Some 20,000 people were evacuated after explosions and a fire overnight at a military depot at Balaklia, in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine.
Showing posts with label ukraine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ukraine. Show all posts
Thursday, 23 March 2017
Blasts Continue as 15,000 Residents Evacuated From Arms Depot Fire in Ukraine
According to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, some 15,000 residents have been evacuated from nearby areas as explosions of varying intensity continue at an ammunition depot in Ukraine's Kharkiv Region.
Around 15,000 residents have been evacuated from nearby areas as explosions of varying intensity continue at an ammunition depot in Ukraine's Kharkiv Region, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said Thursday.
"From the possible impact zone (city of Balakliia and two nearby settlements in Balakliia district) an evacuation is being carried out (about 15,000 people)," the service said in a statement.
It said that "explosions of varying intensity" continue erupting at the arms depot.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
15:27 21.03.2017 NATO, Ukraine discussing reforms in Ukrainian security and defense sectors, partnership enhancing
A meeting of the Defense Policy and Planning Committee (DPPC) with participation of Ukraine in the format of the NATO Defense Planning Process (NDPP) was held at NATO Headquarters on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Mission to the Alliance reports.
The event was attended by a delegation of representatives of government bodies of Ukraine participating in the NDPP, headed by Deputy Director of the Department for Military Policy, Strategic Planning and International Cooperation of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Colonel Oleksandr Buniak, a message released on the website of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine on Tuesday, says.
"During the meeting, the parties discussed the draft Evaluation of Ukraine's participation in the NDPP, which contains information on the main issues of defense and security policy, the state and prospects for the development of the security and defense sector, the financial and economic aspects, participation in peacekeeping operations on the implementation of the partnership goals chosen by our state," the message says.
The mission of Ukraine also informs that taking into account the relevance of the gender factor in the activities of defense and security institutions of Ukraine, as well as the implementation of the provisions of the UN Security Council resolution No. 1325 on women, peace and security, the parties agreed to include new goal of partnership - gender perspectives in the package of partnership goals for Ukraine for the current stage of NDPP.
The participants of the meeting noted the importance of practical implementation of certain partnership objectives, including strengthening democratic civil control over the Ukrainian Armed Forces and other military formations, transparency and accountability in the activities of the security and defense sectors, and the implementation of NATO standards. The sides also confirmed the readiness of the member states to contribute fully to the implementation of the tasks of reforming the defense and security spheres of the Ukrainian state.
The NDPP is a key mechanism developed by the Alliance to assist partner countries in achieving the compatibility of certain forces with the military forces of the armed forces of NATO member countries for joint participation in crisis management operations, as well as in the implementation of security and defense sector reform in accordance with Euro-Atlantic standards.
Weekly Ukrainian media digest, March 14-20, 2017
Situation in the combat zone
Situation on the ground. Situation in eastern Ukraine remains tense. Intensification of the hostile attacks upon the Ukrainian troops was observed through March 14-16. On March 19, the number of incidents finally decreased.
Missing persons. Four hundred and eighteen persons are considered missing in the combat area in Donbas. The figures were reported by Iryna Herashchenko, Ukraine’s representative to the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group, who quoted Ukraine’s Security Service as source for this information.
Life in “DPR” and “LPR”
Russia recognizes “D/LPR” “passports”. The Russian Federation recognized “D/LPR” “passports” valid alongside the Ukrainian IDs. The Russian State Duma reported that persons holding the abovementioned “documents”, who are not in the possession of the residence permit, are allowed to stay in Russia for 90 days, same as Ukraine citizens.
Referendum on joining the Russian Federation? Leader of the “LPR” Igor Plotnitsky said he did not rule out the possibility of a “referendum” on the “D/LPR” joining Russia. Plotnitsky also said they regarded the decision by the Ukrainian authorities to ban trade with the occupied areas to be “the actual recognition of independence of the self-proclaimed republics”.
Integration of the “republics” with Russia. Leaders of the “D/LPR” met representatives of the Russian authorities in occupied Crimea to discuss “the integration of Donbas into the Russian Federation”. Andrey Kozenko, MP of the Russian State Duma was designated coordinator of the so-called “Russia-Donbas Integration Committee”.
