UK Defence Ministry has released its latest intelligence update about the ongoing situation in the war-torn nation. "If we were Germans, Ilovaisk would be our Stalingrad," says Sergei Ivanov, a blogger who had to flee Luhansk after the separatist takeover. The URL has been copied to your clipboard, Separatist Commander 'Givi' Killed In Eastern Ukraine, What The Pentagon Leaks Tell Us About China And Russia. SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Trump Ramps up Attacks on DeSantis: 'Dropping Like a Rock', Russian Strikes on Pavlohrad Aim to Hamper Ukraine's Counteroffensive, Greg Abbott Criticized for Response to Texas Shooting: 'A New Low', Democrat Sold First Republic Stock, Bought JP Morgan Before Collapse, Conservative Influencers Struggle With Countering Biden's Messaging. Belarusians who had been part of other groups, as well as new recruits, announced the unit, named after a 19th-century. Homes, the hospital and the school where the Ukrainian military had set up base all bear the scars of bullets and bombs. When nine captured Russian paratroopers were paraded in Kiev on August 27, Putin, who had strenuously denied that Russia was party to the Ukrainian conflict, was put on the spot. It took Poroshenko four days to publicly acknowledge the terrible news. Newsweek subscription offers > Leader of the "Somalia" battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Timur Kurilkin, received the "Hero of the DPR" award. "Most of them were paratroopers from Pskov and Kostroma. "Ukraine is just a word. [13] In 2016, he was charged in Ukraine with crimes including the creation of a terrorist organization, abduction, and abuse of prisoners of war. Ukrainian soldiers ride on a military truck during fighting against militants, close to Ilovaysk town, near of Donetsk, Ukraine, Aug. 10, 2014. The claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking the "denazification" of Ukraine clashed with reality after video showed a pro-Russian soldier wearing neo-Nazi symbols while being awarded a medal for fighting in the city of Mariupol. While the rebels denied they possessed rockets capable of bringing down a passenger airliner at cruising altitude, their rockets had been devastatingly effective in targeting Ukrainian military helicopters and planes. Ukrainian soldiers are briefed by a commander before fighting commences against militants, close to Ilovaysk town, near of Donetsk, Ukraine, Aug. 10, 2014. [citation needed] Its current commander is Timur Kurilkin. Putin oo weji cusub u yeelay xiisadda ka taagan Ukraine, Saddex aag oo uu Ruushka ka weerarri karo Ukraine. They were boys, conscripts, who didn't even know they were going to war.". Haddaba maxaan ka naqaannaa jabhadda la magac baxday "Guutada Soomaalida" ee ka tirsan fallaagada ka jirta bariga Ukraine ee taageerada ka hela Ruushka. On October 12, Poroshenko fired Defense Minister Valeriy Heleteywho had come under intense criticism after Ilovaiskwithout giving reasons. "The woods bordering the fields were swarming with soldiers and armor," he said. In 2022, while being decorated by the head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, Senior Lieutenant of the Somalia Battalion Roman Vorobyov was shown wearing a Totenkopf (used by the 3rd SS Panzer Division and the SS-Totenkopfverbnde) and a valknut on his arm patch; both symbols are associated with neo-Nazism. The battalion's full name is 1st Separate Tank Battalion Somalia (previously 1st Separate Battalion Tactical Group Somalia). The origin of its name is unconfirmed, it could be due to the fact that when its members lined up for the first time, they were dressed in motley clothing and thus looked not like a combat force, but Somali pirates. Video has shown a pro-Russian soldier wearing neo-Nazi insignia receiving a medal for his role in fighting in the city. Putin insisted the Russian troops must have crossed into Ukraine by accident. KYIV -- A separatist commander in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk has been assassinated, the Russia-backed separatists say. [17][18] In 2022 journalist Yuriy Butusov claimed that Tolstykh was killed by a counter-intelligence unit of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) which was approved by then-president Petro Poroshenko. The two sides fought each other to a stalemate, with the Ukrainians hunkered down to the west of the train line that bisects Ilovaisk, the rebels entrenched to the eastand a terrified civilian