Contents tagged with Donbas

  • 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: 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 …

  • Ukrainian President promises imminent liberation of the Donbas

    The territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are not under the Ukrainian’ control will soon be returned to Ukrainian jurisdiction, stated Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko during a meeting with students.

    “I thank those who have come and who continue to be engaged in science and education even when their homes are occupied by the aggressor country. Yes, they are now doing this in Vinnytsia, Lviv and Kharkiv where we moved the educational institutions. They are the anchor that …

  • Pasechnik: LPR and South Ossetia will fight together for recognition of the republics in the world

    The Luhansk Information Center reports that the head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik, at a meeting with the President of South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov, in Tskhinvali, stated that the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic and South Ossetia would join forces to achieve global recognition.

    “I think we will unite our efforts in order to achieve global recognition, and of course, the ultimate goal of both the leadership of South Ossetia and the leadership of the LPR is raising the standard of …

  • President of Belarus says Ukraine rejected his help in ending the war in the Donbas

    President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that Ukraine rejected his initiatives to help end the war in the Donbas.

     “Given that Russian and Ukrainian people are good with me, I was ready to stand on that border as a border guard and to arrange an election compliant with the Minsk Agreement. […] But guess what? The ones who need to stop this war, primarily Poroshenko and the Ukrainians, rejected the offer. They explained their attitude by saying that Lukashenko is pro-Russian,” Lukashenko …

  • EU Ambassadors agreed to impose sanctions because of the elections in Donbas

    Ambassadors of twenty-eight EU countries agreed to impose sanctions against nine individuals responsible for the organization and holding of elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, reported TASS and RIA Novosti, citing sources in Brussels.

    “Ambassadors agreed on sanctions against nine individuals who are responsible for the so-called elections in Eastern Ukraine,” TASS’s source reported. The decision to impose sanctions will be ratified by the EU Council, …

  • Latvia condemns the blockade of the Azov Sea by Russia

    The blockade of the Azov Sea is another proof of Russia's consistent destructive regional policy. Russia continues aggression in the Donbas and does nothing to de-escalate the conflict, said Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv, Ukrinform reported.

    "Latvia strongly condemns Russian aggression in Donbas. Unfortunately, Moscow does not take any steps to de-escalate the conflict. The blockade of the Sea of Azov is another proof …

  • Ukrainian army liberates another village in Donbas

    The Ukrainian military has taken back the Rozsadky settlement in the neutral strip of the Debaltseve region (Donetsk region), the press service of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) reported on Facebook.

    Rozsadky, located at the Svitlodarsk Salient, had been held previously by the Ukrainian army, and formed part of a supply route to the groups near Debaltseve. However, after the battles in the winter of 2015 and the agreements which ensued, the town fell under the neutral strip, where no armed …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Russia blocks the deployment of peacekeepers in the Donbas

    Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin said in an interview with Ukrinform that Russia is deliberately trying to block even a discussion of the possibility of deploying the UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbas.

    Klimkin stated that Ukraine is now negotiating the possibility of discussing this issue in the Normandy Format at the level of political directors. "The discussion will take place next week in Berlin.  We will see if there is any progress,” he said.

    According to Klimkin, …