The Chaos Convoy

The Red Cross has no idea what 280

Russian trucks making their way to the
Ukrainian border are carrying. Is Putin's
"humanitarian" mission a Troan horse!
"# $IC%&'( )'I**+&U,U*T -2. 20-/
&con0oy o1 280 Russian 2ama3 mi4itary 0ehic4es ++ a44
5ainted a nice. soothing white. absent any 4icense 54ates. and brandishing
6ags o1 the Red Cross ++ are en route 1rom the $oscow suburbs to a
re4ati0e4y 5eace1u4 border crossing ust north o1 2harki0. Ukraine. I1 the
Russian state+contro44ed media is to be be4ie0ed. they are co44ecti0e4y
trans5orting around 2.000 tons o1 baby 1ood. grain. bott4ed water. s4ee5ing
bags. sugar. and medicine to a war+ra0aged nation ne7t door.
81 course. i1 you be4ie0e the Russian media. eastern Ukraine's des5erate
state o1 a9airs has nothing to do with the 1act that 1or the 4ast se0era4
months $oscow has underwritten. encouraged. and armed dis5arate
1actions o1 5ro+Russian se5aratists ++ many o1 them Russian nationa4s.
inte44igence agents. and e0en so4diers 5osting to Instagram 5hotos o1
themse40es dri0ing Russian anti+aircra1t missi4e systems.
The Internationa4 Committee o1 the Red Cross :ICRC;. the organi3ation
tasked with coordinating a44 aid shi5ments into (ugansk and <onetsk.
c4aims that it has no idea what the he44 is in those 2ama3 trucks. nor has it
4icensed them to go anywhere near Ukraine. &nd yet the 0ehic4es are
ne0erthe4ess dri0ing toward Ukraine 6ying the Red Cross's recogni3ab4e
5endant.
(aurent Corba3. the head o1 ICRC's o5erations 1or 'uro5e and Centra4 &sia.
issued a 5ress statement today c4aiming that his organi3ation is in the dark
about what Russia is rea44y u5 to. ")e o1 course ha0e heard o1 this Russian
initiati0e." he said. "and we ha0e rea4i3ed that this was in agreement with
the Russian authorities and the Ukrainian authorities that such a con0oy
shou4d be a 5ossibi4ity. 5ro0ided that ICRC cou4d be on board. )e said that
we cou4d be onboard but we needed to ha0e some c4ari=cation =rst
regarding the moda4ities. 5ractica4 ste5s that ha0e to be im54emented 5rior
to 4aunch such an o5eration."
In other words. Putin's cooked u5 another game o1 guess+the+strategy.
which has met e0ery e75ectation in be1udd4ing and distracting an
internationa4 news cyc4e.
C4ear4y. the ICRC is not thri44ed about being en4isted in a high4y contro0ersia4
and ob1uscatory re4ie1 scheme 1ewer than /8 hours a1ter
>&T8 *ecretary+,enera4 &nders ?ogh Rasmussen 5ub4ic4y stated there was
a "high 5robabi4ity" that Russia wou4d in0ade Ukraine under "the guise o1 a
humanitarian o5eration." Russia sti44 has some 20.000 troo5s at the Ukraine
border ++ /@.000 i1 you count the garrisons it has in i44ega44y anne7ed
Crimea. which 2ie0 certain4y does. Troo5s. armored 5ersonne4 carriers. and
trans5ort trucks are a4so on the mo0e in the "e4arusian city o1 Aitebsk. and
as my co44eague Pierre Aau7 wrote in the Daily Beast. Ukraine recent4y
withdrew its 1orces 1rom some B0 mi4es o1 border4and. 4ea0ing it wide o5en
to Russian incursion 1rom mu4ti54e directions.
