I have long thought/said/felt that the rebels were really nothing more that petty criminals being led by Russians.  There has been lots of support for that position:  the key leader in Donetsk was Russian; early on, the rebels offered convicts amnesty if they fought for the rebels; reports from late last year that only about 10% of the forces fighting at the Donetsk airport were native Ukrainians (according to the *rebels* that journalists talked to).  This has been, from the very outset, a Russian-driven campaign, and they stocked their ranks with the lowest classes of people.

You know what you get when you give thugs weapons?  Thugs with weapons.  That’s it.  Now that Russia — despite ridiculous denials — is pouring troops and weaponry over the border, the rebels feel that they are on top of the world.  To them, might makes right and you do what you want.  Thus this news from today:

“The leader of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region has said that rebel forces will seek to take over the entire province and will not initiate peace talks with government forces.

“The remarks by the leader of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, Aleksandr Zakharchenko, further clouded prospects for peace following days of intensified fighting in a conflict that has killed more than 4,800 people since April.

“‘We will advance to the very borders of the Donetsk Oblast,’ the Russian news agency Interfax quoted Zakharchenko as telling students in the rebel-held provincial capital on January 23.

“He added that ‘if I see a threat from other sides, we will liquidate it,’ Interfax reported.

“‘From our side, there will be no more attempts to talk about a truce,’ Zakharchenko said.”

So basically it seems that there is not longer any reason to try for peace talks.  At least, not until the Russian support is withdrawn.  That was the case last summer:  when the rebels were on the ropes, they were all for peace treaties and cease fires.  The Russians rearmed (and the kept it up) beginning around August, and now the rebels don’t feel the need to talk about peace anymore.

Thug logic at its best, which is the worst possible thing for Ukraine.

PS – I’m glad that my wife will soon be leaving Mariupol. I hope it is soon enough.

PPS – The UN reports that at least 5000 people have died in Eastern Ukraine since last April, but because of inconsistent reporting, the number might actually be “considerably higher.”