Contents tagged with War in Ukraine

  • Dzhemilev met with Erdoğan

    On 17th December, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with the Ukrainian presidential envoy for Crimean Tatar People’s Affairs, Mustafa Dzhemilev, Anadolu reported. The meeting took place in a hotel in Konya. The Turkish Vice Prime Minister, Yalçın Akdoğan also participated in the meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes. Neither of the parties has disclosed the details of their discussions.

    A sizeable portion of the Crimean Tatar Diaspora (more than 1000 people) live in Turkey. In …

  • Herbst: War in Ukraine is more important than Russian invasion of Syria

     

    The former U.S Ambassador to Ukraine, John Herbst, in his interview with the Voice of America, stated that U.S Secretary of State, John Kerry, is not the best candidate for negotiations with Russia regarding the cessation of the war in Ukraine. According to him, his soft diplomacy will not convince the Kremlin that it’s time to pull back.

    “The point is that during negotiations with the Kremlin, U.S Secretary John Kerry doesn't speak harshly in regards to Russian crimes, such as the Crimean …

  • Putin comments on Nemtsov investigation

    During his annual Q & A session with journalists, Russian President Vladimir Putin encouraged those who demand progress in the investigation of the assassination of Boris Nemtsov to be patient.

    "I knew him personally. He chose a path of political battle, and he was not alone...and I believe that is a crime that must be investigated thoroughly", Putin stated.

    Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of Putin, was gunned down in February of this year, just steps from the Kremlin. The former Minister had …

  • Hostilities in Donbas region could resume before New Year

    Ukrainian intelligence has received indications that Russia is ready to expand the scope of the armed conflict in the Donbas region, and open hostilities may resume as early as the end of December, reported Ukrinform.

    "The situation in eastern Ukraine is extremely complicated.  An increase in the number and the scale of enemy provocations is leading to a deterioration of the situation in the Donbas region.  This includes attacks on Ukrainian Army positions by rebel soldiers… reinforced by …

  • Pro-Russian Cossack Commander Killed by Alleged Car Bomb in Eastern Ukraine

    The car of Cossack commander Pavel Dremov of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) was blown up on the way to his wedding.

    According to the official news agency of the separatist authorities, the explosion occurred at a gas station en route Pervomaisk - Stakhanov. Dremov died immediately, and the driver of the car later died from his injuries. The authorities of the self-proclaimed LPR proclaimed the incident a terrorist attack.

    "The explosion of a car which killed the commander …

  • Russia-backed militants to call for fixed-term military service in spring

    Intelligence: Militants are planning to hold call-up for fixed-term military service in spring

    The Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that militants are planning to hold a call-up for fixed-term military service in the occupied territories of Donbas, in the spring of 2016. The report noted that the decision was connected with a reduction of Russian mercenaries and an increase in the number of servicemen who wanted to terminate their contract with …

  • Despite decrease in casualties, situation remains tense for civilians in Eastern Ukraine

    The leading French magazine, Le Monde, reported on the number of victims of the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine, citing a report by the UN Commission for Human Rights. The report highlighted that at least 9,098 have been killed and 20,732 people have been wounded as a result of military action in Eastern Ukraine since the start of hostilities last year.

    These casualties include civilians, Ukrainian government soldiers, and pro-Russian separatists. The report noted that from the 17th of …

  • USA in UN called on Russia to choose the path of peace

    Samantha Power, United States Ambassador to the United Nations has called on Russia to take a path of peace by implementing the Minsk Agreement. At the UN Security Council's meeting on Ukraine, she called on Moscow to "choose the path of peace and implement the Minsk agreements." She cited this as the only hope of restoring peace in Ukraine. According to Power, some progress has been seen through the partial Minsk agreement implementation and ceasefire taken in the past six months.

    "The …

  • Linkevičius: The West often acts as an advocate of the Kremlin

    In an article written in the magazine Delfi, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Linas Linkevičius, wrote that the West has again called for "meaningful dialogue" with Russia, and it shows that the wars in Georgia and Ukraine have no changed much.

    "It seemed like we had to learn a lesson. As soon as one country pulls the reins, the Kremlin takes it as a sign of weakness, as an opportunity or even the motivation to act more energetically", he wrote.

    However, according to Linkevičius, this …

  • Ukrainian prisoners still held by Donbass militants

    The Donbass region separatists are still holding 131 people hostage. Yari Tandit, advisor to the chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), told Radio Freedom that they can only confirm the fate of 57 of those people. “We are looking for information on the places in which the remaining 74 hostages are situated,” said Tandit.

    On December 8th, Irina Gerashchenko reported that the insurgents of Donbass are still holding 140 Ukrainian prisoners. She is the chairman of the Parliamentary …