It a4so bears noting that on the night o1 &ug. 8. $oscow tried and 1ai4ed to
ha0e another one o1 its "humanitarian con0oys." this one accom5anied by
Russian mi4itary. 5enetrate Ukraine's 1rontier. sto55ing ust short o1 it in
what one high+ranking Ukrainian oCcia4 dubbed "near4y a rea4 disaster.
near4y an in0asion." It was on4y Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's swi1t
"di54omatic work." in thewords o1 his de5uty chie1 o1 sta9. Aa4eriy Cha4y.
that turned the Russians around. & s5okes5erson 1or the Russian ?oreign
$inistry dismissed the story as one o1 2ie0's "1airy ta4es." It seemed
non=ctiona4 enough to Po4ish ?oreign $inister Rados4aw *ikorski. howe0er.
whotweetedD ")hy wou4d Russia try to de4i0er 'humanitarian assistance' to
U& in the dead o1 night! I1 it's 4egitimate. shou4dn't she 5roud4y dis54ay it!"
Russian 5ro5aganda can o1ten be a Ta4mudic e7ercise. but sometimes the
2rem4in makes e7egesis 1air4y straight1orward. Its agit5ro5 in the 4ast week
shows that its seeming metamor5hosis 1rom the C4ausewit3 o1 5ro7y
war1are into the ?4orence >ightinga4e o1 unso4icited re4ie1 is indeed a ruse
hinting at something wicked on the way. $any anti+2rem4in Russian
b4oggers think so. which is why this 5hotogra5h o1 the 2ama3 trucks to55ed
with Troan horses is now being circu4ated on Twitter.
&s I re5orted 1or ?oreign Po4icy 4ast week. on &ug. B. Russian ?oreign
$inister *ergei (a0ro0 said in a oint 5ress con1erence with his 2a3akh
counter5art that the ICRC had "su55orted" the idea o1 a Russian+4ed
humanitarian mission to the b4ighted regions o1 (ugansk and <onetsk. and
that the organi3ation wou4d "de0e4o5 ... the 5ractica4 as5ects o1 the
im54ementation o1 this initiati0e." 8dd. then. that there was no comment
1rom the ICRC at the time con=rming or denying (a0ro0's assessment.
5erha5s due to the organi3ation's 5reoccu5ation with trying to 4ocate the
whereabouts o1 three o1 its 5ersonne4 who were said to ha0e been
kidna55ed by se5aratists 4ast week. :There has been no news on this
a44eged incident. which was re5orted by Ukrainian media and based on
4eaked interce5ts by the Ukrainian *ecurity *er0ice. or *"UE the ICRC has
issued no 5ub4ic con=rmation o1 the detention o1 any o1 its sta9.;
Then yesterday. &ug. --. an entire di54omatic 1andango ensued. 1o44owing
by much contradictory re5orting. about the nature o1 someagreed+u5on
54an to de4i0er aid to Ukraine ++ with )ashington. 2ie0. and "russe4s a44
more or 4ess saying the same thing. and Russia saying something entire4y
di9erent. "The 5resident noted that Russia. working together with
Internationa4 Red Cross oCcia4s. is sending a humanitarian con0oy to
Ukraine." ran the Russian Presidentia4 8Cce's read+out o1 A4adimir Putin's
5hone ca44 with 'uro5ean Commission President FosG $anue4 "arroso.
'7ce5t that "arroso made no mention o1 any con0oy. and the 'uro5ean
Commission's own read+out o1 this con0ersation reiterated the 'uro5ean
Union's =rm stance "against any uni4atera4 mi4itary actions in Ukraine. under
any 5rete7t. inc4uding humanitarian."
The Ukrainian ?oreign $inistry. meanwhi4e. weighed in. acknow4edging that
there was to be a mu4ti4atera4 aid e9ort that wou4d "inc4ude an internationa4
com5onent and. in 5articu4ar. humanitarian assistance 5ro0ided by the
Internationa4 Committee o1 the Red Cross. the United *tates. the 'U. and
Russia." & senior oCcia4 in Ukraine's 5residentia4 administration e4aborated
to the 2yi0 Post's Christo5her $i44erD "Russia wi44 ha0e a 1orma4 5art in the
con0oy. but there wi44 be no Russian Hmi4itaryI 1orces. no so4diers." This
a55eared to indicate that Poroshenko and Putin had in 1act struck a dea4.
a4beit one that each inter5reted in his own way.