population caught in the ferocious crossfire. As the situation grew more dire, frustrations broke into the open between local Ukrainian volunteer police battalionswhich answer to the Interior Ministryand the Kiev military command. Circumstantial evidence seemed to indicate that the rebels had accidentally shot down the plane, killing all 298 on board, most of them Dutch nationals. Ruushka iyo Ukraine: Isbarbardhigga awoodda ciidan ee Ukraine iyo Ruushka. "It wasn't our job to attack," says Vyacheslav Pechenenko, 43, a retired police colonel who worked for security in a supermarket chain before becoming deputy commander of the Dnipro Battalion. Ukrainian government forces have narrowed the ring around Luhansk and the other rebel stronghold Donetsk. . Akhri xogta ku saabsan sida aan u abaarno bogagga dibadda. In early July, Ukrainian forces retook the transport hub of Slovyansk. Somalia Military Strength. The nation holds a PwrIndx* score of 4.0196 (a score of 0.0000 is considered 'perfect'). Somali Battalion greeted with Flowers in Donetsk Chef Enteng 7.56K subscribers Subscribe 2.6K views 8 months ago Legendry "Somali" battalion marched victoriously to Donetsk, where they were. Leader of the "Somalia" battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Timur Kurilkin, received the "Hero of the DPR" award. It is alleged he was killed by his own side because he knew who shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, or that he was killed by Ukrainian forces.[4]. Following the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity in February 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, and Russian-backed separatists seized part of south-east Ukraine, starting the war in Donbas. Yet if incontrovertible evidence of direct Russian military involvement was hard to come by before the battle at Ilovaisk, the caskets returning to garrison towns across Russia are very real. Russia claimed on Thursday that it had captured the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the transfer of Mariupol under the control of the Armed Forces of Russia. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! The part of the video showing Vorobyov was later deleted when it was posted on Pushilin's website. It no longer exists. Waxaa guutadan lagu magacaabaa "Somali Battalion", waa garab militeri oo ka tirsan jabhad ka dagaallanta gobolka Donestk ee bariga Ukraine, jabhaddan waxay ka qeyb qaadaneysaa dagaalka haatan ka . WATCH: Russia-backed separatists say one of their commanders in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine has been assassinated. In Current Time TV's documentary about the brutal battle for Donetsk airport, he explained how he came to join the separatist forces. The Somalia battalion has already returned to Donetsk. Experts said, the ease with which lethal military hardware could be brought and sold in today's Ukraine, would ultimately risk the country having a Somalia scenario. 56 foreignersinc The "Somalia" battalion (Givi) of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, makes a march through Mariupol to "Azovstal" - residents greet the fighters on the streets. Maxaa waaliddiintan ku kallifay inay xiriirka u jaraan carruurtooda? Officially, 108 dead have been confirmed by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, but officers fear the number could be four or even six times that once bodies are identified and the missing are confirmed dead. The other is the Valknut, or Odin's knot, which is a symbol of interlocking triangles from Norse mythology commonly used by neo-Nazis. Dalabkiisa ugu wayn ayaa ah in reer galbeedku damaanad qaadaan in Ukraine aysan ku biiraynin Nato. The claims have been rejected by Zelensky and the international community. Givi says 107 men and a single artillery piece held the Ukrainians at bay, with a little help from a field commander nicknamed Motorola and some Chechen volunteers. *PwrIndx: Each nation is assessed on individual and collective values processed through an . The milblogger also claimed that the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) "Somalia" Battalion of the 1 st Army Corps is operating near Vodyane (8km southwest of Avdiivka) and that Ukrainian forces conducted assaults in the direction of Pisky (9km southwest of Avdiivka). Reer galbeedku waxay u arkeen arinkaas mid aan micno lahayn oo Moscow dooneyso in ay dhul ka qabsato, kuna duushu wadan ay ku nool yihiin 44 malyan oo dad ah oo daris la ah