Back in February of 2014, the Ukraine crisis was in its early stages. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine after Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity and then supported pro-Russian separatists. These separatists were fighting in the Donbas War against the Ukrainian military. This Russian-Ukranian war is an ongoing international conflict.
To clarify, in the beginning, eight years of the conflict, there was cyberwarfare, naval incidents, and gross political conflicts between Russia and Ukraine. The issue intensified in February of 2022 when Russia held a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It has been an ongoing conflict for years with Russia attempting to gain more territory in the region.
The Wagner Line, located in eastern Ukraine is a clear defense line by the Wagner paramilitary group. The training, subculture, tactics, and organization are not part of the country’s official armed forces. Paramilitary purpose, generally, is to carry out the duties of their country’s military that the police forces can not handle.
The purpose of this defense line is to prevent the advancement of Ukrainian troops toward the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. This area was annexed by Russia on September 30, 2022. Russian media reports it is a "second line of defense in case the Ukrainian armed forces try to penetrate the area”. “Dragon’s teeth” block tanks and consist of two double rows of pyramid-shaped concrete blocks. There is also a deep trench in this area and firing stations as well.
Some experts question the efficiency of such a border patrol. According to The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the line "would not cover the northern part of Luhansk Oblast up to the line of contact with the occupied territories, thus contradicting the Kremlin's promises to defend the entire Luhansk region". Another conflict observer and defense consultant, Xavier Tytelman, stated, "The dragon's teeth should be partially buried so that only the tip can pass through. A simple armored bulldozer is enough to turn them over". Interestingly enough other defense journalists subscribe to the theory that the construction of the line itself could be a money-laundering operation.
Today, Tuesday, May 16, 2023, Wagner Chief Prigozhin claimed a United States citizen died in the Ukraine city of Bakhmut. Prigozhin stated, “So we will hand him over to the United States of America, we’ll put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa but he died at war and most likely a worthy [death], right?”
Initial claims of the truth of this incident have not yet been verified by CNN. It was noted that Prigozhin and the Wagner group often post videos and clips for propaganda purposes.
Another day of destruction in the war awaits us.
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