“DPR’s” “state border”. “DPR” leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko issued an “order” designating the contact line the “state border” as well as prohibiting to cross the contact line outside of the designated checkpoints. Persons crossing the line have to register with the so-called “DPR Ministry for State Security”.
It’s now legal to break into apartments. “LPR” allowed entering apartments in Luhansk without the owners’ consent. The excuse the leaders used is the alleged need to repair apartment block houses damaged by shelling. For reference: the active phase of combat actions in Luhansk ended three years ago.
Standoff over selection of the auditor for the National Anticorruption Bureau
National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU) and the audit. NABU is one of the few anticorruption agencies in Ukraine that may become an efficient tool in the fight against corruption. NABU has already proved its efficiency by detaining the Head of the Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov. Last week the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s Parliament) started debates regarding a candidate for the position of the NABU auditor. Apart from the Rada, the government and the President have their respective quotas to select the auditors. Audit is one of the few mechanisms that may result in removal from the office of the incumbent NABU Head Artem Sytnyk.
What the standoff is about? On February 23, the Head of the Anticorruption Committee, MP Yegor Soboliev officially suggested a candidate for the post, US lawyer Robert Storch. Storch was selected as NABU auditor through the official competition. However, all of a sudden at the parliamentary session on the same day factions Narodnyi Front and Petro Poroshenko Bloc suggested UK citizen Nigel Brown, who had not taken part in the selection.
Who are the candidates? Robert Storch, the winner of the competition, is Deputy Inspector General at the US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General. Nigel Brown is a private investigator in the UK.
Concerns. Expert community, as well as part of the MPs, raise concerns about the parliamentary coalition lobbying their candidate, Nigel Brown. They say the ultimate goal may be assessment of the NABU work as unsatisfactory and removal of the agency’s head from the office. Brown has not been yet granted any tools or access to the materials, however he has already evaluated the NABU’s work as “mediocre”. Experts consider it being an attempt to impede the work of the NABU.
Protests within the expert and international community. Experts of the Anticorruption Action Center conducted an investigation to discover that Nigel Brown was charged with an attempt of bribing a policeman. Moreover, the company he worked for was receiving money from offshore entities of Russian oligarchs Berezovsky and Khodorkovsky. At the same time the US and EU Ambassadors to Ukraine insist that the procedure to form the auditors’ commission needs to be transparent. Thus, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine Hug Mingarelli spoke in support of Storch as the candidate earlier recommended by the Anticorruption Committee of the Parliament.
Next steps. Parliamentary Anticorruption Committee met three times to designate the auditor. However, the final and legitimate decision has not been made yet. The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for March 29. Auditor selection is on the agenda.
Human rights: internally displaced persons from Donbas and Crimea demand their voting rights ensured
In Lviv on March 18 about one hundred internally displaced persons from Crimea and Donbas rallied demanding their voting rights implemented so they could vote at local elections.
Participants of the rally gathered by the monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko. The posters read “I’ve been stripped of my right to vote. Which right is next?”, “Residence registration is not condemnation but a possibility” etc.
Three draft laws on the right to vote for internally displaced persons have been submitted to the Parliament, however neither of them has been considered so far. According to the Ministry for Social Policy, there are about 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Crimea and Donbas in Ukraine. The IDPs were unable to vote at local elections back in October 2015.
Reforms: protraction with the energy regulator
The Parliament and the President are ignoring their direct responsibility of initiating the selection of new members of the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy (NKREKP). NKREKP is a key agency responsible for forming and transparency of tariffs.
Increase of energy tariffs for households is a number one topic in the current social discourse. Consumers wish to know what they are paying for. If an independent commission is not established and its members are not appointed in time and without political pressure, it would not be possible to win people’s trust.
According to the law, the selection committee was supposed to have already started work to ensure that the first composition of the commission is appointed in timely manner. The work has not started though. A series of NGOs including UCMC called upon the authorities to stick to their responsibilities.
Opinion polling: is normalizing Ukraine-Russia relations impossible?
