Well, I think they couldn't fire at the ground due to fear of richochets from the pavement, but I agree that shooting in the air is dangerous and they might have accidentally killed people. ...While firing warning shots because they didn't want to kill people...
But that pales in comparison to this: The Ukrainian military is attacking.
Fighter opening fire at some separatists:
GRU officers have been arrested in Ukraine:
http://euromaidanpr.com/2014/04/15/ukrainians-detain-russian-gru-officers-who-acted-in-ukraine/I am ashamed that I can't pronounce the name of that town or most of the other names in the article. Anyway, Ukraine is arming up as fast as it can.
http://euromaidanpr.com/2014/04/15/dnipropetrovsk-promises-putin-a-second-stalingrad/#more-7124Another fun result from this conflict, Russia was getting some vital weapons and equipment from Ukraine and now that Ukraine said FUCK NO to all business with Russia their military is hurting.
https://www.rusi.org/downloads/assets/UKRANIANMILITARYDISPOSITIONS_RUSIBRIEFING.pdfSome 30 percent of Ukrainian military exports to Russia are unique and cannot currently
be substituted by Russian production. Russia’s heavy intercontinental ballistic missiles (the SS-18 ICBMs) are designed and produced by the
Yuzhmash combine in Dnepropetrovsk. SS-18s are regularly checked and maintained by Yuzhmash specialists. Two other strategic missile systems –
the SS-25 (RT-2PM Topol) and the SS-19 (UR-100 NUTTKh) – are designed and produced by Russian-based enterprises, but use guidance systems designed
and produced in Ukraine by the Kharkiv-based Khartron Scientific-Industrial Combine. The SS-18, SS-19 and SS-25 currently make up some 51 per cent of
Russia’s overall strategic nuclear-weapons inventory and over 80 per cent of that of Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces specifically. In addition, some 20 per
cent of the natural uranium currently consumed by Russia’s nuclear industry, both for civilian and military purposes, comes from Zholti Vody in Ukraine.
The Russian air force is also critically dependent on the Ukrainian defence
industry. Ukrainian enterprises produce the R-27 (the AA-10 Alamo) medium-
range air-to-air missile (AAM), as well as the seekers for the R-73 (AA-11
Archer) short-range AAM – which, between them, represent the majority of
anti-air missiles operated by Russian fighters. Many of the auxiliary systems
– from hydraulics to drogue parachutes – for the Russian Su-27, Su-30 and
Su-35 fighters, as well as for Russia’s newest Su-34, are also produced in
Ukraine. In Zaporizhia, the Motor-Sich plant has a major role in Russian
aviation.
Motor-Sich produces jet engines for a variety of Russian transport
jet aircraft, including the An-124 Ruslan, the largest Russian transport
aircraft, as well as for some combat and training aircraft. The plant also
produces engines for all Russian combat and transport helicopters, as well
as auxiliary power units for all Russian helicopters and many types of combat
and transport aircraft.
Russia has made a vast effort to reduce its dependence upon Motor-Sich
engines, but the evidence is that it cannot produce enough engines to meet
its own demand – to say nothing of an ambitious rearmament programme,
which looks as if it will require at least 3,000 helicopter engines in a two-to-
three year period to equip Russian forces.
Russia’s dependence on Motor-Sich also has the effect of restricting its own
military and aviation exports. For the period 2013–16, Russia has secured
contracts for the delivery of over 260 new helicopters around the world, all
of which are equipped with either main or auxiliary engines supplied by the
Ukrainian company.
...Actually that means that if this conflict ends without Russia conquering Ukraine completely and seizing those companies their military and businesses are really going to hurt for a while before they find other sources for those weapons and equipment.
