Ukraine news/Current

24 Apr. Russian FM published detailed report on arms control issues, suspends the Russia-US treaty on utilization of plutonium.

It is said that a Russian defense attorney Mark Feigin who defended Pussy Riot and Nadezhda Savchenko was de-barred (stripped of his attorney status) base don a complaint by Anatoly Sharii and his attorney.

21 Apr. LPR. ministry of security source is quoted saying that Ukraine prepares a false flag sabotage operation against chemical industry facility 'Zarya' (dawn) in the city of Rubezhnoe, Lugansk region, to coincide with Poroshenko visit to the Donbass. The aim of the sabotage is to undermine one of the warehouses of the enterprise where explosive substances are stored, and to blame the authorities and LPR armed forces and use this to justify introduction of a 'peacekeeping mission' to the Donbass.

20 Apr. DPR MOD accused 'Azov' in staged provocation: ''at around 6 a.m. today, Azov militants fired at the area of the village of Lebedinskaya, located in the territory under their control. In addition, a group of journalists of the TV channels "1 + 1", "Inter", "TSN" was seen last night in the vicinity of this settlement''.

17 Apr. DPR. Five employees of Donetsk filtering station were wounded by Ukrainian firearms fire which hit a convoy of cars bringing a shift of workers to the facility. Following the attack, it was decided to suspend filtering station operations for 5 days initially. Alternative water supply from the Upper Kalmius reservoir is being established.

LPR. Ukraine shelled military equipment being prepared for the traditional Victory Day parade in Lugansk, with OSCE notified in advance. Historic WW2 era anti-tank howitzers, T-34 tank and LPR vehicles were damaged (video). Historic weapons are being repaired and are expected to participate in the parade after restoration, including the T-34 tank

12 Apr. UAF prepare a pontoon crossing across the Seversky Donets on the approaches to the LPR -Semen Pegov, Rusvesna.

11 Apr. DPR MOD: Seven civilians were wounded in overnight shelling of Donetsk by Ukraine, about 60 flats or houses were damaged, a gas pipeline was damaged in 12 locations. Basurin calls this 'an act of genocide', links it with planned international visits to Ukraine and Donbass and other international events, submits that it is done to provoke return fire and use it to blame LDPR at those meetings. He indicates readiness to respond (no description of any actual response).

7 Apr. DPR MoD: Ukrainian sniper killed a civilian woman, moving on Ukrainian territory towards DPR; also on 6 Apr. a DPR soldier was killed by UAF sniper

6 Apr. DPR MoD weekly report, 2 DPR soldiers killed by sniper fire, 101 ceasefire violations by Ukraine, examples of Ukraine covering losses and thefts, such as 2 UAF RSG killed and 3 wounded on landmine field on March 30 near settlement of Luganskoe; RSG members themselves were blamed to avoid paying compensation

4 Apr. DPR MoD: More claims on provocations prepared against international representatives, including Danish de-mining Group.

3 Apr. DPR MOD: Ukraine prepares staged provocations, in particular against journalists, to be covered by media stationed in ATO area. Reminds on kidnapping, torture and murder of DPR soldier Tkachenko, calls for an investigation. Describes SBU program 'they wait for you at home', renaming it 'betray your home', and portraying this as propaganda played by actors with real people responding getting in trouble (allegedly missing, maimed, or received prison terms claimed to be unrelated to the program).

Ivan Bubenchik, participant of the Euro-Maidan in Kiev (2014) who previously publicly admitted killing 'Berkut' police, with shots from behind, is detained in Kiev and brought to the court in Kiev, to be informed on suspicion of committing those crimes. Bubenchik previously ignored demands to appear in court. He is the first to be charged in killing 'Berkut', investigated since 2014.

2 Apr. DPR soldier repairing window of one of the damaged houses was killed by UAF sniper fire in Kominternovo

Kommersant: Normandy format meeting may be planned in Aachen, Germany, in May. Ukrainian sources are quoted to link this with approaching presidential elections in Ukraine, lack of progress, and 'poisoned climate' created by the Scripals incident. Peacekeepers are said to be on agenda. Obviously with Moscow not on board not much can be accomplished.

