SOTT EXCLUSIVE: Updates from Ukraine and Novorussia: Poroshenko shipped arms to rebels, Givi promises a surprise

After months of operations at the Donetsk airport, Lieutenant Colonel "Givi" (call-sign) of the Novorussian Armed Forces and his battalion "Somali" are apparently on a break, resting from the constant fighting taking place there. The airport itself is an interesting topic. Once a modern international hub (rebuilt in 2012 for around USD $875 million), it is now a steaming pile of rubble.
Why the stubborn focus on the airport from Kiev, where Ukrainian forces have been holed up for months, surrounded on all sides by the NAF? That's a whole other topic from the updates I want to give today, so I'll just mention a couple of points. Rumor has it that, holed up with the Ukrainians (including Right Sector thugs), there were or are also foreign mercenaries, including Poles. As Poland is a NATO member, this would be bad press if it came to light, to say the least, which may explain why they have consistently refused offers to surrender and have safe passage back to Ukraine.

Givi became something of an Internet sensation over the last few months, for example, with his 'cooler than Siberia' response to shelling from the Ukrainian Army during an interview. (Check that footage out here.) He's been featured regularly in video reports from journalist Graham Phillips (who was recently wounded in a shelling attack from Kiev) and also makes an appearance in Miquel Santiago's documentary on Donetsk for RT. Just watch some of the videos and you'll see why he's so popular, and why the people of Donetsk and Lugansk are doing all right in the information war with Kiev and the West, despite lacking the fancy tools and busloads of money.

Along with commanders like "Vasya" (also featured in Santiago's documentary), "Motorola" (who leads the Sparta battalion currently stationed at the airport along with Khodakovsky's Vostok battalion) and others, watching them give a lot of insight into the mentality of the 'pro-Russian separatists' who have joined the fight for their rights, land, culture, and their very lives, and why they'll never submit to the genocidal monsters in Kiev. First of all, they have a sense of humor! (Don't miss this one, either.) But more important, it's their morale. They are truly fighting for their existence, they know what the stakes are, they have either lost everything or given up everything to defend their most basic human rights, and they are fully committed. They have lost family, friends, and fellow countrymen to Kiev's butchery, and unlike the Nazi battalions in the service of Kiev, they have kept their humanity. It's what drives them. And that is a force to be reckoned with.

That said, here's the latest from Givi, who has been relatively quiet since 'taking a rest' from the fighting at the airport.


The comment about Poroshenko comes from this recent video, in which another NAF commander, Igor Bezler, reminds Poroshenko that before becoming president, he sold arms to the rebels. As Givi says above, anything to make a buck, right?

But there's also this, from the Ukrainian side. The man interviewed below is Oleksandr Taran, a Ukrainian major and military expert.


The things he says are not exactly news: Ukrainian forces do not want to fight. Neither do the Novorussians. The only solution Taran sees is to put a stop to the military operations. Also, despite seeing some Russian volunteer fighters, Taran is clear that he didn't see any Russian military units. In other words, no, the Russians have not invaded Ukraine. It's really only the psychopaths at the top of the food chain that want war, and the Nazi 'volunteer' and mercenary battalions. In fact, there have been reports of actual fighting between Right Sector and regular Ukrainian forces. The NAF just sits back and watches them kill each other. Then, there's this: Kolomoisky declares war on Poroshenk:

The confrontation escalates. Property expropriations carried out by Kolomoisky using territorial battalions result in attempts to subdue these battalions (which are armed groups with carte blanche to exercise unlawful acts) by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

But these attempts, in turn, are instantly responded to with ultimatums to the President by commanders of these battalions.

The commanders now have diplomatic immunity (which of course, no one will cancel at this point for the most ridiculous reasons).

The majority of Ukrainians may not support the Nazi and mercenary elements in Ukrainian politics/business/military, but that doesn't mean they don't wield a large amount of power and influence. And that doesn't mean they can't get even more. Poroshenko better watch out.

Meanwhile, Poroshenko announced the new Ukrainian government made three new appointments today: natives of the US, Georgia and Lithuania were hastily granted Ukrainian citizenship in order to become key ministers. So out of 40 million Ukrainians, he couldn't find a handful for the three positions?

Poroshenko added that the country "must attract the best international experience, which includes assigning positions in the government to representative of states friendly to Ukraine." That must mean NATO/EU/US experience. Then he tweets: "I congratulate the Ukrainians with the formation of the pro-European government".

The new Finance Minister is America's own Natalie Jaresko who currently heads the Kiev-based Horizon Capital investment fund. She previously served as the first Chief of the Economic Section of the US Embassy in Ukraine from 1992-1995. Of course, Washington claims they had nothing to do with the selection. US Department of State spokesperson Marie Harf said: "This is a choice for the Ukrainian people and their elect representatives, this is their decision, I do not think we had anything to do with it at all". That's comforting.

Jaresko also sits on the board of Western NIS Enterprise Fund which is managed by Horizon Capital and funded by USAID. So, of course the US had nothing do to with her new appointment.

On Twitter Poroshenko also announced: "I'm going to sign a decree conferring Ukrainian citizenship to those, who defended Ukraine with arms in their hands". We don't suppose that will include the rebels he supplied arms to, now would it?