Ukraine news/Archive/2020-05

31 May. Opolchenie published names of 10 soldiers and a civilian woman (Nadezhda Ivanovna Minaeva, 1955) killed in May in Donbass. A reader added names of 4 more KIA soldiers. 29 May. US air force conducted a "training mission" over Europe and "the Black Sea region", with US B1B bombers accompanied by Ukrainian, Polish, and Turkish planes (and no best friends of Russia). US release does not explicitly say whether or not US planes entered Ukraine, but a photo with accompanying Ukrainian fighter planes is provided by Ukrainian air force. A Russian blog is claiming in a well-cited post that B1B bombers entered Ukrainian airspace, almost up to Kiev. US planes were eventually intercepted by Russian fighter jets, providing more viral photos/videos. This follows US reconnaissance plane interception by Russian jets (and does not appear to attest to the friendliness and warmth of the relations).

24 May. JCCC: “At 11:30, UAF opened fire on Staromikhailovka using heavy machine guns and small arms. As a result of the shelling, transformer substation located on Dnepropetrovskaya street was damaged. At the moment, two streets are completely de-energized - Dnepropetrovskaya and Chkalova." DPR Militia: DPR troops prevented further shelling of Staromikhailovka, suppressing the firing point of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Opolchenie: ''In the evening and at present, Ukrainian forces are not intensively firing small arms on the Volvo Center, Donetsk filtering station, the industrial zone, Gospodar', Vasilyevka. Yesterday, during the evacuation of civilians of Krutaya Balka settlement, Artyom Mertsalov is killed, 07.20.1992 - 05.23.2020.''

23 May. Documentary film is published on the 5th anniversary of the murder of Alexey Mozgovoi, commander of "Prizrak" battalion.

22 May. DPR: ''Today, fighters from the 10th mountain assault brigade (UAF) launched an anti-tank guided missile in the direction of the positions of the People’s Militia in the area of Leninsky settlement in the south of our Republic. The rocket exploded without reaching the target. By returning fire from not outlawed weapons, the enemy firing point was suppressed'' (events follow some changes in rhetoric and declared posture by LPR and DPR)

19 May. Following Ukrainian shelling which damaged critical electric power line and failure to honor security guarantees to repair crew, LPR issues a warning and appeal to international signatories of Minsk agreements, saying that LPR forces are placed on full alert and may take actions, including moving separation line away from the affected power line. (DPR went on full alert shortly thereafter).

Ukrainegate: Ukrainian MP Andrey Derkach presented and Ukrainian sources published audio of conversations "of people with voices resembling Joe Biden, Petro Poroshenko, John Kerry." It is said that conversations took place "at the end of 2015 and in 2016", were provided by some "investigative journalists", and that recording was "made by Poroshenko himself" (Ukrainian 112.ua video, titled Deal fixing between Poroshenko and Biden. Recordings of conversations. Briefing on corruption and external governance. Text version here).

18 May. Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon interview with Igor Strelkov, 3h 41m.

16 May. LPR soldier is killed when Ukrainian forces fired BMP guns on Donetskii settlement.

15 May. DPR ombudsman: since the start of the year, 23 people (19 soldiers, 4 civilians) were killed, 59 people (33 soldiers, others civilians, including 6 children and 6 women) were injured (noted, civilians injuries number is given as 24 which does not add up to 59 total).

14 May. Opolchenie: ''At night and in the morning, Ukrainian forces shelled: Panteleymonovka (120 mm), shell shock injuries received by a woman living at  52 Vinogradnaya st., apt. 10., Zaitsevo (120 mm, large caliber machine guns), Red Partizan (122mm artillery), Yasinovatya checkpoint, industrial zone (82mm, small arms). Throughout the day and in the evening Airport, Spartak, Debaltseve district, south-west of Gorlovka, Staromikhaylovka were shelled (120 and 82mm mortars, BMP, large caliber machine guns, small arms), five houses were damaged.