Russian Duma panel suggested migration amnesty for Ukrainian citizens and those without citizenship arriving from the territory of L/DPR republics. Migration situation is not ideal and is highlighted by cases of opolchenie members under threat of deportation to Ukraine, where they are likely to recive lengthy prison terms and serious mistreatment. The latest such case, Nikolai Tregub, under deportation orders, is described by a well-known journalist Steshin in the (mainstream) Komsomolskaya Pravda, 3 Apr.

31 Mar. DPR war correspondent Mikhail Adronik reports from Kominternovo: in just under 9.5 hours from the start of the 'Easter ceasefire', it was broken by Ukraine. 4 mortar shells were fired on the village at 9:35 a.m, followed by automatic grenade launchers fire

It is reported that Ukrainian forces kidnapped a DPR soldier who was returning to his unit on 26 Mar. DPR MoD states that he did not cooperate with his kidnappers and was tortured and killed.

30 Mar. DPR ombudsman: in the past week, 5 people were killed, 4 soldiers a woman killed by Ukrainian shelling of Gorlovka (report and photos, Mar. 25); 3 soldiers were wounded. Since Jan.1, 30 soldiers and 2 civilians were killed, 47 people (37 soldiers, 6 civilian men, 4 civilian women) were wounded. There have been ceasefires, one after another, with the Easter ceasefire the latest one, but despite that, shelling and deaths never really stopped.

Ex UAF instructor in Sniper Training Vladimyr Smaga, who switched sides and joined LPR, tells that foreign instructors from England, France and the United States have been training Ukrainian fighters since 2015. Servicemen are trained in Yavoriv and Zhitomir proving grounds not for strengthening the defense capability of Ukraine, but for direct participation in hostilities and conducting subversive and terrorist activities in the Donbass. Groups of up to 30 people formed after the training courses were sent to the Donbass for practical training using knowledge and skills obtained under the guidance of foreign instructors. According to Smaga, in real military operations, units suffered significant losses - up to half killed or wounded. Losses were carefully concealed by the command, according to Smaga.

29 Mar. Joint Statement by the leadership of the Normandy format countries, identical up to minor translation differences (Kiev), (Moscow). Reaffirm commitment to implementing all aspects of the Minsk Agreements; Easter ceasefire announced from Mar. 30.

26 Mar. The "Ukrainian People's Tribunal" against eight representatives of the Ukrainian authorities begins in Donetsk.

23 Mar. Basurin: Ukrainian reports of DPR shelling Avdeevka are fake, apparently made to justify 'response' shelling overnight by Ukraine.

Basurin: UAF fired on Sakhanka for 2 days; Ukrainian fire correcting drone ('Fly eye' model, according to Basurin) was shot down (photos).

Savchenko in court, out of the cage, in arraignment and detention conditions hearing (text livestream); (live stream recording). Starts a hungerstrike. By court decision, locked up for 2 months without bail.

22 Mar. UAF fired mortars on Sakhanka, DPR, in the morning when children were walking to school, and despite the 'absolute ceasefire'. Two houses were damaged.

SAVCHENKO is detained in UKRAINE, after her MP immunity was withdrawn by the Rada. She faces 10-15 years to life in prison, accused of 'plotting  violent overthrow of the constitutional order and seizure of state power.' Moskal' unloads: she was taken prisoner (by L/DPR forces) 'because she fell off BTR being drunk'; '15 people were killed'; she is 'a Russian agent', and 'prepares a coup' too. -Meanwhile, the European Parliament may take up her case. SBU video; Savchenko's own bizarre mock video. Answers Lutsenko video-doing a one woman's Maidan

Yulia Tymoshenko doubts that the non-factional people's deputy Nadezhda Sachenko could organize a coup d'etat in Ukraine, but declares that the fraction will vote for depriving her of her immunity. Savchenko was on Timoshenko's 'Batkovshina' party list in 2014, but broke off and is a non-affiliated Rada MP.

