Equipment from the 1st Armored Division began to arrive at the ports on the east coast of the United States, along with the vehicles and equipment of the 4th Infantry Division. Almost without drawing any attention at all, the 173rd Airborne had already arrived in Ukraine, along with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment out of Vilsack, Germany. While some networks began to cover this massive increase in military activity in the US and abroad, few if any took the deployments seriously.
It was not until the fourth day of the “cease-fire” between Ukraine and Russian forces that the media realized something more serious may be happening in the former Soviet Republic. At a political rally, the leading Presidential candidate for the People’s Republic of East Ukraine, Alexander Zakharchenko, was killed when an assailant opened fire on him. The attacker was quickly captured and arrested, and it was soon discovered that the attacker was a pro-Ukrainian nationalist who, at one time, had run for mayor of Kiev as part of an ultra-rightwing nationalist party ten years earlier.
The death of Zakharchenko caused a slew of anti-government protests across eastern Ukraine. The attack was viewed by many as a blatant effort by the fascist government in Kiev to interfere with the election. Tensions were high.
Then PM Groysman made a televised speech that was carried on all of the major networks across Europe and the United States. “We will not recognize the results of Saturday’s election,” he announced. “We are one country, one Ukraine. We will not allow our country to be divided by Russia and their goons. We call on Europe and NATO to help keep Ukraine united as one country, as we always have been.”
Once the speech went live, many people suddenly realized the significance of the massive military deployment underway to Europe. The media was caught by surprise with the abrupt awareness that a conflict with Russia could really happen, yet nearly 15,000 US servicemen had already arrived in Europe, with tens of thousands more on the way. Networks suddenly began to rush dozens of war correspondents to Kiev in preparation for what might turn into a clash between the world’s most modern militaries.
Planning
It had been a busy five days at the JIOC. Military planners were scrambling to get things ready for what everyone believed was an almost certain military confrontation with Russia. LTG Cotton was getting a situation update from Major General Mueller, the ground force commander at the Pryluky Airbase. “The 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s Brigade Combat Team (BCT) has arrived, and so has the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team,” Mueller began. “Most of their equipment is being delivered in a near-constant gravy train of heavy trucks, Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft and C-5s. What was practically an abandoned Ukrainian airbase just six months ago has turned into a bustling hub of American military activity.”
“I have a concern, General,” said Mueller. “I think that my current headquarters element is far too close to the potential frontlines, should hostilities kick off. That puts 15,000 US and NATO members in peril. I’d like to move to the Kiev International Airport at Boryspil.”
“I understand the concern General Mueller,” Cotton replied. “Permission granted to move the headquarters element to the Kiev International Airport. How soon until you begin deploying your combat troops to the field?”
Once SACEUR gave the order to deploy, the 2nd Cavalry along with the 173rd, would move to designated marshalling points and await further orders on where to move to engage the enemy. This way, the ground forces would not be all bunched up on the bases should the Russians launch a surprise attack.
General Mueller turned and said something to one of his officers just off the screen, then turned back to look at the monitor. “I’ve given them the warning order; they are retrieving their munitions and ordinance now. The 173rd should have the rest of their equipment arriving later today. Once they’ve had a chance to get them offloaded and sorted, we’ll issue the order. I anticipate the units moving to the field on Friday, 36 hours from now.”
“Excellent, keep us apprised of any changes,” responded Cotton. “Let’s hope the politicians can defuse the situation before it becomes a shooting war. We are still weeks away from having most of the Reforger troops and equipment here.” Outwardly, General Cotton sounded confident. Inwardly, he was nervous. He was sure that the US and NATO Air Forces could keep the Russians at bay until additional air assets could be flown in from the States, but he was not as certain about the ground assets.
The Russians had moved several divisions from the 1st Guards Tank Army into east Ukraine, with the rest of them sitting at the edge of the border. Intelligence also showed that the 6th Army was conducting military exercises in Belarus, which everyone knew was a farce; they had moved so many soldiers and equipment to a border region, just as they were issuing their ultimatum. Cotton and Mueller saw it for what it was, an excuse to deploy them to Belarus and apply additional pressure on NATO. However, between the two Russian Army groups, they had a combined 225,000 troops and tanks, so even if it were a ruse, it could not be completely ignored.
Before signing off, General Mueller asked one last thing, “If hostilities do kick off, how long are my forces going to have to hold until additional reinforcements from the US and other member states start to arrive?”
General Cotton thought to himself, “That’s a good question — tough to answer given how fast things are starting to move.”
Cotton pondered his response for a moment before he answered, “If hostilities break out, I’m going to need your guys to buy us time. Give ground if you have too, but try and hold the line at Kiev. The SecDef has initiated Operation Reforger. The gravy train of supplies and troops will start to arrive in Europe shortly. I’m sorry, but that’s about as much clarity as I can provide you,” Cotton replied.
Mueller smiled before responding, “Well that’s about as clear as mud Sir, but I understand. We’ll do our best to hold the line. Just make sure I have plenty of air support, and I’m sure we can make it work.”
Election Fever
That Saturday evening, the people of east Ukraine finished casting their ballots and the polls had closed down. The votes began to be counted and certified, all while under scrutiny of UN, EU, and Ukrainian government election monitors. The results were not even close. The people in the region voted overwhelmingly to leave the central government and form their own separate Republic.
Despite a lot of complaints being made by the Ukrainian government, the EU and UN monitors did not see any ballot box stuffing or any other nefarious activity that could have influenced the results of the election. There were Russian soldiers throughout the major cities, but none were within 100 feet of a polling station, which was a stipulation made by the UN to ensure there was no voter intimidation. There was no clear case to be made of corruption in the vote. Apparently, the economic aid package that the Russians had promoted as a gift to a new Eastern Ukraine had been enough of an incentive to entice people to leave what they felt was a fascist pro-EU government in Kiev — well that, and the promised reduced natural gas prices from Russia and the increased security measures that they offered.