Ukraine news/Archive/2017-10

30 Oct. Volker to Hromadske.ua

Q: What will be the role of the self-proclaimed "DPR" and "LNR" in this process? Will they be involved in some way? Russia controls them, but formally they control access to territories where peacekeepers must come.

A: I think this issue has been resolved: Minsk agreements - between Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE. The idea is to restore control of Ukraine over these territories, to hold elections there. Therefore, there is no place for the so-called republics.

Female member of nats. bat 'Kiev 2' Amina Okueva was killed and her husband Adam Osmaev, accused (by SBU in 2012, then in Russia) of Putin assassination plot, was wounded when their car was shot at near Kiev (Osmaev interview in hospital; Gerashenko; Gordonua; Rusvesna). Okueva was a doctor with weapons training including sniping; born in Odessa and identified as a Chechen, but apparently via marriages to Chechens. That may include conversion to Islam; she stated that she is a Muslim. On a previous assassination attempt on Osmaev, 1 Jun., she shot and wounded the attacker. . Her and her mother's birth certificates appeared on the web and their non-Chechen origins discussed.

28 Oct. DPR. Civilian man (Kotov, 1992 DOB) was killed in Ukrainian shelling of Trudovskaya mine pit area.

'Military camp to be established next to Rada', after protesters demands on introducing in Rada anti-corruption court and presidential impeachment laws were not met. Saakashvili calls for a Veche (public gathering/historic term) near Rada tomorrow, to discuss 'new demands' and 'plan of change of power'.

27 Oct. DPR ombudsman: in the past week, 4 DPR soldiers were killed, 9 people (6 soldiers ond 3 civilian men) were wounded.

DPR MOD weekly report, as well as OSCE, note that heavy weapons were moved away from storage areas and towards the separation line. Increase of hostilities is anticipated (Rus.), (Eng.)

26 Oct. Explosion in central Donetsk, in a residential building, not far from the government quarters. Two people were wounded. Said to be natural gas explosion, by preliminary reports.

25 Oct. Assassination attempt on a notorious Ukrainian MP Igor Mosiychuk, a motorcycle exploded nearby. Mosiychuk was wounded, a bodyguard and a by-passer were killed 112.ua, Rusvesna. Earlier, on 24 Oct., Mosiychuk took part in a mob storming Kiev court, to try to release OUN member Kohanovsliy (arrested for using a traumatic gun on an opponent during an altercation). Mosiychuk was also involved in calling for an investigation of Sergey Levochkin (some other rather shadowy business dealings were also mentioned). In 2014, Mosiychuk was on a video shooting at Kadyrov portrait (Kadyrov denied any role).

24 Oct. Ukrainian migration service denied Saakashvilli request for a refugee status in Ukraine. Separately, Lutsenko accused him of plotting a coup. Saakashvilli announced that he plans to move to a tent opposite the Rada building in Kiev (video)

Putin ordered to regulate, tax bitcoin mining in Russia.

22 Oct. DPR MOD: in the past day, 1 DPR soldier and 1 civilian was wounded. Unconfirmed Ukrainian reports that DPR woman sniper 'Belosnezhka' was killed. Some reports attribute it to propaganda; another report gives a location, Spartak, near Donetsk. It is noted that photos of 2 different people are shown in Ukrainian report.

The “Mad Dog” Appears in the Donbas -AtlanticCouncil's Digital Forensic Research Lab

21 Oct. DPR MOD: in the past day, 1 DPR soldier was killed

19 Oct. DPR ombudsman: in the past week, 4 people were killed (all sodiers), 3 people were wounded (1 soldier, 1 civilian man, 1 civilian woman).

Answering K. Zatulin on additional measures to absorb refugees (1.2 mln of them in Russia), Putin stated that "the Government ... have received such instructions" (exact details not supplied). DONi news interprets this as granting Russian citizenship to Donbass refugees

18 Oct. At 17:20 police attempted to take down the tent city on Grushevskaya street. After some clashes and pepper spray use, police retreated -(Rusvesna)(112.ua).

17 Oct. Some clashes between protesters (+'Donbass' nats bat) and law enforcement were reported. It is said that law enforcement then retreated (Rusvesna photos, videos).

Some clashes reported, apparently when a tent was brought. One policeman injured. (Photo made by MP Anton Gerashenko).

