Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • U.S. concerned by surge of violence in the Donbas

    On the 20th of December, the Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, John Kirby, stated at a briefing that the U.S. Administration expresses its concern over the escalation of tensions in eastern Ukraine. “The United States is deeply concerned by the recent upsurge of violence in eastern Ukraine,” Kirby said.

    “Over the past two days, six Ukrainian servicemen were killed and 33 were injured during attempts by pro-Russian separatists to seize more territory from Ukraine. This the …

  • Ukrainian authorities have opened a case against Booking.com for 'aiding and abetting the occupiers in the Crimea'

    Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have opened a case against Booking.com for booking hotels in the Crimea, the Deputy of the faction of People's Front in the Verkhovna Rada, Georgiy Logvinsky, wrote on his Facebook page.

    According to him, Booking.com is violating article 332-1, 191 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code (illegal transportation of people across the state border and appropriation, embezzlement of property). The website, the deputy says, should be blocked on the Ukrainian territory …

  • US Treasury Department expanded sanctions on Russia

    The US expanded sanctions against Russia imposed in relation to the Crimean Peninsula and to Moscow's policy in the east of Ukraine. According to a report published on Tuesday, December 20th, on the website of the US Treasury, seven more individuals and more than 20 companies were included in the sanctions list.

    Individuals who were included on the sanctions list were businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has close business ties with the Russian Ministry of Defense and the managers of the banks …

  • The State Security Service of Ukraine: Russia distributed special equipment for wiretapping in Ukraine

    The SBU has revealed a large sales network in the Odessa region of special technical information – GPS-trackers with integrated ultrasensitive microphones, as reported by the press service of the agency.

    "The devices were made by a Russian company which closely cooperates with the Russian Federal Security Service and were ordered by one of the Ukrainian leading market players in GPS devices. Russians, with the help of certain design features and special software, have the ability to activate …

  • Poland appealed the European Court’s decision to increase Gazprom’s pipeline access

    The Polish government appealed to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg due to the decision to increase access of Gazprom to the key gas pipeline OPAL, which links Nord Stream with Germany. The European Commission adopted this decision in late October, Polskie Radio reported on December 18, with reference to the official representative of Polish Foreign Ministry, Joanna Wajda.

    The decision of Brussels was heavily criticized by Warsaw. The Polish administration stated that it recognizes a …

  • Ukraine signed cross-border cooperation agreements with four EU countries

    During the third meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council, Ukraine signed cross-border cooperation agreements with four neighboring countries of the EU, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported.

    Stepan Kubiv, who is both the First Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, signed the draft agreement on behalf of the Ukrainian side, and the European Commission's Director General for the European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Christian …

  • UN General Assembly supported Ukrainian resolution on the Crimea

    At his speech at the UN General Assembly, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Sergiy Kyslytsya, called on the UN member states to vote for the Ukrainian resolution on human rights in the Crimea, Krym.Realii reported.

    "Those who suffer at the hands of the occupation regime in the Crimea are scared and helpless. They live without any chance to defend their rights, to protest or to be heard. Ukraine will do anything possible to ensure that the Russian Federation complies with its …

  • Russia began negotiating the purchase of Ukrainian rockets for Angosat-1 satellite

    Russian S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia has begun negotiations with the Ukrainian Yuzhnoye Design Bureau regarding the launch of the Angosat-1 satellite for Angola. This was reported by therussianspaceweb.com news portal, citing its own high-ranking sources.

    According to the source, Russia wants to launch the Angolan satellite using a Ukrainian carrier rocket, Zenit, and the Sea Launch program.

    Sources say that initially the Angosat-1 was supposed to be launched by the …

  • Pope Francis wants to visit the Donbas

    The Vatican’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, who visited the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, stated that Pope Francis wants to visit the Donbas in order to meet with believers, RIA Novosti reported. “When peace is restored, and the time of brotherhood comes, the Pope will certainly find a way to come here and meet with people, but an invitation from all parties is required,” Gugerotti said.

    Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti explained that Pope Francis is unable to visit …

  • Ukrainian power company claims that blackouts in Kyiv could have been caused by hackers

    The national power company Ukrenergo announced some possible reasons of failure in automation at the Pivnichna electrical substation that caused blackouts in several districts in Kyiv at midnight on December 18, the company’s press service reported.

    “Hacker’s attack and equipment failure are among the possible causes for the power failures. Law enforcement agencies responded immediately and a thorough investigation of the causes of the accident is being carried out. The public will be informed …