Civil war in Ukraine: News & discussion

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/society/russian-h...llery-units-in-donbas-report-says-851768.html

The same Kremlin-backed hacker group is believed to be behind the DNC hack

A hacking group believed to be affiliated with Russian military intelligence used an infected Android cellphone application to track Ukrainian artillery units in the country's eastern Donbas region, a new research published by cyber security company CrowdStrike says.


The firm, which was hired to investigate the Democratic National Committee hack, said Fancy Bear — a code name assigned to Russian hackers – implanted malware on a widely used app developed by a Ukrainian artillery officer in 2013 to more quickly conduct strikes.

From late 2014 and through 2016, the malicious software, known as the X-Agent, was covertly distributed on Ukrainian military forums within a legitimate Android application to gain intelligence on Ukrainian forces fighting combined Russian-separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, the report says.

The malware was able to retrieve communications and some location data from infected devices as approximately 9,000 artillery personnel used the application.

"The collection of such tactical artillery force positioning intelligence by Fancy Bear further supports CrowdStrike's previous assessments that the group is likely affiliated with the Russian military intelligence (GRU), and works closely with Russian military forces operating in Eastern Ukraine and its border regions in Russia," the report from cyber security firm said.

According to Dmitri Alperovitch, the CrowdStrike co-founder, the same X-Agent malware was used to hack the DNC.

That link, in addition to the high rate of losses sustained by the type of Ukrainian artillery units targeted by hackers, creates high confidence that Fancy Bear was responsible for the implant, he said.

"This cannot be a hands-off group or a bunch of criminals, they need to be in close communication with the Russian military," Alperovitch was quoted by Reuters.

The latest findings add to the mounting evidence of Russia's government connection to high-profile hacking attacks, used to achieve Vladimir Putin's geopolitical aims.

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http://uatoday.tv/politics/ukraine-...onvicts-in-a-humanitarian-gesture-851898.html

Kyiv hopes the move will unblock further POW exchange process


Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree to pardon nine convicts, including those whose release was demanded by Russian-backed separatist forces to unblock the prisoner exchange process ahead of Christmas and New Year holidays.

The Head of State considered the petition for pardon of individuals convicted by Ukrainian courts and proposals by the Amnesty Commission, taking into account the severity of the crimes committed, the term of the actual sentence, the identity of convicts, their marital status, social behavior before the crime was committed and after conviction, compensation for damages, and the elimination of the damage inflicted, the opinion of penal institutions and supervisory committees on expediency of pardoning and other circumstances, and thus, in accordance with Paragraph 27 of Article 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine, he decided to pardon nine people, says the document published on the official presidential website.

The decree came into force on the day of its signing.

First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral contact group on Donbas settlement, Iryna Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook that the decree should contribute to the release of Ukrainians from the militant captivity.

"I am very grateful to the president for this act of mercy, for his devoted efforts to do everything possible for the release of the hostages," Gerashchenko wrote.


According to her, in the coming days Ukraine will release from custody 15 previously convicted offenders in a humanitarian gesture. Most of them received a presidential pardon, among them six women, the elderly and the sick.

"We expect that the other side will show humanism with the holidays coming up, and the process of hostage release will be unlocked," she said.

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http://uatoday.tv/politics/russia-sends-humanitarian-convoy-to-donbas-again-851943.html

It is the 59th time when Russia sends some kind of help to the occupied territories

Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations says it has sent 46 trucks to Ukraine. The ministry claims they carry 400 tons of humanitarian cargo: food, medicines, New Year gifts and articles of prime necessity.

Yet, Ukrainian customs and board service were never allowed to check what the trucks carry. They claimed several times that they have proof Russia transports weapons to Donbas. Moreover, every time the "convoy" comes, the shellings from the occupied side intensify.

Ministry of Foreign Relations of Ukraine over and over again called Russia to stop violating the sovereignty of Ukraine by sending the so-called help in violation of internationally accepted procedures.

