Introduction by Donovan Kiersten
Quemado Institute
May 5, 2017
Updated May 12, 2017 [See end of post.]
On April 23, 2017, an American OSCE observer was killed when his vehicle hit a recently planted landmine on a little used dirt road near the village of Prishib in the Lugansk People’s Republic. The explosion took place within video distance of the contact line. That the road had been traveled only two hours before without incident indicates the mine was not an old one planted by the Ukrainian Army in 2015, when such devices were placed along the contact line to prevent civilians from avoiding Ukrainian checkpoints.
DPR and LPR officials have stated the mine was set by Ukrainian saboteurs who answer to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). The Ukrainian government is of course the prime suspect, since they would have a motive in creating a false flag event. It is hard to imagine the LPR militia having any motive, in that such an event would only increase Western hostility and further endanger Donbass. One might argue a crazed militiaman angry at the OSCE might have planted the mine unwisely. But the video and analysis below suggest the Ukrainians knew about the terrorist incident before it happened.
US President Donald Trump has demanded that a full investigation be carried out by the OSCE. This is a positive step, in that the OSCE is likely to be more truthful than a remote European or UN organization, as is clear from the Dutch safety Board’s quasi investigation of the MH17 crash, which has yet to produce independently verifiable results.
Alexander Hug (–RFE/RL)
Indeed, Deputy Chief OSCE Monitor Alexander Hug, who is often visits the contact line personally, was quoted as saying he knew who the mine layers were, that he told them not to do it, but they did it anyway. Another report claims the OSCE has confirmed that the mine was planted by Ukrainian specialists. According to Fort Russ, “The version that the explosion was specially organized by Ukrainian saboteurs has received its confirmation. Observers of the OSCE SMM found 5 mines set up by Ukrainians in Zolotoe.” Zolotoe is located near the contact line about 20 kilometers from Prishib, the village closest to the blast. Other journalists have noted that Ukrainian intelligence has been studying OSCE movements in the area for some time and know the habitual routes of the observers.
These claims, however, are hard to confirm and are not being widely published. Given that OSCE salaries are paid by European member nations aligned the Ukraine government, it seems doubtful the OSCE will officially blame Kiev. It is hoped that President Trump will encourage honesty.
Site of the blast (–Sputnik/LPR militia)
Below are two reports from Russkaya Vesna. The first presents a live video of the explosion taken from a vantage point some 1.2 km away. The second report analyzes the implications of the video with regard to who is to blame. The author readily accuses the United States of involvement, which is to be expected from anti-American news sources and should not necessarily be taken too seriously. It remains entirely probable that while the US may have provided the video system and training, the landmine was planted by Ukrainian saboteurs without the knowledge of US agents. The Ukrainians need false flag operations to garner international support. But it is hard to see how the United States would benefit by conducting such an operation, unless the US is seeking deployment of UN peacekeepers, which seems remote. President Trump has stressed compliance with the Minsk Agreements, and these do not allow armed peacekeepers in Donbass.
That Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is the source of the video seems strange. RFE/RL is a pro-Western anti-Russian propaganda outlet that often posts on Twitter what appear to be elaborate fabrications intended to vilify Russia and Donbass. Their About Page says, “The mission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is to promote democratic values and institutions by reporting the news in countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. RFE/RL’s journalists provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.” Despite the noble rhetoric, their website front page is of sensationalist tabloid quality.
Why RFE/RL would produce a video that might be used to incriminate Ukraine is a mystery.
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Sensational video: The Undermining the OSCE Car (VIDEO)
Rusvesna.su
Translated by Quemado Institute
May 5, 2017
Click for VIDEO.
The site of the radio station Free Europe/Radio Liberty has published a video recording of the moment the OSCE mission in the Donbass was undermined. According to American journalists, the video is provided by an “official Ukrainian source”. We remind you that on April 23, an OSCE car was blown up in the LPR [Lugansk People’s Republic] near Prishib village, as a result of which one mission employee perished and two were injured. The US citizen who was killed worked under contract with the OSCE as a representative of a medical company. There is every reason to believe that the terrorist attack was carried out by the Ukrainian DRG [Ukrainian Security Services] in order to disrupt the peace process and to bring UN troops into the conflict zone.
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IMPORTANT: Who Videotaped Explosion of OSCE Vehicle in Donbass and Why?
Rusvesna.su
Translated by Quemado Institute
May 5, 2017
Location of camera with respect to blast.
As already reported by “Russian Spring” [Russkaya Vesna], today a video of the OSCE Mission vehicle explosion in Donbass was released. The attack took place on April 23, 2017 in the area of Prishib Village on the territory of the Lugansk region [on the LPR side of the contact line]. Even upon initial acquaintance with the video there arise several questions. We will try to answer them, based on the facts presented.
The first: why is such exclusive sensational material being published by Radio Liberty, and not by official sources that have access to this kind of information? That this is fabricated material seems unlikely (although anything’s possible), but we will proceed to analyze further. Where, who, with what camera was it shot, what was the purpose of observation, and what attracted the attention of the operator? And the human operator, who was managing a permanently installed camera, was clearly there.
This fact is most important for understanding and evaluating the video material. Attempts to establish a location and whose camera it was leads to very interesting conclusions.
