Little green men (Ukrainian crisis)

Armed men without insignia (so-called "little green men") in Simferopol Airport, 28 February 2014. The AK-74M on the right does not have a magazine inserted
"Little green men" armed with AK-74Ms blockading Perevalne military base, 25 kilometres south of Simferopol, 9 March 2014
"Little green men" armed with PK machine guns outside the parliament in Simferopol, 14 March 2014

Little green men (Russian: зелёные людишки, зелёные человечки, Ukrainian: зелені чоловічки), also known as Polite People (Russian: вежливые люди, Ukrainian: ввічливі люди),[1][2][3][4][5] refers to masked soldiers in unmarked green army uniforms and carrying modern Russian military weapons and equipment that appeared during the Ukrainian crisis of 2014. The term was first used during the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, when said soldiers occupied and blockaded the Simferopol International Airport, most military bases in Crimea[2] and the parliament in Simferopol.

On 17 December 2015 Russian president Putin confirmed the presence of [Russian] people in Ukraine who "carried out certain tasks including in the military sphere", and added that this did not mean the presence of regular Russian army [in Ukraine].[6][7][8]

Weapons and equipment analysis

In March 2014 the Finnish magazine Suomen Sotilas (Soldier of Finland) published an analysis of the weapons and equipment seen on photos of "little green men".

The article points to a number of weapons and pieces of equipment that it asserts are issued only to armed forces in the Russian Federation:

The article goes on to conclude that with a very high probability "these troops are the 45th Guards Separate Reconnaissance Regiment of VDV" based in Kubinka, Moscow.[9]

Retired Russian Admiral Igor Kasatonov said that the "little green men" were members of Russian Spetsnaz militia. According to Kasatonov, Russian troop deployment in Crimea included six helicopter landings and three landings of IL-76 with 500 people.[10]

Official Russian reaction

Initially, President of Russia Vladimir Putin stated that the men in green were not part of Russian Armed Forces, but groups of local militia who had obtained their weapons from Ukrainians.[11] The SACEUR of NATO Allied Command Operations General Philip Breedlove said that these "green men" were in fact Russian troops.[12]

In March 2014 Putin stated that "the heavily armed, tightly coordinated groups who took over Crimea's airports and ports at the start of the incursion – they were merely spontaneous "self-defence groups" who may have acquired their Russian-looking uniforms from local [military] shops (voyentorg)".[13][14] According to the Ukrainian Gun Owners Association, Ukrainian law does not allow the selling or carrying of firearms other than for hunting.[15]

On 17 April President Putin admitted for the first time publicly that Russian special forces were involved in the events of Crimea, for the purposes of protecting local people and creating conditions for a referendum.[16][17][18][19][20][21] Later he admitted that Russian Armed Forces had blocked Ukrainian Armed Forces in Crimea during the events.[22]

Answering the question on the presence of Russian troops in Crimea, Russian Minister of Defence Sergey Shoygu stated that "regarding the statements about use of Russian special forces in Ukrainian events, I can only say one thing – it's hard to search for a black cat in a dark room, especially if it's not there," and added cryptically that searching for the cat would be "stupid" if the cat is "intelligent, brave, and polite",[23][24] from where the expression "polite men" originated.

Reappearance in Donbass

During the War in Donbass a Reuters correspondent reported from a settlement of Kolosky in Donetsk Oblast on 26 August 2014 that dozens of heavily-armed strangers with Russian accents have appeared at the weekend and set up a road block (about 10 kilometres from the Russian border).[25] The men had white arm bands, the same identifying mark that was worn by 10 men captured a few kilometers (miles) away by Ukrainian forces and who, in a video released on Tuesday (26 August 2014), said they were Russian paratroopers.[25] A report by the BBC referred to the unmarked Russian forces in the Donbass as a "Ghost Army".[26]

On 13 January 2015 Ukrainian news outlet censor.net reported Russian special forces in Luhansk along with footage of eight unmarked soldiers in green army uniforms patrolling a street there with several of them carrying an AS Val, a weapon exclusive to the Russian Armed Forces.[27]