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http://www.unian.info/war/1692527-ukraine-reports-11-wia-in-past-24-hours.html
Eleven Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, according to a Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman.


"There were 11 wounded in action (WIA) as a result of militant artillery and mortar shelling at Svitlodarska Duha," Defense Ministry speaker for Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) issues Oleksandr Motuzianyk said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday, December 22, a UNIAN correspondent reported.

As UNIAN reported earlier, combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 24 times in the past 24 hours.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/392541.html

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has said it is willing to comply with a new ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine reached in Minsk.

"The Ukrainian armed forces and the antiterrorist operation forces in general have repeatedly shown their willingness to comply with the Minsk Agreements. All heavy weapons have been withdrawn, and a ceasefire agreement has been observed. The Ukrainian armed forces stand ready further to comply with the president's peace plan," Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.

"In the event of provocative shelling by the illegal armed units threatening Ukrainian armed forces service members, we reserve the right to return fire. However, I stress once again that the Ukrainian armed forces stand ready to implement the new decisions by the Contact Group in Minsk," Motuzianyk said.

It had been reported earlier that the Trilateral Contact Group for settling the crisis in eastern Ukraine had adopted a statement at a meeting in Minsk on Wednesday on declaring a comprehensive, durable, and open-ended ceasefire in the run-up to the New Year's holidays starting from 0:00 a.m. December 24.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/392581.html
The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine has set a task to cut by 30% the country's dependence on anthracite coal, which until recently has been supplied almost entirely from the anti-terrorist operation (АТО) zone in volume of over 9 million tons per year, Minister Ihor Nasalyk has said.

"In three years we should fully get rid of dependence on coal from the ATO zone," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.

The second reactor of the state-run Centrenergo's Zmiyiv Thermal Power Plant will be switched to gas coal on March 1 and its fifth reactor in three months, the minister said.

According to him, this will reduce the anthracite coal purchases by 1.5-2 million tons per year.

Nasalyk also thanked the DTEK energy company and TechNova, which started to buy coal not only from the ATO zone but from other suppliers.
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http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2016/...ill-launch-provocations-at-svitlodarska-duha/

This morning the enemy has attempted twice to assault the ATO positions in Donetsk direction.

At 09.00 - 09.45 a.m. the fighting ended in the enemy’s failure.

There are no casualties among the Ukrainian military, the enemy’s losses are been investigated.

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19:58
Kyiv reports on 15 episodes where Ukrainian positions were shelled in Donbas

19:50
Ukraine delaying transfer of convicts pardoned by Poroshenko - DPR

18:37
Ukrainian troops resume artillery shelling near Debaltseve - LPR

18:31
Two hostile attacks repelled on Svitlodarsk arc - Ukrainian defense ministry

18:13
Verkhovna Rada endorses bill on amnesty for people involved in special operation in Donbas

17:32
Eleven Ukrainian soldiers wounded in Donbas in past day - Kyiv (Part 2)

17:28
LPR blames Poroshenko for escalation of conflict in Debaltseve

17:21
Half of all ceasefire breaches in Donbas recorded near Svitlodarsk - OSCE mission

16:03
DPR sees about 1,000 truce violations by Ukrainian army (Part 2)

http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=4&id=723955
DONETSK. Dec 22 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Armed Forces have made an unsuccessful attempt to break through the contact line, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said.

"Another attempt to break through [the contact line] was made in the south today. They tried to approach our positions, but proved unable to do it because of fog," Eduard Basurin of the DPR Defense Ministry told reporters.

09:44
Ukrainian army reports 24 strikes on its Donbas positions in past day


DONETSK. Dec 22 (Interfax) - Progress has been made in the issue concerning an exchange of captives, but no actual agreements have been reached so far, Viktoria Talakina, spokesperson for chief negotiator of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin, told Interfax on Wednesday evening.