The attached diagram shows that the camera is clearly located in the territory of the Lugansk region controlled by Ukrainian troops, as can be seen from the viewing angle. Whose is it and why is it located there? The leadership and representatives of the Joint OSCE Monitoring Mission in Ukraine have repeatedly announced the deployment, since the end of 2016, of a video surveillance system on the contact line of the parties to the conflict in the Donbass. But they did not confirm that this camera belongs to and is used by them.
Also, during the video monitoring of the OSCE mission in Ukraine that was previously published, there was always a display of official information indicating the membership of the mission, as well as the date, time and other data. In addition, representatives of the organization were required to officially submit these materials, which was not done.
Hence, the camera does not belong to the OSCE, but to the Ukrainian side, and is used to observe the adjacent territory, that is, the Lugansk People’s Republic. Obviously, it is being used by Ukrainian armed forces for reconnaissance purposes and is controlled by scouts [saboteurs].
But what is this rather high-quality reconnaissance equipment that allows you to monitor with such a resolution and photosensitivity? Did the Ukrainian scouts-innovators deploy s ch a video system themselves and control it? Very doubtful.
Apparently, it was done the help of close NATO partners, and most likely due to the direct participation of American instructors and the supply of intelligence equipment from the United States. Earlier, the Ukrainian media repeatedly published information on the supply of various “non-lethal and defensive weapons” and equipment by Washington. These are Harris communication facilities, Raven drones, AN/TPQ-36/48 radar counter mortar stations, and other high-tech equipment costing a large amount of American money. They also have to be used by US specialists or by trained Ukrainian military for the same money.
Camera angle with respect to OSCE vehicle.
Searches in social networks and Ukrainian media allow confirmation of the deployment of a video reconnaissance system for round-the-clock observation and correction of artillery fire and other means of destruction of militia positions and peaceful cities in the territory of Donbass. This consists of towers with cameras installed approximately every 10 kilometers, which can track objects around the clock at a range of up to 10 km with high resolution. On one of these towers a video camera was installed which did the filming.
But who and what controlled this camera? Clearly, it was a scout [saboteur] of the armed forces of Ukraine or the United States, who must have sighted the movement of the OSCE vehicles. His attention is drawn as he points the camera. The operator closely monitors and accompanies the movement of vehicles on a certain section of the road. He must have been expecting to record some important event here.
We see that the operator was a little nervous when the focus was lost, but quickly regained it. Just at this spot in the video, apparently important to him, was the time the event he expected happened, as one of the international monitors’ vehicles that passed exploded. Although the very place of the explosion is hidden behind local objects, the operator tracked it precisely. That is, the cameraman understood what would happen, where and at what time.
Consequently, the Ukrainian military or American intelligence officer knew about the preparation of this terrorist act and needed to compile reports to present to his superiors. At this point, the task has been completed, all according to plan: we have done this work as you requested.
This videotaping is actual evidence of the expection of Ukrainian and American intelligence that a terrorist act against the observers of the OSCE mission was to be carried out. By an ominous coincidence of circumstances, or possibly through planning, the victim of this terrorist attack was just a simple American.
Now Poroshenko and his company have an occasion to accuse “Lugansk militants” in using mines against observers, and to make statements about the need to involve an international armed contingent [for example, UN peacekeeprs]. This is the purpose and intent of this insidious crime.
Now back to the source of publication—Radio Liberty. Most likely, we can expect falsifications based on this video and accusations against the LPR for the terrorist attack, or possibly the video’s immediate removal, which will only confirm Radio Liberty blundered, apparently in order to raise its ratings.
It remains to be hoped that this time the OSCE representatives will conduct a truly independent and thorough investigation, which will allow the criminals ot be punished.
–Former employee of the UNPROFOR peacekeeping mission specifically for the “Russian Spring”
Updated May 12, 2017:
Blast Site near Prishib, LPR (–Sputnik/LPR militia)
Lugansk to hand over OSCE bomb case to world court / News Front / May 12, 2017 / After an investigation locally, officials are passing on the results to international bodies for further prosecution of Ukrainian Armed Forces members involved in the blast that killed an American OSCE monitor and injured two others. The evidence collected against the Ukrainian servicemen is planned to be used in international courts. So says the official representative of the People’s Militia of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Andrei Marochko, [including] names of the commanders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who have been implicated in the attack upon the OSCE vehicle near Lugansk. At the present time, the basic evidence is being collected for the initiation of a number of criminal cases against Colonel Romigailo, Commander of the OGS Lugansk, Colonel Nechaev, Commander of the 8th Special Operations Regiment (commander of the 14th Brigade of Colonel Jacques) , The commander of the 53rd Brigade Colonel Vodolazsky, – said Marochko during a briefing held in Lugansk. According to the information of the People’s Militia, it was these three servicemen who ordered their subordinates to prepare and destroy the car of the OSCE mission, as a result of which one person was killed and two were injured. Marochko also said that these people led the shelling of civilians in the villages of Frunze, Kalinovka, Logvinovo, Veselogorovka and many other settlements. The representative of the department stressed that the entire collected evidence base against the Ukrainian officers will be used in international courts.
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