Rusvesna: An artillery battery was deployed (said to be for a salute) in the Mariinsky Park in Kiev, located in close proximity to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, where mass protests are taking place today, and once the camp of "Anti-Maidan" was stationed (photos).

Saakashvilli is in Kiev and addressing protesters (and said to be giving 'till the end of the day' for their demands to be fulfilled). Rada MP Mosiichuk and MOI adviser Shkiryak accused protesters camp in planning to storm Rada. It is reported that Poroshenko proposed to lift Rada deputies immunity, which will go towards fulfilling one of the demands. (Peak of protests which started on defenders' day was expected around today. 112.ua online coverage).

Independent reporter Graham Phillips publishes a short documentary from the construction site of what will be the largest mosque in Eastern Europe in Simferopol, Crimea.

The World Jewish Congress condemns the unveiling in the city of Vinnitsa of a statue of "cruel barbarian" Symon Petliura, "indisputably responsible for pogroms in which 35,000-40,000 Jews were murdered".

14 Oct. Latest UN report contain civilian casualties data, 16 May to 15 August 2017, separately for L/DPR (where shelling casualties, as presented, are about 2 times higher) and Ukrainian-controlled areas, p. 7. Also overalls from 1 Jan. 2016 are given.

13 Oct. DPR ombudsman: in the past week, 3 people (2 soldiers, 1 civilian man) were killed, 4 people (1 soldier, 1 civilian man, a civilian woman, and a 16 years old teenager) were wounded.

Larisa Saragan, spokeswoman of Ukrainian attorney general Lutsenko, claimed (Eng. version) that Turkey will not allow ships which visited Crimea to 'enter Turkey' (and its ports). It is discussed whether this implies restrictions on passing Bosporus. Similar claims were made earlier. Turkish document is here.

12 Oct. First since the start of 'school ceasefire' Grad strike by UAF, on Bezymennoe settlement in DPR south. ATGM (ПТУР -Rus.), mortars, BTR and BMP guns, small firearms also used.

PACE adopted a resolution critical of Ukrainian language policies (Ukrinform).

10 Oct. Miloš Zeman answers the question of Alexey Goncharenko in PACE (video).

DPR MOD reports a firefight between 2 Ukrainian detachments (36 обр МП and 59 омпбр) due to lack of communication, which they tried to blame on DPR, by firing on DPR positions and trying to cause return fire. (DPR says they did not respond).

9 Oct. 47 years old father of 3 was killed by Ukrainian shelling of Gorlovka hitting his home; the wife and children were not hurt. Video from the scene.

Ukrainian politolog and journalist Dmitry Gordon on live News One porgram, quoting his sources (not revealed): USA set a condition that a new president (after 2019 elections) must not have any connection to past power, and there are two such people already seriously preparing. They are famous Ukrainians known to the whole world.

6 Oct. DPR MOD: 48 ceasefire violations in the past day (increase of nighttime shelling reported on social media), 1 soldier was killed. In the past week, 278 ceasefire violations, 2 soldiers killed and 3 wounded.

Rada extended by another year a law on 'special self-governance' in L/DPR ('ORDLO'), to be in effect on the continuation that 'Russia withdraw its troops' (which was always denied). It also adopted in the first reading 'reintegration law', which does not mention Minsk agreements (and contradicts those).

Kurt Volker interview to gazeta.ru(robo-translation), prior to meeting with Surkov in Serbia (offers help restoring Ukrainian sovereignty, with peacekeepers for pro-Russians safety).

4 Oct. Poroshenko introduced in Rada a bill on reintegration of Donbass (bill robo-translation). In the bill, L/DPR territory is portrayed as temporarily occupied by Russia. That is used to back-justify using of armed forces, control flow of goods and people, etc. Stated goal is 'liberation' and establishing Ukrainian control (article 4). Crimea is not discussed in details, but similar principles indicated. When the law was introduced (June, 2017), it was made clear that it was inspired by Croatia events (after protracted process, Croatian forces defeated Serbian forces of the Republic of Serbian Krajina in two sudden military strikes). DPR stated that the bill contradicts Minsk agreements (+ they were not consulted, as Minsk requires, of course).

1 Oct. The (only partly successfully) crowd-funded documentary "Frontstadt Donezk - die unerwünschte Republik" by German independent filmmaker and part-time Donetsk resident Mark Bartalmai, covering the civilian life and nation-building efforts in the city, is published free for all on youtube (German language).