"Indeed, positive headway was made in the humanitarian subgroup today. But it does not mean that real agreements on an exchange of captives were achieved. We are making every effort in order for an exchange of captives to happen before the New Year [holidays], but a decision on this matter depends on all of the participants in the negotiating process. And, regrettably, our wish alone is not enough," Talakina said.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/politics/ukrainia...r-svitlodarsk-casualties-reported-852678.html

After the failed attack Russian proxies commenced heavy shelling of Myronivka village



Russian proxies commence new attacks and artillery raids on Svitlodarsk bulge, spokesman for the Defence Ministry of Ukraine Col. Andriy Lysenko reports. This morning, militants commence one more assault under the cover of from artillery, mortars and armour fire.

"According to the calculations of the General Staff, during combat militants fired more than 100 mortar mines and artillery shells, but Ukrainian defenders repelled the assault, despite the dense fire. But this failure did not stop the enemy. Immediately after the failed assault occupiers opened fire towards the residential area of the village of Myronivka 5 kilometres north of the battle area. Later during the day village was shelled twice with the same heavy guns," Col. Lysenko informed.

According to military analyst group coordinator of Information resistance Dmytro Tymchuk, Russian proxies commenced two attacks in this area, supported with very heavy artillery shelling and big number of armour (6 infantry fighting vehicles, 2 armored personnel carriers, and at least 3 tanks).

"Ukrainian units on both occasions stopped the enemy with massive fire and subsequently forced militants to retreat back to their lines," Tymchuk said, but added that Russian proxies are bringing more weapon to the area and now actually gained firing superiority over Ukrainian defenders, shelling not only the frontline, but also the rear area.

Also Russian proxies shelled the town of Avdiivka, Luhanske and Novhorodske villages in Donetsk region. In general, this sector saw 9 attacks in the last day, 6 of them – with heavy artillery.

5 militant attacks reported in Luhansk area, including one – with the use of mortars. Mariupol direction saw 4 mortar raids on Ukrainian positions and one infantry assault of the observation post near the Vodiane village. Attacks commenced simultaneously from 3 directions, but Ukrainian troops stood their ground and the attack was repulsed.

According to Lysenko, during the day two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 3 injured. During the 6 days of current Svitlodarsk battle (since Dec. 18) Ukraine lost 8 soldiers. Yesterday more than 10 Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in Donbas war zone.

The current battle on Svitlodarsk bulge started on Sunday, December 18. On that day Ukrainian troops repelled three militant attacks in the ‘bloodiest battle in 5 months.' Ukraine lost 5 fighters on that day, while inflicting much heavier losses to the attackers. One Ukrainian soldier is still MIA. During the fight Ukrainian army counterattacked and pushed the militants from the forward positions to stop their attacks. Now militants are constantly shelling and assaulting this positions because they make a threat of a partial encirclement of Russian-sponsored troops Debaltseve – town seized by Russian invasion forces despite Minsk deal confirmed it is to be controlled by Kyiv. Now Ukraine Ukraine demands Debaltseve back to make disengagement possible.

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http://uatoday.tv/politics/putin-explains-why-prisoner-exchange-process-stumbles-852708.html

Russian leader blames Kyiv for unwillingness to swap certain persons

Russian President Vladimir Putin has explained why the "representatives of Donbas" are not satisfied with the negotiations with Ukraine on the exchange of prisoners, according to an UNIAN correspondent reporting from Russia.

"Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko once expressed the idea of an "all for all" exchange. I totally agree with that, but later it turned out that this formula contains concealed details that don't satisfy representatives of Donbas," Putin said at an annual press conference in Moscow.

"If it's an all-for-all swap, then it is necessary to decide on pardon and release them all," he said.

According to Putin, Ukraine is not willing to include into the swap list certain individuals who have been detained on its territory, claiming they were detained in accordance with the law; while all the Donbas detainees are considered to be illegally detained.

Speaking at the same presser, Putin also expressed hope that "sooner or later" the relations between Russia and Ukraine will be normalized.

"I hope and I am sure that sooner or later there will be normalization of relations with Ukraine," Putin said adding that the bridge between Russian and Crimea, currently under construction, will be very beneficial to the development of Russia-Ukraine relations and future commercial and humanitarian links.

