Ukraine news/Archive/2020-09

30 Sep. Deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation at the Minsk talks Vitold Fokin was dismissed, after he said that so far he sees no evidence of a hot war between Ukraine and Russia, although Russia supports pro-Russian militants in Donbas, and voiced his support for a special status, amnesty, and elections --all included in Minsk agreements.

Boris Gryzlov, the plenipotentiary representative of Russia in the Contact Group, stated that ''latest political decisions of Kiev are also aimed at continuing the aggression against Donbass. The resolution of the Verkhovna Rada on local elections, which violates the Minsk agreements, has not been corrected'' He drew attention to the message on Zelenskyy website that the main goal of the Kiev delegation at the talks is "the return exclusively on Ukrainian terms of all temporarily occupied territories." “This fundamentally contradicts the very basis of the Minsk agreements.''

23 Sep. Increased number of reports of sporadic fire, use of armed drones, mortar shots, and similar episodes, usually at low intensity and apparently often no targeted. However, DPR soldier is wounded today near Dzerhinskoe as a result of a sniper shot; and a concealed river crossing into LPR-controlled territory built for Ukrainian military use is discovered near Shastie, LPR.

Lukashenko assumed office as President of Belarus (ceremony was not pre-announced).

19 Sep. In memory of Stephen F. Cohen: The Ukrainian Crisis - It's not All Putin's Fault (2015).

18 Sep. Blogger Donetskii: By relics is the ointment (about de-facto hybrid war by the West, and perceived weakness of the Russian response).

9 Sep. Belarus: Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak were detained.

8 Sep. BelTA: "Anton Rodnenkov, Ivan Kravtsov and Maria Kolesnikova passed border control at the Aleksandrovka checkpoint (Belarus-Ukraine border) at around 4:00," said Anton Bychkovsky, an official representative of Belarus State Border Committee. (Other reports suggests that Kolesnikova was detained at the border).

7 Sep. Report: Belarus police began searching for missing Maria Kolesnikova. ("Alleged kidnapping video of a Belarus opposition leading lady: a car with Ukrainian license plates followed the minibus", -here).

6 Sep. LPR. It is reported that a Ukrainian soldier is killed. Ukraine blamed LPR. According to LPR, ''over the past day, our observers recorded a shootout at the positions of the 8th company of the 3rd battalion of the 14th brigade in the area of the settlement of Prichepilovka. In order to exclude charges, within the framework of the coordination mechanism, the Ukrainian side in the JCCC was notified of these facts. According to the operational data of our sources, as a result of the exchange of fire, two servicemen received gunshot wounds, one of whom was killed, the other is in serious condition''.

2 Sep. DPR. Opolchenie: Artemenko Danil Sergeevich is killed by a landmine explosion.