According to the research by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation, half of Ukrainians think that restoring relations with the Russian Federation is possible, but only in the long-term perspective and if the following conditions are met: authorities change in the Russian Federation, Donbas is de-occupied, as well as the annexed Crimea is returned to Ukraine. Each fourth Ukraine citizen thinks that normalization will never happen.
Thirty-five per cent of respondents support the approach of limiting the contacts to the maximum and cutting all cooperation. Twenty-eight per cent expressed themselves in favor of preserving limited cooperation in critically important areas but not compromising on Donbas and Crimea. Fifteen per cent support the idea of finding a compromise with the Russian Federation at any cost. Thirteen to seventeen per cent of respondents across the country share the idea of the country joining the Customs Union, while 20 per cent think Crimea should not be returned to Ukraine.
Culture: Ukrainian animation film: an ambitious full-length project at the Bordeaux forum and “90 years of animation” flashmob
Ukrainian animation film “Mavka. The Forest Song”, which is currently at the production stage, was presented to professional audience at the Cartoon Movie in Bordeaux, France. Cartoon Movie is one of the key European industry events in animation that offers opportunities for co-production and distribution. “Mavka. The Forest Song” is a full-length animation feature film based on a classic novel by Lesia Ukrainka and Ukrainian myths. It is produced by Animagrad studio and Film.UA Group, 30 per cent of its budget is covered by the Ukrainian state. A team of costume historians is working over the project headed by the acclaimed fashion designer Olha Navrotska. “Mavka” team reports that participation in the Cartoon Movie was successful. The film got wide media coverage, there are ongoing negotiations as to the possibility of co-funding of the film.
Flashmob “90 years of Ukrainian animation” started on Facebook. Back in 1927 the first Ukrainian animation film was created. It was “The Tale of the Straw Bull” by Viacheslav Levandovsky. The flashmob suggests that participants post their favorite animations with hashtags #90animations #UkrainianAnimation90. Information in English, as well as some of the unique works that shed the light on the Ukrainian animation film school, are available from the project’s Facebook page.
Sports: Ukrainian gymnasts on the rise
Ukrainian athlete Oleh Verniaiev claimed the men’s all-around crown at the 2017 artistic gymnastics World Cup in Stuttgart on March 19. On the same day Ukrainian female gymnast Diana Varynska won the gold medal in uneven bars category at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Baku.
Absurd of the week: marijuana fields in Ukraine
Last week former Ukrainian MP of the “Party of Regions” Volodymyr Oliynyk, who fled to Moscow after Euromaidan, made quite an unusual statement. He said a Ukraine-based friend of his called him saying marijuana is being now grown everywhere in Ukraine. “Marijuana fields are planted amidst wheat and rye fields. Ukraine’s Security Service and Ministry of Internal Affairs are backing the case, and surely are benefiting from it,” the alleged friend told the ex-MP.
To remind, sales of narcotic substances is forbidden in Ukraine. No reports came from other sources to confirm the statement of the runaway MP. Earlier this week Michel Tereshchenko, mayor of the Ukrainian city of Hlukhiv in Sumy region, stated that the first-ever center of marijuana treatment in Ukraine will be launched in town.
According to Tereshchenko, the treatment will be conducted with a special type of cannabis that does not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (the narcotic substance), but preserves cannabinoids that help cure such diseases as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, sclerosis etc.
Tereshchenko mentioned that the medical center is due to open within the three upcoming months. Negotiations with potential investors are currently on.
Absurd of the week: marijuana fields in Ukraine
Last week former Ukrainian MP of the “Party of Regions” Volodymyr Oliynyk, who fled to Moscow after Euromaidan, made quite an unusual statement. He said a Ukraine-based friend of his called him saying marijuana is being now grown everywhere in Ukraine. “Marijuana fields are planted amidst wheat and rye fields. Ukraine’s Security Service and Ministry of Internal Affairs are backing the case, and surely are benefiting from it,” the alleged friend told the ex-MP.
To remind, sales of narcotic substances is forbidden in Ukraine. No reports came from other sources to confirm the statement of the runaway MP. Earlier this week Michel Tereshchenko, mayor of the Ukrainian city of Hlukhiv in Sumy region, stated that the first-ever center of marijuana treatment in Ukraine will be launched in town.