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http://www.unian.info/war/1694072-t...then-killed-by-donbas-militants-activist.html
Three Ukrainian troops have died in militant captivity at Svitlodarsk Arc near the strategic railway hub of Debaltseve, according to Semen Kabakaev, an activist and coordinator of the StopTerror project.

"A tragic situation at Svitlodarsk Arc. Three of our guys are gone. Two of them were out in the field, and they were taken away either by local militants or Russian mercenaries – it’s not yet clear. The soldiers were wounded. They were videotaped and [the video was] handed over to our side, as confirmation that they were being held by the enemy…"


He added that the exchange had failed as the enemy did not want it and the Ukrainian side found no one to negotiate with. They [militants] all consider themselves commanders, and it was impossible to find someone to take up responsibility for ceasing fire.

Then they were transferred to Debaltseve, abused and tortured and eventually killed them. Brutal images showing torture and dead bodies was immediately sent to us a confirmation that they were KIA," wrote Kabakaev. He noted that another Ukrainian soldier, who had reportedly been missing, was also killed.


"The third one allegedly went missing. We filed a request and it turned out that according to their data, he was held captive, but we found no confirmation of this information. A few hours ago, the third one was returned. Several shots to the head," said the activist.


Earlier it was reported that the militants tried twice to penetrate Ukraine’s defenses near Svitoldarsk.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/392828.html
Two members of the Ukrainian armed forces have been killed and three others injured in Donbas over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman for the military operation in southeastern Ukraine Andriy Lysenko said.

"Two of our soldiers have been killed and three others injured in action over the past 24 hours," Lysenko said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

One serviceman was killed and another one wounded in Avdiyivka, and one serviceman was killed and two others wounded in Luhanske, he said.

In Luhansk sector, five short-lived acts of armed provocation were recorded near the communities of Zhovte and Krymske and also in the Popasna district, Lysenko said. The enemy once used mortars near Krymske, he said.

In the Donetsk sector, the enemy fired mortars, grenade launchers, and firearms at Ukrainian armed forces positions in Avdiyivka starting from 4:00 a.m. Friday. Luhanske was shelled twice, and one armed incident was recorded in Novhorodske and Verkhnyotoretske each, he said.

In the area of the so-called Svitlodar bulge, militants continued attempts to capture Ukrainian armed forces' positions under cover of artillery and mortar fire and armored vehicles, Lysenko said. In particular, the enemy fired over 100 mines and projectiles, but Ukrainian armed forces repelled the assault, he said.

Immediately after the assault attempt was thwarted, the enemy fired 152mm artillery upon civilian homes in Myronivka. This village was also shelled twice later in the day, he said.

A total of nine instances of shelling have been recorded in the Donetsk sector over the past 24 hours, including six times using heavy weapons, he said.

In the Mariupol sector, the number of ceasefire violations has been declining, Lysenko said. The enemy fired five times upon Ukrainian forces' positions near Krasnohorivka, Starohnativka, and Vodyane, including four times using mortars, he said.

Militants also attacked an observation outpost near Vodyane in the morning (the attack was rebuffed) and fires small arms in Hnutove in the evening, Lysenko said.

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21:11
Ukraine ready to hand 15 captives over to Donbas republics early next week - LPR

19:59
Debaltseve suffers total power outage after Ukrainian army shelling - local administration

18:11
Twelve militiamen, 3 civilians killed in shelling incidents in DPR in December - ombudsman's office

17:29
DPR records over 8,000 shellings of republic's territory in past week

17:23
Ukrainian army's artillery shelling Debaltseve - LPR militia

16:26
Ukrainian army resumes artillery attack on Debaltseve, damaging school, residential buildings - LPR militia

14:53
DPR opens over 1,000 criminal inquiries into Ukrainian war crimes in Donbas

13:08
DPR handed 87 convicts over to Ukraine in 2016

http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=10&id=724205
KYIV. Dec 23 (Interfax) - Ukrainian military positions in Donbas came under fire 22 times in the past 24 hours, the press center for the military operation in southeastern Ukraine said on Facebook on Friday.

