• Russia refuses to hand over Ukrainian naval boats captured in the Kerch Strait

    Ukraine must “publicly acknowledge its provocation” before Russia will give back the naval vessels it captured near the Kerch Strait, said Sergey Tsekov, a member of Russia’s Federation Council, as cited by TASS.

    “Ukraine, as far as I know, still has not publicly acknowledged the fact of its provocation in the Kerch Strait. I think that’s exactly what they should have done. And afterwards, they could talk about property,” Tsekov remarked.

    He said that the ships could still “be of interest to …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Russia has set new precondition for Normandy summit

    Russia is demanding to harmonize a document that will serve as the outcome of the Normandy Format summit, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said at a press conference, as cited by RBC-Ukraine.

    He pointed out that in September there were only two demands: approval of the so-called Steinmeier Formula, and the disengagement of forces along three stretches of the demarcation line.

    “We are now completing the third stretch, and the Russian party is starting to talk about a document which …

  • Estonia voices support for Ukraine joining EU and NATO

    Estonia is in favor of Ukraine joining the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu at a press conference.

    “Estonia is the devoted friend of the Ukrainians, and fully supports [Ukraine] joining the political family of the European Union and NATO on the basis of objective reforms and transformation in the country,” the minister said.

    He added that Estonia will never recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea and the eastern …

  • Ukraine to start withdrawal of forces in Petrivske on November 8

    The withdrawal of forces along the third, Petrivske-Bohdanivka stretch is scheduled to begin on November 8, as long as there are no ceasefire violations over the course of the week, said Volodymyr Kravchenko, Commander of Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation, at a press conference, as cited by Ukrinform.

    “We have already submitted a letter to the OSCE. On the 7th (of November) we will begin, and on the 8th we will effectively withdraw, if there is no breach of the silence regime,” he said.

    At the …

  • Ukraine tests S-125 Pechora surface-to-air missile system against sea targets

    The surface-to-air missiles that were launched successfully destroyed a target ship in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian Navy said in a press release. According to the report, the tests were done at the Yahorlyk Test Range in the Kherson region. The two launched S-125 surface-to-air missiles destroyed a decommissioned Ukrainian naval vessel, which served as the target. The tests were declared successful. “During the combat launches, the missiles launched from the S-125 system destroyed a surface …