According to Tereshchenko, the treatment will be conducted with a special type of cannabis that does not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (the narcotic substance), but preserves cannabinoids that help cure such diseases as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, sclerosis etc.
Tereshchenko mentioned that the medical center is due to open within the three upcoming months. Negotiations with potential investors are currently on.
Russia's military aggression against Ukraine 21/03
Russia's military aggression against Ukraine 21/03
- 1. Vilyen Pidgornyy – MOD Spokesperson RUSSIA’S MILITARY AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE (weekly update)
- 2. Day-by-day review of cease-fire violations against UAF (March 13 – 19) 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Cease-fire violations Heavy arms
- 3. Number of cease-fire violations by the Russia-backed militants Luhansk sector Donetsk sector Mariupol sector 122 257 239
- 4. Enemy drone activity 9 episodes
- 5. Russia’s supplies to militants • 24 railroad tank cars with fuel • 8 trucks with ammunition • 62nd “humanitarian convoy” consisting of 40 trucks carrying over 500 tons of unidentified cargo
- 6. Enemy losses 11 militants – killed 27 militants – wounded
- 7. Combat casualties of Ukrainian Forces 7 – KIA 40 – WIA
- 8. Civilian casualties Injured during enemy shellings 1 teenager in Valuiske 1 woman in Luhanske 2 women and 1 man in Avdiivka
- 9. Civil buildings and infrastructure damages • 29 residential buildings across the front line in the Donetsk & Mariupol sectors • 3 non-residential building in Avdiivka & Krasnohorivka • a kindergarten in Avdiivka • a humanitarian supplies distribution center in Zaitseve • power line in Hnutove • railway track sections in the frontline area in the Donetsk sector
yiv, March 21, 2017 Most intense hostilities take place at Krymske, Novoaydar district and in Avdiivka and its outskirts – Defense Ministry
Kyiv, March 21, 2017.
Overall, the number of ceasefire violations ranged between 50 on Sunday, March 19, and 112 on Friday, March 17.
The situation on the frontline did not change significantly. “Most active hostilities, during the previous week, took place at Krymske, Novoaydar district, in Avdiivka and its outskirts and in the south of the Mariupol sector”, stated Vilyen Pidgornyy, Ministry of Defense spokesperson during a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. The share of enemy indirect fire episodes last week remained unchanged in comparison with the preceding week and amounted to 44%. In contrast, incidents of enemy sniper fire decreased in actual numbers and reached 12, comparing to 22 over the foregoing week.
Luhansk sector
Last week Russia-backed militants engaged Ukrainian Armed Forces in the sector with mortars and cannon artillery. The enemy remains consistent while choosing their target areas week after week: Krymske, Popasna area and Troitske regularly came under enemy fire of low and medium intensity. “However, on March 16 there was an unexpected development in Lobacheve. At 20:30 pro-Russia proxies opened fire with 82 mm mortars that resulted in casualties on the part of Ukrainian defenders. That day, militants treacherously used 122 mm artillery during nighttime against Troitske and Novozvanivka. The same day, the enemy fire wounded a teenager in Valuiske village of Stanytsia Luhanska district”, Mr. Pidgornyy said. On March 13, Russia-equipped militants used mortars at Krymske three times, having fired more than 210 rounds. On March 14, the enemy has paused mortar attacks in the daytime just so that their sniper groups could advance to the front line and open direct fire against Novozvanivka, Novooleksandrivka and Zhovte. On March 18, Krymske was attacked with heavy weapons five times. Enemy artillery crews fired more than 150 mortar bombs and rounds of different caliber during one artillery and four mortar attacks. Additionally, the enemy opened tank fire. Last week, the daily number of cease-fire violations by the enemy in the sector ranged between 12 (on March 16) and 25 (on March 18).