According to Kyiv, the attacks occurred mainly in the Donetsk sector. The positions of the Ukrainian military in the Luhanske area came under fire from 122 mm and 120 mm caliber artillery and mortars. Avdiyivka, Novhorodske, Verkhnetoretske and Luhanske came under fire from 82 mm mortars and grenade launchers of various systems.

According to the center, the enemy made two attempts to attack positions in the Svitlodar bulge area and both attempts were repulsed by returning fire. Additionally, the enemy opened fire on the populated area of Mironovka three times using 152 mm artillery.

Kyiv says there were attacks using 120 mm and 82mm mortars against Krasnogorovka, Starohnativka and Vodyane.

According to the report, the enemy opened fire on Krymske in the Luhansk sector using anti-tank missile systems and 82 mm mortars. Grenade launchers were used in attacks on Popasna and Zhovte.


12:20
Over 179,000 units of weapons, ammo seized in LPR during year - Prosecutor General's Office


Ukrainian soldiers were killed, he said, adding that further details would be provided later.

"Unfortunately, there are losses among the Ukrainian military. The Defense Ministry's spokesman for issues of the anti-terrorist operation will report them a little later. But it has been said that yesterday militants used 152mm artillery against populated locality for the first time in a long period. There were three such strikes - two of them were carried out in the first half of the day, and the populated locality of Myronivsky came under fire in the afternoon," he said.

On Thursday evening, the people's militia of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic also accused the Ukrainian side of firing 152mm artillery weapons.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/politics/new-ceas...just-to-be-violated-shortly-after-853158.html

There had been at least four provocations from militants overnight, Ukraine official said


A hopeful Ukraine cautiously reported about a steady truce early on Saturday morning, just to later tell there had been several ceasefire violations.

The latest truce deal, negotiated in Minsk, was supposed to enter into effect at midnight, December 24, after months of violations, recently escalating into fierce battles in the Donetsk region.

At first Ukrainian members of the Joint Coordination and Control Center (JCCC) confirmed the total silence along the contact line, according to the official Facebook page of the Anti-Terrorist operation (ATO) press center.

Several hours later though, Ukrainian military officials said there had been at least four attacks in the conflict zone.

‘Starting from midnight, the militants have conducted four provocative shootings on our positions, without using heavy weapons. There were two provocations in Mariinka, one in Shyrokyne, and one in Zhovte, Luhansk region', Ukraine's military spokesman Leonid Matyukhin said in an interview with Interfax.

According to Matyukhin, the militants used a machine gun and assault weapons to shoot at the government forces.

Ukraine's ATO press center later said the militants also began their attack on Novotroitske village in the Donetsk region, using assault rifles.

The JCCC officials said they were monitoring the situation, promising to report the violations to the OSCE.

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http://uatoday.tv/crime/army-takes-control-frontline-village-used-for-contraband-853263.html
Novoluhanske in conflict zone was formally controlled by Kyiv, but de-facto was a grey zone


Ukrainian troops have entered Novoluhanske village in Donbas and set up its checkpoint on the southern border, local news agencies report citing the country's Defense Ministry.

The village is located just kilometers north of Horlivka and Debaltseve, controlled by the Russian-backed separatist forces.

‘It will allow for unobstructed supply of food and medicine to nearly four thousand local residents', the Defense Ministry said, adding that the presence of the servicemen in the village will also make it more simple for people to visit their relatives.

According to Ukrainian volunteer Rodion Shovkovytnyi, Novoluhanske was stuck in limbo, being formally controlled by Ukraine without the presence of any official law enforcement agencies, but de-facto serving as a grey zone and a contraband tunnel through the contact line.

‘An artificial ‘hole' was created in the village, allowing caravans – at least 150 freights a day – to enter the village absolutely legally. There wasn't a single checkpoint in the village, so the trucks were either reloaded, or they proceeded directly to Horlivka. This is the contraband, facilitated by the Anti-terrorist center', Shovkovytnyi said.

