Igor Strelkov (left) allegedly is a Russian Military Intelligence colonel, according to Ukraine's Security Service. © Courtesy
Pro-Russian Commander in Eastern Ukraine Sheds Light on Origin of Militants -- WSJ
Igor Strelkov Says He Brought Armed Fighters to the Region From Crimea
The elusive commander of the pro-Russia militants who have seized the east Ukrainian city of Slovyansk has revealed himself for the first time since the crisis began, saying in a taped interview that his armed crew arrived in Ukraine's east from Crimea.
Igor Strelkov, the commander whom officials in Kiev have described as a Russian intelligence officer, presented some details of the fighters he brought to Slovyansk, who since early April have transformed the city into the epicenter of eastern Ukraine's unrest. The new government in Kiev has described Slovyansk as the "most dangerous city in Ukraine."
"The unit that I came to Slovyansk with was put together in Crimea. I'm not going to hide that," Mr. Strelkov told the Moscow-based Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid in a video interview released Saturday. "It was formed by volunteers—I would say half or two-thirds of them are citizens of Ukraine."
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Update #1: Russia’s secret commander in Ukraine steps out of the shadows and he’s armed with … sound bites -- National Post/AP
Update #2: Insurgent leader emerges, bolstering evidence of Russian hand in eastern Ukraine's turmoil -- FOX News/AP
My Comment: I do not know if Igor Strelkov is a Russian GRU military intelligence officer .... but I do know that in eastern Ukraine many people who are under him`believe that his real job is with the GRU .... and (if Russian TV is to believed) they are happy that he is their commander. And while I am sure that Russia has intelligence officers in Ukraine .... the debate on who is working in Ukraine for Russia (or not) is only a diversion from the real story which is that the entire eastern part of Ukraine is no longer under the control of Kiev.
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