The Spokesperson of the Presidential Administration on issues in the conflict zone, Colonel Andriy Lysenko, stated at a daily briefing that a Ukrainian serviceman was taken prisoner by members of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic in Marinka.

“Yesterday, a group of Ukrainian servicemen went for a patrol at the request of local residents in order to detect explosive devices on the road that civilians would often use. Our group was ambushed during the patrol. As a result of these events, …

The US Anti-Doping Agency (the USADA) has asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and the Russian Paralympic Committee (RCC) from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, according to a letter from USADA to IOC President Thomas Bach, a copy of which was obtained by R-Sport portal.

“An independent investigation confirmed the shocking picture of the long-term scheme of encouraging the use of doping by the authorities and the intervention in anti- …

The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the US House of Representatives has approved a resolution on measures to counter Russian aggression in Ukraine. The resolution also mentions the provision of assistance to Ukraine in carrying out democratic reforms and strengthening sanctions against Russia, in connection with the annexation of Crimea. This was reported by the Voice of America.

The bill was introduced by Congressman Eliot Engel, a Democrat. The document refers to the statement by the US …

Expert journalists from Bellingcat Group, which is engaged in independent investigations based on open sources, accused Russia of lying about shooting down the Malaysian aircraft flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. In a new report published on Friday, July 15, the Bellingcat “Study of open sources on MH17: two years later” says, “We believe that the Buk missile system, which shot down [flight] MH17, came from Russia, and the Russian authorities lied, falsified evidence and …

State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom states that the company did not supply equipment for thermal power plants under construction in Crimea because the contract for the construction of thermal plants on the occupied peninsula was not completed.

“All-Russia Research Institute of Automatics (VNIIA), named after N.L. Dukhov and a part of Rosatom, diversifies export markets and takes part in all competitions. And the fact that we win with our technology APCS (Automatic Process Control System) …

Lithuania asks the US for help in strengthening the capacities of air defense in the region. This was stated by the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Lithuania, Juozas Olekas, Delfi reported.

“We have strengthened the ground forces of the military with the battalion group. Now we are talking about simultaneously strengthening the air defense,” Olekas said on Friday at a meeting with the United States Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF), Deborah Lee James.

According to the …

Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Roman Washchuk wrote on Twitter that ethnic Ukrainian Paul Wynnyk has become the new commander of the Canadian Ground Forces.

“Lt. Gen. Wynnyk, the grandson of Ukrainian immigrants from Stryi, took command of the Canadian Army,” the Ambassador wrote.

The appointment was approved on July 14. The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, reported this on Twitter and congratulated Wynnyk on the appointment.

Paul Wynnyk has been the head of the military …

The level of tension in the Donbas region remains high. The observers of the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) note the increase in violations of the ceasefire near the Donetsk region, the Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Alexander Hug, said at a press conference on Friday, July 15, 2016 in Kiev, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

“The level of violence remains high. The number of attacks …