‘Many times various commanders in the conflict zone have brought up the issue of controlling the village, but Kyiv has always prohibited it. Finally, the order has arrived. Novoluhanske wasn't held by the enemy, retaking it doesn't pose any risk', Ukrainian journalist and military expert Yuriy Butusov said.

Butusov added, the village also provided certain ‘tactical opportunities' for Ukrainian army, due to its advantageous location near the two separatist-held strongholds.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/392927.html
One Ukrainian serviceman was injured and four were contused in the Donbas hostilities in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko has said.

"No one soldier was killed. One serviceman was injured and four were contused in the Donbas hostilities in the past 24 hours," he said at a press briefing in Kyiv.

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http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2016/12/24/ato-news-militants-provocations/

Since the midnight December 24, 2016, the ceasefire has been implemented along the whole frontline in the east of Ukraine.

In 25 minutes after the midnight the militants launched provocations using small arms against the Ukrainian positions near Zhovte (Luhansk direction).

Using the same weapons, they shelled Marinka at 6.54 — 7.10 a.m., then at 9.30 — 9.45 a.m., Shyrokyne at 9.54 — 10.10 a.m., Novotroitske at 10.25-10.35 a.m.

The Ukrainian military did not respond to provocations and observed the ceasefire.

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12:43
Ukrainian govt forces report ceasefire violations in Donbas

13:22
Ukrainian govt forces shell self-proclaimed Luhansk republic's territory ten times on Dec 23 - militia

KYIV. Dec 24 (Interfax) - The Donbas militia have violated the ceasefire that took effect at 0:00 a.m. Saturday four times, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.

Speaking at a news briefing in Kyiv on Saturday, Lysenko pointed out that an open-ended Christmas ceasefire had taken effect in Donbas at 0:00 a.m. December 24, and the militia had violated these agreements four times as of 11:00 a.m. Saturday.

 

[Hindustani78]

Combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 23 times from 00:00 to 18:00 on Saturday, December 24, according to the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters.



"Most of the attacks were recorded in the Mariupol sector near the town of Maryinka, and the villages of Shyrokyne and Vodiane. The militants fired 120mm mortars twice near the village of Talakivka," the ATO HQ said in an evening update.


In the Donetsk sector, the Ukrainian positions were attacked near the so-called Svitlodarska Duha bulge and the town of Avdiyivka. In the Luhansk sector, the occupiers shelled the village of Zhovte. "Since the attacks were provocative, the Ukrainian military did not fire back," the report says.

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http://uatoday.tv/crime/second-day-of-new-ceasefire-39-attacks-in-24-hours-853468.html
Despite the reached deal on a ceasefire as of Dec.24, militants don't want to observe the agreements

Ukraine's ATO HQ has reported about 39 militant provocations for the past day.

In the Mariupol direction, Russian-backed separatist forces fired into Ukrainian army positions near Maryinka, Shyrokyne, Talakivka and Vodiane.

In the Donetsk sector, Ukrainian soldiers were attacked with 82mm mortars near Luhanske.

Large caliber machine guns and small arms were applied against Troitske and Zhovte.

One Ukrainian soldier has been wounded overnight in the area of Avdiivka.

 

[Hindustani78]

In this Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015 file photo, an army ambulance destroyed in recent shelling between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces lays by the road near the town of Svitlodarsk, Ukraine (AP photo)
http://uatoday.tv/society/ukraine-given-bodies-of-its-soldiers-killed-near-svitlodarsk-853768.html

So-called Svitlodarsk bulge has been an epicenter of fierce battles and almost non-stop heavy artillery fire for the last few days

After five days of negotiations Russian-backed militants have handed over the bodies of two Ukrainian servicemen who were killed in action on December 18 at the so-called Svitlodarsk bulge – an epicenter of last week's heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine.

According to an activist Oleksandr Surkov, primary coroner examination of the bodies showed no signs of torture.