18 Mar. UAF fired mortars on Northern Donentsk from Peski. Last evening, Sakhanka village in DPR south was hit, a house was damaged.

Vladislav Voloshin a 29-year-old 'Hero of the ATO' pilot accused of a role in MH17 shoot-down, reportedly committed suicide by a gunshot in Nikolaev, Ukraine. In the last few months he was head of a regional utility company "Nikolaev International Airport".

16 Mar. Poroshenko announced replacing of 'ATO' by a new 'reintegration of Donbass' format, appointed gen-lt. Sergey Naev to the commander of 'unified forces', gave a task to have armed forces 'capable of liberating' rebel territories, 'with priority and no alternative' way to do it by political-diplomatic means. (The real meaning of all that remains to be seen).

15 Mar. DPR ombudsman: in the period from 2 to 15 March, 5 DPR soldiers were killed, 2 soldiers were wounded.

Nadezhda Savchenko: I saw how Parubiy Pashinsky brought snipers to the 'Ukraina' hotel Conservatory building (statement on video),(correction). Appeals to  Putin to release detained ('in Russia' and L/DPR) Ukrainians and to have '20 Russian citizens' held by Ukraine freed (beginning of the video).

14 Mar. Basurin: UAF fire hit vehicles of utility workers coming to Donetsk filtering station, vehicles were damaged, luckily no-one was hurt. Utility workers are now afraid to go to the filtering station (Ukrainian positions are close to the entrance). This and numerous earlier violations places water supply to some 100 thousand people in jeopardy.

Basurin also states (again) that incoming Sec. Stat. Pompeo has recently visited ATO zone in Avdeevka, on invitation of SBU chief Gritsak. SBU press secretary comments that she 'does not have information'.

8 Mar. Ukrainian authorities arrested famous Ukrainian negotiator Vladimir Ruban, accused him of illegal weapons trade, with some ammunition photos to support the charge. Vladimir Ruban negotiated many prisoners of war exchanges and is well regarded. More details in talk.

6 Mar. Ukrainian helicopter was spotted 800 m from the separation line, and a powerful explosion was reported 20 min prior. DPR protests, asks OSCE and JCCC to investigate.

5 Mar. After the start of the latest so-called 'absolute ceasefire', Russian MP Zhurvalev visiting Donetsk came under Ukrainian small arms and mortar fire, said to survive. In another report, Ukrainian sniper fired on utility workers in Gorlovka. No one was hurt.

3 Mar. Tent camp of Saakashvilli supporters on 'Mikho'-Maidan is taken down by police. Cassad intermingles dramatic today's photos with Western media quotations condemning human rights violations at 2013/2014 pro-Western 'Euro'-Maidan.

2 Mar. Kurt Volker: LPR and DPR need to be dismantled, Ukrainian sovereignty  and border control restored --all but dooming his mission and undermining the Minsk agreements, which require that key elements (special status, constitutional changes,  elections, etc) has to be agreed with Donetsk and Lugansk representatives, i.e L/DPR. (Added: MP Alexey Pushkov, with a similar comment. He also states, 'without L/DPR agreement there will be no peacekeepers in Donbass').

Le Temps: Hundreds of American and Canadian soldiers have been training the future officers of the Kiev Army for two years at Yavoriv training ground, Western Ukraine.

Ukrainian reconnaissance-in-force group of about 15 people attacked DPR positions near Oktiabrskoe settlement, Mariupol area. One DPR soldier was wounded and another captured. Reinforcement arrived and repelled the attack. It is said that 2 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and at least 2 wounded.

1 Mar. 'Gazprom' returned March payments back to Ukrainian 'Naftogaz' and intends to stop deliveries over a contract dispute.

