Contents tagged with Donbas
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Ukrainian Defense Minister: The security situation in the Donbas is worsening
Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak pointed out the worsening of the security situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which has taken place lately.
"I see no progress. Yesterday there were 42 shellings. I do not think it is an example of improving the situation in the East of Ukraine,” Interfax-Ukraine quoted Poltorak as saying.
The minister noted that the Russian Federation showed no initiative to resolve the situation. Moreover, according to Poltorak, the Kremlin has made every …
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US Ambassador to OSCE: Russia is escalating tensions in Ukraine to improve their position during negotiations
According to the US Ambassador to the OSCE, Daniel Baer, Russia is attempting to escalate the violence in eastern Ukraine in order to improve their position at the negotiating table and to gain concessions in their favor, Unrinform reported.
“Russia has escalated tensions on the line of contact in an attempt to wrest concessions from Ukraine by force,” Baer stated.
At the same time, he noted that fighting further complicates achieving political progress during the Minsk negotiations.
“If …
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U.S. strategic drone reportedly spotted near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine
An RQ-4A Global Hawk strategic unmanned aerial vehicle of the U.S. Air Force made a reconnaissance approach to the demarcation line near Donetsk yesterday morning, according to websites that track the movement of military aircraft.
The drone reportedly flew from north to south along the demarcation line near Donets
The US long-distance unmanned aerial vehicle with call sign UAVGH000 reportedly departed from the Sigonella Air Force Base in Sicily. According to existing information, it entered …
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Lutsenko: The leaders of the Ukrainian military made mistakes in Ilovaisk
The facts provided during the criminal proceedings regarding the events near Ilovaisk in August 2014, do not exclude possible mistakes by Ukrainian military leadership, as was stated by the Prosecutor General, Yuriy Lutsenko, on the Channel 1+1 on Thursday, 1 December.
"The investigation regarding the events at the Battle of Ilovaisk has been conducted, and indicates that the main and only factor that led to the deaths of Ukrainian servicemen, were the attacks mostly carried out by Russian …
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Former separatist commander: Putin's aide supports giving passports to inhabitants of separatist republics in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Vladislav Surkov promotes the idea of issuing Russian passports to the inhabitants of the separatist republics in eastern Ukraine, according to Alexander Khodakovsky, the former Security Minister of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic.
Khodakovsky said, "According to my information – and it is accurate information – most people in Russia are not concerned with the provision of Russian passports to residents of the DPR. And I know for sure that as …
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Ukraine agrees with Sweden on sanctions against Russia
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström to discuss, and agree with, Sweden’s position on sanctions against Russia.
According to the press service of the President, the issues of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, and the introduction of the EU visa-free regime for Ukrainians, were also discussed during the meeting.
Wallström spoke about the need to extend the sanctions against Russia, while Poroshenko thanked Sweden for …
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Kuchma doubts that the OSCE police mission will be deployed in the Donbas
Ukraine's representative to the Trilateral Contact Group, Leonid Kuchma, doubts that it is possible to deploy an armed OSCE police mission in the Donbas, as he stated during a briefing in the Zakarpattia region.
"Hope is the last to die. 57 countries hope that they will vote for a police mission. There is no precedent... I see no solution for such a problem," he said.
Kuchma emphasized that the current OSCE monitoring mission does not monitor the withdrawal of forces in the agreed upon area …
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Representatives of a Czech NGO were expelled from separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine
The Czech non-governmental organization People in Need (PIN) reported on its website that the self-proclaimed authorities of Donetsk revoked accreditation for the organization to work in the region. The representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic came to the local office of People in Need on November 26 to announce its decision.
They didn’t give a reason for the revocation of accreditation. A warehouse belonging to the Czech organization containing humanitarian supplies …
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Russia sent another humanitarian convoy to separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine
Russia sent the 58th humanitarian convoy to the occupied part of the Donbas, as reported on the website of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation.
It was reported that the convoy of over 40 cars has already crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border. Cargo with a total weight of over 400 tons is heading to the unloading points in the territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations states that “the bulk …
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Hahn: The EU does not want to interfere in the Normandy format, but wants to focus on humanitarian issues in the Donbas
According to Johannes Hahn, the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, the EU does not want to interfere in the Normandy format, but it wants a larger role in resolving the humanitarian crisis in the Donbas, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported.
Hahn noted that interference in the Normandy format may cause “unnecessary turbulence” in resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but the EU would like to focus its efforts on humanitarian issues.
"We believe that the EU …