February 9th, 2017.
Legendary Donbass Commander Slain in Donetsk.
The legendary Commander of the Somali (armoured) Battalion of the Donbass Militia forces Mikhail Tolstykh, known as Givi has been killed in an early morning attack on his office in the military headquarters of the DPR militia in Makiyivka near Donetsk.
There are differing accounts of the attack, with claims that a bomb was placed in or near Givi’s office but other claims that there was an attack by an incendiary rocket system named the RPO-A Shmel.
A Devastating Blow.
The loss of Givi is a monumental, truly devastating blow against the Donbass militias and follows the recent assassination of the Luhansk militia commander Oleg Anashchenko, killed by a roadside bomb attack on his vehicle on February 4th (Source) and the October assassination of Motorola an attack that resembles the killing iof Givi in many respects.
There has been a recent intensification of military attacks on the self-proclaimed Donbass Republics by the Ukraine military and their allies focused on the town of Avdiivka that left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead on both sides of the contact line. (Source)
The renewed Ukrainian assaults are widely perceived as an attempt to provoke Russia to become overtly involved in the Eastern Ukraine war and then use this involvement to curtail all attempts at rapprochement between Russia and the US, an oft stated aim of the new US President that potentially threatens the flow of money and weapons that are keeping the Ukraine military afloat.
Putin: Ukraine is extorting cash through war
Who was Mikhail Tolstykh?
The details of Givi’s life are that he was born in 1980 in the Ukraine, he was from the eastern town of Ilovaisk, he spent some time in the Ukraine military prior to the Donbass war.
The nickname is used in Russia to refer to people of Georgian background, Givi was not from Georgia nor had even been there, but his great-grandfather was an ethnic Georgian.
Givi came to prominence initially due to his ostentatious display of courage caught on film in late 2014 when he remained nonchalant as a barrage of rockets was landing in his close vicinity.
It is hilarious to watch him simply ignore the threat to life and limb, calmly chatting as his fellow soldiers run for cover.
Givi and MLRS “Grad” shell strike.
Givi played a significant role in many successful military operations including the Battle Of Ilovaisk and the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport when he earned a degree of infamy after aggressively confronting captured Ukrainian soldiers and cutting their badges from their uniforms and forcing the captives to “eat” them.
[eng subs] Givi & Motorola talk to captive UAF colonel
Givi had been subjected to previous attempts on his life, but these earlier attempts were very amateurish, little more than drive by shootings in stark contrast to the highly professional killings of recent times.
Givi was the classic inspirational field commander, the fact that he was a native of the Donbass region makes his death an exceptionally heavy blow, even when compared to the Motorola killing. When they killed Motorola I thought, it could be worse, it could be Givi, and now they got him.
Who Benefits?
The short simple answer is that the Ukraine Government and military and their supporters benefit greatly from this event. There is no point speculating at this early stage as to the identity of the perpetrators, however it seems to me that the commitment and ability of the Ukraine Government and their Western backers has been widely underestimated.
There are people in Western Intelligence who are good at their jobs, they know how to compromise people, how to turn people and force them to collaborate in operations and it seems that the underestimation of these agencies and an overestimation of the support the militia have within the Donbass has left the door open for the Ukrainians and their allies to enlist people on the ground in Donetsk to help them carry out these operations.
The Ukraine Government signed onto the Minsk accord in early 2015 and in the succeeding two years have refused to attempt to implement the deal point-blank. The heads of the self-proclaimed Republics offered to meet and negotiate with the Ukraine Government and this offer was flatly refused.
Over the two years of low intensity warfare that followed the signing of the second Minsk accord, the Ukraine has been on the offensive, seizing a number of settlements from the Donbass militia forces whole their Western sponsors continue to pretend that the Donbass militia are responsible for this situation.
Until the leaders of the Western nations supporting the Ukraine take a more honest approach and consequences are imposed on the Ukrainians for their mendacity, the senseless killing will continue indefinitely.
URGENTLY! The first images from the place of death of Givi
URGENTLY! The charred body in place Givi murder
Crimes of Empire 
Here I go: Oh yeah that war. The one I forget about. Heard of recent moves forward and against Donbass by Ukraine but didn’t look further. Shuddered and hoped Russia would step-up. Because if it’s either/or, haven’t read or seen convincing otherwise; they need protection and Ukraine must be forced to STOP. Motivations of outside the region interests are stirring to order and reading your why/what is disturbing. Russia in a collaborative alliance with US/EU, the considerable issue. Moves in these killing regions reflect, ‘Hopes Trump’ or/ ..? – what’ll it be? The sound of belligerent bollocks from some of his dogs of recent days is alarming. Being all neighbourhood bully, causing the unnecessary. Suppose the only sick rationale might be; save some ‘know can’t avoid financial meltdown’ with enough war-ring. But could this really be contained? And surely this mad-over Russia line cannot be sustained. We move toward or away from, mass arms exchange but not sure it can stay, in a supposed stagnant. Bit like can all the mainstream commentary t.v. types carry on with their provocative bluster and not provoke? Anyway, blabbing me. Fitting to know and important – at least for me – you report. Thanks.
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Many thanks for a great comment Mark. It appears as though Trump is as fake as Barack Obama or any of the other “acting” Presidents sadly. The only change in foreign policy at this time appears to be the identity of the “bogeys” Russia is off the list and Iran is back at the top. All that stuff about serving the interests of the people sounds like absolute crap at this point sadly.
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I think This is going to be the end of donbass. Three top commanders wiped out like this.
I don’t see russia getting involved.
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Thanks for that anon, I would respectfully disagree with your assessment. Russia needs the Donbass Republics as a device to prevent the Ukraine joining NATO, the Ukraine has zero chance of victory as if they ever managed to defeat the Donbass militia groups this would result in a massive Russian military response.
A similar thing actually happened in Vietnam, the US and their South Vietnamese allies were able at one point to largely destroy the Viet Cong guerillas but this did not lead to victory, simply the entrance onto the battlefield of the far better resourced and more formidable North Vietnamese military. Russia will never let the Donbass fall, Putin has stated that many times and more importantly if that happened they would lose their device to prevent NATO from being on their borders so even if all of the current Donbass leadership are killed the Ukraine and their sponsors in the West will achieve no lasting gain. Thanks for commenting.
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