Armed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, stand guard outside a Ukrainian military unit in the village of Perevalnoye outside Simferopol, March 11, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
Ukraine Forms New Defense Force, Seeks Western |Help -- Reuters
(Reuters) - Ukraine's interim leaders established a new National Guard on Tuesday and appealed to the United States and Britain for assistance against what they called Russian aggression in Crimea under a post-Cold War treaty.
Blaming their ousted predecessors for the weakness of their own armed forces, acting ministers told parliament Ukraine had as few as 6,000 combat-ready infantry and that the air force was outnumbered nearly 100 to 1 by Moscow's superpower forces.
There was no let-up in the war of words, with the pro-Russian regional parliament in Crimea approving a declaration of independence that will take effect if people on the Black Sea peninsula vote to unite with Russia in a referendum on Sunday.
The national parliament in Kiev said it would dissolve the Crimean assembly if it did not cancel the plebiscite.
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Update #1: Ukraine seeks to create national guard, bolster armed forces with reserves, volunteers -- FOX News
Update #2: Ukraine's new national guard could comprise 50,000, former defense minister projects -- UPI
My Comment: The new Ukraine government does not trust the military and the many pro-Russian elements that are in it .... they do not know if these units will fight, defect, or flee. As for establishing a new national guard .... here is an easy prediction .... this new military force will be 100% Ukrainian.
2 comments:
Second prediction -- this new instant 100% Ukraine "military force" will be small and completely ineffective against 200,000 trained Russian troops on Ukraine border.
Against Russian troops yes .... totally ineffective. But this national guard will be focused on Ukrainians who may not be agreement with the direction that the new government in Kiev is going .... at least that is what everyone is worried about (one worry among many) back home.
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