Militants of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) are holding 140 Ukrainian prisoners, many of whom are sick or wounded. This information was posted on the Facebook of the Commissioner of the President for the Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Iryna Herashchenko.

"We presented the full information on all our efforts to release the hostages—according to SBU the number is 140 Ukrainians—among whom are many people …

Last week, leaders in the Defense Ministry of Ukraine were informed that Russian scouts had appeared in the village of Kominternovo near Mariupol.  As of today, Russian infantry have occupied the village.

When journalists commented on the presence of Russian scouts in the village last week, leaders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces dismissed the reports, with one Ukrainian general saying "You guys are confused, this is our position."  

According to media reports, on the morning of December 22nd, …

In response to U.S. sanctions against Russia, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Mikhail Emelyanov, proposed imposing sanctions against Coca-Cola, as well as Visa and MasterCard payment systems.

“We conduct business with some American companies that will be susceptible to these sanctions.  This applies primarily to the audit companies, financial companies and, of course, Coca-Cola," the Russian Deputy said.

Emelyanov …

The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine (TCG) called for the parties in the conflict in the Donbass region to agree to a ceasefire beginning on December 23rd.  The last meeting of the year between Ukraine, Russia and OSCE ended on Tuesday in Minsk.

According to Daria Olifer, Press Secretary for former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, "There is an agreement on a full and unconditional silence starting at midnight on December 23, 2015. This initiative is needed primarily for the civilians in …

The press center of the ATO reports that mine disarming operations by Ukrainian forces have continued a few kilometers away from the conflict in the Mariupol region.

"In the direction of Mariupol, it has been relatively quiet for the last two days. This makes it possible for the Ukrainian military to actively dispose of mines. Recently, explosions were constantly heard in the vicinity. Taking advantage of a partial cessation of hostilities in the area, the Ukrainian military have begun to …

Russia's Erebuni Airbase, located in Armenia, has received a new batch of helicopters. This was reported in a Southern Military District press release that was received by Lenta.ru.

"Six units of modern combat Mi-24P and Mi-8Mt transport helicopters that belong to the aviation army were transported from a military airport in the Krasnodar region," stated the press release. The flights will begin in the first quarter of 2016.

Russian reinforcements in Armenia are due to the aggravation of the …

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that connecting the EU sanctions to the regulation of the conflict in the Donbass is “groundless.”

"The fact that the EU binds their sanctions to the settlement of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine is artificial and groundless. This conflict was started not by Russia, but by the current Ukrainian government," the Ministry said.

"The lack of logic in the behavior of the European Union is obvious. It's trying to 'punish' Russia for something that it has no …

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu, stated that on December 20th 200 civilians were killed during Russian airstrikes in the Syrian province of Idlib.  The Ministry has accused the Russian Federation of the murder of more than 600 Syrian citizens as a result of these air strikes, as reported by the Turkish Press Agency Anadolu. Cavusoglu also noted that 90% of the areas bombed by Russian aircraft are held by the Syrian opposition and include residential neighborhoods. …