Contents tagged with War in Ukraine
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Separatist mass grave found near Donetsk
According to the press office of the Police of the Bahmutka district [under control of the Ukrainian government ] on April 13th a mass grave containing about 18 unidentified bodies in uniforms was found between the villages Spirne and Grabovka, in the Bahmutka district near Donetsk.
According to the district police the grave was found by the search and rescue mission of the Ukrainian armed forces, Evacuation -200, during their terrain surveillance operation.
The police officials say that …
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Separatist Commander: We are in a difficult situation in Avdiivka
Alexander Khodakovsky, the commander of the separatist Vostok battalion, says that in many ways the fighting in the Avdiivka industrial zone can be compared to the battle for the Donetsk Airport*, though the current situation is unique.
"The strategic difference between the fight in Avdiivka and the Airport is that then we had to only even the curve of the front in a more favorable way for us. We had to push the enemy further from the city," Khodakovsky wrote on his LiveJournal page.
"Here, …
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Fighting continues in Avdiivka
Fighting and artillery exchanges continue near Avdiivka, and both sides accuse the other of using artillery banned by the Minsk agreements. The distance between the positions of the separatists and the Ukrainian positions has shrunk to a mere 300 meters.
Both sides admit that the intensity of the fighting increases when OSCE monitors are not present in the area.
On Saturday a 71 year old woman was hit and killed by a mortar shell while working in her backyard in Avdiivka.
There are …
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OSCE: Separatists prevent proper monitoring near Yasynuvata
The Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE, Alexander Hug, stated at his briefing in Kyiv that the OSCE is unable to properly monitor the situation near Yasynuvata.
"Our access to Yasynuvata fully depends on the DPR [the so-called Donetsk People's Republic]. Almost every day of the week our monitoring mission has to be followed by their [DPR] representatives. This is the only way we could do monitoring in the area of Yasynuvata" he stated.
According to Hug, there are multiple restrictions …
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Separatist commander acknowledges heavy losses near Avdiivka
The founder of the Vostok separatist battalion, Alexander Khodakovsky, acknowledged that 13 in his unit were killed and 90 were wounded between March 7th and April 7th.
“The biggest losses were suffered in the industrial zone between Yasynuvata and Avdiivka. This is becoming, as our fighters say, the second Airport*,” he wrote on his LiveJournal page.
“I do not have the information about the losses in the other units, but I can guess that they are considerable too… Only the Vostok battalion …
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Heavy fighting reported near Avdiivka
According to several Ukrainian soldiers, heavy fighting has erupted near Avdiivka, where a separatist offensive involving members of the Russian Special Forces (GRU) was launched, CRiMe reported.
The Ukrainian servicemen told the online publication that the offensive includes the use of tanks and other heavy weapons that are banned by the Minsk agreements. They also stated that Russian GRU forces were involved in the fighting.
“Before the offensive we managed to intercept their radio …
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Poroshenko urges Washington to supply Ukraine with weapons
Since 2014, nearly 10,000 people have been killed in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including over 2,700 military personnel. On March 31, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko provided this data in Washington during a speech at the forum “Ukraine's Battle for Freedom Continues” at the US Capitol Building.
According to Poroshenko, the number of people killed due to the conflict in the Donbas exceeds the military losses of the US in Afghanistan over 15 years. "1.8 million people have lost their …
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Ukrainian Armed Forces expect separatist assault on government-held Avdiivka
The fighting around Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine has intensified in recent days, and, according to journalist Roman Bochkala, separatist groups are preparing a major assault on Ukrainian positions.
Bochkala noted on his Facebook page that members of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic have been using heavy artillery, weapons that are prohibited by the Minsk Agreements, to prepare for an offensive on Avdiivka.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces insist that they defend their positions using only …
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Poroshenko: International peacekeepers are needed in eastern Ukraine
The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, stated that international peacekeepers are needed to ensure security in the Donbas.
“We need international peacekeepers that will ensure the safety in the Donbas during the withdrawal and transfer of authority. Take your Plotnitsky and Zakharchenko back, take your paratroopers, who you brought here, and we will restore Ukrainian sovereignty,” he said while addressing residents of Mykolaivka in the Donetsk region.
Poroshenko noted that the main goal …
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Pope Francis calls for an end to the war in Ukraine during Easter address
Pope Francis has called for an end to the war in Ukraine and for a release of all prisoners of war in the country. He said this during his Easter message “Urbi et Orbi”, as reported by Krym.Realii with reference to Radio Vatican.
"May the Lord of life accompany the efforts aimed to reach a final overcoming of the war in Ukraine, inspiring and supporting humanitarian assistance initiatives, among which include the release of prisoners," the Pope said.
On Sunday, Catholics around the world …