Midowga Yurub. The force has some history of going rogue after integration. According to her data, up to 4,000 Russians have been killed or gone missing in the conflict. The battalion has been recently equipped with T-64 and T-72 tanks, as well as BMP-1, BTR-709, MT-LB and BRDM-2 armored fighting vehicles. Pushilin posted the video of him presenting the award on his Telegram channel and said that a unit led by Vorobyov and another lieutenant, Andrey Nikulin, had killed "more than 40 militants.". The only aid the rebels receive from Russia is food, medicine and building materials, Givi says, and all their weaponry was captured from the Ukrainians. md, Tom & mdov, Alexandra. After the rout of his forces at Ilovaisk and the strategically important city Mariupol under threat, Poroshenko had little choice but to seek an urgent peace agreement with Putin. Free shipping for many products! Moscow has also inflated the role in Ukraine's military of the Azov Battalion, a far-right paramilitary group in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. After the civilian Volkswagen Transporter carrying Khomchak got knocked out, he set out on foot through the fields with Bereza and a dozen other fighters. The convoy continued along a field road until it reached the outskirts of Starobesheve. [9], Tolstykh joined the rebels in the early stages of the war and was involved in the Battle of Ilovaisk. Skeletons of trucks stand frozen in fields where their drivers tried in vain to escape. Inkasta oo uu dhacay shirkii nabadda ee Minsk, hadana iska hor-imaadyadu wali way sii socdeen, sidaas daraadeed madaxweynaha Ruushka wuxuu sheegay in ciidamo uu ugu yeeray nabad-ilaalin u diri doono goobaha ay ka taliyaan kooxaha gooni u goosadka. "This is an 'anti-terrorist operation'? He. A burying ceremony for unidentified soldiers at Kushugumskoye cemetery. Ukrainian soldiers take cover after firing a mortar during fighting against militants, close to Ilovaysk town, near of Donetsk, Ukraine, Aug. 10, 2014. In 2017, it and the now-dissolved Donbas Battalion blockaded the DPR and LPR and created an energy crisis in Ukraine. List of equipment used by Russian separatist forces of the war in Donbas, " "" ", "No Moscow stooges: Identity polarization and guerrilla movements in Donbass", "The Battle of Ilovaisk: Details of a Massacre Inside Rebel-Held Eastern Ukraine", Anti-government Non-state Armed Actors in the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine, " " "" "", "]", " ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Somalia_Battalion&oldid=1149979669, This page was last edited on 15 April 2023, at 16:24. Footage shows a tank moving toward. "I said, No, we'll leave as previously agreed," Khomchak remembers. [1] Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, Inside the Notorious Yarl's Wood Detention Centre, Plans to Rebuild Gaza Keep Getting Undermined. Taking to their official Twitter handle, the UK Defence Ministry stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to blockade the Azovstal steel plant likely indicates a desire to contain Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol and free up Russian forces to be deployed elsewhere in eastern Ukraine. Tank columns of the DPR assault battalion "Somalia" are leaving Mariupol. Receiving the award on Sunday from Denis Pushilin, who is the Putin-sponsored head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, two patches are visible on Vorobyov's right arm. View original page. The battle may not be the last in the struggle for Ukraine. Warar kale oo dheeraad ah oo la xiriira qodobkan. ", "Witness relates how Motorola killed 'cyborg' Ihor Branovytsky | ZMINA", "Separatist leader killed in rocket attack on his office", Givi: I was taught to battle by Chapayev and Ukraine, "In Donetsk was killed terrorist Givi ( ())", "Rebel commander wages fight to the death for east Ukraine airport", "Ukraine: Donetsk fighter unfazed by heavy shelling", "Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/241 of 9 February 2015 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine", "Separatist Commander 'Givi' Killed In Eastern Ukraine", "Disturbing Videos Raise War-Crimes Concerns In Ukraine", " "" ", "Key Ukraine rebel commander killed in 'act of terror', "Ukraine conflict: Rebel leader Givi dies in rocket attack", " "" ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mikhail_Tolstykh&oldid=1151938020, This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 