Question by The Saker: Did the Border Control Headquarters really fall to Donbas Army?
Juan's reply: Yes, done deal since yesterday morning. Lots of vids showing Donbas Army allowing the prisoners to leave after they changed in to civilian clothes and some vids showing Donbas Army going through the building and armories. Found was a got a ton of weapons and ammo including RPG's and MG's, at least two BTR's in good condition, several trucks and GAZ jeeps, at least one amphibious tracked vehicle that runs and a treasure trove of documents.
It was the officers who fought, the young boys mostly didn't or at best half heartedly. In actual fact most of the conscripts (Border Service and Militsiya are mostly draftees like the Army) were locked in a room until the fighting was over.
Donbas also took two army bases that same day. So score for that day is Donbas lost Krasni Limon and took Border Control HQ, two army bases and took control of about 90 kilometers of border when the actual border guards on duty loaded up all in to their cars and went to Rostov across the border with their families.
Donbas Army also disabled two T-64's, read shot them up pretty seriously. They can be repaired even though one had a pretty substantial fire on the rear deck over the engine/trans compartment. Both had road wheels shot off with their suspension arms and one had both drive sprockets mangled by RPG fire which means the final drive from the transmission is also damaged. Another T-64 took several antitank rifle hits on his main gun. The main tube was not penetrated but the impacts will have damaged the barrel internally and it will have to be replaced.
The Ukes also lost at lest 7 BTR's, more than one BMP, several trucks including one full of national guards that was hit with an RPG and burned. Donbas Army didn't shoot the wounded and burning boys spilling out of the truck.
The Ukes also lost, confirmed, 2 Mi24's and one Su25 with one Mi24 and one SU25 as probables. At least one other Mi24 was damaged by anti aircraft fire and was forced to land hard. Most everyone on that bird was wounded, don't know how bad the bird was damaged.
All in all the Ukes got a bloody nose. Donbas Army losses were not small especially considering their wounded being killed in hospital.
We just listened to Poroshenko's inauguration speech and it's basically a declaration of war against Novorossiya. He intends to finish 'cleaning Donetsk and Lugansk' etc etc. No federalization, no negotiation. Putin has his answer.
PS: If the link for the evacuations from Slovyansk is dead here's one that works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKkoFOV3Yyg
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Comment by the Saker: I have just listened to excepts of the Poroshenko speech (for lack of time I could not listen to the full thing right now) and I concur Juan: this is a declaration of war on Novorossia.
The Saker