In Crimea, Russian forces at work, denounces NATO's SACEUR

(BRUXELLES2) It's a speaking out that we're not used to. The Commander-in-Chief of NATO, Phil Breelove, took up the pen and on his blog, in a paper titled "the importance of identity". The one who is also the commander of the US forces in Europe, does not beat around the bush. Soldiers " heavily armed forces surrounded Ukraine's military bases in Crimea and took control of 11 border crossings in the region ". " Obviously, the situation is serious ».

Local militias or self-defense forces? a decoy

The general wants to debunk ideas that these troops are 'local militias' who only wear Russian-style gear because that outfit is available in army stores across the former Soviet Union or they would simply be ''self-defense forces''. " Here at NATO Military Headquarters we have been closely monitoring and analyzing the situation in Ukraine”. " After a thorough review of several sources of information, we believe that it is the Russian military forces acting on clear orders to undermine the forces of Ukraine in Crimea. » Analysis " based on careful and deliberate review of available data by our professional military analysts »

Three proofs

His demonstration, with supporting photos, establishes that: 1° the vehicles used bear Russian military plates, 2° the testimony of a soldier who acknowledges being part of the Russian army, explaining that he was asked not to not carry any signs of recognition, 3° the weapons used are not really "classic" equipment of the self-defense forces). Nb: we can thus recognize (from what I could understand) on the one hand, a Petcheneg light machine gun, on the other hand, an AK74 rifle with telescope and grenade launcher (not quite the basic model!), finally a grenade launcher.

Comment: this speaking out is rather rare and testifies to an American desire to increase in power at least in verbal exchanges and to counter the propaganda, for the moment, quite effective, put in place by Russia. The SACEUR has the double hat - supreme commander of NATO and commander-in-chief of the US forces in Europe - and one cannot imagine that this high-ranking officer expresses himself thus, so precisely and so directly, without having the approval at least tacit from the Washington authorities.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

NB: these examples are those distributed by the Saceur - only the intertitles are from the editorial staff