American investment banker dies fighting in Ukraine

[TaunSew]

The only American known to have joined a volunteer unit within the Ukrainian military, fighting the anti-government forces in the country’s east, has been killed in action, authorities confirm.

The killed fighter is Mark Paslawsky, a New York-born 55-year-old investment banker and US army veteran who took Ukrainian citizenship just before joining the Donbas battalion - a volunteer unit fighting alongside Kiev troops - in April. He adopted codename ‘Franko’ there.
http://rt.com/news/181780-american-ukraine-dies-battle/

Franko was previously criticizing the war saying many of the men in the sent into the ATO were unarmed (sounds like the Tsar's army in WW1) and they had to ride around in buses.  There shouldn't be a shortage of weapons in Ukraine as there are stockpiles from WW2 and the Coldwar.  How hard is it to get a truck and weld some steel plate on top like the Americans did with their Humvees in Iraq?

It seems to be this could be like Nationalist China or South Vietnam.  No incentive to burn up your troops or use your equipment stores if the Americans keep on sending you money and supplies.  I'm starting to think the ATO is just a way for the Ukrainian Government to get freebies from NATO and to get accelerated into NATO and Europe.

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[Matze]

It is very similar to Vietnam war as in it is a proxy war and I would argue that nato or Russia will join in the former properly first then Russia as a reaction.

[TaunSew]

It is very similar to Vietnam war as in it is a proxy war and I would argue that nato or Russia will join in the former properly first then Russia as a reaction.

Perhaps but more like the Vietnamese conflict in the 50s and not the one in the later 1960s.  Have to recall both the Americans and Soviets were supplying the Vietnamese factions in the 1960s with top of the line hardware and weapons.

All I've seen in the photos has been rebels with WW2 weapons (well the SKS was designed during WW2 and I saw them using an IS-3 in some convoy) and the Ukrainian ATO (if they get weapons) are using Cold War-era weapons.

[Nemo1024]

No incentive to burn up your troops or use your equipment stores if the Americans keep on sending you money and supplies.  I'm starting to think the ATO is just a way for the Ukrainian Government to get freebies from NATO and to get accelerated into NATO and Europe.

Pretty much this. The money that Ukraine got from IMF to repay the gas debt are already divided between the (figure)heads. The money that US sends to buy weapons for killing Russians in the East are also syphoning into the (figure)heads' pockets.

NATO gets an added bonus of weakening Russia, while stoking up the fires under the conflict. Thinking ahead, it will be Russia rebuilding Ukraine and supporting. Again. And again getting only blame in the way of thanks. *Sigh*

A revealing comment to that article:

Cass 25.08.2014 04:18

Hmmm. He advises prompt post-hostilities disbanding of the ATO (as it were) and acquires three bullets in the BACK???