)hen the ICRC =na44y acknow4edged on &ug. -- its awareness o1 the
Russian "initiati0e." it was on4y to insist u5on its own 4eadershi5 as aid
coordinator and to em5hasi3e that nothing concrete or de=niti0e had yet to
be decidedD "HTIhe ICRC shou4d recei0e without undue de4ay 1rom the
authorities o1 the Russian ?ederation a44 necessary detai4s concerning the
aid. inc4uding the 0o4ume and ty5e o1 items. and reJuirements 1or trans5ort
and storage." an organi3ationa4 statementread. "&44 5arties must a4so
guarantee the security o1 ICRC sta9 and 0ehic4es. 1or the entire duration o1
the o5eration. in 0iew o1 the 1act that the organi3ation does not acce5t
armed escorts."
)hich raises a number o1 interesting Juestions. chie1 among them beingD
)ho's dri0ing those 2ama3 trucks. i1 not Russian so4diers!
& c4ue may ha0e been 1urnished by a 5ost on Russia's 5o5u4ar A2ontakte
socia4 media 54at1orm by *emyon "oriso0. who described himse41 as a
ser0iceman in Russia's ---Kth &ir <e1ense Regiment o1 the 2nd ,uards o1
the Tamanskaya $otor Ri6e <i0ision. whose regiment is 4ocated in the
$oscow suburb o1 2a4ininets. In -LL-. this di0ision took 5art in the aborti0e
mi4itary cou5 to oust *o0iet President $ikhai4 ,orbache0E one o1 its tanks.
1rom a unit that de1ected to the other side. was 1amous4y stood u5on by
"oris #e4tsin to de4i0er his barnstorming s5eech in 1ront o1 the )hite %ouse.
*o it didn't go unnoticed when "oriso0 5osted. as my team at
the Interpretertrans4atedD "Today we 4oaded humanitarian aid into 2ama3es
1or Ukraine. )ater. medicines. canned 1ood. baby 1ood. s4ee5ing bags.
e4ectrica4 generators. and 0arious eJui5ment :=e4d kitchens and so on;.
There were about M00 trucks. a44 mi4itary 2ama3esE they were 5ainted white
in a 1ew days." :"oriso0's 5ost was subseJuent4y remo0ed 1rom A2ontakte.
without e754anation. but a screen ca5ture o1 the origina4 is sti44
a0ai4ab4e here.;
Indeed. this 0ideo. which was u54oaded to #ouTube on &ug. -0 ++ a day
be1ore the Putin+"arroso 5hone ca44 ++ shows 4ines o1 white 2ama3 trucks
bearing the s4ogan "medica4 ser0ice." arrayed on a mi4itary base. :*ma44er.
ambu4ance+4ooking 0ehic4es were a4so dis54ayed with the Red Cross
symbo4.; Curious4y. the 4icense 54ates ha0e yet to be remo0ed. *ome o1 the
trucks are 5arked ne7t to a mobi4e radar tower 1or the *+M00 missi4e
system. one o1 Russia's most so5histicated 4ong+range anti+aircra1t
wea5ons. which it once threatened to se44 to Iran and has ust announced it
won't be de4i0ering to *yria. In 1ront o1 the trucks stand Russian troo5s
wearing uni1orms which read "$i4itary &uto Ins5ection." & rai4 yard is a4so
0isib4e ust beyond the base. a4ong with white a5artment bui4dings that
wou4d seem to track with ,oog4e *treet Aiew 5ictures o1 5resent+day
2a4ininets. (ater. Russia's state+owned TA - news channe4 carried a re5ort
showing the 2ama3 con0oy tra0e4ing through the Tu4a region and reaching
Aorone3h. where they were sto55ing to s5end the night. This broadcast a4so
c4ear4y showed more Red Cross 6ags. this time ato5 the 2ama3es. and the
6ags are e0en re1erred to as those o1 the ICRC by the news anchor.
*outhern Russia. too. has seen a 1air share o1 acti0ity in the 4ast two days.