13 May. It is reported that Dmitry Kozak, assistant Russia's presidential administration chief (replacing Surkov in the post-Soviet and Ukrainian affairs) made a trip to Berlin to discuss Donbass conflict. Further it is reported that Ukrainian delegation at the trilateral contact group in Minsk will be extended to include 10 displaced persons from Donbass (supposedly selected to back Ukrainian positions). Unenthusiastic response from L/DPR mentions that Minsk agreements call for creation of consultative council, to include 10 voting representatives each from Ukraine and LPR+DPR, with consultative votes given to OSCE, Russia, Germany and France. Those plans were "blocked by Ukrainian radicals" but current developments can be "an intermediate model" towards creation of "a full-fledged consultative council" 1, 2, 3. 9 May. 75-th anniversary of the Victory Day: Moscow (video), Minsk, Donetsk and Lugansk 1, 2, Odessa, Kiev.

7 May. Opolchenie: ''At night, Ukrainian forces shelled: Zhabichevo (AGS, SPG, large caliber machine guns, small arms). Petrovskoe: (AGS, large caliber machine guns), Spartak, airport district, Yasinovataa checkpoint (82mm mortars, RPG,  large caliber  machine guns). In the morning and throughout the day, Ukrainian forces shelled: Zhabichevo (RPG, machine guns), Sakhanka (SPG, machine guns); as a result of the shelling, one soldier was killed, one soldier wounded, and civilians were injured: male, born in 1971 (shrapnel wound to the lumbar region); male, b. 1976 (multiple shrapnel wounds to the chest and right shoulder); woman, born 1977 (brain concussion); boy, born 2006 (fracture of both bones of the right lower leg, right elbow, multiple shrapnel wounds of the left lower leg and foot); girl, born 2006 (fragmentation non-penetrating wounds of the temporal region on the left, concussion, abrasions of the left thigh.'' Video from hospital, here. DPR/JCCC report here.

5 May. DPR: explosions reported at the Ukrainian position involved in the attack which wounded children a day earlier.

4 May. DPR: Ukraine shelled a residential area, in Alexandrovka, near the separation line; as a result, three girls were injured - 7-year-old Milana (shrapnel wound to the back), 10-year-old Sofia (shrapnel wound to the head), 7-year-old Anastasia (shrapnel wound to the leg). In addition, a man, 1965 DOB, was wounded by shrapnel while he was in his room.

2 May. DPR: ''Today, by order of war criminal Goncharuk, a mortar platoon from the motorized infantry battalion, armed with 60-mm NATO-type mortars, delivered as part of aid from Canada, arrived at the forefront of the 128th brigade, and at 14.00 they launched targeted fire at our positions in the area of Yasnoe, firing 30 mortar shells. As a result of this insidious provocation, the defender of our Republic, who was at that time on a military post, received injuries incompatible with life''.

Reports, photos, videos on the 6-th anniversary of Odessa massacre : Rusvesna (Rus)., (robo-Eng.); Strana.ua (Rus).

An interesting interview with Vladimir Grubnik, M.D., from Odessa, supporter of the pro-Russia movement since 2014, who was at the Cathedral square (Sobornaia ploshad) during May 2, 2014 events and escaped the Trade Union building massacre. He apparently became supportive of active resistance, and in any case was arrested and kept in solitary confinement since 2015, prior to his released in one of large prisoners exchanges. He calls himself a political prisoner, and so may be not involved in any actual violent acts, although he was charged with preparing some. Now stays in DPR. Comments on Novorossia (including lack of organization or support, lack of an able fighting force on their side or police protection during May 2, 2014 events, etc).

1 May. In a serious, possibly fatal blow to "North stream 2" Germany denied excluding the project from EU requirements prohibiting supplier to own the pipe, extended to sea pipes in April, 2019. "North stream" argued that financing of the project should be considered completed in May 2019, before the changes were in force.