04:48. It was originally a special task force under the Ministry of Defense of the Donetsk People's Republic, a self-proclaimed breakaway state in eastern Ukraine. The battle was not all one-sided. Change country: . "I am confident that the battle for Ukraine, for independence will end in success," he said. Russia has set up a training camp for the prisoners near the city of . Pushilin wrote that under his leadership the unit. This page was last updated at 2023-04-02 10:40 UTC. Jaamac Qaalib: Isagoo aan dugsi Quraan, iskuul iyo jaamacad dhigan ayuu noqday bare jaamacadeed. Privacy Policy. Khomchak understood that his invisible foe was cutting off his only escape route, but he couldn't obtain permission from the military commanders in Kiev to make an orderly withdrawal. Cookie Notice Azov's military and political wings formally separated in 2016, when the far-right National Corps party was founded. The columns of armor Poroshenko said would be sent directly from Independence Square to the front line would hardly be enough to stop a stealth invasion by regular Russian troops. The Russian forces simply marched in," Lieutenant General Ruslan Khomchak, the commander of Ukrainian forces in Ilovaisk, tells Newsweek. Poroshenko has pledged to find and punish those responsible for the Ilovaisk debacle, but battalion commanders have already pinned the blame on the top military leadership for worrying more about moving flags on a map than listening to the men on the ground. On July 17, the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over separatist-held territory shocked the world. Video footage from 2015 shows him verbally and physically abusing Ukrainian servicemen captured during the battle. Trump's latest attack addresses DeSantis' overseas trips to the U.K., Israel, Florida's Covid-19 record, and polling support for the 2024 Presidential race. Givi's Somali battalion participated in the latest escalation near Avdiivka which started on 30 January 2017,, where he was wounded in a battle near the Avdiivka promzona. Russian officials now say that capturing the Donbas, Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland is the war's main goal. The battalion took part in the Siege of Mariupol alongside Russian forces during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. I respect and love that country and have always supported the policies of Putin and [Prime Minister Dmitry] Medvedev." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the killing "an attempt to destabilize the situation" in eastern Ukraine, where fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 9,750 people since April 2014. The opposite turned out to be true.". [2], The unit is permanently stationed in Donetsk and Makiivka. It was hardly a coincidence the Russian advance came to its climax on the 23rd anniversary of Ukraine's declaration of independence from the Kremlin. Libya, Martinique, New Caledonia, Reunion, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Venezuela. The group fought against the Ukrainian Army until their commander was thrown in jail in November by the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian-aligned government he was fighting alongside. Waxaa horraan guutadan la oran jiray 1st Separate Tank Battalion Somalia, waxaa hoggaamin jiray taliye la oran jiray Mikhail Tolstykh, waxay isugu yeeraan kooxda 'manaxayaasha ah.'. He then worked at a sling rope factory and as a security guard in a supermarket. The code has been copied to your clipboard. An investigation has been launched. Givi was a notable figure in the history of Donetsk Peoples Republic. "The Russians wanted to show us that our independence doesn't mean anything to them," says Khomchak. Waxaa laga cabsi qabaa in ciidamada Ruushka ee la soo dhoobay xadka dalkaasi ay weerar ku qaadaan Ukraine. Putin and the Kremlin have pushed propaganda to justify the invasion of Ukraine by claiming the government in Kyiv is run by Nazis, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky being Jewish. Reporting from both sides of the hastily drawn border in eastern Ukraine, and hearing evidence from key Ukrainian players and pro-Russian rebels, this account describes the Russian ambush of Ukrainian forces that forced Poroshenko to plead for an immediate cease-fire. But when the conversation turns to the negotiations that Ukrainian commanders say they held with Russian officers for the Ukrainians' safe passage, Givi's voice rises. DPR 'Somali' battalion's tank crew can be seen in combat action near Avdeyevka on Monday, according to the tank commander. The convoy we destroyed had simply gotten lost," recalls Yuriy Bereza, commander of the Dnipro Battalion. [1], The Somalia Battalion was formed in 2014 and participated in the Donbas war. [1], The battalion has T-64 and T-72 tanks, BMP-1, BTR-70, MT-LB and BRDM-2 armoured fighting vehicles as well as supporting artillery, mortars and transport vehicles.