• Russia-backed militants to call for fixed-term military service in spring

    Intelligence: Militants are planning to hold call-up for fixed-term military service in spring

    The Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that militants are planning to hold a call-up for fixed-term military service in the occupied territories of Donbas, in the spring of 2016. The report noted that the decision was connected with a reduction of Russian mercenaries and an increase in the number of servicemen who wanted to terminate their contract with …

  • Despite decrease in casualties, situation remains tense for civilians in Eastern Ukraine

    The leading French magazine, Le Monde, reported on the number of victims of the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine, citing a report by the UN Commission for Human Rights. The report highlighted that at least 9,098 have been killed and 20,732 people have been wounded as a result of military action in Eastern Ukraine since the start of hostilities last year.

    These casualties include civilians, Ukrainian government soldiers, and pro-Russian separatists. The report noted that from the 17th of …

  • Moldovan President demands withdrawal of Russian troops from Transdniestria

    On December 12th, at an international conference entitled “The Policy of Neutrality: International Cooperation for the Sake of Peace, Security and Development” in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, the President of Moldova, Nicolae Timofti, emphasized the need for a full withdrawal of Russian troops from Transdniestria.

    “We repeat the need for a completion of the withdrawal of Russian troops and ammunition from the territory of our country,” Timofti stated. Additionally, the Moldovan President has …

  • USA in UN called on Russia to choose the path of peace

    Samantha Power, United States Ambassador to the United Nations has called on Russia to take a path of peace by implementing the Minsk Agreement. At the UN Security Council's meeting on Ukraine, she called on Moscow to "choose the path of peace and implement the Minsk agreements." She cited this as the only hope of restoring peace in Ukraine. According to Power, some progress has been seen through the partial Minsk agreement implementation and ceasefire taken in the past six months.

    "The …

  • Wyborcza: Putin’s orders bring the world to the brink of war

    At a meeting with representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to be ready as the threat of war was imminent, as reported by the Polish newspaper "Gazeta Wyborcza.” Putin has ordered the Armed Forces in Syria, "to act with the greatest severity," and will not hesitate to destroy, "all targets that pose a threat to the Air Forces of Russia or its military infrastructure throughout the globe."

    In practice, this would mean if, for example, …