International reactions

References

  1. ↑ Oliphant, Roland (2 March 2014). "Ukraine crisis: 'Polite people' leading the silent invasion of the Crimea". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 Shevchenko, Vitaly (11 March 2014). ""Little green men" or "Russian invaders"?". BBC News. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Kots, Aleksandr; Steshin, Dmitriy (28 February 2014). ""Вежливые люди с оружием" заняли аэродромы Крыма" ["The friendly people with guns" have taken the airfields of Crimea]. Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Brady, Tara (3 March 2014). "Shocking pictures show people in Crimea taking SELFIES with Russian masked gunmen as Ukraine teeters on the brink of war". Daily Mail Online. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  5. ↑ "Polite People meme". Weird Russia. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Nadia Khomami (17 December 2015). "Vladimir Putin press conference: 'Russian military personnel were in Ukraine' - as it happened". theguardian.com. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Большая пресс-конференция Владимира Путина". kremlin.ru (in Russian). Moscow: President of Russia. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015. Мы никогда не говорили, что там нет людей, которые занимаются решением определённых вопросов, в том числе в военной сфере, но это не значит, что там присутствуют регулярные российские войска.
  8. ↑ "Putin: Russia did have people in Ukraine doing 'certain military tasks'". Moscow: Reuters. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015. "We never said there were no people there who were carrying out certain tasks including in the military sphere," Putin told an annual news conference.
  9. ↑ Pulkki, Arto (3 March 2014). "Crimea Invaded By High Readiness Forces of the Russian Federation". Suomen Sotilas (Soldier of Finland) (Helsinki). Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "NATO Recon Missed Everything: Admiral Reveals Details of Crimea Operation". Sputnik. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Путін: В Криму діють не війська РФ, а "загони самооборони", які забрали зброю в українців". еспресо tv. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "Головнокомандувач НАТО у Європі вважає, що всі воєнізовані формування у Криму є армією РФ" [Chief of NATO in Europe believes that all the militia armies in Crimea are from Russia]. РБК Україна (in Russian). 12 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Borger, Julian (4 March 2014). "Putin offers Ukraine olive branches delivered by Russian tanks". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  14. ↑ Avril, Pierre (4 March 2014). "Ukraine : Poutine souffle le chaud et le froid" [Ukraine: Putin blows hot and cold]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  15. ↑ "вільні люди носять зброю, раби - ні" [Free people carry guns, slaves - no]. Ukrainian Association of Gun Owners. 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  16. ↑ "Путин: в Крыму действовали российские военные" [Putin: the Russian military operated in the Crimea]. Radio Svoboda (in Russian). 17 April 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  17. ↑ Lally, Kathy (17 April 2014). "Putin's remarks raise fears of future moves against Ukraine". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  18. ↑ "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin". President of Russia. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  19. ↑ "Проблемы жителей Крыма" [The problems of inhabitants of Crimea]. Council under the President of the Russian Federation. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  20. ↑ Gregory, Paul Roderick (5 May 2014). "Putin's 'Human Rights Council' Accidentally Posts Real Crimean Election Results". Forbes. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Putin acknowledges Russian military serviceman were in Crimea". Russia Today. 17 April 2014. Putin had to touch upon the Crimea topic multiple times throughout his Q&A session. He emphasized that Russia did not acquire Crimea by force, but created, with the help of its special forces, conditions for Crimeans to decide upon their own future.
  22. ↑ "Путин: Украинских военных в Крыму блокировали российские войска" [Putin: Russian troops blocked Ukrainian troops in the Crimea]. liga.net (in Russian). 17 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  23. ↑ "Шойгу о "зелёных человечках" на Украине: глупо искать чёрную вежливую кошку в тёмной комнате". Московский комсомолец (in Russian). 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "Kiev's claims over special forces 'resemble paranoia': Russia". Zee News. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  25. 1 2 Tsvetkova, Maria (26 August 2014). "'Men in green' raise suspicions of east Ukrainian villagers". Reuters. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  26. ↑ Sweeney, John (8 September 2014). "MH17 disaster: Russians 'controlled BUK missile system'". BBC News. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  27. ↑ "Russian special forces in Luhansk: so called insurgents armed with AS "Val" assault rifles - the weapon used by the Russian Federation Army only. VIDEO". Censor.net. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2015.

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