Donetsk sector
Positions of Ukrainian Armed Forces in this sector were targeted with most intense enemy fire. Russia-backed militants opened short but multiple mortar and artillery fire along the whole front line, being most active in Avdiivka area. The militants engaged Ukrainian positions day and night. In the evening of March 15, the enemy artillery crews opened a severe artillery fire at our rear positions in Klishchiivka, south of Bakhmut, having fired nearly 80 rounds over an hour and a half. Similar to the previous week the enemy opened tank fire in Avdiivka and adjacent areas and used infantry fighting vehicles in Luhanske, Verhniotoretske and Zaitseve. Last week, the daily fire activity of the enemy ranged between 31 (on March 18) and 52 cease-fire violations (on March 17).
Mariupol sector
Traditionally, the majority of cease-fire violations took place in the Pavlopil – Shyrokyne area of the front line. However, last week the militants several times used heavy weapons in the northern part of the sector, namely in Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, Berezove and Novotroitske. In the morning of March 13, the enemy sniper groups advanced to the front line. In the afternoon, the enemy artillery crews opened indirect fire at Pavlopil. In the early morning of March 14, enemy tank engaged our positions in Maryinka and fired nearly 20 shells in ten minutes. On March 16, the enemy launched a two-hour-long combined attack on Novotroitske, having fired the total of 50 artillery rounds and mortar bombs. “March 17 was marked by the highest intensity of enemy fire. The enemy artillery opened fire at Krasnohorivka, Maryinka, Hnutove, Vodiane, Lebedynske and Shyrokyne. On March 18, Russia-trained militants used artillery at Vodiane having fired nearly 50 rounds”, added Mr Vilyen Pidgornyy. Last week, the number of cease-fire violations by the enemy ranged between 29 (on March 18) and 46 (on March 17).
According to Mr. Pidgornyy, compared with the foregoing week, the intensity of UAVs use by the militants decreased from almost three a day to the total of 9 episodes of hostile drones flights during the whole last week in the ATO area. The enemy conducted aerial reconnaissance both in the tactical rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and at the very front line near Avdiivka, at Svitlodarsk and Krymske village.
Russia delivered fuel to the occupied territories of Ukraine in 24 railroad tank cars. On Saturday, March 18, eight trucks carrying ammunition for militants crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border near Dmytrivka village, Donetsk region. Besides, on Thursday, March 16, the sixty-second so-called “humanitarian convoy” from Russia delivered unidentified cargo for the needs of militants through Izvaryne and Uspenka checkpoints that are not controlled by the Ukrainian government. Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed the “convoy” consisted of 40 trucks carrying over 500 tons of cargo.
Casualties
Last week, 7 Ukrainian servicemen were killed in action. Forty soldiers were wounded in action, including the National Guard of Ukraine officer.
Five civilians were wounded in enemy shellings in the conflict area last week. “This includes one teenager in Valuiske, Luhansk sector, a woman in Luhanske, two women and a man in Avdiivka, Donetsk sector. One of the wounded women in Avdiivka was a volunteer. All wounded civilians received medical assistance in a timely manner”, MOD spokesperson stated.
Damage to civilian infrastructure
Twenty-nine residential buildings were damaged in the indirect fire conducted by the Russian proxies in the Donetsk and Mariupol sectors. Most of them are in Avdiivka. Three non-residential buildings were damaged by the enemy shelling in Avdiivka and Krasnohorivka. Mortar and artillery rounds directly hit a kindergarten in Avdiivka, humanitarian supplies distribution hub in Zaitseve, power line in Hnutove, and railway track sections in the frontline area in the Donetsk sector.
Defense Ministry: Ukrainian Armed Forces defeat two subversive reconnaissance groups near Vodiane, militants employ heavy artillery and MLRS
Vodiane in the Mariupol sector was the main flashpoint of the conflict area yesterday, reported Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, Ministry of Defense of Ukraine spokesman on ATO-related issues, during a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. In the morning, two subversive reconnaissance groups of up to 20 militants each attacked Ukrainian positions. Ukrainian troops successfully defeated the attack. “To retaliate, occupants opened massive fire from mortars, cannons and ‘Grad’ multiple rocket launcher systems, firing over 50 mortar rounds, eighty 122 mm and 152 mm shells, and 65 ‘Grad’ missiles. Security cameras recorded one of the ‘Grad’ salvos directly hitting Vodiane,” elaborated Col. Motuzyanyk. Enemy losses in the firefight are assessed at 5-8 people killed and 13-16 wounded.
