Contents tagged with Donbas

  • Yarosh: In 2014 Ukrainian volunteers could have liberated Donetsk but were ordered to retreat

    In 2014, Ukrainian fighters could have liberated Donetsk, stated the commander of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, ex-MP Dmytro Yarosh on air of the TV channel Obozrevatel TV.

    According to Yarosh, Donetsk in 2014 was under the control of "real criminal gangs" and Russian regular forces were not there yet.

    "We even went past the "Donetsk" sign and then we received the order [to withdraw]," Yarosh said.

    Yarosh noted that the order to withdraw came "though the communication channel" of the …

  • Russia demands that Kyiv show changes to Ukrainian Constitution on Donbas special status

    At the Normandy talks, Russia insists on adopting a legal definition of the status of the Donbas and wants to see the draft amendment to the Constitution of Ukraine, reports the German publication Der Spiegel, citing unofficial working documents of the Russian delegation.

    According to the documents, the Russian side demands that Ukraine submit a draft amendment to the Constitution by July 6. It must determine the status of the so-called Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics in the state …

  • Kyiv: Russia amassing troops along Ukrainian border for possible attack

    Russia has deployed near the Ukrainian border three groups of troops that are able of carrying out sudden attack, stated head of the Main Directorate of Military Cooperation and Peacekeeping Operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Leonid Golopatyuk, during an online meeting of the OSCE Security Cooperation Forum, Ukrinform reports.

    "As of today, three combined groups have already been deployed near the border with Ukraine, which are able of carrying out sudden offensive …

  • Kyiv to send American Javelin anti-tank missile systems to Ukrainian military in Donbas

    Ukrainian military will receive American anti-tank systems Javelin during the rotation in the combat zone in the Donbas, stated the Chief of the General Staff Ruslan Khomchak in an interview with ArmiaInform.

    "Brigades of the Armed Forces will receive Javelins during the rotation in the combat zone. Currently, one of the brigades which is completing training before deployment to the Donbas, is working out the tactics for their use... Personally, I want to make sure that our soldiers can …

  • EU extends economic sanctions against Russia

    The European Union has extended economic sanctions against Russia for another 6 months in connection with the situation in eastern Ukraine, said the Council of the European Union in a statement.

    The decision was taken after the latest assessment of the state of implementation of the Minsk agreements, which require Russia to hand over control of the border in the Donbas region to Kyiv.

    During a video conference on June 19, EU leaders stated that the agreements concluded in 2015 remain …

  • Dutch prosecutor's office provides new evidence in MH17 case

    The Dutch prosecutor's office, during the court hearings in the case of the downing of Boeing MH17 plane over the Donbas in 2014, presented new recordings of telephone conversations that prove that the airliner was shot down by a Buk missile system.

    According to the Dutch news agency NRC, the recordings of the militants’ conversation, which were presented during the proceedings, are the most concrete evidence against the four defendants.

    According to the intercepted phone conversations, …

  • Poroshenko: Ukraine now has a unique opportunity to force Putin to leave Crimea and Donbas

    The economic crisis in Russia is a unique opportunity for Ukraine and the global anti-Putin coalition to “force the aggressor country to withdraw from the occupied territories of Crimea and the Donbas”. To do this, we need to strengthen international solidarity around our country, stated former Ukrainian president and leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko in an interview with Sergey Jadan on air of radio station "Trident FM". Poroshenko shared his impressions of the meetings …

  • Kyiv: 231 people held captive by militants in Donbas

    The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is informed about 231 people who are held captive by armed groups in the Donbas,said the SBU’s press service.

    As of 12 June, 190 civilians, 37 members of the military and law enforcement officials, as well as four members of volunteer battalions, are considered unlawfully imprisoned.

    The SBU stressed that the Ukrainian side is taking practical measures aimed at the release of all illegally held people in certain areas of the Donbas.

    Ukraine and militants …

  • U.S. hands over $60 million worth of defense equipment to Ukraine

    The U.S. has transferred $60 million worth of defense equipment to Ukraine, reported the American Embassy in Ukraine on its Facebook page.

    "U.S. security assistance and cooperation efforts with Ukraine during COVID19 continue! Yesterday (June 16), the U.S. Embassy's Office of Defense Cooperation received more than $60 million of equipment to transfer to our Ukrainian partners, including radios, ammunition, and Javelin anti-tank missiles. The United States stands strongly with Ukraine in …

  • Gazprom classifies gas supplies to DPR and LPR

    Gazprom has stopped disclosing the volume of gas supplies to the the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.

    At the end of the first quarter, the company’s reported zero gas supplies to Ukraine, which, for more than 5 years, has been used to reflect supplies to LPR and DPR.

    Gazprom's previous position was that the republics are part of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian national gas corporation Naftogaz should pay for these supplies. Moscow officially called 12 billion cubic meters …