"There are no signs of torture and abuse; death was caused by gunshot wounds," Surkov wrote on Facebook citing the negotiators of handover.

"Information came from those who are not trained to lie, those who directly negotiated and secured the whole process. The officers, whom I've know personally since 2014. Unfortunately, they strictly forbid to specify their names," he wrote.

The volunteer said the bodies would be transferred to the city of Dnipro for a full-fledged examination.

As earlier reported, on December 23 an activist and coordinator of StopTerror project Semen Kabakaev stated that three Ukrainian troops were tortured and killed in militant captivity at the Svitlodarsk bulge near the strategic railway hub of Debaltseve in Donetsk region.

The bodies of the troops were handed over to Ukrainian side on December 25, in the town of Shchastia in Luhansk region.

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http://uatoday.tv/politics/donbas-militants-defying-christmas-ceasefire-ato-headquarters-853828.html

At least 33 ceasefire violations have been registered at the Donbas frontline

The ceasefire in Donbas hostilities that had been announced starting from December 24, was violated at least 33 times in the past 24 hours, the ATO headquarters report.

Massive shelling and fire exchanges have been registered all along the frontline. In the Mariupol direction, 122 mm howitzers were fired against the village of Lebedinske. Shyrokyne, Talakivka and Vodiane were shelled with 82 mm mortars.

Firearms combat contacts were registered near Starohnativka, Shyrokyne and Pavlopil. Sniper fire has been reported from the frontline zone of Novotroitske.

In the Donetsk direction, 120 mm and 82 mm mortars, infantry vehicle weapons and hand mortars were fired against Luhanske, Artemove, Novhorodske and Vernetoretske. Combat collisions are registered near Zaitseve.

Stanitsa Luhanska and Novozvanivka near Luhansk have suffered hand mortar shells and firearms exchanges.

As reported previously, on December 24, a regular ceasefire has been announced as the result of the Triliteral meetings in Minsk.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/393082.html
There are 110 people which are held captive in the territory out of Ukraine's control, advisor to the Ukrainian Security Service chief Yuriy Tandyt has said.

"Some 110 people are considered to be illegally held persons in Donetsk and Luhansk, according to the official security services. Besides, ten of our heroes are illegally detained on the territory of the Russian Federation. When someone tries to underestimate these figures, we say that these are the lives of our fellows," Tandyt said in the air of Inter TV channel on Sunday.

He recalled that in the near future Ukraine will hand over 15 people from the release list provided by the representatives of certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/393102.html
Military Procurator's Office of Mykolaiv Garrison of Southern region of Ukraine has completed a pretrial investigation and filed claims to court against two former military men of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Baranov and Maksym Odyntsov, who violated an oath and deserted to the enemy.

"Former junior sergeant and warrant officer, who served in a military unit stationed in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, during the occupation of the peninsula did not comply with the order to arrive to the new duty station and stayed in the occupied territory, thus committing desertion, wherefore they were put on the wanted list. Further on they signed contracts for military service in the Russian Armed Forces," the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine said on Monday.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/393120.html
The leaders of the self-proclaimed DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) and LPR (Luhansk People's Republic) are handing over two captured women to Ukrainian representative Nadia Savchenko, the website of the Luhansk Information Center has said.

"As a goodwill gesture before the New Year and Christmas we are handing over, without any preconditions, to Nadia Savchenko, a representative of the people of Ukraine, two women, Angelika Presnyakova and Olga Svorak, in the hope of intensifying the process of release of our citizens, in the hope that they will be reunited with their relatives and loved ones next year," the LPR and DPR leaders said in their statement.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/393090.html
Ukraine will unilaterally hand over 15 people, who were detained and sentenced in Ukraine, to promote to the process of hostages' swap, SBU chief Vasyl Hrytsak has said.

"Now we will give 15 people back on a unilateral basis who have already received their sentences at courts. We will just hand them over to break the deadlock," Hrytsak said in an interview with 112.Ukraine TV channel on Sunday night.

