Contents tagged with Donbas

  • Ukraine blames Kremlin for Donbas escalation at UN Security Council session

    During a session of the UN Security Council, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia brought up the topic of the conflict escalation in the Donbas.

    “What is our status today? Apparently, an answer was given at 5 AM local time, when our positions came under attack. The attack, perpetrated today, on the fifth anniversary of the Debaltseve tragedy, was particularly shameless,” he said.

    Kyslytsia remarked that the Armed Forces of Ukraine responded appropriately to this attack by the …

  • Lavrov: Russia ready to pull out of April Normandy summit

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is ready to pull out of the Normandy Format summit scheduled for April. He said that the date of the next summit has not been finalized, RBC news agency reports.

    “When we hear our Normandy Format colleagues speaking about April as the date for convening the summit, it’s their wishes, their ideas that they are voicing. But not more than that,” said Lavrov on Monday, February 17.

    He added that there are currently “no reasons to hold a …

  • LPR militants attack Ukrainian positions in Donbas

    Command of the Ukrainian Joined Forces Operation has reported a significant escalation at several sections of the demarcation line in the Donbas.

    According to the report, "armed formations of the Russian Federation" stationed in the territory of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), went on an offensive near the settlements of Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske and Khutir Vilny in the early morning of Tuesday, February 18.

    According to the Ukrainian military command, LPR militants, …

  • US not planning to appoint special representative for Donbas

    Former US ambassador to Ukraine (2003-2006) John Herbst told Radio NV in an interview that he considers it unlikely that the US will appoint a special representative for the Donbas.

    “Volker is a very talented diplomat… and the fact that he has left is a certain loss. As far as I know, they have decided not to replace him, there will not be a new extraordinary ambassador for this matter – not for Ukraine, but for Donbas affairs,” said Herbst.

    With respect to the appointment of a new US …

  • Ukraine suspends prosecutors investigating MH17 case

    All of the Ukrainian prosecutors who had been investigating the MH17 catastrophe have been suspended from work as part of departmental reforms, the Dutch newspaper NRC Next reports, citing one of the dismissed prosecutors.

    A total of six prosecutors were involved in the investigation on Ukraine’s behalf, two of them as part of the Joint Investigation Team. In recent months, the JIT has not had a single participant from Ukraine.

    Commenting on the dismissal of the prosecutors, Ukrainian Foreign …

  • Zelensky: Ukraine proposed new procedure for withdrawal of troops in Donbas

    The Ukrainian side has proposed a new procure for withdrawal of forces in the Donbas, announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his speech at the Munich Security Conference, Ukraynska Pravda reports.

    The Ukrainian President said that Kyiv suggested a so-called sector-based withdrawal. According to him, the line of demarcation will be divided into several sectors and the troops in them will be withdrawn    gradually.

    The transition from one sector to the next will be made only …

  • Ukrainian President: Kyiv prepares for dialogue with residents of Donbas

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr  Zelensky said that the Ukrainian authorities are ready for a dialogue with the residents  of the so-called Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, as well as with those who left the territories of the Donbas which are not under Kyiv’s control, reported the President 's press service with reference to his speech at the Munich Security Conference.

    According to Zelensky, Ukraine has initiated the creation of a dialogue platform "Peace of Donbass" in which both …

  • Kyiv to count population in Donbas and Crimea using satellite images

    Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers is investigating the possibility of conducting a census of the population in the Donbas and Crimea using satellite images, Dmytro Dubilet, Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers, told Ukrainian Radio.

    He said that he has already met with UN representatives who will assist with the satellite imagery project, which is very challenging.

    “A similar project was carried out in Afghanistan, where a significant portion of the territory is not controlled by the government. …

  • Zelensky: Putin understands that the war in Donbas has to end

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is aware of the need to put an end to the war in the Donbas.

    “I’m certain that he understood me, and understood me very clearly. It seems that in such contact, face to face, you immediately understand who’s in front of you, what kind of person. Regardless of all the intelligence data. It seems to me that he understood me. And he understands that we have to put an end to this war,” said Zelensky in an …

  • Ukraine to build two military bases in Donbas compliant with NATO standards

    The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense will build two military bases in the Donbas. Both military facilities will meet all NATO standards, stated the Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk.

    According to Zagorodnyuk, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has planned the construction of two military bases, fully in compliance with the standards of the North Atlantic Alliance. One will be built in Mariupol, the second - in Sievierodonetsk. At the same time, the construction terms and the timelines …