[1]. Somali battalion tank crew in action Russia-Ukraine - Updates:On 24 February 2022, Russia began a military invasion of Ukraine, in a major escalation of the . "We reached an agreement and started preparing our withdrawal.". Eyewitnesses note a change in the tactics of our troops. The Somali Armed Forces are the military forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia. "There were so many Russians that not all of them had maps. Russian BMP-2 Destroyed by Man-portable ATGMs Near Donetsk - On Monday morning, Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) posted a minute-and-a-half-long video that showed the destruction of a Russian BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle ( IFV) after it was hit twice with anti-tank guided missiles . It's clear he's unaware that that broken country is currently in its 25th year of civil war. [7] DPR officials accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out the attack,[16] while Ukrainian security officials claimed it to be the result of DPR infighting. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, rebels backed by President Putin took control of large swathes of western . Poroshenko himself has admitted that 65 percent of Ukraine's armor was destroyed. I don't give a fuck what others call us.". The battalion has T-64 and T-72 tanks, BMP-1, BTR-70, MT-LB and BRDM-2 armoured fighting vehicles as well as supporting artillery, mortars and transport vehicles. Putin said NATO had threatened Russia's security by expanding eastward a claim disputed by NATO and demanded Ukraine be barred from ever joining the alliance. It is unclear which units were operating the BMP-2s, but. Artillery attacks continued throughout the night in northern Donetsk. Even as the parading troops saluted Poroshenko on August 24, alarming reports were reaching the capital that Russian troops, backed by tanks and heavy artillery, were pouring across the eastern border near Amvrosiivka and barreling toward the rail junction at Ilovaisk, where poorly equipped Ukrainian forces had been pinned down by rebels for almost a week. Nin Soomaali ah oo saaxiibkiis oo madaxweyne ku-xigeen noqday awgeed waxbarasho ugu noqday. Khomchak, the general who refused to surrender, says squabbles about who's to blame ignore the main culprit: "We were betrayed by our eastern neighbor. "They said there were very few terrorists and that they were poorly armed. A wounded Ukrainian fighter is airlifted out at a military base camp near Kurakhovo, Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 21, 2014. Colaadda Ukraine iyo Ruushka: Madaxweyne Biden "Putin wuxuu go'aansaday in uu weeraro Ukraine", Madaxweyne Putin oo si adag ugu digay Mareykanka xilli xiisadda ay cirka isku sii shareereyso. Ukrainian forces and Azov battalion have completely surrendered From The Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Alexander Borodai and Igor Girkin, both Russian citizens, led the separatists' political and military wings until their abrupt departure in August. "We're no terrorists. The Ukrainian government has described the brigade as a terrorist group pursued by government forces as well as other separatist groups. "They didn't let us close the border. "1- "", / 08809", https://stopterror.in.ua/info/2015/10/1-j-otdelnyj-tankovyj-batalon-somali-v-ch-08809/, "The Battle of Ilovaisk: Details of a Massacre Inside Rebel-Held Eastern Ukraine", http://europe.newsweek.com/battle-ilovaisk-details-massacre-inside-rebel-held-eastern-ukraine-282003?rm=eu, Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Waxaa guutadan lagu magacaabaa "Somali Battalion", waa garab militeri oo ka tirsan jabhad ka dagaallanta gobolka Donestk ee bariga Ukraine, jabhaddan waxay ka qeyb qaadaneysaa dagaalka haatan ka socda Donbas ee Ukraine, waxay dagaal kula jiraan ciidamada Ukraine. Lix quraafaad oo dadka qaar ay Ramadaanka ka aaminsan yihiin, Afar arrin oo muhiim ah ka ogow App-ka ay Soomaalidu ku daadatay ee Sweatcoin, Doorashada Kenya 2022: Tirinta