28 Feb. Contact group agreed on (yet another) "absolute truce" from March 5 (LPR-Deynego).

27 Feb. LPR: UAF fired 122 mm artillery shells on LPR positions in the area of Svetlodarsk

Disturbances near Rada building in Kiev are reported. Apparently it started as a conflict between two groups of protesters, who then either joined forces, or were joined by some provocateurs, to attack the police. 9 people were arrested, 8 police officers were injured. Irina Gerashchenko stated that among those who threw stones at the police and participated in the riots were Rada deputies (Kiev police chief was unable to confirm or deny that, and said that they will examine video evidence). Video.

Activists of Saakashvili's party, Movement of new forces (Рух нових сил) published a video claiming that  Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko attacked activists camped outside of his house, threatened them with physical violence, used  an axe to damage a generator, took and threw away an activist's cell phone when he tried to call. An eyewitness testimony of how the Attorney General Lutsenko plunged with an ax at activists near his home.

26 Feb. DPR MOD/Basurin report shows increased shelling, heavy weapons use by UAF (Rus.)(Eng.) Volvo center in Donetsk fired on with twenty 120 mm mortar shells, 4 houses damaged and a civilian 'Gazel' car destroyed in Dokuchaevsk.

25 Feb. Ten 120 mm mortar shells were fired by UAF on Zaitsevo, near Gorlovka. Houses were damaged (report and videos)

OSCE evacuates from Gorlovka? -User dashboard video and on-video comment with such claim.

In the past day, 1 DPR soldier was killed by Ukrainian shelling.

24 Feb. Russian FM press office: Having signed the (Reintegration of Donbass) law, P.Poroshenko de-facto crossed out the Minsk agreements and untied the hands of the "war party".

23 Feb. Basurin: Marked ambulance car was hit by Ukrainian PTUR, killing 3 people, a wounded DPR soldier, a medic and the driver (burned-down ambulance on video). Basurin accused UAF of a war crime. Also tells that the Ukrainian side tried to conceal this event in the news release; but accidentally released details on a planned Ukrainian attack (giving the name of the unit as the 'tactical group Mospino).

DPR ombudsman: in the past week (as of 22 Feb.), 4 DPR soldiers were killed, 2 soldiers wounded.

On the Soviet Red Army day, a parade in Krivoy Rog, Ukraine with some Red Army flags, Red Guards emblems (+lots of Ukrainian flags). This is despite the date no longer officially celebrated in Ukraine, with OUN day replacing.

22 Feb. Conflicting signals from Kiev, with an impression of preparing for warfare to take Donbass back by force, while claiming to be committed to 'peaceful settlement of the problem of the liberation of the occupied territories' (presumably, by deploying 'peacekeepers' and receiving Western 'defensive weapons', in order to 'liberate' the rest of Donbass, with no mentioning of Minsk, or the rebel L/DPR republics, involved in Minsk too although indirectly).

21 Feb. OSCE's Alexander Hug in Donetsk calls on both sides to stop the fighting, for the sake of civilians on both sides longing and crying for peace.

20 Feb. Poroshenko signed so called 're-integration of Donbass' law; instructed the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff to submit proposals on changing the format of the ATO by April 1, with a talk about 'the right to self-defense'. (It is not entirely clear what that means in practice, but is taken as a sign of escalation).

18 Feb. Saakashvili- organized anti-Poroshenko march, and an anti-Russian nazi pogrom in Kiev.

17 Feb. LPR: Unidentified persons attempted to sabotage the territory of the State Television and Radio Company (GTRK) and to damage the civilian emergency alert system, 'which may indicate the preparation of Ukrainian Armed Forces for the resumption of hostilities' (report and video), (another video, OSCE on the scene).

Neo-Nazis from C14 group staged a pogrom in the building of the Russian cultural center Rossotrudnichestvo in Kiev. At that time, there were children inside rehearsing a play "The Inspector General" (Rusvesna)(strana.ua).

