france24--2019-04-20--Ukrainian army struggles to demine war-stricken Donbas region

The Eastern Donbas region of Ukraine has become one of the most heavily mined in the world, according to the UN, as some 2,000 people have been killed or injured by landmines since war began. But demining is only possible in some areas.  Every month, the Ukrainian army's demining brigade comes to a disused quarry to dispose of explosive materials found along the frontline. There are anti-tank mines, anti-personnel mines, IEDs, unused ammunition – only a tiny fraction of what's there.  “To fully clear the land along the frontline would take two or three decades, and in many places demining is not currently possible, due to shelling,” Major Marta Mizerina, Head of Demining Co-ordination from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, explained to FRANCE 24.  The Halo Trust is one of three international NGOs engaged in demining in Ukraine. In this area, right on the Russian border, which saw fierce fighting in 2014, the deminers use metal detectors to look for anti-tank mines underground. That is after they have checked the area for tripwires, using plastic rods.  Many of the deminers are local. But there's a lack of adequate information about where mines and unexploded ordnance may be found.  “I live on the same street as this kid, he found a shell, I don't know where, and took it home and he wanted to take it apart and it blew his fingers off," Aleksandr Velev, a Halo Trust deminer, told FRANCE 24.  To view the full FRANCE 24 report, click on the video player above.


newsweek--2019-01-10--Russia vs Ukraine War Ceasefire Violations and Evidence of Russian Interference as Conflict Enters

Russia vs. Ukraine War: Ceasefire Violations and Evidence of Russian Interference as Conflict Enters Fifth Year

As Ukraine marked the fifth anniversary of the start of its armed conflict with Russian-backed separatists, Kiev said there were multiple violations of its ceasefire agreement in the eastern part of the country known as the Donbas.  On January 9, Russian proxy forces in eastern Ukraine violated the ceasefire twice, Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation noted.  "The strongholds of our troops were fired upon from grenade launchers of various types, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms near the village of Novomykhailivka on the Donetsk line and outside Lebedynske in the Mariupol direction," a statement from the Joint Forces Operation reads.  Around 10,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the fighting between Ukraine and Russian-backed forces over the past five years since the fighting broke out. The conflict began after a pro-Western social movement ousted a pro-Russian president who subsequently fled the country.  Russia has denied that it is backing the separatists, but both the U.S. and the European Union have sanctioned Russia over its interference in eastern Ukraine, citing evidence of Moscow’s involvement.  Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office also issued a report on Thursday claiming that it had discovered documents in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region that prove Russia is financing the separatists there.  “The evidence obtained will be used in cases against the Russian Federation in international courts. The PGO continues active work in the relevant direction,” a spokesman said in a statement.  Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is monitoring the conflict and whether both sides are abiding by the rules of the Mink II peace agreement, which was signed in 2015. The agreement commits both Ukraine and Russia to “immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and its strict implementation as of 15 February 2015, 12am local time.” Both sides were also required to withdraw heavy weapons from a designated security zone.  Experts, however, have cast doubt on the efficacy of the agreement.  “The Minsk agreement signed in February 2015, also known as Minsk II, is destined to fail because it was designed to fail,” Max Bader, lecturer on Russia and Eurasia at the University of Leiden, wrote for Carnegie Europe last year. “The separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine and their Russian backers never intended to implement points 4 and 9 of the agreement. Point 4 stipulates that new local elections in the separatist territories must be held under Ukrainian legislation. Point 9 provides for the full restoration of Ukrainian state control over the country’s borders. Two years after Minsk II was signed, there is not the slightest indication that Moscow and the separatists intend to fulfill these elements of the accord."


rferl--2019-08-25--One Ukraine Soldier Killed 3 wounded In Donbas Conflict

One Ukraine Soldier Killed, 3 wounded In Donbas Conflict

One Ukrainian soldier was killed, and three were wounded on August 25 in the conflict zone of the Donbas where Moscow-backed separatists continue to fight government forces.      All the casualties took place in the army’s “north” operational and tactical group who took fire from “grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, and small arms,” the military reported.   https://www.facebook.com/pressjfo.news/      One soldier died of his wounds during the evacuation of the four servicemen.      He was Vitaliy Sobko, 20, a marine from the western Ukrainian region of Ternopil.   https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2019/08/25/7224457/      More than 13,000 people have been killed in the Donbas conflict that started in April 2014 when Russian-backed separatists took up arms against government forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russia’s invasion and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula preceded the armed uprising that prompted the European Union, United States and other countries to impose sanctions on Russia.      An additional 1.5 million people have been internally displaced, the largest migration of people on the European continent since World War II.      Sixty-six Ukrainian soldiers were killed through July of this year, according to Censor.net, a Ukrainian news portal.      After getting elected in April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for a four-way meeting with Russia, Germany, and France – known as the Normandy format – to revive peace talks with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.      Moscow has said there is interest to renew peace discussions, but no date has been set.      Russia denies involvement in the Donbas conflict and has portrayed events there as Ukraine’s “internal” affair.


rferl--2019-10-15--Two Ukraine Soldiers Killed From Sniper Shots In Donbas Conflict Zone

Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and one wounded in the war zone of eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military announced on October 15 during its daily briefing.      Among the two killed was Poltava-region native Yaroslava Nykonenko, 36, who served in the elite security brigade of the military’s General Staff.      Both soldiers were killed from sniper fire, the military said.      Nykonenko’s father, Serhiy Nykonenko, also fought in the Donbas conflict and was killed from Grad missile fire on January 18, 2015. An Afghan war veteran, he died aged 52.      At least seven military personnel have been killed this month in the conflict, which has raged since April 2014 when Russian-backed separatists started forcibly taking over government buildings, and law enforcement and security stations in the two easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.      More than 90 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the year, according to a monthly count by local media outlet Censor.net.      Among them were at least two other women.      Sergeant Iryna Shevchenko, a Marine combat medic, died from her wounds on July 1 when an anti-tank guided missile struck the ambulance in which she was riding to evacuate a wounded soldier in Donetsk region.      She was a native of the southern Kherson region and was a fish monger before joining the military. She was buried in her hometown on July 3.      The ambulance driver, Serhiy Mayboroda, was killed on the spot during the rocket attack.      On April 2, machine-gunner Yana Chervona, 40, was killed while in a trench in Luhansk region during a barrage of 82-millimeter and 120-millimeter mortar rockets.      She was a native of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city located in the northeast, and served in the Donbas-Ukraine special purpose battalion of the 54th separate mechanized brigade.      More than 13,000 people have been killed in the war and 1.5 million more internally displaced, according to the UN.  With reporting by Ukrainska Pravda, Novynaria, and Censor.net


rferl--2019-12-02--Two Ukrainian Soldiers Killed In Donbas

Two Ukrainian Soldiers Killed In Donbas

Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed during a combat mission in the eastern Donetsk region on December 1, the military said in a Facebook post.  They died from wounds inflicted by “unknown explosive devices” while defending the rear of the front line from a penetrating “sabotage and reconnaissance group.”      Their deaths followed a November casualty report by the Ukrainian military, which stated that six soldiers, including a colonel, were killed last month.  More than 13,000 people have been killed in the Donbas war, according to UN figures.      Four-way talks between France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine are planned for December 9 to end the conflict, which is in its sixth year.      After Russia invaded and took over Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in early 2014, it fomented a separatist uprising in the two easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.      Kyiv accuses Moscow of commanding, training, and supplying separatists, as well as fighting alongside militant groups in eastern Ukraine, allegations the Kremlin denies.      Russia insists the conflict is a civil war.


unian--2019-01-26--Donbas war update One Ukrainian soldier killed another four wounded in past day

Donbas war update: One Ukrainian soldier killed, another four wounded in past day

According to intelligence reports, four enemy troops were eliminated and another five were wounded.  Russia's hybrid military forces mounted eight attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another four as wounded in action (WIA).  Read alsoDonbas warzone update: Russian-led forces mount three attacks on Ukraine army on Jan 25  "One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another four were wounded in the past day. According to intelligence reports, four occupiers were killed and another five were wounded. During the counter-sniper fight, the Ukrainian sniper stopped the activities of the Russian mercenary. An infantry fighting vehicle of the Russian occupation forces was also destroyed," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on January 26, 2019.  Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire from anti-tank missile systems, automatic grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms to attack the defenders of the town of Maryinka, and the villages of Katerynivka, Shyrokyne, Opytne, Nevelske, Stanytsia Luhanska, and Zhovte.  "Since Saturday midnight, Russian-led forces haven't attacked Ukrainian positions yet," the report said.


unian--2019-02-18--One invader captured four killed in latest skirmish in Donbas

One invader captured, four killed in latest skirmish in Donbas

The detainee is being interrogated.  One invader was captured and another four were killed during a skirmish as a Ukrainian special operations unit confronted an enemy recon group near Ukraine's position in Donbas on February 18.  "The special forces unit that is operating in the defense zone of one of our brigades in the northern line spotted the enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group moving toward our observation posts," the press center of the Joint Forces Operation wrote on Facebook.  "The enemy retreated after a skirmish erupted. Four militants were killed and one was captured. A detainee is being interrogated now," the report says.


unian--2019-04-03--Nearly 270 civilians incl 27 children killed in landmine blasts in Donbas since beginning of war

Nearly 270 civilians, incl. 27 children, killed in landmine blasts in Donbas since beginning of war

Over 564 civilians have been injured.  As many as 269 civilians, including 27 children, have been killed in landmine blasts since Russia unleashed the war in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.  "Since the beginning of the Russian Federation's armed aggression in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the casualties as a result of the detonation of landmines and explosive remnants of war are 833 civilians – 269 have been killed and 564 have been injured," chief of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's department for environmental safety and mine clearance Maksym Komisarov said at a briefing in Kyiv.  "As many as 125 of them [total casualties] were children: 27 have been killed and 98 have been injured," he said.  According to him, about 16,000 square kilometers in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, including Russia-occupied districts, are contaminated by landmines and other explosive objects.


