Ukraine news/Archive/2018-06

30 Jun. Civilian man was wounded by Ukrainian shelling of Gagarin mine pit, near Gorlovka.

Prior to start of ceasefire, Ukraine shelled settlement of Donetskii, LPR

At around 23:00, a powerful explosion at natural gas distribution station in Novoazovsk region was reported, leaving southern part of DPR without gas supply. Reasons are unknown, with sabotage not excluded.

28 Jun. DPR MoD: Ukraine made two failed attempt to attack in Gorlovka direction. Attacks were repelled, using small arms fire. Up to 3 UAF soldiers were killed and at least 3 wounded. Ukraine responded with artillery and tank fire, to cover advance of their RSG group. However RSG group was spotted and fired on; two group members were wounded. After that, RSG withdrew.

In the morning Ukraine fired mortars and ten 122 mm artillery shells on Gorlovka. In the past day, Ukraine fired 75 shells, 3 buildings in Dokuchaevsk and Donetsk were damaged.

27 Jun. Contact group negotiated new 'bread ceasefire', starting 1 July

23 Jun. Ukraine fired on Dokuchaevsk, a civilian woman, 1942 DOB was wounded.

DPR MOD: Ukraine fired mortars and light weapons on Zaitsevo and Gagarin minepit near Gorlovka. Also Ukrainian 'occupiers bands' said to attack Ukrainian-held villages Yuzhnoe, Gladosovo, and Metallist (to blame DPR for attacking civilians).

Ukraine fired AGS and twenty five 122-mm artillery shells from Vodyanoe and from Gnutovo on settlements of Leninskoe and Sakhanka, near Novoazovsk, DPR (map). Four Ukrainian tanks arrived to Andreevka, DPR appealed to OSCE to see them withdrawn.

Two Ukrainian groups, about 15 fighters in total, attempted to break through DPR positions near Mariupol. One of the groups triggered an explosion trying to defuse land mines, another proceeded but was repelled by DPR forces small arms fire. It is said that by preliminary data up to 3 UAF soldiers were killed and 4 wounded, and one DPR soldier was wounded (DPR video report).

Ukraine shelled Gorlovka, one residential house is damaged.

In Krivoy Rog, Dnepropetrovsk region, nationalistic activists and police argued with 54 old man over St. George ribbon displayed inside his car. The man said that he was raised in the USSR, that this is a matter of his faith, and that if they are not happy with the Soviet past, they should take down surrounding buildings constructed in the Soviet era. He was supported by a passing by woman. Police stated that those symbols are banned by the Ukrainian law. Activists and the man argued about the war in Donbass, with the man saying that he belongs to Ukraine but 'nobody asked you to come/ fight in Donbass'. They also argued about the flag, red-and-blue (UkrSSR) vs yellow-and-blue (Ukraine). Police eventually removed the ribbon, with the argument continuing. (dialog.ua, Rusvesna, video).

22 Jun. On the anniversary of the start of operation Barbarossa (the Nazi invasion of the USSR, 1941), and the start of what is known as the Great Patriotic War, a large public gathering in Lugansk cheered as judges announced life sentences to the top Ukrainian leadership for war and other serious crimes, quoting articles of the Ukrainian criminal code. The event felt heavily scripted and 'Soviet', yet strong and genuine feeling were apparent underneath too.

OHCHR report on the human rights situation in Ukraine, Feb-May 2018 is published. Item 18: majority of civilian casualties from shelling and small arms is attributed to Ukrainian fire.

21 Jun. In the evening, Ukraine resumed firing on DPR (Donetsk airport, Yasinovataya checkpoint) from large caliber machine guns and automatic grenade launchers; later mortars and (tripod)-mounted anti-tank grenade launchers were used to fire on Zaitsevo. It is reported that DPR suppressed Ukrainian firing position near Kominternovo, near Mariupol, which was used to shell the village for days.

Poroshenko called Putin on the phone (press statements: Kremlin, Poroshenko office).

Russia-born SBU general Alexander Kuts was named new governor of Ukrainian-held Donetsk region. Kuts served in 'anti-corruption' branch of SBU till 2014. Since 2015 he was head of Donetsk SBU, and was accused by Zakharchenko in being one of organizers of Motorola assassination.

Text and audio of one of the recorded conversations of Poroshenko with a runaway Ukrainian MP and oligarch Onishenko is published, allegedly showing corruption.

Aleksei Bidusenko, who is said to change sides to join LPR taking secret documents with him, has been captured by Ukrainian reconnaissance group. The announcement quotes Rusvesna article (24 June 2017). In that article it is stated that the Ukrainian side is seeking Bidusenko who has left his post with some documents, and that LPR opened a search for him too, trying to help him to escape. (His fate is unclear from the 2017 article).

20 Jun. Ukraine shelled Gorlovka, a civilian man was wounded.

19 Jun. (morning), Kiev. Protesters gather in front of the Rada, shout 'Gan'ba', some clashes with the police (video). Many are war or ATO veterans protesting worsening social conditions.

15 Jun. DPR ombudsman: in the past week, 5 DPR soldiers were killed, 17 people (6 soldiers, 8 civilian men, 3 civilian women) were wounded.

13 Jun. Anatoly Gritsenko, Ukrainian ex-DM, claims that he is one of the participants of 'a working group' which includes members from Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany and the US, with experience at the level of (ex) foreign ministers, defense ministers, ambassadors. He claims that the group meets from time to time in Europe to develop proposals for the leadership on issues such as peacekeepers, elections, amnesty. (Gritsenko versions of those proposals are not too different from Volker's). 12 Jun. Ukraine shelled Donetsk, Gorlovka areas with mortars, BMP guns, and small firearms. One DPR soldier was killed. A civilian was wounded in Dokuchaevsk by Ukrainian large caliber machine gun fire. It is also said that Ukraine deployed anti-aircraft systems near Kramatorsk, provocations feared.

LPR. it is reported that Ukrainian special operations forces arrived dressed in Russian uniforms; provocations feared.

9 Jun. The G7 leaders, meeting in Canada, fail to reach an agreement on a communique condemning Russia for its "illegal annexation of Crimea".

8 Jun. Ukraine fired mortars on (1) Zaitsevo, near Gorlovka. A civilian was wounded (2) Sakhanka, in DPR south; a civilian was wounded here too; a residential building, gas pipeline and power lines were damaged

7 Jun. Putin: if Ukraine attacks in Donbass, that will have 'very heavy consequences for Ukrainian statehood as a whole' (answering a question from Zakhar Prilepin, as reported by Rusvesna, full QA transcript to appear. Many questions, including Skripal, etc ).

Ukraine fired mortars on Golubovskoe village, LPR, a civilian bus was hit, 6 passengers were wounded

6 Jun. Donetsk water filtering station lost power as a result of Ukrainian mortar shelling. This happened on the same day as OSCE SMM intensive monitoring near the station ended.

Ukrainian MoI Avakov: The Minsk process played a role and at the moment it is dead (robo-translation)