Most recently, in post-Soviet countries, few knew about the abbreviation ATO. Decoding (anti-terrorist operation) is now familiar to everyone, because in Ukraine, for almost a year now, virtually no declared war has been going on. But it all started much earlier.
The first "terrorists" maydanovtsy
For the first time about the ATO (the abbreviation is given above) in Ukraine they started talking on February 19, 2014, when the revolution in Kiev on Independence Square was in full swing. The decision to conduct an anti-terrorist operation was made at the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine).
After several bloody days in the center of Kiev, then President Yanukovych fled the country so as not to fall into the hands of “people's justice”. New leaders came to power, who were put forward by the revolutionary Maidan. Fighting in the Ukrainian capital stopped, as did the operation of the ATO, but time has shown that this was only the beginning …
Next in line is Donetsk
Soon supporters of the “Russian world” in Crimea, with the support of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, are holding a referendum on disconnecting the peninsula from Ukraine. According to the results of the referendum, the autonomous republic becomes part of the Russian Federation. After these events in the eastern regions of Ukraine, the situation becomes no less tense: armed people with Russian flags and St. George ribbons seize state institutions and demand federalization. After some time, the situation becomes even hotter - the militias decide to create the Donetsk People's Republic through a referendum.
Soon and. about. President of Ukraine Alexander Turchinov said that a military operation begins against "armed pro-Russian separatist terrorists." He argued that what was happening in Donetsk provoked deception by "Russian propaganda of Ukrainian citizens." The decision on engaging the armed forces in the ATO was also signed. The decryption (Ukraine has its own law “On the fight against terrorism”) according to the law is as follows: a set of special means aimed at minimizing the consequences of a terrorist attack.
The consequences of the creation of the Luhansk People's Republic
Following Donetsk, supporters of the federalization of Lugansk also decided to create their own republic. Thus, the ATO zone, the decoding of which was beginning to lose its meaning, expanded. Now, in half the regions of these eastern regions, full-fledged military operations were taking place, which over time more and more resembled war.
In the Donbass, real intelligence games began. Both the Ukrainian military and armed militias constantly tried to intercept conversations from a territory called the "ATO zone." The decoding of one of them, which was provided by the Kiev authorities to the media, testified to the involvement of the Russian Federation in what was happening. The conversation between the leaders of the DPR Strelkov and Bezler, who spoke about the supply of Russian weapons to the Donbass, was recorded on tape. The persons involved in the recording say that the films are mounted. The Russian authorities, in turn, deny Russia's involvement in this armed conflict.