Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • European Union calls on Russia to release illegally held Ukrainians

    The European Union called on Russia to release the Ukrainian sailors captured in the Kerch Strait and other Ukrainian citizens, that Brussels says, are also held illegally, DW reports.

    “The European Union reiterates that all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens in the Crimean peninsula and in Russia and the crew of the vessels captured by Russia on 25 November must be immediately released. International human rights observers must be granted full, free and unhindered access to the Crimean …

  • Ukraine and Iran exchange prisoners

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko pardoned Iranian citizen Ali Dzhaduey to enable his exchange for Ukrainian sailor Andriy Novichkov, stated Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya at a press conference at the Boryspil International Airport.

    “The Iranian citizen who has been pardoned by the President’s decree is already in his country. We went there earlier, at 12 a.m.,” he said. The Iranian, a graduate student at a Kharkiv university, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in June 2018 for …

  • Ukraine sends military to participate in the UN mission in Mali

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced via his website that he has signed a decree on sending Ukrainian military to participate in the United Nations multi-disciplinary integrated stabilization mission in Mali. 

    "To send national personnel (from the Armed Forces of Ukraine) of up to 20 people for Ukraine's participation in a multi-disciplinary integrated UN stabilization mission in Mali," the statement reads.

    Poroshenko noted that by sending the military personnel to the UN mission …

  • Ukraine refuses to register Russian observers for Presidential Elections

    The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry will not accept applications for registration of Russian observers for the Ukrainian Presidential Elections, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin wrote on Facebook. 

    Klimkin said that several days ago, he wrote a letter to Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). He invited the monitoring mission for the Ukrainian Presidential elections. 

    “Among other standard things I pointed out that …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister: several foreign ministers will visit Donbas

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin announced the visit of “several foreign colleagues” to the Donbas on January 15, particularly the Foreign Minister of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák, Interfax-Ukraine reports. 

    "Many Ministers of our friendly countries will visit Mariupol next week. The new OSCE Head, Mr. Lajčák will also visit the Donbas. I will not say where we are going, for safety reasons. And there will be many contacts,” Klimkin said. According to the media, the Foreign Ministers of …

  • Ukraine and Poland to jointly develop anti-air missile system

    The Polish company WB Electronics and the Ukrainian state-owned defense industrial group, Ukroboronprom, are planning to jointly develop a new intermediate-range anti-air defense system, said WB Electronics representative Roman Mushal, as quoted by Defence-Blog. 

    The prospective system is a mobile, intermediate-range surface-to-air system based on the Ukrainian-made R-27 air-to-air missiles. According to Mushal, the engine, fuel and homing heads have already been created. Production is …

  • Russia sends guided-missile destroyer Severomorsk to the Black Sea

    On Wednesday morning, the guided-missile destroyer Severomorsk (hull number 519) of the Russian Northern Fleet  entered the Black Sea, as reported by Bosphorus Strait marine spotter Yoruk Isik, on his Twitter blog.

    “Russia brings real fire power to Black Sea. Backbone of the Fleet: Project 1155 Northern Fleet Udaloy class destroyer, armed with SA-N-9 Gauntlet/Kinzhal & SS-N-14 Silex/Rastrub & 533mm torpedoes, Severomorsk 619 transited Bosphorus en route to Sevastopol,” Yoruk Isik wrote.

    The …

  • IMF may allocate two more tranches to Ukraine by the end of 2019

    The new 14-month Stand-By Arrangement or SBA for Ukraine envisages the allocation of three tranches of funds, two of which amount to the equivalent of $2.6 billion dollars, by the end of 2019, reported Ukrinform, citing the IMF’s recent analytical report.

    There are three dates in the timetable of the planned review of Ukraine's implementation of the program’s conditions after which the Fund's Executive Board must decide whether to allocate the next tranche. The first date was December 18, 2018 …

  • Ukrainian authorities investigate disappearance of icons from Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

    Ukrainian law enforcement authorities are investigating the disappearance of icons from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra which is being rented by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP), Interfax-Ukraine reports, citing Ukrainian Culture Minister Yevhen Nyshchuk.

    “A full inventory has already been partially done. We are now being sent full reports. There are some losses from the icons in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra,” the Minister noted. “On the other hand, it shouldn’t be said …

  • Dutch NATO warship intends to enter the Black Sea

    Ukraine’s Mission to NATO Head Vadym Prystaiko stated on TV channel “112 Ukraine” that a Dutch warship, head of a permanent NATO group, plans to enter the Black Sea, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

    “If one reads the official statement by the US Defense Department regarding the ship [USS Fort McHenry large landing ship] entering   the Black Sea, then it is understood that the ship comes to provide support to NATO allies and partners. There are three NATO allies in the Black Sea: Bulgaria, Romania and …