On Situation Near Slavyansk
The current situation near Slavyansk remains very difficult for the DPR army. Strelkov's group is essentially encircled and expects an assault on Slavyansk and Kramatorsk in the coming days.
Click to viewStrelkov also noted that, following Russian troops movement toward Ukrainian border, the junta stopped encircling Slavyansk and that the militia is currently restoring its previously abandoned positions.
They turned back and left in full strength. Our battle group (from Lisichansk) is again in Yampol - those fighters who failed to make it to the left bank yesterday are gathering there. They occupy their prior positions. I am glad that call for help to Russia did not remain unheard - the mere movement of Russian troops towards the borders liquidated the Ukrainian breakthrough in our rear.
The situation has changed drastically. In the morning we were preparing to repel a decisive attack, now... I won't say what we are up to...
(c) Strelkov - from the form that is infamous among its users
Yampol battle participant has more details:
To the ukromedia (Ukrainian Media) news "Yampol and Zakotnoe: 300 rebels and 7 soldiers dead" I, being a direct participant, can add -- utter B.S. There were less than 200 of us and not everybody participated in the fight. According to my data, our less are about 10-12 dead (or missing during our withdrawal) and about 40-50 wounded. However, I must agree that we were dislodged from the intersection. We repelled the first attack, the recoilless gun squad hit one tank and one IFV. Ukrs tried to pull them out, deploying smokescreen in the process. As our neighbors covered us with fire, we snuck closer and inserted some from the under-barrels and later treated them with grenade launchers. The tank exploded, its turret flew away, the Ukrainians pulled out the IFV. Two ukr bodies remained near the tank, I don't know what happened to the crew. During the second attack we ran out of grenades for the grenade launchers, the tanks penetrated for 50 meters and hammered the trenches at close range, we has to retreat. My squad (7 men) has one missing and two wounded, including myself. And this is despite us being on the very front line, I repeat, no more than 100 people actually participated in this battle on our side.
https://vk.com/feed?w=wall34634147_11094 - link (in Russian)
Controversial information keeps coming about the military vehicle storage facility in Artemovsk. Even Vesti announced that the facility was captured and that the militia has the previously noted hundreds of vehicles.
They refer http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=1706770 (in Russian) to the official DPR representative. Furthermore, the DPR itself announced recruitment http://lenta.ru/news/2014/06/20/tanks1/ (in Russian) for the tank division to be formed.
The video of night battle for the tank storage facility in Artemovsk.
We expect more from this story.
Indeed, the tank topic is being discussed vigorously because of the growing understanding that a blockade-lifting strike on Slavyansk is necessary in order to prevent the junta from crushing Strelkov with cannon fodder.
For now there is a clear confirmation of the 4 tank convoy movement http://andrei-bt.livejournal.com/281515.html toward Donetsk, which also included several trucks. Perhaps they will drive further, but not for sure - if they start building a strike group against the junta's positions South-East and East of Slavyansk, then 4 tanks won't be enough.
The junta wasn't even close to securing the border today - practically all checkpoints were kept by the militia and the junta had to refute Turchinov, saying that yeah we didn't secure it but we have positive dynamics. There are no confirmed data about fighting near the border, but everything suggests that there are dead on both sides.
Original article: http://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/1629297.html (in Russian)