Contents tagged with Donbas
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Committee of Voters of Ukraine: It is impossible to hold elections in the Donbas
Elections in the occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk will not happen for at least a few more years, as stated by the Chairman of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine, Oleksiy Koshel.
According to him, some reasons for this are the ongoing conflict, an armed population and a lack of a voter registry. “Another issue is that there may be expatriates who might decide to come back. They also have the right to vote. These issues first need to be resolved. Also, more than a year is needed to …
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Ukraine calls for international investigation into crimes in the Donbas
At the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, the Ukrainian delegation to the UN made a statement calling for the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes in the East of Ukraine and bring to justice those responsible for mass killings.
Ukrinform quoted the statement of Ukrainian diplomats as saying “In light of the current difficult situation within and around Ukraine we fully recognize that there is an urgent need to ensure global jurisdiction, legitimacy and the International …
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Pororshenko: Ukraine has established the Donbas Reconstruction Fund
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated that a special fund for the restoration of the Donbas will be established in Ukraine and financed through budgetary funds and international assistance, his press service reported.
"Work is continuing on a special fund which will be directed for the restoration of the Donbas,” the President stated.
According to Poroshenko, the fund will be formed using the state budget of Ukraine and donor assistance of partner countries and international financial …
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Turkey supports creating OSCE police mission in the Donbas
During a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev, Turkish Minister of National Defense İsmet Yılmaz supported the idea of placing an armed OSCE police mission in the Donbas, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
"The president briefed [Yılmaz] on the situation in the Donbas. Ukraine remains committed to the implementation of the Minsk agreements, but draws attention to the need for a system for the de-escalation of the situation and the deployment of armed police mission under the …
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US demands that separatists allow OSCE access to weapons storage facilities
The US representative to the OSCE, Daniel Baer, called for the immediate withdrawal of heavy weapons from the territories controlled by separatists in eastern Ukraine.
At a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, the representative said that the OSCE observers reported no decrease in the arsenal of heavy weapons in Luhansk, "including tanks, howitzers, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft surface-to-air systems," Ukrinform reported.
According to the OSCE mission in eastern Ukraine, …
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Steinmeier: the Minsk Agreements are being implemented at a snail’s pace
The head of the German Foreign Ministry believes that the diplomatic efforts of France and Germany were instrumental in prevention of a war in Europe.
At the same time the progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements is comparable to a snail's pace. According to the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Germany, this was stated by the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the eve of the twelfth meeting of the Normandy Four.
Steinmeier fears that the work on the …
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The OSCE is ready to send armed observers to the Donbas
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is open to sending armed personnel to eastern Ukraine if this proposal is agreed to by all parties. This was declared by the Secretary General of the OSCE, Lamberto Zannier.
The organization is currently supervising a fragile ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and rebels in Donbas.
Comments made by Zannier reflect the extent of the danger that the current unarmed observers are exposed to while monitoring the ceasefire. He says …
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OSCE: Military parades in Donetsk and Luhansk violated the Minsk Agreements
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine stated that the presence of heavy weaponry in Luhansk and Donetsk during Victory Day parades is a violation of the Minsk Agreements, as reported on Facebook page of the Special Monitoring Mission.
“The SMM was entrusted with the task of monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire and other provisions of the Minsk Agreements, including the withdrawal of weapons. In this case, the presence of heavy weaponry in Luhansk and Donetsk during the …
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Ukrainian Armed Forces: The situation in the Donbas continues to deteriorate
The headquarters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that the situation in the Donbas has deteriorated significantly over the last several days, Glavnoe reported.
“Yesterday, pro-Russian gangs opened fire on the positions of the Ukrainian defenders 15 times,” the headquarters wrote on Facebook.
It was reported that Ukrainian positions near Avdiivka were attacked by separatists using rocket propelled grenades and small arms.
According to the Ukrainian headquarters, separatists also …
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Washington: The majority of ceasefire violations in the Donbas occur on the territory of separatists
The OSCE confirms that the majority of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine occur on the territory that is under the separatists’ control, the Unites States Deputy Secretary of State, Antony Blinken stated.
The U.S Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, quoted Blinken on Twitter as saying that the “OSCE confirms that the majority of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine occur on the territory that is under separatists’ control.” The White House press service also quoted Blinken as saying …