is not killing more people.

[Fred Sanders]

8. While Fox is apoplectic and CNN is having a huge sad. Huge. Wolf Blitzer's Hour of Terror will be

working on fearmongering and demonizing all of Islam for his next act.

Wait. He and the Zucker Zombies already are in balls deep on that and the standard and usual licking the boots of Bibi. My bad.

The Catholic News Network of Jeff Zucker is fully converted now to serving up hate and creating distractions for the GOP.

They are all going to need a raise, that is some tough propaganda work when Obama is more popular than ever and the less popular than head lice GOP Congress has passed all of two whopping laws in 2 months, one they tried to block, the other is being vetoed.

[polly7]

9. That actually made my morning.

I love it when warmongers have a sad.