unian--2019-04-22--Ukrainian soldier killed in mortar shelling in Donbas

Moreover, another Ukrainian soldier was injured in the attack.  Russia's hybrid military forces have mounted nine attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas since the beginning of the day.  The shelling was recorded near the villages of Pavlopil, Ukrainske, Novo-Oleksandrivka, Kalynove-Borshchuvate, Molodizhne, Katerynivka, Sadoviy, Zolote-4 and Zolote-5, the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said on Facebook.  A group of enemy infantry started approaching the support zone near Novo-Oleksandrivka. Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Tsapenko was at that platoon fortified position at that time and spotted the enemy movement. Together with his comrades, he opened fire on enemy troops, forcing them to retreat.  Read alsoUkrainian soldier wounded amid two enemy attacks in Donbas in past day  "Covering the withdrawal of infantry, the enemy began shelling of our positions with 82mm mortars. One of the mortar shells blew up near Oleksandr's position, inflicting deadly injuries. For his bravery, soldier Oleksandr Tsapenko will be awarded (posthumously)," reads the report.  Moreover, one Ukrainian soldier was wounded as a result of enemy shelling, he is now being treated at a hospital.  The militants also opened fire from automatic grenade launchers and sniper weapons near Katerynivka. One of the sniper bullets hit senior soldier Oleksiy Honcharov.  "He was provided first aid and evacuated. There is no threat to his life. For his bravery, senior soldier Oleksiy Honcharov will be awarded," the press center said.


unian--2019-05-07--Ukrainian soldier killed two injured in Donbas May 7

Ukrainian soldier killed, two injured in Donbas May 7

Militants fired 13 times at Ukraine positions in Donbas from day-start.  As a result of ceasefire violations by Russian-backed forces in the Donbas warzone on Tuesday, May 7, a soldier of Ukrainian Joint Forces was killed in action and another two were injured, according to the JF Operation press service.  Russian armed formations shelled positions of the Ukrainian units using 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, also firing weapons installed on infantry combat vehicles, as well as anti-tank missiles, and opening fire from large-caliber machine guns, automatic rifles, and sniper weapons.  In the zone of responsibility of the "Skhid" [East] operational-tactical grouping, the enemy six times attacked Joint Forces' positions: twice using 120mm mortars near Avdiyivka; 82mm mortars, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms – near the village of Vodiane; automatic grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms – near Hnutove; MANPADs – in the area of Novoselivka Druha; and small arms – near the village of Bohdanivka.  In the Pivnich grouping's zone of responsibility, the enemy engaged JF positions seven times: four times using 122mm artillery systems, 120mm mortars, anti-tank missile systems, and large-caliber machine guns – near the village of Novozvanivka; 122mm artillery systems, 120mm mortars, IFV arms, and automatic grenade launchers – outside Popasna; sniper weapons - near Pivdenne, and small arms - within the parties' separation zone near the village of Luhanske.  “As a result of the shelling, a JF soldier was killed, and two were injured. Joint Forces delivered an adequate response to enemy provocations. Within the parties' separation area near Stanytsia Luhanska, Joint Forces did not return fire in response to the shelling. Reports on enemy losses are being verified," the press center concluded.


unian--2019-06-20--OSCE monitors Seven civilians killed in Donbas war since years start

OSCE monitors: Seven civilians killed in Donbas war since year's start

Over 14,700 ceasefire violations were recorded on June 3-16, 2019.  The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine has reported that seven civilians have been killed since the beginning of 2019.  "Between June 3 and June 16, the SMM confirmed that one civilian was killed and 16 were injured. This brings the total number of civilian casualties since January 1, 2019, to 57 (seven deaths and 50 injuries)," the OSCE SMM said in a status report as of June 17, 2019.  Read alsoTwo Ukrainian soldiers wounded in enemy shelling in Donbas on Thursday  The SMM also said they had recorded over 14,700 ceasefire violations (compared with almost 10,650 in the previous two-week period).  According to the report, the Mission observed 44 weapons in violation of the agreed withdrawal lines (32 in areas not controlled by the government). "It also noted the presence of weapons and other hardware in residential areas, which puts civilians and their property at risk," the report said.


unian--2019-07-19--OSCE SMM confirms three civilians killed 13 injured in Donbas on July 1-14

OSCE SMM confirms three civilians killed, 13 injured in Donbas on July 1-14

The total number of casualties since January 1, 2019, includes 10 deaths and 71 injuries.  The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine has confirmed that three civilians were killed and 13 were injured in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the first two weeks of July 2019.  "The SMM confirmed that 3 civilians were killed and 13 were injured between July 1 and 14, bringing total number of civilian casualties since January 1, 2019 to 81 (10 deaths and 71 injuries)," the SMM OSCE said on Twitter on July 19.  In its status report as of July 15, 2019, which was published on July 19, OSCE monitors said that "the SMM observed damage caused by small-arms fire and shelling to civilian property and infrastructure in numerous locations along the contact line, including a day clinic, a power station, residential homes and functioning schools."  Read alsoNew ceasefire in Donbas may begin at midnight on July 22 – TCG talks in Minsk  "One school in Zolote, which was hit by gunfire, has sustained damage 11 times since the start of the year," it said.  The SMM also said its monitors recorded over 14,000 ceasefire violations in the first two weeks of July 2019 compared with about 14,350 cases recorded in the previous two-week period.  "In the Zolote disengagement area, where the Mission noted the continued presence of forces and hardware, the number of ceasefire violations remained high. No ceasefire violations were recorded in the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area since the Mission noted the disengagement of forces and hardware from the area on June 26," it said.


unian--2019-07-21--Two Ukrainian soldiers killed in IED blast in Donbas

The incident occurred just hours after the latest ceasefire, the so-called "harvest truce", was announced.  Four servicemen who were part of the Joint Forces on a mission in the Donbas warzone were killed as they stepped on an explosive device planted by an enemy subversion group, that's according to the report by the JFO HQ.  The two soldiers died on the spot, the report says, adding that another two military were injured in the blast and rushed to the nearest hospital.  The incident occurred in the area of the settlement of Shchastia.  Read also"DPR" terrorists make 70-year-old man from Donetsk walk through area with landmines (Photo)  The JFO Command expressed their condolences to the families of the fallen troops.  As UNIAN reported earlier, from 00:01 on July 21, another ceasefire has come into force, as reported by the press center of the Joint Forces Operation HQ.  "In pursuance of the decision taken in Minsk following the Trilateral Contact Group meeting, from 00:01 Kyiv time on July 21, 2019 the 'silence regime' is being set up along the entire line of contact in the JFO zone in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which provides for a mutual ceasing of any weapons' fire," the report says.  Units of the Joint Forces will "adequately respond" to enemy shelling in case the invaders violate the ceasefire regime.  "According to the Ukrainian legislation, Joint Forces are entitled and obliged to protect life and health of military personnel and civilian population,  and to prevent territorial losses,” says the report.  As UNIAN reported earlier, on July 18, the representative of Ukraine in the TCG's political working group, Roman Bezsmertnyi, announced that an agreement had been reached on the "harvest truce" to be introduced from 00:01 on July 21, which for the first time prohibits any fire, and envisages responsibility for violating the deal.


fortruss--2019-07-07--MAJOR Donbass OSCE Representatives Under Fire

MAJOR: Donbass, OSCE Representatives Under Fire

DONBASS – OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) observers’ patrol came under fire while in the village of Zolotoe-5 (LNR). RIA Novosti reports this, citing data from the mission’s press service.  It is noted that OCSE personnel came under Ukrainian small arms fire 600 meters east of the demarcation line. Members of the SMM patrol heard two instances of small arms fire, and then a whistle of bullets buzzing over their heads, as well as the sound of a ricochet at a distance of five to ten meters to the south of their position. After the incident, the SMM patrol immediately left the area.  Earlier it was reported that just in one day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces violated the cease-fire four times in Lugansk People’s Republic and 18 times in Donetsk People’s Republic.  This was announced by the head of the DPR representative office in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire Agreement, Ruslan Yakubov.  Yakubov added that the following areas came under fire from the Ukrainian military: Yasinovataya, Gorlovka suburb of Zaitsevo, Gagarin, Kominternovo, Oktiabr, Sakhanka, and Sosnovskoye in the south of the DPR.  It was reported that 122 mm howitzers, 120 and 82 mm caliber mortars, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), weapons of infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, grenade launchers, and small arms were used during the shelling. Ammunition with a caliber of up to 12.7 mm is not taken into account when indicating the total number of ammunition used in the daily shelling.  There was damage to civilian infrastructure as a result of the shelling. Two buildings were damaged in Gorlovka.  “At 6:30 AM, Armed Forces of Ukraine fired from the direction of the settlement Leninskoe (known as Yuzhnoe in Ukrainian) in the direction of the village of Golmovsky. As a result of the shelling, damage was recorded in the village of Zaitsevo at the following addresses: Rybalko Street, 169 and Obrucheva Street, 48, ”the report says.  The representative’s office added that a garage and a farm were damaged. Luckily, there were no casualties.


tass--2019-02-12--Ukrainian forces intensify Donbass shellings ahead of Minsk talks DPR peoples militia

Ukrainian forces intensify Donbass shellings ahead of Minsk talks — DPR people's militia

