Thursday, August 14, 2014

Russia's "humanitarian" convoy has arrived at the Ukraine border. -Guardian.

The convoy. -Guardian. 

A convoy, that the Russians claim are full of supplies and humanitarian aid, has arrived near the Ukraine border. -Guardian. The aid convoy has not been authorized by the Ukraine government. The Russians claim that the Red Cross was going to take control of the supplies but the Red Cross denies any knowledge of the specifics. Ukraine is not in control of the area near the border crossing. Many observers in the west are concerned that this convoy is a "Trojan Horse" and a prelude to an invasion. These claims are backed up by pictures showing military vehicles painted white and heavy military activity in the area. 

A painted military vehicle. -Guardian/New York Times

My Comment:
The Guardian makes a strong circumstantial case that this is a prelude to an invasion. There is a lot of military activity in the area and those painted vehicles could very well be troop transports. But it is hard to read Russia's intentions here. Like I said in a previous post, a simple supply run is probably better for the Russians in the long run. Not only does it give the appearance of helping innocent civilians (and those civilians do need help) it will allow the rebels to continue the fight in Luhansk. We will have to keep watching this story closely though, because it could very well be a prelude to an invasion. 

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