In developing our low budget Geosnapp we encountered a nasty little thing.
The default camera plugin that we use, shows two buttons after taking a picture, to either discard the shot taken or to continue with it:
We just want these buttons to be gone. But for this we need some programming in Java, which is not our expertise (yet :-)).
This article says a self-propelled artillery shell detonated and the fire spread to an ammo depot
This article says at leas three soldiers were killed.
This article says some 30 Russian units are burning.
This photo:
has been taken like this:
This definitely looks into the direction of the invasion camp, so it can be confirmed that it is from that location.
@DajeyPetros@GorseFires And this is: a) A (Russian) blunder b) an Ukrainian op c) A Ru false flag to blame Ukr and start all out invasion??
— Alejandro Lacomba ن (@alex_lacomba) April 28, 2015
These photos are made from WITHIN the camp:
A video from inside the base:
This blog will be updated when more information comes in.
In this interview of Hromadske TV Oleg Kotenko, who is the coordinator of the Volunteer Group 'Patriot', talks about executions of Ukrainian POWs by Russian( proxie)s.
Woman
You dug up
and took out the bodies that were buried 2 months near Donetsk.
Oleg
We
learned about this story that buried three soldiers in the cemetery near the
airport, we checked out. 2 times tried to take out, but came under fire, had to
go back. After the second time was taken and brought to Dnepropetrovs for
examination. got 3 of the body. previous month ago took out the body cyborg Igor
Bronevitsky, he was also a prisoner, was also shot. The Internet was 2 times a
video on how he was in captivity and he is alive, but then it just killed and
left the airport. His body was taken to Dnepropetrovsk and mother identified his
body.
Woman
Oleg you said that it was still 4 people that are most likely
too were shot at a checkpoint Krasnyi Partizan.
Oleg: Yes, 2.5 months ago we
got a call from Father Dmitry asked for help to take of 4 bodies of our
soldiers. We agreed. When we arrived, it was not in the Krasnyi Partizan, and the
top Troitsk, near the village is located. it was divided into 2 parts, the
demarcation line was not there on both sides of the armed men went. It was a
dangerous operation.
Father Dmitry crossed the bridge with another volunteer and
went to meet with the rebels and got the 4 bodies. At that time we did not know
that they were shot, it turned out later. Medical examiner confirmed that these
4 people were shot at point blank range with a sniper rifle.
Later, a month
later, those people who have been with these guys were released. We have
agreed to exchange, there was an exchange and they told at the hospital as there
was an exchange. There was a girl of 20-21 years and asked the warlord if she could shoot at Ukrainians. He said yes. She executed 4 guys. One of them was
lucky, with the surname Stepanov. He was wounded, they thought he was dead, but he
survived. On one of the exchanges he was released.
Woman
So you are aware of
eight soldiers being shot dead in captivity.
Oleg
We are not experts, it is then
we learn from the medical examiner, that these people were shot at point blank
range.
See now there are THREE independent confirmations about the execution of these POWs. First our own investigation. Second: the witness of the soldier that was there. Three: medical examination of the bodies.
This video says to show the crucifiction of a POW by AZOV and setting him on fire:
Lifenews reports about it here saying 'Cyber Berkut' got the video by email.
Interpretermag discusses it here.
Why is the video fake?
We have seen similar videos and stories by Russian media ALL THE TIME.
There was this fake story about a crucified baby:
Also Lifenews accused THIS BLOG of having published a prefabricated story by the Ukrainian SBU on the Russian GRAD attack on Volnovakha. Documents proving this were captured by... yes: Cyber Berkut. Read about it here.
So... LifeNews aka LieNews has VERY little credibility on such stories.
Another such fake (and graphic) video was by Right Sector cutting the throat of an ex policeman in front of his wife:
This crucifiction video is of the same kind and probably even produced by the same people.
Nowhere can the man really be seen getting hurt. His arms are taped, so he can quite comfortably hang by his arms on the cross. It's bad quality video, so details can never be seen clearly. Thus the nails can very easily be faked.
When he gets hit with a stick in his stomach it doesn't even look like it's painful. For a man being killed they poke him really nice and kind.
Just before the fire gets too bad, they cut the video.
Yeah right.
It's as fake as can be.
The problem is Russia needs such kind of fakery to brainwash its citizens to have them accept the war against Ukraine.
@GorseFires Unfortunately, they were very effective: many civilians were butchered by Serb militias avenging a non-existent "crucifiction".
— GorseFires Collectif (@GorseFires) April 24, 2015
UPDATE 21-5-2015
And they produced another crude one:
UPDATE 10-7-15
CyberBerkut now even comes with an ISIS fake: a video found on the computer of McCain showing a hollywood production of an ISIS-beheading...
There is always been a lot of discussion about the lazy or even biassed reporting of Western media on Ukraine. And the BBC has been one of those:
@AlexPanchenko2 Yes, BBC is totally pro-Kremlin. Their reports are biased and avoid mentioning #Russia's leading role in the war on Ukraine.