© Valentin Sprinchak/TASS  DONETSK, February 11. /TASS/. People's militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) has registered the increasing number of shellings by Ukrainian forces, including from mortars of 120mm caliber, ahead of the meeting of the Contact Group on settlement in Donbass, spokesman for DPR people's militia Daniil Bezsonov said on Monday.  "Ahead of another round of talks in Minsk, Ukrainian forces are intensifying shellings at the republic's territory, including with the use of heavy weaponry, while the very fact that such weapons are even stationed anywhere near the contact line is a violation of the Minsk Agreements," Donetsk News Agency quoted Bezsonov as saying.  He noted that only on Monday, Ukrainian forces shelled DPR settlements five times from mortars of 120mm caliber. Ukrainian forces opened fire at the Donetsk airport, the settlement of Leninskoye in the south of DPR and the village of Golmovsky near the town of Gorlovka. "We call on OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] to take necessary and immediate measures to pacify Ukrainian forces," Yakubov noted.  The next meeting of the Contact Group on settlement in eastern Ukraine will be held in Minsk on February 13.  In other media


sottnet--2019-08-31--Donbass ceasefire is a myth Ukraine continues shelling of residential areas

Donbass ceasefire is a myth: Ukraine continues shelling of residential areas

Last night, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In addition to bilateral relations, they discussed key international issues, such as the situations in Syria, Libya, and around the Iranian nuclear program. They also discussed the situation in Ukraine, including prospects of a new Normandy Four summit. According to the Kremlin's press service, the president noted that such a meeting should be thoroughly prepared so that it could bring concrete results.The EU and other Western countries regularly criticize Russia, even imposing sanctions, due to the so-called "violations" of the Minsk Treaty. However, it is Ukraine that never honors the deal.In addition, Gorlovka was shelled as well. More than 20 shells were fired by the Ukrainian Army, hitting mostly residential areas. In the meantime,


unian--2019-01-11--Thursday shelling of utility truck in Donbas Russias staged provocation OSINT group

Thursday "shelling of utility truck" in Donbas Russia's staged provocation – OSINT group

Russian propaganda operatives are tasked with convincing the public that the attack allegedly came from the Ukrainian side.  Ukrainian Member of Parliament, coordinator of the Information Resistance OSINT group Dmytro Tymchuk says the Jan 10 incident where a shell allegedly hit a service truck of the Voda Donbasa water supply utility company near the village of Kruta Balka (area of Donetsk region controlled by Russian proxies), injuring three employees, is being exploited by Russian media to discredit the Ukrainian Army.  Russia is trying to convince the public that the attack was allegedly committed by Ukraine's Joint Forces, rather than Russian-backed militants, Information Resistance wrote on Jan 11.  However, the real picture of the provocation is as follows, according to the OSINT experts.  Russian occupation forces claim that rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPG), mounted anti-tank grenade launchers (SPG), guns of BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), etc. were employed in the attack. However, the distance from the Joint Forces' advanced positions in the area to the incident site (2.5 km), local topography (namely, elevation difference of about 30 m), and obstacles, that is forest belts along the road, would make it impossible to hit a vehicle by such types of weapons from Ukraine's positions, the publication said.  Read alsoOne step short of causing another "Chornobyl" disaster in Donbas, Russia prepares to blame Ukraine – media  Analyzing the photos and videos from the scene that have been posted suggests that the damage to the truck's hull does not correspond to the typical damage caused by ammunition types militants claim was used.  The damage to the vehicle and marks on the ground as a result of the car burning down indicate that the attack was, in fact, staged.  The purpose of the provocation is obviously to accuse the Ukrainian side of a targeted shelling of a utility vehicle, to further highlight the fact as "another attack by the Ukrainian Army against Donbas civilians."  "There are no other explanations for this provocation by Russian invaders," the OSINT group concludes.


unian--2019-02-17--One Ukrainian soldier killed another wounded in enemy shelling in Donbas on Saturday

One Ukrainian soldier killed, another wounded in enemy shelling in Donbas on Saturday

Five enemy troops were killed and another four were wounded.  One Ukrainian soldier was killed in action, another one was wounded in attacks by Russia-led forces in Donbas on Saturday, February 16; another Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action on Sunday, February 17.  "One member of [Ukraine's] Joint Forces was killed, another defender of Ukraine was wounded [on Saturday alone]," the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) press service said in a morning update on Sunday, February 17.  In total, the Russian occupation forces mounted six attacks on Ukrainian troops on Saturday, February 16, the press service said. Proscribed weapons were used in one of the attacks.  Read alsoOSCE monitors see howitzers, Grads in occupied areas in violation of withdrawal lines  In particular, enemy troops twice used grenade launchers of various systems and small arms near the town of Avdiyivka, while grenade launchers were used near the villages of Pavlopil and Hnutove.  Russia-led forces twice attacked Ukrainian positions near the village of Krymske: they used 82mm mortars, weapons of an infantry fighting vehicle, anti-tank grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms in one attack and mounted grenade launchers of various systems and heavy machine guns in the other.  According to Ukrainian intelligence reports, five enemy troops were killed and another four were wounded.  Since Sunday midnight, Russia's hybrid military forces have already mounted two attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas. They used 82mm mortars and large-caliber machine guns near the village of Katerynivka and grenade launchers and small arms near the village of Vodiane.  One Ukrainian soldier has been wounded in action as a result of a Sunday attack.


unian--2019-06-20--Two Ukrainian soldiers wounded in enemy shelling in Donbas on Thursday

Since Thursday midnight, Russia-led forces have already mounted seven attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas.  One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action and another one sustained a combat-related injury amid enemy shelling in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, on Thursday.  "As a result of enemy attacks, one Ukrainian soldier was wounded, another one had a combat-related injury. Our units gave an adequate response to shelling of the armed units of the Russian Federation. Enemy losses are being clarified," the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said on Facebook in an evening update on June 20.  Since Thursday midnight, Russia-led forces have already mounted seven attacks, using proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, as well as grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms.  Hot spots were the village of Pavlopil and the town of Maryinka in the Skhid (East) sector.  Another five attacks were reported in the Pivnich (North) sector, namely near the villages of Luhanske, Travneve, Mayorsk, Novoluhanske, and Novozvanivka.


rferl--2019-11-05--Amid Shelling, School Evacuated Near Ukrainian Town Where Troops Withdrew Ahead Of Peace Talks

A primary school has been evacuated amid an artillery barrage 13 kilometers from Zolote, a town in the easternmost Luhansk region where Ukraine and Moscow-backed separatists have withdrawn their forces ahead of a pending summit to find peace in the Donbas conflict.      At its evening briefing, the Ukrainian military stated that the "enemy used a wide spectrum of weapons, ranging from small arms to mortars of different calibers and 122-millimeter artillery."      During the shelling, the schoolchildren in the town of Novotoshkivske were taken to a bomb shelter and no casualties were reported among the civilian population.      Zolote is one of three settlements in eastern Ukraine where Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists are supposed to pull back forces and weapons before four-way peace talks commence between Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia to seek an end to the Donbas conflict, which has killed more than 13,000 people.      Close to 100 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed this year, according to local news site Censor.net, which keeps a monthly tally of casualties.      Nine Ukrainian military personnel were killed in October, including Yaroslava Nykonenko, 36, a woman who served in the elite security brigade of the military's General Staff.      Forces on both sides have already withdrawn from Stanytsya Luhanska, a crucial civilian crossing point in the Luhansk region where a damaged bridge is being repaired over a river to ease pedestrian traffic in the clogged area.      The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been monitoring the conflict, including the withdrawal of forces.      "I welcome the completion of the withdrawal of forces and hardware from the disengagement area of Zolote and the start of demining activities," Martin Sajdik, the OSCE's special envoy in Ukraine, said on November 4.  "Encouraged by the progress in Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote, I urge the sides to do everything necessary for relaunching the process of disengagement in the area of Petrivske as soon as possible.”      Ukraine's military has said technical inspections, demining, and clearing Zolote of explosive projectiles are scheduled to last until November 9.      A withdrawal of troops has been postponed in the Donetsk region town of Petrivske, where fighting has resumed -- the agreement to meet for the four-way talks stipulates that fighting must cease for seven days before the withdrawal process can begin.  With reporting by Censor.net and Ukrayinska Pravda


tass--2019-02-08--Journalists LPR envoys to JCCC come under shelling by Ukrainian troops

Journalists, LPR envoys to JCCC come under shelling by Ukrainian troops

LUGANSK, February 8. /TASS/. Journalists and representatives of the self- proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic to the Joint Control and Coordination Center (JCCC) came under shelling by the Ukrainian military near Zolotoye, LPR militia spokesman Andrei Marochko said on Friday.  On February 8, pro-Kiev forces opened fire on the settlements of Maryevka and Mikhailovka near Zolotoye damaging residential buildings, an electric transmission line and a gas pipeline. Afterwards, Ukraine’s Armed Forces shelled emergency teams repairing the damaged transmission tower near Zolotoye-5.  "A group of journalists and a group from the JCCC, who were documenting the consequences of the morning shelling, came under shelling as well," the Lugansk news agency said citing Marochko as saying. "There were no immediate reports about casualties."  On December 29, 2018, a new ceasefire came into force in Donbass on the eve of the New Year and Christmas period. The ceasefire had been negotiated by the Contact Group seeking a peace solution to the Donbass conflict a day before. Nevertheless, Ukraine’s Armed Forces has not stopped shelling the self- proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.  Since the outbreak of hostilities in Donbass, the sides have reached 20 ceasefire agreements, but none of them has turned into a lasting truce.  In other media


tass--2019-03-18--Power lines damaged in DPR after shelling by Ukrainian forces

DONETSK, March 18. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces have shelled the western outskirts of Donetsk which led to interruptions in electricity supply, the mission of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) said on Monday.  "Today at 9pm Ukrainian forces opened fire at the settlement of Staromikhaylovka from weapons on infantry fighting vehicles," Donetsk News Agency quoted the mission as saying. "As a result of the shelling, power lines and a sub-station were damaged, and the southern part of the settlement was left without electricity," the mission added.  The mission noted that Ukrainian forces shot at the settlement 53 times.  The latest agreement on ceasefire entered into force on 8 March 2019. The ceasefire agreement was reached by participants in the Contact Group on settlement of the situation in Donbass.  In other media


tass--2019-07-02--Three Donetsk republics militias wounded one killed in shelling by Kiev troops

