Contents tagged with Donbas

  • Kyiv: The situation in Crimea and Donbas will not prevent Ukraine from joining NATO

    The armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea by Russia will not prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, as stated by the Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security Ivan Vinnik (part of Petro Poroshenko Bloc “Solidarity”).

    “This is a myth, created by Russian propaganda, that countries that are in involved in territorial claims cannot become subjects of NATO. I would like to remind you that Ukraine is not involved in a territorial conflict, we have the armed …

  • Ukrainian President Poroshenko and Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs discuss deployment of UN peacekeepers in the Donbas

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hosted a meeting with the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Poroshenko’s press service announced that prospects of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbas were discussed at the meeting.

    The Ukrainian President thanked Latvia for its ongoing support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, for solidarity and assistance countering Russian aggression, and also for the condemnation of the Crimea’s illegal annexation.

    Poroshenko expressed  …

  • Donetsk Region Court releases a Russian sniper who fought for the Donetsk People’s Republic

    On May 18, Krasnoarmiisky City District Court of the Donetsk region released a man charged with unleashing and waging aggressive war, involvement in a separatist organization, violating the procedure of entry into and exit from the temporarily annexed territory, illegal handling of weapons and infringement of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.  

    The Court’s ruling was published on May 24 in the Single Registry of the Court’s Decisions.  

    The prosecutor sought an extension of …

  • US State Department accuses Russia of using intimidation tactics against the OSCE mission in the Donbas

    U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert declared that Russian-backed militants must stop shooting in the direction of the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) staff of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Eastern Ukraine.

    "I’m seeing reports that Russia-subordinated personnel fired a weapon to intimidate unarmed OSCE SMM monitors in eastern Ukraine," Nauert wrote. "OSCE SMM risks their lives to protect civilians. Russia should stop this deplorable behavior and …

  • Pro-Russian militants try to break through the front line near Avdiivka, Ukrainian Armed Forces repel the attack

    Russian-controlled military formations continue to violate the ceasefire in the Donbas, using heavy mortars and artillery that are prohibited by the Minsk Agreements, the press service of the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation (JFO) reports.

     According to the Ukrainian military, On Friday, June 15, seven armed provocations by the enemy were recorded. Soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were actively defending their positions and had opened retaliatory fire to suppress the enemy shelling.

    In …

  • US senators call on Trump to impose sanctions against Russia for religious persecution in the Donbas and Crimea

    A group of the American senators has submitted a resolution placing responsibility on Russia for violating religious freedoms in the annexed Crimea and separate regions of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. This was reported by the Ukrainian Embassy in the US on Thursday, June 14.

    "A bipartisan group of senators headed by the Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, Roger Wicker, have introduced a draft resolution on the situation in the field of religious freedom in the OSCE region," the Embassy’s …

  • A separatist fighter detained in Ukrainian city of Sloviansk after having hidden in a church for 4 years

    Sloviansk policemen detained a resident of the district for taking part in illegal armed formations on the territory of the Donbas, the report of the website of the National Police states.

    "In the spring of 2014, a resident of the Slavyansk region left his wife and four children and joined the separatists. A 38-year-old man confessed to law enforcers that he was digging trenches and carried out illegal activities: identifying pro-Ukrainian citizens and checking motor vehicles and luggage," the …

  • Ukraine calls on Russia to hand over control of the Donetsk Filtration Station

    Ukraine called upon the Russian Federation to help to ensure the transition of the Donetsk Filtration Station to Ukraine's control according to the Minsk agreements,reported Darka Olifer, the press secretary of Leonid Kuchma, the Ukrainian representative in the Trilateral Contact group.

    She recalled that there continued to be systematic shelling around the station. In this case, Olifer noted, "Russia still does not provide sufficient safety guarantees for the Donetsk Filtration Station's …

  • Ukrainian military in Donbas allowed to return fire without seeking authorization

    Joint Forces Operation (JFO) commanders are allowed to return fire when provoked, without needing to coordinate with top leadership first, said JFO commander Serhiy Nayev in an interview with UNN news agency.

    "The commanders are given the right to independently decide on the appropriate response to shelling [by the enemy] to protect the lives and health of subordinates and civilians," he said. According to Nayev, in a combat environment, waiting for approval "often has price of human life."

    " …

  • Head of DPR Zakharchenko agrees to deploy peacekeepers in the Donbas on Russia’s terms

    The head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko is ready to consider the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission to the Donbas on terms previously voiced by the Russian authorities.

    "If this is conducted within the format voiced by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, my position does not change. I am ready to consider and submit to the People's Council a proposal to ensure the security of the OSCE mission and to put the OSCE patrols, which will be protected by the UN, on the line of demarcation with us. …