Militants used mortars, cannons and tanks in cease-fire violations in Talakivka, Lebedynske and Shyrokyne, and employed mortars in Marinka and Krasnohorivka. The enemy conducted two sniper and two artillery attacks in Novotroitske, firing over 50 rounds at our positions, mostly between 20:00 and 21:00.
In the Donetsk sector militants performed 17 ceasefire violations, using heavy weapons seven times. Most attacks occurred near Luhanske and on Kamianka – Avdiivka – Butovka coal mine frontline sector. “Russia-backed militants were active in the afternoon, employed mortars, tanks, and other armor as well as snipers. In addition, the enemy twice violated the ceasefire in Novoluhanske,” elaborated Col. Motuzyanyk. Horlivka and the Donetsk airport area were relatively peaceful.
Fifteen enemy ceasefire violations were recorded in the Luhansk sector, with over 70% of attacks taking place in the Popasna district. Russia-backed militants shelled Troitske with 10 mortar rounds. Moreover, the truce was violated in Stanytsia Luhanska, Triokhizbenka and Krymske. “Enemy shelling damaged Slovianoserbsk – Triokhizbenka power line and cut off the power supply 1400 consumers in Triokhizbenka, Orikhovo-Donetske and Kalaus. Repair works are in progress,” said Col. Motuzyanyk.
According to Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, militants of so-called “7th brigade” of Russian occupational troops set up engineer obstacles at the Svitlodarsk area using PMN-2 antipersonnel mines on March 16. “This mine type is notoriously known as “Black Widow”, and is prohibited under the Ottawa convention. Ukraine signed and ratified this document, yet Russia has not,” said the spokesman.
Sunday, 19 March 2017
4 NATO warships arrive in Black Sea Port of Odessa, Ukraine, to stay until April 20
Four NATO warships have entered the Port of Odessa, according to the Ukrainian Navy. The ships will remain until April 20, as NATO and Ukrainian marines engage in military competitions and peer learning.
According to the statement from the Ukrainian Navy, the ships will stay in Odessa until April 20. During their visit, the crew and commanders will meet with the command of the Ukrainian Navy, the heads of the Odessa Regional State Administration, and the Odessa City Council.
“The program of the visit also includes drills aimed at testing the durability of the ships, visits aboard NATO ships by Ukrainian Navy servicemen and sports competitions between them and the ships’ crew,” the press service stated.
Last month, NATO member nations agreed to increase the alliance’s presence in the Black Sea at a ministerial meeting of the bloc on February 16.
“We agreed on two additional maritime measures: an increased NATO naval presence in the Black Sea for enhanced training, exercises and situational awareness, and a maritime coordination function for our Standing Naval Forces when operating with other Allied forces in the Black Sea region,” Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced at the time.
EU Slams Russia Over Crimea Annexation On Third Anniversary
The European Union on March 17 condemned Russia’s seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea territory, calling Moscow’s annexation of the Black Sea peninsula a “direct challenge to international security.”
The statement by EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini came one day ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s formal incorporation of Crimea that was dismissed as illegitimate by Ukraine, the United States, and more than 100 countries in the United Nations General Assembly.
“Three years on from the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, the European Union remains firmly committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Mogherini said.
Both the EU and the United States hit Russia with several rounds of sanctions in response to the land grab and Moscow’s backing of separatists whose war against government forces has killed at least 9,940 people in eastern Ukraine.
That conflict continues to grind on despite a 2015 peace deal reached in Minsk, Belarus. The Ukrainian military said on March 17 that two of its soldiers were killed and eight others wounded a day earlier in attacks by the separatists in the swathe of eastern Ukraine known as the Donbas.
Separatist leader Igor Plotnitsky vowed on March 17 that a referendum would be staged on the incorporation of separatist-controlled areas into Russia.
Prior to annexing Crimea, Russia staged a referendum on the peninsula following the seizing of key government buildings there by unmarked Russian special forces after former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia amid mass street protests across the country.