— Wild Dill, 乌克兰 (@WildMcDill) February 13, 2015
Here's the deal. The BBC is biased on just about everything (climate change, Ukraine, Syria, etc) b/c they support official narratives.
— Scotbot (@scotbot) February 25, 2015
Recently even Kasparov complained:
Was on BBC & they also invited Putin's spokesman Peskov. Why invite propagandists to spread more lies? Why treat them like normal people?
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) March 1, 2015
Another tweep explains:
@Kasparov63@DajeyPetros The BBC has policy of interviewing the raped and the rapist. Fair. Balanced. Lazy.
— expatua.com (@expatua) March 1, 2015
Yet... lately it seems the BBC is taking a different stance on the (Russian instigated) conflict in Ukraine.
The most recent report even has the title "How Russian TV misleads viewers about Ukraine" and that even makes people wonder:
Just two weeks ago there was this report about a fake 10-year-old-child-was-killed-story:
Fascinating BBC report: attempting to confirm a Russian claim of child killed by shelling in Donetsk http://t.co/a1Gw8ld1XQ
— Michael C Moynihan (@mcmoynihan) April 9, 2015
These stories are unheard of in the BBC reporting so far.
On february 16th this year Russian( proxie)s tried to kill a BBC-crew that was filming at Donetsk Airport with mortar shells:
After ambushing and defeating the Ukrainian volunteer units that were retreating from Ilovaisk with the promise of a safe corridor, many Russian units retreat back to Russia under cover of heavy smoke screens on September 3rd, taking the same route that they came in.
Satellite images are kindly provided by @finriswolf.
Click to enlarge images.
To understand the level of destruction that the Russian Army created we can have a look at www.lostarmour.info. It is a Russian Propaganda site that mostly keeps track of Ukrainian losses. It also has some Russian units in its database, but only the ones that are obvious and undeniable. Also when in doubt, they label them as Ukrainian.
Nevertheless, since Ilovaisk was an ambushed retreat. most of the wrecks would be Ukrainian anyways.
Some labels appear as one, but when zoomed in, we see this (it is the most southern one in the image above):
In total 55 Ukrainian wrecks can be counted. And it is sure that not all of them are in this database.
For instance, at this (famous/notorious) location in Novokaterynivka at least 5 wrecks can be counted:
While Lostarmour only shows two. This was where a body was hanging in electrical wires.
North of Novokaterynivka this scene can be seen:
In the red circle two wrecks can be seen on the road (also not on Lostarmour). It seems like an actual Ukrainian column is passing those wrecks, trying to get home.
Lostarmour does show further down the road 7 wrecks:
Red rectangle = previous area with two wrecks
So it is very well possible that this small Ukrainian convoy was caught just a little further down the road after the satellite took the image.
A little bit more north of these positions there had been a Ukrainian camp in between the trees (image from July 17th 2014):
By the end of August/beginning of September it looked like this:
the camp has been abandoned, as well as an other camp nearby and a lot of 'debris' is in front of the trees. It is unclear (to me) whether these are (destroyed) vehicles or other items.
What IS clear is that the road between those two locations has been intensively used, indicating it was as well a supply route towards Ilovaisk as a flee route from there.
After creating this destruction the Russian Army quickly retreated to Russia again, leaving the are for the criminals they had armed to pretend as if THOSE had killed the Ukrainians.
Translation of Interview/interrogation with POW Cyborgs.
I'm filming video. If I get permission from the command after approving the video, it will be published, that is, I shall be permitted to publish it. You have an opportunity to make it known to your family that you're alive. Because you [the Ukrainian commanders] never admit casualties, you [soldiers] just disappear, as the phrase goes, if there is no body - there is no case. Where you went, tell me?
- I went for the guys at the airport to pick up the dead and bring them to Konstantinovka, and I did not know where to go next.
Which terminal at the airport?
- The new one, where our guys were.
So, how many stiffs there?
- I was told there were about 80 people there.
Eighty dead?
- No, I was told there were 80 people there.
How many dead?
- More than 60%, I was told.
Sixty percent?
- Yes.
That is, more than a half?
- Yes.
More than 50, then? Of 80 people?
- I did not even know who there actually fought. I was told that there were our guys from the 90th battalion, that they were being shelled, that the airport floors were already occupied, that moskals began to occupy the floors, and that at night they [the guys from the 90th battalion] were going to yield up the airport.
At night we were going to occupy the airport?
- Rather, in the morning, as it was night when we were told this. Then, in the morning, we were lined up and were told to go to pick up the guys, the dead, because there <...> had been killed...
Speak, speak.