Three Donetsk republic's militias wounded, one killed in shelling by Kiev troops

DONETSK, July 2. /TASS/. A militiaman from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) was killed and three have been wounded in shelling by Kiev troops in the past 24 hours, Spokesman for the DPR militia Daniil Bezsonov said on Tuesday.  Ukrainian armed forces were shelling Donetsk, Gorlovka and Mariupol, the Donetsk News Agency quoted him as saying. Artillery shells of 152mm and 122mm caliber, mortars and other arms were used.  Earlier, the DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) said that Ukrainian troops had opened fire at the territory of the self-proclaimed republic 35 times in 24 hours, firing more than 500 munitions. A man was wounded in the shelling of the settlement of Aleksandrovka west of Donetsk on Tuesday morning.  On March 7, the Contact Group’s security subgroup agreed to declare a new ‘spring’ ceasefire in Donbass starting on March 8. However, the Ukrainian military broke the truce just five minutes after it had taken effect.


tass--2019-08-07--Putin urges Ukraines Zelensky to halt Donbass shelling

Putin urges Ukraine’s Zelensky to halt Donbass shelling

MOSCOW, August 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to abstain from any further shelling of Donbass communities by the Ukrainian Armed Forces that leads to civilian deaths, the Kremlin press service reported following the leaders’ telephone conversation initiated by the Ukrainian side.  "During the course of discussing the settlement in southeastern Ukraine, it was emphasized that it is vital to strictly abide by the ceasefire reached on July 21, as well as to disengage forces and hardware from the line of contact. The Russian president stressed that to reach de-escalation of the conflict it is of dire importance to refrain from further shelling of the Donbass Region's communities by the Ukrainian forces, which leads to victims among civilians," the press service's statement reads.  This has been the second phone call between the leaders of the two countries since Zelensky was elected President of Ukraine. The first one took place on July 11 also at the Ukrainian side’s initiative.  On Tuesday, Zelensky called on the Normandy format leaders — Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron — to convene as soon as possible following the deaths of four Ukrainian servicemen after alleged actions by the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) militia. Donetsk slammed these statements as bearing no relation to reality, adding that the incident took place too far from the line of contact and outside of the republic’s weapon range.  The presidents also hashed over the issues of stepping up effort on releasing captives, the Kremlin press service said. "The sides agreed on intensifying efforts to return captives," the press service stated.  The two leaders confirmed the importance of consistently fulfilling the Minsk agreements, including legal aspects of granting a special status to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. In this context, the sides noted the need for a constructive dialogue, including in the framework of the Contact Group.  Putin and Zelensky also discussed prospects of cooperating in the Normandy format (Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France).


tass--2019-08-25--Gorlovkas suburb in DPR comes under shelling by Ukrainian troops

Gorlovka’s suburb in DPR comes under shelling by Ukrainian troops

DONETSK, August 25. /TASS/. A suburb in the city of Gorlovka in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) came under mortar shelling by Ukrainian troops on Sunday evening, the DPR’s mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) reported.  "Ukrainian armed units opened fire at the settlement of Zheleznaya Balks (in Gorlovka’s suburb). Three 120mm caliber mines and four 82mm caliber mines were fired," the mission said.  Apart from that, Ukrainian troops made ten shots from armored infantry carrier at the Gorlovka suburb.  Since the outbreak of the conflict in Donbass, the parties have agreed more than 20 ceasefires. The longest one of them was reported in 2016 when the ceasefire stayed in place for six weeks in a row. However, all the efforts to establish lasting ceasefire have been failing so far.  Yet another, this time a comprehensive and indefinite, ceasefire was declared starting from July 21, 2019 to be violated by the Ukrainian troops on the same day when they opened gunfire at the village of Novaya Tavriya in the south of the DPR.  However at a regular meeting of the Contact Group on settling the situation in eastern Ukraine on August 21 the sides reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and agreed steps to restore a bridge near Stanitsa Luganskaya.


tass--2019-09-01--OSCE monitors Donetsk representatives come under Kiev forces shelling

OSCE monitors, Donetsk representatives come under Kiev forces’ shelling

DONETSK, September 1. /TASS/. Members of the OSCE monitoring mission and representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic at the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center have come under shelling carried out by the Ukrainian forces in the republic’s south, Head of the DPR’s mission to the JCCC Ruslan Yakubov said.  "Today at 12.15 a task force of the DPR’s mission in the JCCC and observers of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, who came at the site to register the aftermath of yesterday’s shelling in the Kominternovo village, came under the Ukrainian forces’ shelling carried out from grenade launchers and small arms," Yakubov said.  According to Yakubov, the fire was opened deliberately, despite the ceasefire backed by the sides and also security guarantees provided by the Ukrainian side in the JCCC. The Ukrainian forces continue shelling the village from 120mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms.  The mission’s monitors and the task force had to stop their effort and leave the site.  At the July 17 meeting in Minsk, members of the Contact Group seeking peace in east Ukraine declared a comprehensive, unconditional, lasting and indefinite ceasefire in Donbass starting from July 21. The truce for the first time included the parties’ commitment to take additional steps to ensure the ceasefire, which is what the Donbass republics had called for before. The ceasefire was broken by Ukrainian troops on the same day when they opened gunfire at the village of Novaya Tavriya in the DPR’s south.


tass--2019-12-27--Number of shellings by Kiev only increased since Zelensky's election — DPR head

DONETSK, December 26. /TASS/. Aggression from Ukrainian forces in Donbass has only intensified after Vladimir Zelensky was elected as Ukraine's president, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin told a televised news conference on Thursday.  "We are not naive and understand very well what the current Kiev authorities are like. Statistics on the number of shellings, on destruction of infrastructure, injuries and casualties among civilians surpasses the cases under [former president] Pyotr Poroshenko. The situation has become worse under Zelensky — more shellings, more casualties, more infrastructure facilities destroyed," Donetsk News Agency quoted Pushilin as saying.  He added that despite Kiev's destructive policy, the DPR remains committed to the process of peaceful settlement at the Minsk talks and should use this international platform to the maximum.  "We should continue talking. We should continue talking even with the enemy, with the opponent, in order to achieve the resolution of pressing issues," Pushilin said. He particularly noted the importance of the Minsk talks for completing prisoner exchange between Kiev and Donbass, which should be carried out by the end of 2019, in accordance with the declaration signed after the Normandy Four summit in Paris on December 9.


unian--2019-05-31--Russian-led forces in Donbas resume use of heavy artillery amid shelling of settlements Ukraine tro

Russian-led forces in Donbas resume use of heavy artillery amid shelling of settlements, Ukraine troops – NGO

In particular, the invaders use 122mm and 152mm artillery systems, as well as 82mm and 120mm mortars.  Information Resistance, a Ukrainian non-governmental project on information security, has said Russian-led forces in Donbas resumed the use of artillery systems amid the shelling of the advanced positions of the Joint Forces, as well as settlements near the contact line.  In particular, the invaders use 122mm and 152mm artillery systems, as well as 82mm and 120mm mortars, the NGO said.  Moreover, the occupiers fire from automatic small arms, mounted and handheld grenade launchers, standard armament of combat armored vehicles, anti-aircraft guns such as ZU-23-2 towed 23mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannons, and anti-tank missile systems.


unian--2019-08-25--Ukrainian soldier killed another three injured in Donbas shelling

Ukrainian soldier killed, another three injured in Donbas shelling

The soldier died of his wounds as he was being evacuated to a hospital.  An enemy shelling in the Donbas warzone killed a Ukrainian soldier, injuring another three today, Aug 25, according to the Joint Forces Operation HQ.  "On August 25, in the Joint Forces Operation zone, four servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine sustained injuries of varying severity in enemy shelling. Unfortunately, one of our brothers-in-arms died of his wounds as he was being evacuated to a medical facility," the statement reads.  It is noted that other affected military are already under medical supervision.  Earlier it was reported that the enemy five times violated ceasefire on Ukraine's Independence Day, Aug 24.


unian--2019-09-24--Donbas war update Ukrainian soldier fatally wounded amid enemy shelling on Sept 24

Donbas war update: Ukrainian soldier fatally wounded amid enemy shelling on Sept 24

Russia-led forces mounted nine attacks on Ukrainian positions from 00:00 to 19:00 Kyiv time on Tuesday.  A Ukrainian soldier was fatally wounded amid enemy shelling in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, on Tuesday, September 24.  "During an enemy attack in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area on September 24, a soldier received a wound incompatible with life," the press center of the JFO Headquarters said on Tuesday.  The circumstances are being established by an ad hoc group of Ukraine's military law enforcement service, it said.  "The Command of the Joint Forces expresses condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased," it said.  According to UNIAN, Russia-led forces mounted 24 attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas on September 23, 2019, as a result of which two Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in action.  Nine enemy attacks were reported from 00:00 to 19:00 Kyiv time on September 24, the JFO HQ said in an evening update on Facebook on the same day.


unian--2019-10-07--Disengagement in Petrivske, Zolote in Donbas postponed due to shelling by Russian-led forces – MFA U

Disengagement in Petrivske, Zolote in Donbas postponed due to shelling by Russian-led forces – MFA Ukraine

