Talk:Russia invades Crimea

Five Russian BTR-80s?


Euronews, on March 1 shows footage of five about ten BTR-80 type armored personnel carriers on a road and stopped at a rest place somewhere in the area. The story makes no reference to Crimea, instead discussing the Duma authorization to use military force in Ukraine. The APCs carry clear Russian markings, so they cannot by definition be part of the "polite armed men in green" invasion force. It seems evident likely that this column was filmed somewhere in Russia, in the vicinity of Ukraine.
 * Russian upper house approves use of troops on Ukrainian soil – euronews, Mar 1, 2014

On the same day, ABC News reports: New Developments: Russian military moves in, convoys take control of Crimea. At 42 seconds in the video the same five APCs are shown. The newsreader declares in an agitated voice: ''They are unmistakable, Russian military vehicles. A convoy of Russian marines now operating on the roads of Ukraine's Crimea.'' The video is interesting. In the live part of the broadcast the ABC correspondet in Simferopol manages to place himself right in front of a march of civilians carrying a 100 foot Russian flag. Editorial policy (or StatedDept/CIA directives?) however overrules reality on the ground and the hoax invasion story must be broadcast.
 * March 2014 Breaking News Russian Troops Take Over Ukraine's Crimea Region Part 2 – ABC News, Mar 1, 2014

The same day, another broadcast ''Developing story: Russian troops invade Ukraine. Secretary of State John Kerry condemns Russia's actions'' has found even more footage of Russian tanks on Crimea. The footage shows Russian T-72 tanks operating in the snowy Crimean landscape. (Note the closeup of the tank tracks, ready to crush innocent Ukrainian babies!) At 1m 35s in the video there is another fabrication about the Occupation of the Kharkov administrative building. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 08:46, 22 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Russian Forces Officially Enter the Crimea Region of Ukraine – ABC News, Mar 2, 2014 (HD)

More BTR-80 movements
This video shows 7 BTR-80's on the move south forward Simferopol at 8.12 am on Feb 27th. They are parked by the roadside just north of this AZS gas station. (Dashcam video gives coordinates and time.)
 * Russian BTR-80 in Simferopol (Crimea)

BBC publishes a photo of the BTR-80s seen on the ABC video saying they are in Bakhchisarai, i.e. on the road beween Sevastopol and Simferopol. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 19:26, 23 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Ukraine crisis: Obama warns Russia against intervention – BBC, 1 March 2014
 * ''Russian armoured personnel carriers were seen near the town of Bakhchisarai, Crimea

Phantom invasion force?
My conclusion: I no one ever saw the force or heard about it, then no likely it never existed! -- Petri Krohn (talk) 07:49, 26 March 2014 (UTC)
 * U.S. Scurries to Shore Up Spying on Russia – WSJ, DAM ENTOUS, JULIAN E. BARNES and SIOBHAN GORMAN, March 24, 2014
 * ''But intelligence analysts were surprised because they hadn't intercepted any telltale communications where Russian leaders, military commanders or soldiers discussed plans to invade.[...]
 * ''Looking back, some U.S. officials now suspect Russia might have been trickling more highly trained units into Crimea in small numbers. But U.S. intelligence analysts didn't pick up any such indications before the takeover, officials briefed on the intelligence-gathering effort say.
 * ''[...]
 * ''Mr. Obama was told the operations could be launched with little warning.
 * ''But U.S. intelligence agencies didn't have corroborating evidence. Mr. Putin and other Russian leaders gave little away in internal communications picked up by the U.S. "We didn't have someone saying: 'Let's do this,' " one U.S. official recalls.
 * ''It isn't clear if Russian leaders deliberately avoided communicating about the invasion or simply found a way to do so without detection by the U.S. Another possibility: Mr. Putin made a last-minute decision to seize Crimea—and told almost no one other than those responsible for carrying out the invasion.
 * ''[...]
 * ''Inside Crimea, Russian troops exercised what U.S. officials describe as extraordinary discipline in their radio and cellphone communications. Remarks that were intercepted by U.S. spy agencies revealed no hint of the plans.
 * ''On Feb. 27, Mr. Pyatt sent an urgent note to Washington. A picture attached to his note showed Russian flags flying at Crimea's parliament building. U.S. officials didn't know if the forces that seized the building were Russian or a rogue unit of the Ukrainian police force involved in the crackdown on protesters in Kiev.
 * ''[...]
 * ''If Mr. Putin decided to launch a takeover, many U.S. intelligence analysts thought he would use troops participating in the military exercises. Officials now say they underestimated the quality of Russian forces inside Crimea.


 * WSJ: Россия скрыла от США подготовку операции в Крыму (WSJ: Russia hid from U.S. training operations in the Crimea) – Sergey Smirnov, Vedomosti.ru, 24.03.2014
 * Cites Wall Street Journal.


 * Has Russia Figured Out How to Evade U.S. Counterintelligence Operations? Why the Crimean Invasion Has Washington Worried – Blaze, March 24, 2014, Becket Adams

Occupation propaganda
Western sources that try to portray the evens as a military invasion and occupation
 * In Pictures, Russia's Military Occupation of Crimea – EVGENY FELDMAN, March 22, 2014

Occupation rebuttals

 * Ukraine: Western lies as truth, Russian truth as propaganda – Viselav Simic – VoR, 12 March, 2014

Provocateur sniper incident
Provocateur sniper in Simferopol in Crimea today:
 * Conflicting reports over shooting near military research center in Crimean capital – RT, March 18, 2014
 * ''The Kryminform news agency, citing an unnamed local police source, reports shooting came from a house under construction opposite the center and targeted Crimean self-defense units as well the military center itself.
 * ''“Earlier today self-defense units were informed that a group of armed men had been discovered in a partially inhabited building,” a source from the ministry said. “As they were taking measures to check, self-defense units came under fire. One man was killed, one wounded,” the source explained, adding that shooting came “in two directions from one spot”.

-- Petri Krohn (talk) 20:02, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Russia's Crimea plan detailed, secret and successful – John Simpson, BBC, 19 March 2014
 * "And until Tuesday 18 March, when a group of pro-Russian gunmen attacked a small Ukrainian army base in Simferopol, killing one officer and injuring another, it was entirely bloodless."
 * Wasn't this the provocateur sniper from Lvov?


 * Sniper that killed two seized in Crimea – 19 March 2014
 * Provocations- Crimean sniper fire updated- UN Security council to meet – Penny, March 19, 2014
 * NATO’s “Mystery Gunmen” Seek to Strengthen Kiev Regime’s Hand – Tony Cartalucci, 20.03.2014
 * Natalia Poklonskaya's briefing about assasinations in Simferopol with english subtitles – March 19, 2014