Russian ourna4ist *a0ik *huster noticed that another so5histicated anti+
aircra1t system. the L2MM 8sa :aka *&+8 ,ecko;. is being trans5orted to
Taganrog in the Rosto0 region. &ccording to the inde5endent Russian media
out4et Ros"i3nes2onsa4ting :R"C.ru;. another -@ 2ama3 trucks arri0ed in
Rosto0. near the Ukrainian border. where they were a55arent4y being
readied 1or dis5atch to the <onbass region o1 Ukraine. "HTIhe Russian
Interior $inistry and 'mercom wi44 be res5onsib4e 1or the de4i0ery o1 the
con0oy." R"C.ru re5orted. 'mercom stands 1or Russia's 'mergency
*ituations $inistry. which is res5onsib4e 1or res5onding to natura4 disasters
such as 1orest =res. "ut it's curious that the ministry's oCce 1or the *outh
Region in Rosto0 denied to R"C.ru that it was doing anything with res5ect
to humanitarian aid. The regiona4 go0ernment. it said. was in charge o1 a44
5ros5ecti0e su554y runs to Ukraine.
&s we can see 1rom the 5hotos =4ed by Russia's state news agency RI&
>o0osti. the trucks in the con0oy ha0e no identi1ying marks or registration
numbers on the 0ehic4es. Russian media has a4so been con1using about the
5ro0enance o1 the con0oy. e0en as it re5orts the trucks 4ea0ing 1rom areas
that ha0e mi4itary garrisons. The <e1ense $inistry's TA N0e3da. 1or
instance. re5orted the con0oy as being under the command o1 'mercom.
a4though a44 the ministry's 0ehic4es ha0e 4icense 54ates and a distincti0e
5aint ob ++ and they don't turn their 0ehic4es white 1or humanitarian
missions. The site Aesti 2/ a4so cited 'mercom and e0en shows scenes o1
the 4oading o1 trucks. #et on 'mercom's website. there is no 5ress re4ease
about this high4y 5ub4ici3ed con0oy co0ered by a44 the maor networks
su55osed4y in0o40ing them.
<es5ite the con1usion and a55arent subter1uge. the Ukrainian go0ernment
a55eared to be amenab4e to recei0ing what's in those 280 2ama3es.
5ro0ided. howe0er. that not a sing4e tire hits Ukrainian soi4. "This cargo wi44
be re4oaded onto other trans5ort 0ehic4es :at the border; by the Red Cross."
Poroshenko's aide Cha4y to4d ourna4ists today in 2ie0. ")e wi44 not a44ow any
escort by the emergencies ministry o1 Russia or by the mi4itary :onto
Ukrainian territory;. '0erything wi44 be under the contro4 o1 the Ukrainian
side."
$aybe. "ut once again. the Russian ?oreign $inistry has its own s5in on
what was agreed. (a0ro0 to4d IT&R+T&** that the re4oading condition had
now been dro55ed by 2ie0. owing to the incon0enience and cost o1 taking
2.000 tons o1 materia4s o9 one set o1 trucks on4y to 5ut them onto another.
Ukraine has yet to con=rm i1 that's true. but it seems c4ear that Russian
trucks are 54anning to dri0e through into Ukraine with a cargo that on4y
$oscow can identi1y.
*o is a Putinist 5ro0ocation in the oCng! "oth BuzzFeed's $a7 *eddonand
radio station 'kho $osk0y's editor+in+chie1. &4e7ey Aenedikto0. suggested
that Russia might be 54anning a ,a3a 6oti44a+sty4e =asco ++ whereby Ukraine
0io4ent4y b4ocks or interdicts the con0oy it doesn't want 5enetrating its
border. 5resumab4y to 1urnish a 5rete7t 1or $oscow to 4aunch a44+out war. 8r
5erha5s Putin has instructed one o1 his 1a0ored se5aratist mi4itias to =re on
the con0oy and b4ame 2ie0. a 1a4se+6ag incident which wou4d sure4y draw
the same 5re1abricated res5onse 1rom the 2rem4in. In any case. the
2ama3es don't ha0e to be carrying wea5ons or mi4itary eJui5ment to cause
a 1ussD Fust reaching their destination tomorrow may do that in itse41.
R'UT'R*O>ikita Pauko0
Posted by Thavam