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Three sailors from captured Ukrainian tugboat refuse to testify
Three Ukrainian sailors from the tugboat Yany Kapu who were captured by Russia on November 25 off the Kerch Strait have declared themselves prisoners of war and refused to testify, said Russian attorney Nikolai Polozov in a Facebook post.
According to him, the defense team of the imprisoned sailors has met with Yuriy Budzylo and Andriy Shevchenko, members of the Yany Kapu’s crew. The attorneys report that Shevchenko was in a good frame of mind, and did not have any health complaints. …
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President Poroshenko signs bill giving OUN and UPA fighters status of combatants for independence of Ukraine
On Saturday, December 22, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed Bill 8519 "On the status of war veterans and guarantees of their social protection" which aims at strengthening the social status of participants in the war for the independence of Ukraine, as reported on the Verkhovna Rada’s website.
The bill would provide the status of combatant to persons who took part in all forms of armed military activities for the independence of Ukraine in the 20th century, including the Ukrainian …
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Ukrainian politician suggests sending British warship through the Kerch Strait to see Russia’s reaction
Speaking on the Ukrainian Pryamyi TV Channel, Yuriy Hrymchak, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, suggested that Britain should send the British ship HMS Echo, which recently visited in Odessa, to the Kerch Strait together with the Ukrainian vessels.
While speaking about the attack of Russians on the Ukrainian ships, Hrymchak said that the British ship should try to go through the Kerch Strait.
“When people say that Russia will allow the British ship to pass, …
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Filaret: Ukrainian President Poroshenko convinced Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant Ukrainian Church autocephaly
At the “Return to the faith of the fathers” forum in Lviv, Kyiv Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko) explained how President Petro Poroshenko played an important role in obtaining autocephaly (independence) for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
“Our enemy knows well that, if there is no firm spiritual foundation, if we build our country on the sand, then this house will not stand long. And we must build on a firm foundation. And that is why, at the very start, Moscow, when it was unable to break me, …
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Netanyahu: Israel prepared to act in Syria after US withdrawal
If needed, Israel is prepared to expand the scope of its military operations in Syria following the withdrawal of US troops, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
According to Netanyahu, Israel’s policy is intended to weaken Iran’s influence on its neighbor, Syria. “The decision to remove the 2,000 American soldiers from Syria will not change our consistent policy: we will continue to oppose Iran’s attempts to establish military bases in Syria, and …