tooska ah ee codadka iyo halka la kala marayo. Pavlov, 33, is originally from Ukhta in Russia's Komi Republic. Ukrainian soldiers holed up in the sprawling Azovstal steel plant, and Russian forces pounded the industrial site entering the final defence phase. RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27languages in 23countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. BBC masuul kama ahan macluumadka bogagga kale ee dibadda. The assault left 10 Ukrainian soldiers dead and the woods around them flattened, the silver-haired general recalls. A month after the battle, residents of Ilovaisk felt embittered and forgotten after enduring almost three weeks of shelling. [citation needed]. The local commander, Mikhail Tolstykh, an excitable, 34-year-old former driver who goes by the nom de guerre Givi, claims Ukrainian forces never even entered the towncontrary to accounts by townspeople, news reports and the storm on Ukrainian social media. "Military intelligence made a big mistake," says Gerashchenko, multitasking on three gadgets as he recalls the events. 2023 BBC. Troops from the "Somali" battalion. While the rebels denied they possessed rockets capable of bringing down a passenger airliner at. His confidence gave fresh impetus to the fight against the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk "people's republics," whose ideology is a mishmash of Communist-era slogans, czarist imperialism and Russian Orthodox Church iconography. Even Putin showed signs of being taken aback. With one Russian prisoner of war in each column, the Ukrainians set off along two different roads heading toward Starobesheve, a town about 15 miles away where the official prisoner exchange was to take place. Dowladda Ukraine ayaa guutadan ku tilmaantaa koox argagixiso ah oo ay baacsanayaan ciidamada dowladda si lamid ah kooxaha kale ee ku kacsan xukuumadda ee gooni u goosadka ah. The battalion's full name is 1st Separate Tank Battalion Somalia (previously 1st Separate Tactical Battalion Group Somalia). Cilmi-baaris: Faa'iidada ay leedahay go'aan qaadhasha la'aantu. pic.twitter.com/ljy72Qrn3c. Even Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to claim victory in the strategic port of Mariupol while ordering his troops not to storm the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance. If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari, List of equipment used by Russian separatist forces of the war in Donbas, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, List of Russian units which invaded the territory of Ukraine, Prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 20222023 RussiaEuropean Union gas dispute, OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, International reactions to the war in Donbas, Foreign fighters in the Russo-Ukrainian War, Economic impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2022 activities of Anonymous against Russia, Media portrayal of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine, Aircraft losses during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Ship losses during the Russo-Ukrainian War, 2014 Russian cross-border shelling of Ukraine, International recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, Military of the Donetsk People's Republic, Paramilitary organizations based in Ukraine, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The question of Russian involvement has dogged the Donetsk uprising from the very start. This report tells in detail for the first time the pivotal events that made up the Battle of Ilovaisk. The Defense Ministry's Danylyuk doesn't deny that there were problems in coordinationafter all, the Ukrainian armed forces had been neglected for 20 years. U.S. soldiers assigned to Alpha Company 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division (3-1 ABCT) operationally controlled by the 1st Infantry Division . [2] Or it could be from Givi's claim; "they are as fearless as Somali pirates". People in Donetsk greeted them with flags and flowers. Donetsk separatist leaders called the killing a "terrorist" attack organized by the Ukrainian intelligence services. Khomchak says his soldiers captured a T-72B3 tank, used only in the Russian army, fixed it up and started using it against its former owners. Mikhail Sergeyevich Tolstykh ( Ukrainian: , Russian: ; 19 July 1980 - 8 February 2017), better known by his nom de guerre Givi (), was a Ukrainian separatist officer wanted for war crimes.