Contents tagged with Donbas

  • Kyiv raises issue of returning control of Debaltseve to Ukraine

    Ukraine has raised the issue of regaining control over Debaltseve. The issue was brought up during a video conference between the Trilateral Contact Group and representatives of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR).

    “Ukraine specifically drew attention to the provisions of a memorandum dated the 19th of September 2014. It stated that Ukraine would have control over Debaltseve. It also presumed that the conflict would stop at where the contact …

  • Separatist commander known as Motorola killed in eastern Ukraine

    Separatist commander Arsen Pavlov, known by the call sign ‘Motorola,’ died in Donetsk. This was reported by local separatist media with reference to the Ministry of Defense of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. The information was confirmed by the Ministry of Defense of the DPR itself.

    As reported in the microblog “Reports of militia of New Russia,” Motorola died in an elevator, where an improvised explosive device went off. According to separatist media, it is suspected that the …

  • State Border Guard Service of Ukraine: Russia sent 600 Donbas fighters to Syria

    Over 600 soldiers have returned to Russia from the occupied territories of the Donbas and will be deployed to Syria. According to 112 Ukraine news channel, this was stated by the assistant to the Chairman of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Oleh Slobodian.

    “The process for selecting volunteers from occupied territories to participate in the Syrian conflict continues. A few days ago, several organized groups of these so-called volunteers, consisting of more than 600 people, arrived in …

  • Ukrainian Intelligence: Russian troops in the Donbas have been brought to full combat readiness

    Russian military units have been brought to full combat readiness in the Donbas, as reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on its Facebook page.

    According to intelligence reports, over the past days the enemy brought numerous units into high readiness, including three separate motorized rifle brigades, nine separate assault infantry marine regiments, a rocket artillery battalion of 100 separate motorized rifle brigades, 11 separate motorized rifle …

  • 'Friends of Ukraine' group wants to include the US in the Normandy format

    The U.S. wants to be seen as a participant in the Normandy Group negotiations regarding the settlement of the situation in the Donbas region along with Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany. The members of the informal group ‘Friends of Ukraine,’ consisting of seven prominent European Union politicians, are appealing for this change, as reported by Politico.

    It is noted that the Declaration was published on behalf of the former NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary …

  • Savchenko met with separatists in the Donbas

    Speaking at a PACE session, Verkhovna Rada MP and former prisoner Nadiya Savchenko stated that she was recently in separatist-held territory and met with the people who had held her captive for two years.

    “For those who want to understand and know what is happening in the Donbas, in the occupied territory where I was held pretty recently, I met with people who quite recently held me captive—these people realized what Russia is and what they’re dealing with,” she said.

    According to Savchenko, …

  • French President about the Donbas: First elections, then border control

    French President François Hollande warned about the possibility of the conflict in the Donbas turning “frozen” if the Minsk agreements are not implemented. He made this assertion when answering questions at the plenary meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

    Hollande stressed that he believes the implementation of the Minsk agreements is the only way to solve the conflict. He also noted that the priority is to hold local elections, rather than return control of the …

  • Ukrainian Defense Ministry: Armed Forces of Ukraine will not unilaterally withdraw troops from Donbas

    Ukraine will not unilaterally withdraw troops from the demarcation line in accordance with the framework agreement. This was said on the 112 Ukraine TV channel by the Deputy Head of the Department of Information Technology of the Ministry of Defense, Serhiy Halushko.

    "It is not just unilateral actions on our part. There is a control mechanism, and our intelligence sees what the enemy is doing. If we see that their party does not do something, or is trying to deceive us, then our units will not …

  • Ukrainian MoD: Withdrawal of troops from Stanytsia Luhanska delayed indefinitely due to separatist attacks

    The Ukrainian Defense Ministry confirmed that the withdrawal of forces and weapons in Stanytsia Luhanska scheduled for today has been postponed indefinitely. The statement was made by Andriy Lysenko, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, during a briefing.

    The withdrawal of troops and weapons was broken due to the shelling from separatists, which is a violation of the framework agreement.

    “Taking into account the systematic violations of the ceasefire and inability of the …

  • Ukraine's Samopomich party complained to the General Prosecutor’s office about the disengagement of forces in eastern Ukraine

    The Samopomich (“self-reliance”) Party has submitted a criminal complaint to the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s with respect to the Minsk agreements and disengaging of the forces in a number of areas in the Donbas, as reported on the party’s website.

    "We saw a number of violations of the Ukrainian Constitution and the Criminal Code at the time the Minsk Agreements were signed. That’s why we also turn to the General Prosecutor’s Office with a claim regarding the crime under article 353, “ …