16 Feb. Alexander Hug in a press conference from Lugansk tells of continued ceasefire violations, banned weapons near separation line, Ukrainian soldiers advancing and seen in Novoalexandroovka, etc; calls on the sides to implement their entirely unambiguous obligations under Minsk agreements. (With passion--but with little change on the ground, for years).

DPR ombudsman: in the past week, 1 DPR soldier was killed, 4 people (3 soldiers and a civilian man) were wounded.

12 Feb. Saakashvilli is detained in a Kiev restaurant (report and videos), said to be put on board of a plane to Poland.

10 Feb. DPR correspondent 'Mag' reports frequent, several times per week, flights of 'Global Hawk'  RQ-4B, said to be 'along the front line and around Crimea';  suspects that a serious Ukrainian attack is in the works.

9 Feb. DPR ombudsman: in the past week, 2 DPR soldiers were wounded, no deaths reported. From 1 Jan. to 8 Feb., 8 people were killed (7 soldiers and 1 civilian), 31 were wounded (23 soldiers, 5 civilian men, 3 civilian women).

Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Grigory Karasin opposes the inclusion of the US in the "Normandy format" (related discussion of how Volker line is not helpful).

8 Feb. Basurin: (Rus.)(Eng.)''A group of officers from the US Armed Forces, accompanied by representatives of the UAF General Staff, arrived to the so-called ATO zone to hold an inspection. Currently, brigades of the UAF, which are part of the Donetsk operational-tactical group, are being inspected. The main purpose of this inspection is to check the readiness of the UAF formations to conduct offensive operations. Besides, Western experts are interested in the problem of the Ukrainian military command's plundering funds allocated by US special services'' (as claimed). At LPR press briefing, Feb 7, it was stated that US Army delegation headed by Defense Attaché Wofford visits Ukraine troops’ outposts in Donbas and that it may lead to deterioration of security situation.

5 Feb. Briefing by Basurin, where he says that UAF plans an offensive along the whole separation line, to overrun republics defenses and to advance all the way to the border with Russia; demonstrates maps of presumed attacks, reports that heavy equipment is moved away from storage areas, shows evidence of resent advanced payments and Ukrainian social media posts supporting his claim ("Ukrainian, rejoice, the war will end soon", by Maxim Pashkevich, with a document said to describe UAF general staff plan to overrun rebel republics). Appeals to the world, tells that plans to counter the offensive are made.

1 Feb. Assassination attempt on DPR defense minister Vladimir Kononov from a tripod-mounted RPG-26 is reported, Ukraine blamed. No-one was hurt.

UAF shelled Dokuchaevsk oil refinery, there are damages to the refinery equipment and a residential house (quoting DPR representative in JCCC Yakubovich).

Videos

 * Family of 7 home hit by shelling in Donetsk, published 11 May 2017
 * DPR Sakhanka: life goes on under shelling, 11 Oct. 2016
 * 'Suburbia of life', about the effect of the war on life in small villages and towns. Shelling, destruction, economic hardship. Slow running, in Russian. Sept. 29, 2016.

More videos on talk page

Photos

 * Recent history in a nutshell in those photos to the right:


 * Aftermaths of Ukrainian shelling of the village Zheltoe (Yellow), LPR, 29 Nov. 2016 lug-info.

OSCE

 * SMM Ukraine

Official Ukrainian sources

 * ATO press releases and maps
 * Official website of Ukrainian president
 * National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
 * Verhovna Rada

Ukrainian media

 * TSN
 * 112.ua
 * inter.ua
 * kyivpost.com
 * dumskaya.net (Odessa, pro goverment)

DPR and LPR

 * DPR: DAN news (Eng).; DPR MOD, Russ.; DPR ombudsman, Russ.
 * LPR: lug-info (Eng).
 * Donbass international news agency, DoNi news (Eng.)

Agreements

 * 22.7.15 Under-100 mm weapons withdrawal was agreed Poroshenko statement: ' I hope it will be the real beginning of the ceasefire'.
 * 12.2.15 Two documents were agreed: on measures on implementing Minsk protocol (English language PDF here).