Contents tagged with War in Ukraine

  • Foreign ministers meet in Berlin on Ukraine crisis

    The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine met Friday in Berlin to further discuss steps required to end the conflict in east Ukraine.Germany‘s Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: "We can be glad that the ceasefire regime has been observed to a certain extent." He said " the progress has been made, but some serious challenges" remained, including organizing fair local elections in separatist-held areas.

    Also in attendance at the Villa Borsig, in north-west Berlin were France's …

  • Ukraine to return weapons if rebels continue to violate ceasefire.

    As stated by Oleksander Turchynov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, at least nine ceasefire violations, committed by the Russian-terrorist troops, were recorded in the occupied territories over past 24 hours.

    The commentary of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov was posted on the official website of the Council.

    "It it not the first time that the Russian-backed militants want to disrupt the Minsk Agreements by …

  • Nine European leaders concerned over Russia's aggressive stance

    Leaders of nine countries have issued a joint statement at the Central European Summit in the Romanian capital of Bucharest.

    They expressed grave concern over Russia's "continuing aggressive posturing" and backed a sustainable NATO military presence in the region.

    "We will stand firm on the need for Russia to return to respect of international law as well as of its international obligations, responsibilities and commitments as a pre-condition for a NATO–Russia relationship based on trust and …

  • The Guardian - Ukrainian rebels grow restless amid cracks in alliance with Russia

    Portraits of Putin and Stalin adorn the room where the rebel commander, Yuri “Rostov” Shevchenko, holds court.In this former KGB complex in the industrial town of Alchevsk in the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic, members of Shevchenko’s militant Ghost Brigade are growing restless as a shaky ceasefire holds in eastern Ukraine.With their Russian backers turning their attention to the war in Syria, cracks are appearing in the rebels’ alliance with Moscow. The Kremlin is reportedly pressing …

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  • At least 2 killed in Ukraine ammunition depot explosion.

    At least two people have been killed in the Ukrainian town of Svatove after a series of blasts at a ammunition depot.

    Local media has said the Ukrainian security forces were investigating and claimed it could be a terrorist act.

    The town lies in a government-controlled part of the Luhansk region. In addition to the two casualties, four civilians and four servicemen were wounded.

    According to Ukraine's Defence Ministry statement, the fire was started by "the release of a flare that fell onto …

  • Suspended OSCE monitor turns out to be a Russian GRU officer.

    As reported by Ukrainian TSN news service, a monitor from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine in the town of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk region, who has been suspended for misbehavior apparently involving alcohol, has turned to be an officer from Russia's GRU Main Intelligence Directorate.

    A TSN journalist once heard an OSCE SMM monitor who later introduced himself as Maksim Udovichenko promoting Russian propaganda among locals in Luhansk region while being not on OSCE …

  • Ukrainian ceise-fire shaken.

    As reported by a military spokesman Oleksandr Zavtonov, a Ukrainian soldier was killed by fire from Russia-backed separatists near the Donetsk airport on October 26.

    It is the first reported Ukrainian military death since mid-October, as the fragile cease-fire negotiated in Minsk in February has generally held.

    At the same time a separatists spokesman accused the Ukrainian military of launching an attack on the airport. Officials in Kyiv denied that claim.

    AFP reported that local residents …

  • U.S. to Ship Modified Radar Systems to Ukraine.

    As reported by The Wall Street Journal, advanced radar systems being shipped to Ukraine to counter artillery strikes by pro-Russia separatists have been modified to prevent them from peering into Russia.

    The modifications drew fire from a leading Republican critic of the Obama administration, who called it a misguided attempt to mollify Vladimir Putin.

    President Barack Obama signed an order on Sept. 29 to give Ukraine two radar systems worth $10 million each. U.S. officials said this week …

  • Ukraine ceasefire helps volunteers bring dead soldiers home.

    As reported by Reuters,A ceasefire in eastern Ukraine means more work for the volunteer group Black Tulip, which can now collect remains of Ukrainian soldiers killed in action without the risk of being caught in crossfire between rebels and government troops.

    The group used to locate and rebury soldiers killed in World War Two, but when hundreds of Ukrainian troops were killed in the battle of Ilovaisk last year, the volunteers decided their skills could help more recent victims of conflict. …

  • Stalin portraits go on displays in Donetsk.

    Portraits of former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin emerged on displays in the center of Donetsk, the pro-russian rebel capital of eastern Ukraine. as the separatist authorities fuel a mood of Soviet nostalgia.The rebels revive Soviet customs to cement their Moscow-backed rule and fuel a mood of Soviet nostalgia.The horrors of Stalin's repressions and the deaths of up to five million Ukrainians in the 1930s due to famine caused by forced collectivization go unmentioned.The Donetsk rebel leader …