Moscow used the poll, rejected by Kyiv and the West as illegal, as justification for taking control of Crimea, claiming it represented the will of the people there.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's drew international condemnation last month by signing a decree ordering Russian authorities to recognize identity documents issued by the separatists who hold parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Kremlin however, is not considering integrating the separatist-controlled areas into Russia, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on March 17.
"We do not see any eventual deliberations as possible in this context," he said.
He accused Ukraine of "deliberately rejecting" the region, criticism that came days after Ukrainian authorities announced the suspension of all cargo traffic with areas held by the separatists.
Addressing the anniversary of the Crimea annexation, Peskov told reporters that Russia hopes that "sooner or later Kyiv will start to treat the will expressed by the several million Crimean residents with respect and will accept the results" of the 2014 referendum staged by Moscow there.
Russia has portrayed its military operation in Crimea following Yanukovych’s ouster as necessary to protect ethnic Russians and other residents of the peninsula from oppression by pro-Western officials that eventually took power in Kyiv.
That narrative is rejected by Ukraine and Western governments, which accuse Russian-backed authorities in Crimea of rights abuses against Crimean Tatars and others opposed to Moscow’s rule there.
Referring to the annexation, Mogherini said in her March 17 statement that the EU “reiterates that it does not recognize and continues to condemn this violation of international law.”
“It remains a direct challenge to international security, with grave implications for the international legal order that protects the unity and sovereignty of all states,” she said.
While U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to improve ties with Russia and previously indicated he could consider lifting sanctions against Moscow related to Crimea, his young administration has repeatedly denounced Russia’s takeover of the peninsula.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a March 16 statement that Washington “again condemns the Russian occupation of Crimea and calls for its immediate end.”
Thursday, 16 June 2016
US Army Grapples With Short-Range Air Defense Gap in Europe
The US Army has wrapped up a review of possible short-range air defense weapons from around the world and is working to fill a critical gap in Europe.
“We have just done what I would call an international scrub that we are putting together on every technology that we can find in the world that addresses this particular concern we have,” Katrina McFarland, the Army’s acquisition chief, said during the ComDef conference at Eurosatory, a large land warfare exhibition, Tuesday.
The Army is also working to address a capability gap in the short-range air defense mission, dubbed SHORAD, within military labs. The activities include demonstrating a launcher that can shoot a wide variety of missiles.
“Where are we? We are better off than we thought we were and so we have at least the possibility of moving very quickly. And where we have gaps, we have already started providing technological solutions both internationally as well as organically to the US,” she said.
When asked to elaborate on the possible technological solutions the Army has begun to provide, McFarland said she couldn’t elaborate and indicated there is more to come soon.
US Army leadership in Europe, as well as many countries in the region, have warned there is a growing gap in short-range air defense.
Even the National Commission on the Future of the Army singled out the mission area as having an “unacceptable modernization shortfall” in its report released in February.
Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the US Army Europe commander, told Defense News during an interview in Poland last week he has similar concerns. For him, the biggest worry is countering unmanned aerial vehicles. “That is my SHORAD concern, especially if there’s like a swarm,” he noted, adding there is a lot of work being done to develop the capability.
Recently, the Army conducted a river crossing exercise in Romania where the Romanians provided a SHORAD capability to counter such threats as aerial drones, Hodges said, and at Poland's Anakonda exercise this month, the Army brought Avengers from the US National Guard for a live-fire, air-defense drill.
Hodges’ chief of staff, German Army Brig. Gen. Markus Laubenthal, said Germany and the US both have a capability gap when it comes to the SHORAD portfolio.
Laubenthal told Defense News last week directly following a bridge crossing exercise in Chelmno, Poland, part of Anakonda, that Avenger systems were used that morning to secure the bridge, but “this is a very scarce capability, so between the assault rifle and Patriot there is not enough between to tackle short-range air defense challenges.”
He added, “I think this is a common ground where we need to work together to find a solution. I think that is a good opportunity and a great chance to come up with something with both nations and we are not alone.”
Ukraine Switches to German Engines, Discards Russian Military Gear Amid Crimea Row
Ukraine’s leading defense group Ukroboronprom has signed a deal with German producer Deutz AG to acquire engines for the armored personnel carriers (APC) used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The new engines will replace Russian gear, which are to be discarded.
