Strelkov: Russian media is silent about the losses near Yasynuvata and Avdiivka Saturday, April 9, 2016 11:05:00 AM

The former military chief of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic Igor Girkin (aka Igor Strelkov), said that Russian military losses in the Donbas far exceed those of the Ukrainian military, and can only be compared to the casualties experienced last year during the battles of Debaltseve and Chernukhino, Tekhno SOTNYA reported.

On his LiveJournal page, Strelkov posted a comment in which he explained his resentment towards the Russian media, stating that it does not publicize information pertaining to the losses sustained by the Russian Armed Forces while fighting in eastern Ukraine.



"In the last days there were reports of the very big losses (comparable to the ones in January and February of last year - the battle for Debaltseve and Chernukhino). Today, it's even worse - we are talking about dozens of dead and three times more wounded just in a last 24 hours near Yasinuvata and in industrial zone between Yasynuvata and Avdiivka. I even know the exact number of deceased, but won't announce it, though Ukrainian side most certainly knows it - I don't want to make a favor to their propaganda,” Strelkov wrote last week.



“The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are hardly less, but this doesn't make it easier – the AFU personnel in the Donbas exceeds the Corps (and all other small units such as "legion") 3 or 5 times - depending on the location. Meanwhile, on our Russian TV channels its ‘quiet, nobody says a word, it's all shushed up,’ all conversations are only about ‘Minsk’. Yes, and on the internet all the major news agencies report just something like ‘the roof of a summer kitchen in the Kiev region was destroyed by a missile,’” the former separatist leader continued.



“Hypocritical lies and the silence of the Russian media put my correspondents in a state of a silent fury. People are massively being killed and maimed in the battle for Russia and the Russian people against the Nazis, but on TV there are only reports about the battle of Palmyra,” Strelkov summed.

The Avdiivka-Yasynuvata area has seen heavy fighting between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian Armed Forces over the last several weeks. Reports indicate that regular Russian soldiers are involved in the hostilities.

Strelkov is a Russian army veteran who played a key role in the early stages of the war in eastern Ukraine. Authorities in Kiev say that the self-described Russian nationalist and imperialist is a retired colonel of the GRU (Russia’s external military intelligence organization). Strelkov was dismissed as Defense Minister of the so-called DPR in August of 2014.

Many believe his dismissal was due to the amount of attention caused by the downing of Mayalsian Airlines flight MH17.

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