Prystaiko said it is necessary again to wait for another seven days, which "must prove that the parties have serious intentions and are ready for further steps."  Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko has said the disengagement of troops in the village of Petrivske and the town of Zolote is postponed due to shelling by Russian-led forces.  "The disengagement was due to begin today, and our negotiation teams agreed on this in Minsk. Unfortunately, you know both Petrivske and Zolote were shelled a few days ago, and as you remember, our decision was that the disengagement begins on the seventh day after peace is maintained on this site and no shelling occurs," he said at a joint press conference with his Latvian counterpart Edgars Rinkēvičs in Kyiv, an UNIAN correspondent reports.  Prystaiko said it is necessary again to wait for another seven days, which "must prove that the parties have serious intentions and are ready for further steps."  According to him, the disengagement provides for the withdrawal of Ukrainian fighters, but the fortified positions will remain.  "If we see that the other side to a conflict is not fulfilling, moreover, God forbid, it plans some aggressive actions, our Armed Forces will take up positions. And believe me, we do not recommend playing and do not recommend trying some steps, such as trying to use the withdrawal as a cover to take up some positions or capture some settlement," Prystaiko said.  The Ukrainian foreign minister also said the Ukrainian police would ensure security in those settlements located in the disengagement area from the Ukrainian side of the contact line.  As UNIAN reported earlier, the disengagement of troops and weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Russia-led forces near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska took place in June 2019.  Zelensky said on September 13 that the withdrawal of troops in Petrivske and Zolote would be the next phase of the peace process in Donbas.  On October 1, he announced the disengagement of troops in Petrivske and Zolote.


unian--2019-11-05--RFE/RL: Amid shelling, school evacuated near Ukrainian town where  troops withdrew ahead of peace  t

RFE/RL: Amid shelling, school evacuated near Ukrainian town where  troops withdrew ahead of peace  talks

The schoolchildren were taken to a bomb shelter.  A primary school has been evacuated amid an artillery barrage 13 kilometers from Zolote, a town in the easternmost Luhansk region where Ukraine and Russia-led forces have withdrawn their troops ahead of a pending summit to find peace in the Donbas conflict.  At its evening briefing, the Ukrainian military stated that the "enemy used a wide spectrum of weapons, ranging from small arms to mortars of different calibers and 122-millimeter artillery," Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) said.  During the shelling, the schoolchildren in the town of Novotoshkivske were taken to a bomb shelter and no casualties were reported among the civilian population.  Zolote is one of three settlements in eastern Ukraine where Kyiv and Russia-led forces are supposed to pull back forces and weapons before four-way peace talks commence between Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia to seek an end to the Donbas conflict, which has killed more than 13,000 people. Forces on both sides have already withdrawn from Stanytsia Luhanska, a crucial civilian crossing point in Luhansk region where a damaged bridge is being repaired over a river to ease pedestrian traffic in the clogged area.


unian--2019-12-22--Russia-led forces continue shelling Ukraine positions in Donbas: Six new attacks reported on Dec 21

They used banned 120mm and 82mm mortars.  Russia-led forces continued shelling Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, as six new enemy attacks were reported on Saturday, December 21.  The enemy opened fire on Ukrainian troops from banned 120mm mortars, as well as from grenade launchers of various system and large-caliber machine guns, the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in a morning update on Facebook on December 22.  Under attack was the village of Khutir Vilny – a civilian house was damaged in shelling from an 82mm mortar.  No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported.  As UNIAN reported earlier, civilians' houses in Zolote-4, one of the first three disengagement areas in Donbas, were damaged amid an attack by Russia's hybrid military forces on Saturday morning.


fortruss--2019-02-28--DPR Militia Obliterates Ukrainian Force that was Shelling Civilians in Gorlovka

DONETSK – As Ukraine enters its election season, violations of the often ignored ceasefire have significantly increased. Today, the Ukrainian military began a round of provocative shelling of the civilian town of Gorlovka. However, in response the DPR militia struck back and annihilated the unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in question, DPR spokesman Bezsonov said.  According to Bezsonov , the Ukrainian security forces on Thursday, February 28, fired using mortars upon the DPR controlled Gorlovka. Also, suburbs and outskirts of Donetsk were attacked from grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms, RIA Novosti reports .  “The enemy’s firing points were repressed by return fire using weapons not prohibited by the Minsk agreements,” Bezsonov said.  He added that there are no casualties among the militias.  Gorlovka is located on the line of demarcation, 40 km north of Donetsk and is regularly subjected to attacks. The city has the Stirol Chemical Plant and a machine-building plant. The population is about 250 thousand people.  The armed conflict in the south-east of Ukraine has been continuing since the spring of 2014. Residents of the region refused to recognize the U.S backed coup-installed government, which changed in the country in February of 2014 as a result of a coup d’état, and announced the creation of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR). In response, Kiev began the so-called anti-terrorist operation against them, changing its name in April 2018 to the ‘operation of the joint forces’ (EP in Ukrainian).


tass--2019-07-19--At least 10 killed in Kievs shelling of East Ukraine this year Russias OSCE envoy

At least 10 killed in Kiev’s shelling of East Ukraine this year — Russia’s OSCE envoy

VIENNA, July 19. /TASS/. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) in Ukraine was informed about 80 civilians injured during Kiev’s shelling attacks on the Donbass region in 2019, ten of them died, Russia’s OSCE envoy Alexander Lukashevich has said.  The Russian diplomat told the OSCE Permanent Council session in Vienna on Thursday that while Ukraine’s political establishment is busy preparing for the early parliamentary elections, the conflict in eastern Ukraine continues.  "According to calculations of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the number of civilians harmed by hostilities in Donbass has approached 80. Ten of them died," the envoy said.  Lukashevich added that the shelling attacks remain as intense as before, and the Kiev government’s military operation against the self-proclaimed republics is causing more and more damage of civilian infrastructure.  He said Russia expected the OSCE SMM to carefully systematize all information about civilian deaths and damage, gathered by its monitors.  "It should be published as soon as possible in a themed report. This will help to curb violence. Delays in publishing it will only incite the feeling of impunity in those who keep shelling residential areas," the Russian diplomat added.


tass--2019-09-29--One LPR serviceman killed in shelling by Ukrainian troops

LUGANSK, September 29. /TASS/. A servicemen of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) was killed in the village of Logvinovo, which came under shelling by Ukrainian troops, Yakov Osadchy, spokesman for the LPR’s defense ministry said on Sunday.  "Ukrainian troops opened fire at the territory of our republic at 19:05 local time. Fire was conducted from weapons banned by the Minsk agreement. This time, Ukrainian troops used a 120mm mortar and an anti-tank grenade launcher to shell the village of Logvinovo," LuganskInformCenter quoted him as saying. "One LPR people’s militias serviceman was killed. We offer our condolences to his family."  According to the spokesman, Ukrainian troops have intensified fire at LPR’s settlements ahead of another regular meeting of the Contact Groups obviously seeking to provoke retaliation actions from LPR servicemen.  He called on the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine to register these ceasefire violations that entailed human death and exert influence on Ukraine’s military political command to stop provocative actions at the contact line that may escalate the conflict.  Since the outbreak of the conflict in Donbass, the parties have agreed more than 20 ceasefires. The longest one of them was reported in 2016 when the ceasefire stayed in place for six weeks in a row. However, all the efforts to establish lasting ceasefire have been failing so far.  Yet another, this time a comprehensive and indefinite, ceasefire was declared starting from July 21, 2019 to be violated by the Ukrainian troops on the same day when they opened gunfire at the village of Novaya Tavriya in the south of the DPR.


fortruss--2019-11-22--Shelling by Saudi-Led Militia Kills 10 African Refugees in Yemen

Sa’ada, Yemen – At least 10 African refugees have been killed and 35 others wounded after mortar shells fired by Saudi-backed militiamen targeted a district in Manba border town in Yemen’s northern province of Sa’ada. According to the Yemeni Al-Masirah television network, the shells hit the al-Raqo district on Wednesday.  Last month, Saudi forces fired artillery rounds at al-Maton district in the northern Yemeni province of al-Jawf, killing at least one African refugee and injuring three others. Despite the ongoing Saudi-led military campaign and escalating humanitarian crisis in Yemen, this year has seen a spike in the number of arrivals of East African refugees and migrants to Yemen.  Many of these refugees and migrants intend to transit through Yemen en route to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries. In its latest report, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced some 84,378 East African migrants entered Yemen in the first six months of 2019, representing the highest number of arrivals since data became available in 2006.  Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, has been battered by what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, which has come as a result of a devastating campaign launched by Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies since March 2015.  The United States-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past four and a half years.  The war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.  The chaos has prompted many to flee violence and poverty in the Horn of Africa into Yemen, where they hope to ultimately make it to the wealthier Arab countries of the Persian Gulf. Confidential reports by the UN have also suggested that Saudi Arabia has also contributed to the plight of African refugees in Yemen.  Some 42 civilians were killed in March 2017, when a helicopter, allegedly belonging to the Saudi-led coalition, opened fire on a vessel carrying more than 140 refugees in the Red Sea off the Yemeni coast.


sputnik--2019-08-02--Militant Shelling Kills 1 Civilian Injures 3 in Syrian Village Russian MoD

Militant Shelling Kills 1 Civilian, Injures 3 in Syrian Village – Russian MoD

"Illegal armed formations violated the ceasefire at 6:55 a.m. on 2 August, shelling the village of Al Qardahah in the Latakia province … killing one civilian and wounding three others", Maj.Gen. Alexei Bakin said.  He said twelve explosions had been reported in the village which appeared to have been targeted with a multiple rocket launcher.  The attack took place as Russian, Turkish and Syrian officials gathered in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan on Thursday and Friday for talks on Syrian peace.  The Syrian government promised to stick to a ceasefire in the turbulent province of Idlib if so did the militants.  Idlib is controlled mainly by Hayat Tahrir Sham and remains the last opposition stronghold. Government forces are fighting to take back the territory with support from Russia as part of a counterterrorism operation.  The province borders Turkey, which participated in joint efforts with Moscow to create a ceasefire there.  The Syrian military conflict started in 2011, causing massive out-migration. Russia, Turkey and Iran are the ceasefire guarantors of the conflict.  Russia regularly carries out humanitarian operations across the country and helps Damascus provide safe passage for the return of Syrian refugees.  *Hayat Tahrir Sham is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.