With the latest contract, Ukroboronprom is aiming to cut spending on new engines and ensure that the equipment used by Ukraine’s military complies with NATO standards, said Artur Heruvimov, the company’s deputy chief executive, as quoted in a statement.
The engines will be supplied to the Armed Forces' BTR-4 vehicles. The procurement will allow Ukroboronprom to save about US $25 million and use these funds to develop and produce new weapons and equipment, the statement said.
Ukraine has intensified efforts to replace Russian-made military gear with weapons and equipment supplied by NATO member states following Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.
The BTR-4 is an eight-wheel-drive vehicle enabled with a maximum speed of 68 mph, according to data from Ukroboronprom.
Based in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, Ukroboronprom is a state-owned group that consists of some 137 companies specializing in manufacturing and export sales of aircraft, missiles, armored vehicles, ships, munitions, radio communication, and other types of arms and military equipment. The group was established in 2010 with the aim to consolidate the country’s fragmented defense industry.
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Thursday, 25 February 2016
RUSSIAN WAR CRIME
Russia’s Defense Ministry And Vladimir Putin Responsible for MH17 Crash
On February 24, 2016 Bellingcat has released its new report on the Russian anti-aircraft missile brigade that, as Bellingcat analysts assume, provided and possibly operated the Buk that downed MH17 on June 17, 2014.
From June 23 to 25, 2014, Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade transported several Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems to areas near the Russia-Ukraine border. It is possible to trace the 53rd Brigade’s journey from its base in Kursk, Russia to near the Russia-Ukraine border. One of the Buks from the convoy was quite similar to the Buk seen in Donetsk, Ukraine on the day of the tragedy.
According to the report, the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade has transferred the Buk-M1 to the militants. Besides, it is most likely that Buk operators belonged to the brigade as well.
The third section of the report, “Soldiers of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade,” details the soldiers within the 53rd Brigade and the information provided by their public postings on social media. The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion provided a wealth of information, including photographs and written notes, describing their time on the Russia-Ukraine border in June and July, 2014. More extensive details are provided regarding the soldiers who were normally responsible for the Buk missile launcher numbered 222, which was replaced by Buk 3×2, which we believe downed MH17.
The final and most important section, “Commanders of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade,” provides extensive information regarding the leadership structure of the brigade and battalion that provided and possibly operated the likely murder weapon in the downing of MH17.
“We provide partially anonymized information regarding 14 officers of the 2nd Battalion of the 53rd Brigade, including the commanders of the Buk unit vehicles within the battalion. Sergey Borisovich Muchkaev, the commander of the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, is closely detailed, along with his superiors, including Aleksey Zolotov of the Air Defense of the 20th Guards Army and Andrey Kokhanov of the Air Defense of the Western Military District”, analysts report.
According to the report, the responsibility for the downing of MH17 from a weapon provided and possibly operated by the Russian military lies with the Ministry of Defense and the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, President Vladimir Putin.
As previously reported, on February 24 Bellingcat was supposed to release report on Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, which, Bellingcat believes, is responsible for providing the Buk-M1 system that downed MH17.
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Ukraine Army take out Russian Position
Ukraine Mil 58th takes out position of Russia forces - assisted by Army SOS Drone
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
Blockade of Russian trucks in Ukraine continues (updates)
The latest escalation of an economic war between Ukraine and Russia which includes reciprocal trade bans on a range of goods
February 16, 201617:50 Ukraine and Russia agree to suspend truck blockade: Ministry of Infrastructure
Ukraine and Russia have agreed to temporarily allow all freight transport through each others' territory until Feb 25.
The deal means trucks registered in both countries are free to transit. That's according to The Ministry of Infrastructure in Kyiv.
15:20 Russian truck blockade dispute with Ukraine escalates
It's early morning. The Ukrainian border is open, but these trucks registered in Russia are going nowhere. Around 30 vehicles queue to enter Romania. These drivers are among several hundred more caught up in a bitter trade war between Moscow and Kyiv. It's already day four of the freight blockade, but activists from Right Sector, a radical political group, say they're preparing for the long haul.
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