- We seated <...> [...into three MT-LB armoured tracked vehicles?], there were nine of us. Everyone just had to come down, bring [the dead] to the car, load them into the ML-LB's, there were also special <...> [devices?] for the dead, the wounded, to pick up them all. We drove, that's what I remember, then the shelling begun, closer, closer, then bullets started to strike at the car armor, then the driver abruptly stopped the car, screamed "Knocked out, all get off!" We jumped down, it was fog, there were some broken frames at the left side. We all rushed into some room, no one knew where were they, where was the terminal, where were those floors, whom to pick up, whom to load.
Now the question to you solely for this recording. Can I call myself a good cop? Well, you see, you're quite shabby, I did not... or it was I who?..
- I've said what I knew <...>
No, I mean did I beat you?
- No.
How am I talking to you?
- Humanly.
Humanly. You see, my goal is not to make fun of a captured ukrop (I've always differentiated you [the Ukrainians] into Bandera's followers, ukrops and Ukrainians), I'm not an invited guest, my mother was from Shakhtersk, my father was of the Dnieper region, and then they went to the Crimea, their parents. I'm here, I know what I'm doing. And you hear my accent, don't you?
- Yes, of course.
Well, I see.
- <...> me too <...> the first time we were brought <...> I do not know where <...> I've never seen the first emplacement, the guys said "Here is your Ukrainian passport". Then they started talking...
I do not conceal anything. I yell at each corner that I'm a volunteer from Russia, it's no secret. I'm explaining to everybody that I have come to defend my historic homeland. My mother asks me, "If you're going to pass by my village, under Shakhtersk, make a picture of my home, I just wonder what happened to him." I'm not on a visit here, and I assure you that a large part, if not the largest, of those who came here from Russia, have their grandparents here. In Russia, for example, according to opinion polls, a third part of Russian citizens - not immigrants, but citizens - claim that they have their grandparents in Ukraine. It means - what? How do you think?
- It's kinda one country ...
Can this mean that a third part of the citizens of Russia are -
- ...the Ukrainians?
Yes.
- Sure it can.
How can a country...
- If you even take the Ukrainians, how many of them are all over Europe, that is the same thing here, more than half, well, a third part for sure.
So, I'll make a pause, I do not want to lose the video track, it does not download well in HD quality.
* * *
INTERROGATORS:
- ...We'll publish it [video], your family will take a look at it.
- You'll be a hero...
- You'll be a hero, known all over the country...
- Well, wait, now in a serious way. From jokes to business. You will be a hero. You're one of the military officers - in my opinion, the only one, the first one - in the history of Ukraine, who has military honor. Every officer, of any army, would consider it an honour when the enemy show mercy to him and allow him to shoot himself. Any country. And the Japanese, how they called it?
- Harakiri?
- Bushido? no, I don't remember.
- Seppuku? it's when he jump...
- Let's go back 70 years ago. Any German officer would take the gun. Yes, it's the Nazism, it's a lousy fascist, but he would take the gun. Any Soviet officer would take the gun. That's time when people had a notion of the officer's honor. And now ...
- Well, give the gun?
POW:
- My country won't appreciate it.
INTERROGATOR:
- But you're at war for it!
POW:
- It sent me to slaughter.
INTERROGATORS:
- But you denied it...
- And what, it's the family who will appreciate. Everybody will admire you, tell to your mom: "Look, what a son you had, a true hero!"
- There will be a street named after you.
- They will meet your coffin on your knees.
- "Right Sector" will...
- Kiss your ass.
- ...set up a monument to you, as a hero of Ukraine.
- Well, give the gun?
POW:
- No.
INTERROGATOR:
- I promise: no one will interfere. OK?
POW:
- No.
INTERROGATORS:
- Why no? Afeared?
- Tell us the reason, why.
POW:
- I don't want to die.
INTERROGATOR:
- "Don't want to die"? or "Don't want to die for..."?
POW:
- Don't want to die for the country that betrayed me.
INTERROGATOR:
- Do you really think you still have the homeland? We all were betrayed in the Maidan Square - both you all and we. When Maidan was taking place, we were working hard at the mines, factories. You were probably also doing something?
POW:
- Yes.
INTERROGATOR:
- Worked, right?
POW:
- Yes.
INTERROGATOR:
- And guys who stood there [in the Maidan square], "Berkut", were burned and beaten with chains, did you see that?
POW:
- In the news.
INTERROGATOR:
- Did see it in the news?
POW:
- Yes.
INTERROGATOR:
- Well, and how? There were guys like you, officers like you. They stood and did not fire a shot. And were beaten. Did not it offend you for the army?
POW:
- It offended me that the authorities allowed them to do so, allowed to do so to them. <...>
INTERROGATOR:
- Well, why you then went to serve to this country? The country that had trampled into mud the officers, the soldiers. They are like you.
POW:
- I had been mobilized.
INTERROGATOR:
- Mobilized... you coward ass. Coward ass, hear? You're a shit, not an officer.
Conclusion
Not very spectacular, but still this gives some insight in the mindset of the Russian proxies. Basically: we can take (parts of) Ukraine, because our parents lived there.
If you see errors or have additions to this translation, please let me know.