sputnik--2019-08-04--Militant Shelling in Idlib De-Escalation Zone Injures 4 Syrian Servicemen - Russian MoD

"The militants violated the ceasefire regime in Idlib de-escalation zone over the past day. Local settlements were shelled at least fifteen times. As a result, four Syrian servicemen were injured", the statement said.  The Sochi accord, agreed by Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in September 2018, created a demilitarized zone along the contact line between the armed opposition and government forces in Idlib.  Under the terms of the deal, radical militants such as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group, were supposed to withdraw from the demilitarized zone.  But in recent weeks HTS militants have stepped up their attacks in Idlib and neighboring provinces, prompting Syrian government forces to respond to launching strikes on terrorist targets in the province.  Most of the province of Idlib is controlled by HTS, an alliance of jihadi groups led by the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front terrorist organization.  Syria has been in a state of civil war for eight years, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups as well as militant and terrorist organizations.  The conflict in the country produced over five million refugees and over six million internally displaced people. Over 13 million Syrians, nearly half of them children, require humanitarian assistance.  Russia, Turkey, and Iran are the guarantors of the ceasefire in the conflict-ravaged Syria.  Russia carries out humanitarian operations across the country on a regular basis and helps Damascus in providing safe passage for the return of Syrian refugees.  *Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Al-Qaeda, Nusra Front are terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other countries.


tass--2019-01-21--Syrian soldier wounded in shelling attack by militants in Aleppo

MOSCOW, January 21. /TASS/. Shelling attacks by militants operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone were reported from Syria’s Hama governorate and Aleppo’s neighborhoods. One Syrian soldier was wounded, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria Sergei Solomatin said on Monday.  "Illegal armed groups operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone continue to violate the ceasefire. Thus, during the day, shelling attacks by militants were reported from the settlements of Zellaqiayt, Tell al-Maktaa and Tell Bazaam in the Hama governorate, and Aleppo’s Suqqari neighborhood. One Syrian soldier was wounded in a shelling attack in Aleppo’s al-Buraij neighborhood," he said.  During the day, officers of the Russian reconciliation center conducted a humanitarian operation in the settlement of Alma. As many as 500 bags with food products were handed out to civilians.  Since the launch of its operation, the Russian reconciliation center has conducted as many as 2,049 humanitarian operations, having delivered a total of 3,232 tonnes of humanitarian cargoes.  According to Solomatin, refugees continue to return to their homes in Syria as the situation in the country normalizes. As of January 20, 2019, as many as 218,134 people have returned to Syria.  Apart from that, in his words, the Syrian authorities continue work to amnesty people dodging military service, including refugees and former members of illegal armed groups. Thus, as of January 20, 2019, as many as 28,983 people have been amnestied," he added.  The Russian reconciliation center continues to help restore infrastructure and housing facilities damaged during the conflict. By now, as many as 31,074 residential houses, 723 educational and 133 medical facilities have been restored. A total of 979 kilometers of motor roads have been repaired.  The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes.


tass--2019-01-23--Syrian soldier killed six more wounded in shelling by militants

Syrian soldier killed, six more wounded in shelling by militants

MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. A Syrian soldier was killed and six more were wounded in shellings by militants in the Aleppo region, Lieutenant General Sergei Solomatin, head of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides, told reporters on Wednesday.  "One soldier of the Syrian Armed Forces was killed in the shelling by militants on Tell-Hamra in Aleppo province, and one soldier of the Syrian Armed Forces was wounded. In a shelling on Vrede in the Aleppo province, six soldiers of the Syrian Armed Forces were wounded," Solomatin said at a briefing.  In the past 24 hours, militants have shelled a number of inhabited localities in the regions of Latakia, Hama and Aleppo, he added.  The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.  In other media


tass--2019-04-15--Eleven people killed in Aleppo shelling Russian reconciliation center

Eleven people killed in Aleppo shelling — Russian reconciliation center

MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. Eleven people were killed in shellings of Syria's Aleppo, including six civilians and five Syrian servicemen, head of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria Viktor Kupchishin told reporters on Monday.  "In a shelling of the Al Hamdaniya district in Aleppo by illegal armed groups, six civilians and five servicemen of the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic were killed," Kupchishin said.  Militants have also shelled the settlement of Sanjeka in the province of Latakia over the last 24 hours, he added.  SANA news agency reported on Sunday that at least 11 people died and 10 others were injured in the shelling of Aleppo. SANA cited a source in the police as saying that the shelling hit the city market.  In other media


tass--2019-06-24--Eleven settlements in Syria come under shelling by militants in past day

MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Eleven settlements in Syria’s Latakia, Hama and Aleppo governorates came under shelling by militants from illegal armed groups during the past day, Major General Alexei Bakin, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria, said on Monday.  "Throughout the day, militants shelled the settlements of Nahshebba (twice), Mammumkhiyah (twice), Nabi Yunis, Sandran, Jubb, and al-Areim in the Latakia governorate; Hamamiyat (four times), al-Asi, Hwaiz and Kornaz in the Hama governorate; and the area around Aleppo’s research center," Bakin said.  He also said that officers of the Russian reconciliation center conducted one humanitarian operation in the settlement of Hammuriyah in the Damascus governorate.  In all, the Russian center has conducted 2,148 humanitarian operations since the beginning of the reconciliation process. A total of 3,447 tonnes of humanitarian cargoes have been delivered.  The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.


tass--2019-08-08--Two Syrian servicemen dead 13 injured in shelling by militants operating in Idlib

Two Syrian servicemen dead, 13 injured in shelling by militants operating in Idlib

MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS/. Two Syrian servicemen died in the shelling by militants operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone, and 13 other servicemen and five civilians were injured, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides Alexey Bakin said on Thursday.  "We have to note escalation in the Idlib zone. Shellings by illegal armed groups have intensified. Two Syrian servicemen were killed and 13 others injured in the recent shelling. Five civilians were also injured," Bakin said.  He added that militants shelled the city of Aleppo and 18 settlements in the provinces of Hama and Latakia.  Bakin noted that the concentration of militants from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (former Jebhat al-Nusra, banned in Russia), Turkistan Islamic Party (banned in Russia) and Ajnad al-Kavkaz groups is registered near the town of Kbana in Latakia province.


tass--2019-10-10--Eight Syrians killed in Turkey’s shelling of Qamishli — agency

MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/. At least eight Syrian civilians, three of them children, were killed when the Turkish military forces shelled Qamishli, the administrative center of the self-proclaimed Kurdish autonomy in northern Syria, the SANA news agency reported on Thursday.  Turkey’s operation in Syria may escalate into serious conflict — expert  Besides, 14 civilians were injured in the city.  According to the Syrian agency, Turkish artillery shelled residential quarters of the city.  Reports of casualties have also been received from the towns of Derbasia and Meshref in the border district of Ras al-Ayin.  According to SANA, fighting between Kurdish units of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish troops is under way in Ras al-Ayin and another border district of Tell-Abyad.  The Turkish artillery is also shelling Kobani (Ayn al-Arab), a city on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river some 150 km northeast of Aleppo.


tass--2019-12-05--Two adults, eight children killed in shelling in Syria’s Aleppo region — Defense Ministry

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. Ten civilians were killed in mortar fire opened against Tell-Rifaat in the Syrian region of Aleppo, Major General Yuri Borenkov, chief of the Russian center for reconciliation of conflicting sides in Syria, told reporters on Wednesday.  "A sports club in the town of Tell-Rifaat in Aleppo province came under shelling by terrorists. The shelling was conducted with the use of 120mm mortars from the southeastern suburb of the inhabited locality of Djibrin. In the shelling, ten civilians were killed (one man, one woman and eight children), another 13 people were injured. Among them are seven minors. Of those, two are in serious condition," he said.  According to Borenkov, on December 3, militants of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (one of the names of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization, which is outlawed in Russia) conducted a missile strike on a residential building in al-Wadihi to the south of the city of Aleppo.  "As a result of the missile warhead detonation, the house was destroyed and a six-year-old boy was killed, while his mother and two brothers were wounded," the general added.  In the past 24 hours, the Russian center for reconciliation of conflicting sides has held a humanitarian action in the Hama province. Humanitarian aid, consisting of 350 food sets and weighing in total 2.05 tonnes, was handed out to people in need in Kornaz.  According to Borenkov, in the past 24 hours fighters of illegal armed groups have shelled 32 inhabited localities in the regions of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Idlib.  The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.


theindependent--2019-01-28--Yemen conflict UN admits key Hodeidah truce failing as aid agencies warn thousands at risk of star

Yemen conflict: UN admits key Hodeidah truce failing, as aid agencies warn thousands at risk of starvation

