Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • Nadiya Savchenko declares hunger strike

    Nadiya Savchenko vowed to go on a hunger strike starting March 3rd after the Donetsk City Court in the Rostov region announced that she would not be given a chance to make her final closing statement during a hearing on Thursday, Dozhd reported.

    "If I am not allowed to have the last word, I will start a dry hunger strike tomorrow," Savchenko claimed, Interfax reported.

    The court postponed her final closing statement until March 9th.

    The day before, the prosecutor’s office asked that the …

  • Ukrainian Intelligence: Six Russian trucks carrying Special Forces members arrived in Donbas

    On the 1st of March, Russian vehicles carrying ammunition and reinforcements arrived in the Donetsk region.  These vehicles consisted of three cars carrying ammunition, six trucks with mortars on board as well as special purpose units.  According to the Ukrainian News, this was reported by the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

    “We have confirmed the presence of these Russian military vehicles.  They are transporting arms, military equipment, ammunition …

  • Russian prosecutor demands sentence of 23 years for Nadiya Savchenko

    On the 2nd of March, during the debates of the parties in the Donetsk City Court, the State Prosecutor asked the court to sentence Ukrainian pilot, Nadiya Savchenko, to 23 years in prison in a penal colony. The State Prosecutor noted that evidence of the prosecution was sound and was confirmed by the case materials and therefore sufficient to find Savchenko guilty.

    “Having military training, the prisoner presented herself to serve in the Aydar Battalion where she entered into a criminal …

  • EU proposes engaging in trilateral gas talks with Russia and Ukraine

    The European Union proposed that Ukraine begin negotiations with the Russian Federation regarding gas prices, offering to serve as a mediator, according to EU Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, during the Ukrainian energy forum as reported by a Evropeyskaya Pravda correspondent.

    "The market gas price should be determined either through negotiations or with the help of the Stockholm Court," he stated.

    "Of course, litigation proceedings are more long-term, but we should not wait for it this year. …

  • Obama extends sanctions against Russia

    US President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday that sanctions against Russia would be extended for another year.

    The text of Obama’s announcement was published on the White House’s website.  

    The US President extended four of his Executive Orders initially signed in 2014 that, in particular, ban economic activity between US citizens and companies with a number of Ukrainian and Russian businesses and individuals.

    “I found that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian …

  • Ukrainian representative in Minsk urges Europe to focus on the safety of the people in the Donbas, not elections

    The German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has said that elections in the occupied Donbas region will be held within the next months.  However, the Ukrainian representative to the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk, Roman Bezsmertnyi, has urged Europe to think primarily about the safety of the people in the region,  and not about elections.

    “Until now, only the processes of the elections have been discussed in Minsk and not the electoral law.  These elections are out of the question …

  • EU extends sanctions against Yanukovych and his inner circle

    As expected, on the 2nd of March, the EU will continue sanctions against the former Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, and 15 members of his inner circle. These sanctions were to end on the 6th of March. "Radio Freedom", with reference to sources in the EU, reports.

    It is noted that the sanctions will be extended for another year.

    It is also expected that the former Minister of Health, Raisa Bogatyreva, will not be on the list of sanctions.  Sanctions were imposed two years ago due to …

  • Naftogaz's claim against Gazprom exceeds $8 billion

    The total claim amount made against Gazprom by Naftogaz has reached 8.2 billion dollars.  This claim is in regard to a contract between these two companies for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.

    The head of Naftogaz, Andrew Kobolyev, reported this during a conference in Kiev.

    “The total amount of claims made against Gazprom has reached an amount of 8.2 billion dollars,” Kobolyev said.

    According to him, this amount had accumulated during the duration of the contract, which began in 20 …

  • Western countries asked Crimean Tatar Mejlis to avoid provoking Russian military

    During Russia's annexation of the Crimea in 2014, the Ambassadors of several Western countries called on the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People to avoid provoking the Russian military, as stated by Refat Chubarov, the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People on the program "Svoboda Slova" (Freedom of speech) on the channel ICTV.

    "All day long I was in touch with the ambassadors from the EU countries and the U.S.A. They all had the same request: do not provoke the …

  • OSCE: Situation in Donbas continues to deteriorate

    The OSCE Mission continues to record a significant deterioration of the security situation in the Donbas, partially as a result of the use of artillery and mortars as stated in the report of the OSCE Mission for the 29th of February, published on the 2nd of March 2016. In particular, the representatives of the OSCE Mission noted 95 explosions from the west of the observers’ location on the 28th of February during their stay in the center of Donetsk; the next day, 174 explosions were recorded. …