Putin threatens to break Ukraine's blockade of Donetsk as rebels vow 'another Stalingrad'

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Fox News:

DONETSK, Ukraine – As Kiev tightened the vise on the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, surrounding the eastern city and cutting off supply routes and all roads in, the Kremlin floated plans to send a "humanitarian" convoy through to help embattled pro-Russian insurgents.

 

With the pro-Russian separatists facing continuous pressure in the now largely deserted city that once held 1 million people, rebel commander Igor Strelkov, also known as Igor Girkin, said the 5,000 separatists running the city are now on their own. Although some rebels are calling for a cease-fire in order to spare the city from being destroyed by Ukrainian shelling, others vowed that, if invaded, Donetsk will become “another Stalingrad,” a reference to the bloody 1942 battle in which Russians repelled Nazi forces to help turn the tide of World War II.

 

But word that Moscow, which has already sent 20,000 troops to the border, just two hours east of Donetsk, could send help could signal the two sides are in for a long standoff. In doing so, Russian President Vlaidimir Putin would be defying previous warnings from the West that such a move would be seen as provocative. Shortly after the Kremlin statement was released, in the form of a readout of a telephone call between Putin and European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, the office of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced he was on a call with President Obama.

 

Residents continue to leave the city, and on Sunday, the city’s only train station was the scene of intense jostling for tickets to Kiev and other major cities. Those who remain in the city will be forced to seek shelter from the ongoing assault or join the separatist ranks.

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Waiting for Putin.