The United Nations has urged Yemen’s warring factions to immediately withdraw troops from the lifeline port of Hodeidah and save a vital truce, as rights groups warned aid was not getting through to thousands who could starve to death.  The stark warning came as the UN confirmed that eight civilians had been killed and 30 wounded when a camp for displaced people in the northwestern province of Hajjah was shelled this week.  The UN had hoped that a ceasefire would hold and humanitarian aid would flow after both the Houthi rebel group and the recognised Yemeni government agreed to leave Hodeidah, Yemen’s main entry point for food and medical supplies.  According to the deal hammered out in December talks in Sweden, a local administration was supposed to take control of the Red Sea city and be monitored by a special UN mission.  But UN envoy Martin Griffiths, who arrived in the rebel-held capital on Monday, acknowledged the proposed timelines for a pull-out from the port had passed unheeded while the country stood on the brink of famine.  “The initial timelines were rather ambitious,” he said on Twitter. “We are dealing with a complex situation on the ground.”  Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, meanwhile called the shelling of a Hajjah displacement a “senseless attack”.  “The people who have fled their homes ... have lost so much already. An attack like this cannot be justified – ever,” she said. No one has claimed responsibility for the killing.  War erupted in Yemen in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels swept control of the country forcing recognised President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee.  Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, fearing Iran’s influence on their borders, launched a bombing campaign to reinstate their ally Mr Hadi.  Four years on the conflict shows little sign of ending and has sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. It has also pushed the country to the brink of famine.  The UN has warned that as many as 13 million people could starve to death if aid is not able to reach the worst hit areas.  Despite negotiations, the Houthi still control Hodeidah while troops loyal to the government and a Saudi-led coalition backing them are amassed on its outskirts as both sides cannot agree who should control the city or withdraw.  The target of 7 January for forces to leave has passed and skirmishes continue instead; residents and aid workers have told Reuters that barricades, trenches and roadblocks have been reinforced.  Mr Griffiths travelled to Sana’a on Monday to try to iron out the differences holding back the deal, there are also disagreements between the Houthis and retired Dutch Maj Gen Patrick Cammaert, who is heading the UN mission charged with monitoring the ceasefire.  A UN-marked armoured vehicle in Maj Gen Cammaert’s convoy was hit with a round of small-arms fire earlier this month.  Despite this, Mr Griffiths remained optimistic, telling Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat on Monday that “changes in timeline are expected”.  “That momentum is still there, even if we have seen the timelines for implementation extended,” he said.  However, vital humanitarian aid is not getting to those hardest hit by the fighting, a coalition of 14 aid agencies warned in a meeting in London on Monday.  Kimberley Brown of the British Red Cross said 85,000 children had lost their lives and malnutrition was taking a huge toll.  “I know from my colleagues that the situation is absolutely deteriorating at the moment,” she said.  Meanwhile, Yemeni families displaced from Hodeidah said their relatives who have remained in the port city still live under fire, while they struggle to survive in poorly equipped IDP camps or makeshift homes in comparatively safer areas of the country.  “My relatives in Hodeidah tell me that they live amid terror and worry and they are expecting death at any moment,” said Ahmed Murshed, 44, who fled the Red Sea coast last June for Taiz. His family were forced to sell their belongings to fund the three-day journey through the mountains to the southwestern city.  He said he now relies on food, mattresses and blankets from Islamic Relief.  “I am dependent on organisations to help me eke out a living for 26 family members, some of them need medicines. There is not enough water in the house and we have to fetch it from far distances,” he added.  Abdu Muqbel, 65, and his family of seven also fled Hodeidah under fire to an IDP camp in Taiz after his wife was hit by shrapnel in her neck.  He said his family barely survived in the camp for two years until Islamic Relief recently came to help.  But despite the hardships they face in Taiz, Mr Muqbel said it is not possible to go back to Hodeidah because fighting is still plaguing the city and stopping access to food.  “I heard about the ceasefire but my relatives there told me that battles have started again, and they do not dare to sleep with the buzzing of warplanes over them day and night,” he said.  “My brothers and my cousins returned to their houses and they told me that life is very difficult. You need to travel 60km to bring food,” he added.


veteranstoday--2019-02-18--Syrian War Report Feb 16-18 2019 French Officer Is Punished For Revealing Truth About Conflict

Syrian War Report – Feb. 16-18, 2019: French Officer Is Punished For Revealing Truth About Conflict

Over the past few days, the military situation has notably escalated in central and western Syria.  On February 15, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) backed up by pro-government militias launched a scale combing operation in the deserts of Damascus, Deir Ezzor, Raqqa and Homs.  The operation covers the desert area between the western Deir Ezzor countryside and the Bishri mount in southern Raqqa; between the historical city of Palmyra in eastern Homs and the Ghurab mount in the Damascus desert; and the northeastern part of the Damascus desert that reaches the Syrian-Iraqi border. This effort is designed to improve the shake security and prevent large attacks by ISIS cells on government-controlled areas.  Another growing point of instability in the so-called Idlib de-escalation zone. During the past 3 days, the SAA and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led forces were constantly involved in exchange of artillery strikes and even sporadic clashes in these areas. Especially intense militant shelling hit the towns of al-Suqaylabiyah, Masyaf, Mahardah and Salhab along with a nearby power plant in northern Hama. In response, the SAA targeted artillery positions of militant groups involved in these attacks near Qalaat al-Madiq, Hirsh al-Qasabiyah, Maarrat al-Nu’man, al-Lataminah and Kafr Zita.  At the same time, the Russian side sends mixed signals about the agreements regarding the situation in the Idlib zone by Turkey, Russia and Iran. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there is a need to make “steps aimed at clearing Idlib from terrorist groups”, but noted that this does not mean a military operation.  However, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that “it’s up to the military to design a plan in accordance with the international humanitarian law requirements”. He also said that Ankara and Moscow had reached an agreement to “try to establish a step-by-step approach, making several areas of joint patrol inside the zone of de-escalation”. It remains unclear how Russian forces can find themselves involved in any patrols in the area because a vast majority of it is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria.  The US-led coalition and its proxies known in the mainstream media as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are also facing a problem. ISIS is de-facto defeated in the Hajin pocket. However, nobody is hurrying up to finalize the operation and announce the victory because this will eliminate the only formal justification of the illegal US invasion in the country.  Colonel Francois-Regis Legrier, who has been in charge of directing French artillery supporting the SDF since October, faced punishment after making critical remarks regarding the U.S.-led coalition’s operation against ISIS, according to the French military.  The reason is that Colonel Legrier openly admitted that the coalition was not hurrying up to defeat ISIS and this had greatly increased the death toll among civilians and the levels of destruction.  “We have massively destroyed the infrastructure and given the population a disgusting image of what may be a Western-style liberation leaving behind the seeds of an imminent resurgence of a new adversary,” he wrote in an article published by the National Defence Review.  Earlier, General Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, claimed that ISIS is far from defeated and insisted that a Syrian withdrawal would be unwise. He also said that the SDF could not defeat the terror group without continued US assistance. These remarks as well as the case of Colonel Legrier are another example of the disconnect between the publicly declared goals of the coalition presence in Syria and its real purposes.


tass--2019-01-15--Kremlin Donbass conflict may become frozen if party of war retains power

Kremlin: Donbass conflict may become frozen if party of war retains power

MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. The conflict in Ukraine over Donbass is running the risk of becoming frozen in case the party of war remains in power, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Argumenty i Fakty weekly newspaper published on Tuesday.  "This [prospect of turning the situation in Donbass into a frozen conflict] depends on Kiev and if the party of war is there. In this case there are no chances that the conflict will be stopped," Peskov said. "On the contrary, if there is the party of peace and diplomacy, then there is a chance," he noted.  The Kremlin spokesman was not upbeat about the current situation in Ukraine. "Things are really bad," he believes. "At least, we do not hear voices on the Ukrainian political arena that would call for sobriety and for solving the accrued problems through dialogue rather than through confrontation," Peskov said.  On the contrary, according to Peskov, the new deterioration of ties with Kiev now is related to the election campaign carried out by Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko. "He is desperately seeking to catch up with the rating of [his rival in the upcoming presidential race, ex-premier Yulia] Tymoshenko. To this aim he needs various methods, including such as provocation [the November 25 violation of Russia’s state border by Ukrainian warships] in the Kerch Strait," Peskov noted.  The Russian presidential spokesman views the Minsk agreements as a key solution to the crisis. "In order to move forward, Ukraine needs to deal with the consequences of its civil war and reconsider its course towards the complete rejection of the country’s two major regions, and only then, probably, Kiev will decide to start fulfilling the Minsk agreements. Without this it will be very difficult to move somewhere," he said.  On February 12, 2015 the Contact Group and also the heads of the self- proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics signed the Minsk agreements, which had been approved by the Normandy Four (Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine) leaders.  The Minsk accords envisaged ceasefire and also laid out a roadmap for a lasting settlement in Ukraine, including local elections and constitutional reform to give more autonomy to the war-torn eastern regions. The Ukrainian forces and militias of the self-proclaimed republics have repeatedly accused each other of violating ceasefire and other points of the Minsk agreements.


tass--2019-04-08--Kremlin says only Ukrainians can and must settle Donbass conflict

### Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov  © Mikhail Metzel/TASS  MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. The Ukrainians themselves must settle the situation in Donbass, because Moscow is not a party to the conflict in the southeast of Ukraine, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Monday. This is how he replied to Ukrainian presidential candidate Vladimir Zelensky’s remark that in the event of his victory he would do his best to achieve an effective ceasefire in Donbass as soon as possible and for that he would directly contact the Russian leadership.  "Russian President Vladimir Putin has said more than once that for settling the conflict in Donbass the most important thing is not dialogue with Moscow, because Moscow is not a party to this conflict. It is an intra-Ukrainian conflict and it is up to the Ukrainians to settle it, if they talk to each other," Peskov said.  He answered in the negative to the elaborative question if that meant that Russia would not discuss Donbass with Zelensky, should he take the reins of power as Ukraine’s next president.  "No, it does not mean that. You know that Putin is always open for dialogue, except for situations where the dialogue is accompanied by various provocations and acts of sabotage. In that case, Putin’s reaction is very clear, unequivocal and resolute. Putin has always been and still remains a supporter of a dialogue for resolving the problems on the agenda," Peskov said.  On April 7, Zelensky said in a televised interview that should he be elected, he would do his utmost to achieve an effective truce in Donbass as soon as possible. He called for more active contacts with the residents of the Donbass areas beyond Kiev’s control - the self-proclaimed republics - over social issues. In particular, he pointed to the need for paying pensions.  Asked if he was prepared to contact the Russian leadership directly, Zelensky answered in the affirmative. Also, he declared it was necessary to keep working within the framework of the Minsk Accords for a settlement in Donbass, adding that in his opinion the agreements should be reformed.    In other media


tass--2019-05-29--US seeks to freeze Donbass conflict in wake of Poroshenkos defeat says expert

