Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • Ukraine strengthens its air defense near the Sea of Azov

    The Head of the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation (JFO) press center, Vitaliy Sarantsev said that Ukraine has deployed anti-sabotage forces and has strengthened its air defense in near the Azov Sea, UNIAN reports.   He explained that these were necessary preparations against possible Russian threats. Sarantsev did not specify where exactly the new troops are located but he added that additional fortifications were established near the Azov Sea and that communication between joint forces …

  • Kyiv: Russia moving military equipment on the border with Ukraine

    The press secretary of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Oleh Slobodyan stated that a large column of Russian military equipment and manpower was moving along the Ukrainian-Russian border, 112 Ukraine reported.

    According to him, the border control crossings on the stretch of the border, which is under Ukraine’s control, continue to operate as usual.   “At the same time, we have information on the movement of large columns of military equipment and personnel along the border. Entry …

  • Ukrainian military commander: There are 11,000 Russians fighting in the Donbas 

    There are currently 11,000 Russians in the Donbas in the hybrid Russian regular military formations, said Lieutenant-General Serhiy Nayev, Commander of Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation in eastern Ukraine, on December 27. 

    “We are aware of the presence of Russian regular military formations in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces – the first and second army corps, with a total size of roughly 32,000 people, 11,000 of whom are Russians. The leadership …

  • All Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia declare themselves as prisoners of war

    Lawyer Mykola Polozov stated that all Ukrainian sailors captured near the Kerch Strait by Russia  said that they are prisoners of war. 

    “As of 12/27/2018 all 24 Ukrainian sailors stated to the investigation that they are prisoners of war,” wrote Polozov on his Facebook page. 

    According to him, the injured sailors Andriy Eider and Andriy Artemenko declared their status as prisoners of war to the investigation on Thursday. 

    On the morning of November 25, Ukraine informed the Russian port of …

  • US reconnaissance aircraft spends three hours circling Crimean coast 

    A US Air Force RC-135V strategic reconnaissance plane made a long flight along the Crimean coast and south of the Kerch Strait on Thursday, Interfax-Ukraine reports, citing aircraft monitoring data. 

    After taking off at the Souda Bay airbase on the Greek island of Crete, the plane with a tail number of 64-14841 and call sign of HARK51 spent three hours flying along the coast of Crimea and to the south and south-west of the peninsula. During the flight, it made at least four approaches to the …

  • Ukraine introduces sanctions against Russian archaeologists because of excavations in Crimea

    On December 27th, the Minister of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine Vadym Chernysh stated that Ukraine is imposing sanctions on Russian archaeologists who “illegally carried out excavations” in the annexed Crimea. 

    According to him, this will create a “negative image among organizations that work with them.” 

    “Ukraine applies sanctions not only to Russian politicians and businessmen. The list includes archaeologists who illegally excavated in the …

  • Ukrainian Security Service uncovers Russian intelligence agent network 

    The counterintelligence department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has uncovered a network of Russian intelligence agents and arrested its leader, announced Volodymyr Nestyuk, head of the counterintelligence department, on Thursday December 27.

    “Notably, on December 20 its leader was arrested – a citizen of Ukraine, born in 1961, a first rank captain of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in reserve, who also has Russian citizenship,” UNIAN cites Nestyuk as saying. 

    Russian intelligence …

  • Kyiv: Ukraine is ready to deploy troops in case of Russia's direct aggression

    The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Victor Muzhenko stated on Facebook that if there is a threat of a direct invasion by Russia, the General Staff can deploy Joint Forces.   "Today, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) reported to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, preliminary conclusions of the martial law. Firstly, the General Staff can deploy Joint Forces units if there  …

  • Kyiv: Ukrainian army has taken control of nearly all gray zone in the Donbas

    Yuriy Biryukov, advisor to the President of Ukraine said on the talk show “Situation” on Pryamyi TV that the Ukrainian Army has taken control of almost all of the gray zone, the territory which separates them from the pro-Russian militants, in the Donbas.   “Considering what we had in May 2014, two thirds of the territory [of the Donbas] was liberated. Almost all the gray zone was liberated and brought under Ukraine’s control,” Biryukov stated.   Occasionally, Ukrainian military in the Donbas …

  • Ukraine extends entry ban for Russian men 

    The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) extended the entry ban imposed on Russian men aged from 16 to 60, despite the end of the martial law, said First Deputy Interior Minister Serhiy Yarovyi, the press service of the ministry reported.

    "Taking into consideration the difficult situation with security, all bodies of the Interior Ministry continue functioning in emergency mode. Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has decided to extend the State Border Guard …