US seeks to freeze Donbass conflict in wake of Poroshenko’s defeat, says expert

© AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka  MOSCOW, May 29. /TASS/. Washington’s policy is aimed at freezing the conflict in southeastern Ukraine, Director of the Center for Current Politics in Russia Alexey Chesnakov told TASS commenting on the Internet conference held by US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker on Tuesday.  "Judging by yesterday’s statements made by Volker, the United States has set the course for freezing the conflict in southeastern Ukraine," he said. "By asserting that Ukraine cannot do more for the implementation of the Minsk agreements than it has already done, he actually urged Kiev to do nothing more to comply with the UN resolution on Donbass. Volker is thus trying to freeze the peace process as well as the conflict itself."  "Having supported Pyotr Poroshenko during the election, Volker was evidently taken aback when his candidate suffered a complete failure. He is concerned because he doesn’t know Zelensky well enough and fears that the new Ukrainian president, being a populist, will heed the Ukrainian people’s opinion and implement the Minsk accords," the expert stressed.  "Volker needs a pause to exert pressure on Zelensky and convince the ‘people’s servant’ that his people are mistaken and that war is actually a good thing," Chesnakov went on to say. "To confirm that Washington is not interested in resolving the conflict, one could mention the fact that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not raise the Ukrainian issue at the recent negotiations in Sochi at all."  The political guru was also surprised about where Volker got information on a potential Normandy format meeting in July. "Of course, experts and representatives of the Normandy Four leaders maintain permanent contacts, and their meetings or telephone conferences are possible," he said. "I believe, however, that holding a summit in July, with the lack of any positive steps on the part of Kiev, is unfeasible.".  In other media


tass--2019-06-19--Donbass conflict parties failed to reach ceasefire because of Kiev LPR

Donbass conflict parties failed to reach ceasefire because of Kiev — LPR

LUGANSK, June 19. /TASS/. The members of the Contact Group for the settlement in eastern Ukraine have failed to reach a new ceasefire agreement in Donbass due to Kiev’s unwillingness to accept the offers of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) on ceasefire measures, LPR envoy to the group Vladislav Deynego stated on Wednesday.  "At the previous session of the Contact Group, we have reached a mutual understanding on the need to prepare a new ceasefire agreement, which would involve concrete measures on its implementation and responsibility for violations," Deynego said in a statement published by the Luganskinformcenter news agency. "However, we have failed to reach an agreement on this issue today. The Ukrainian side, despite its previously stated position, was not ready to agree with the ceasefire measures offered by us. The dialogue has reached a stalemate."  According to Deynego, "the new statement proposed for discussion today follows the lines of the "spring ceasefire", which, as several previous agreements, was not effective due to a lack of implementation measures."  He expressed hope that the new ceasefire agreement project offered by the LPR and based on "effective measures aimed to ensure the ceasefire regime" would be approved at the next session.  On June 19, a session of the Contact Group for the settlement in eastern Ukraine has taken place in Minsk. However, its members failed to reach an agreement on a new ceasefire. The next meeting of the Contact Group is set for July 2.  The parties have made more than 20 ceasefire agreements since an armed conflict broke out in Donbass in April 2014 but failed to secure a sustainable ceasefire. On March 7, the security subgroup of the Contact Group on resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine agreed to declare a spring ceasefire in Donbass starting on March 8. However, the Ukrainian military broke the ceasefire just five minutes after it had taken effect.


tass--2019-07-19--Zelensky poised to end conflict in Donbass party leader

Zelensky poised to end conflict in Donbass — party leader

KIEV, July 19. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is poised to end the military conflict in southeastern Ukraine and is making practical steps to achieve this goal, the head of the pro-presidential Servant of the People party said.  "Ending the war is the main goal for any political force which is running in the [parliamentary] election. I’m sure that our strategy and the views currently being expressed by the president will give us an opportunity to stop the war and, after that, to end it completely," Dmitry Razumkov said in an 1+1 TV channel broadcast late on Thursday.  He mentioned the reinforcement of the Ukrainian delegation taking part in the Minsk process, the recent Normandy quartet (France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine) meeting at the level of presidential aides in Paris on July 12 and the phone conversation between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.  At the same time, Razumkov criticized opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk’s visit to Strasbourg, where he presented a peace plan for Donbass. "The president did not give his consent to Medvedchuk’s diplomacy in Strasbourg," he said.


tass--2019-08-18--Ukraines opposition accuses Zelensky of unwillingness to settle Donbass conflict

Ukraine’s opposition accuses Zelensky of unwillingness to settle Donbass conflict

KIEV, August 18. /TASS/. Ukraine’s opposition party has accused President Vladimir Zelensky and his Servant of the People party of being unwilling to implement their campaign pledges and do anything to settle the conflict in Donbass.  "Vladimir Zelensky and his Servant of the People party received a strong support from Ukrainian citizens during the elections. But once at power, the president and his political team are unwilling to implement their campaign pledges. Instead of presenting a peace plan and plunging into direct talks with Donetsk, Lugansk and Moscow, the current authorities are now saying that the conflict cannot be settled swiftly," the Opposition Platform For Life said in a statement posted on its website on Sunday.  The statement came after the Servant of the People’s leader, Dmitry Razumkov, had said that it would take time to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine.  Such words, according to the Opposition Platform, echo the position of Ukraine’s former president, Pyotr Poroshenko. "Obviously, Ze’s (an unofficial nickname for President Zelensky in Ukraine - TASS) rhetoric and actions in no way differ from those of the previous Proshenko regime. Poroshenko and other officials of the previous regime had been saying in the recent years that a path to peace was thorny and the conflict in Donbass would last long. The previous authorities used this rhetoric to hide their inability to bring peace to the country," the part said, adding that such a position had led to Poroshenko’s political fiasco at the elections.  "Ukraine needs peace today," the Opposition Platform stressed and recalled that in January it had advanced a concept plan for peace settlement in Donbass on the basis of the Minsk agreements. "Since then, our peace plan has been widely discussed both in Europe and in Russia. It was met with understanding by international partners and was supported in Donetsk, Lugansk and Moscow," it said.  The party demanded the current authorities "implement their campaign pledge and finally begin to settle the conflict. The party once again expressed readiness to extend its peace plan and promote the negotiating process. "The authorities must bring peace to the country and ensure Ukraine’s development. All other ways will only lead to a dust-heap of history. If the Ze regime is unable to accomplish the tasks set by the Ukrainian citizens, Ukraine does have a political force that is prepared to lead the country along the path of peace, democracy and socio-economic development," the Opposition Platform emphasized.  In an interview with Ukraine’s New Time media outlet, the Servant of the People’s leader Dmitry Razumkov said it would take quite a time to settle the conflict in Donbass since "it is a long path the entire country should travel.".


tass--2019-10-07--Kremlin is not party to conflict influencing withdrawal of forces in Donbass — spokesman

MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. The Kremlin has certain influence on the Donbass republics, but it is not a party to the conflict influencing the withdrawal of forces there, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.  "We are talking about resolving the intra-Ukrainian conflict. The Kremlin, of course, has certain influence on the Donbass republics. However, you do know that the Donbass republics are independent territorial entities in resolving that conflict," he said, when asked whether Moscow could guarantee that armed units would be withdrawn from the line of engagement. "The Kremlin is not a party to the conflict," Peskov stressed.  The Kremlin spokesman noted that Moscow, along with Berlin and Paris, is a guarantor of the Minsk agreements. "Just like all countries, we are interested in ensuring that all the activities that had been planned and committed to paper, and which were signed by the four [leaders], are carried out," he concluded.  The Ukrainian armed forces and the Donbass republics are expected to begin the disengagement of forces near Zolotoye and Petrovskoye on Monday. Creating security zones in these areas, thus implementing the agreements signed back in 2016, is a precondition for holding another Normandy Four summit. The parties reached an agreement on the disengagement of forces at the latest meeting of the Contact Group on the settlement in eastern Ukraine on October 1. They also approved the Steinmeier formula.


windowoneurasiablog--2019-10-14--Forty Percent of Ukrainians Say Conflict in Donbass a War Between Russia and Ukraine, Razumkov Poll

Forty Percent of Ukrainians Say Conflict in Donbass a War Between Russia and Ukraine, Razumkov Poll Finds

Staunton, October 11 – Since the Russian invasion and Anschluss of Crimea in 2014, it has been a fundamental proposition among Western analysts and government officials that Western countries will never be more willing than Ukrainians to view the conflict as a war between Russia and Ukraine and to resist Moscow’s aggression on that basis.  40 percent of Ukrainians view the conflict in the Donbass as a war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.  20 percent say that what is going on there is a separatist “rising supported by Russia.”  15 percent agree with the view that a civil war is taking place between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian citizens of Ukraine.  Seven percent say that the conflict in the Donbass is a war between Russia and the US.  6.6 percent say that the fighting is part of a struggle for independence by the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics.  Those figures show that by a factor of more than two to one Ukrainians reject Moscow’s arguments that it is now a war between Ukraine and Russia or Russian surrogates, a far tougher position than that held by many Western politicians who have implicitly or even explicitly accepted the Kremlin line.