"The decision on the hostages' swap is taken by one person alone [in Russia]. We are ready to do anything to take away our guys," he said, recalling that there are 109 Ukrainian citizens held captive.

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11:38
LPR reports 12 attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces

11:37
DPR reports attack on Kominternove by Ukrainian military

 

[Hindustani78]

A destroyed tank is abandoned on the road at a former Ukrainian army checkpoint near Debaltseve, Ukraine, March 2, 2015 (AP photo)

http://uatoday.tv/society/non-battl...-number-of-those-killed-in-action-853958.html

Ukraine's Defence Ministry reveals death toll statistics in the war in eastern Ukraine


467 Ukrainian servicemen died in 2016 as the country's battle against combined Russian-separatists forces entered its third year, BBC Ukraine reported on December 26 referring to the press service of Defence Ministry.

Specifically, 211 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action, while the non-combat death toll was also extremely high and hit 256 persons.

Moreover, over the past year, Ukraine's Armed Forces lost more than 100 units of military equipment and armour.

On December 6, Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff Chief Viktor Muzhenko said that 3,064 representatives of Ukrainian defence and law enforcement agencies were killed during two and half years of war in eastern Ukraine, 2636 of them are servicemen of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

Speaking at a daily briefing in Kyiv, defence ministry spokesperson for ATO issues Andriy Lysenko reported five more Ukrainian soldiers were wounded over the last 24 hours in Donbas conflict zone.

According to the UN human rights office December report, the total death toll from mid-April 2014 stands at 9,758 with another 22,779 people injured.

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http://uatoday.tv/politics/donbas-militant-leaders-promise-to-release-two-hostages-854048.html

Moscow-backed leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics have announced the upcoming release of two Ukrainian hostages.

Ihor Plotnytsky and Alexander Zakharchenko specified that two female captives will be freed as part of their agreement with Ukrainian MP Nadiya Savchenko.

"In a humanitarian gesture, on New Year and Christmas eve we will unconditionally hand over two women - Anzhelika Presniakova and Olha Svorak – to Ukraine's people's deputy Nadiya Savchenko," militant leaders said in a statement.

They added that in such a way they are "expecting to intensify the process of rescuing our citizens from captivity, with the hope that in the coming year, they will reunite with their families and friends," a pro-militant website quoted the statement.

In early December Nadiya Savchenko secretly visited the Belarusian capital of Minsk where she met with the leaders of so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics which Ukraine officially considers terrorist organizations.

After coming under a barrage of criticism, Savchenko explained that the meeting was needed to discuss ways to release Ukrainians held captive in the occupied territories of Donbas.

On December 22, Ukraine's parliament has voted to exclude Nadiya Savchenko from Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

*****************
http://uatoday.tv/politics/donbas-veterans-initiate-blockade-on-occupuied-territories-854068.html
The volunteer veterans soldiers of the antiterror operation in the Eastern Ukraine have announced to initiate forming mobile units and checkpoints for blocking the illegal trade traffic in and out of the occupied territories, the Interfax agency reports.

According to the statement made for media, the occupied Donbas blockade in being arranged in order to force the pro-Russian militants to release all the Ukrainians prisoners-of-war.

"There had been an ultimatum on releasing our prisoners, the ATO command did not fulfil it. With this, we initiated arranging and conducting a blockade of the eastern occupied regions," the Donbas volunteer battalion commander Anatoly Vinohradsky.

The volunteers intend to put an end to smuggling through the frontline, so the activists are gathering information on the illegal trade traffic.

"We will strive for blockade of the trade with the "DPR-LPR". Stopping water and energy supplies must be pursued on the state level," the blockading staff chief Sergey Akimovych also claimed.

The campaign will be timeless, 'till our guys are set free', he also said.

As reported previously, on Monday the pro-Russian militants handed over the bodies of two Ukrainian soldiers killed in action at the so-called Svitlodarsk rim near Debaltseve.

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http://uatoday.tv/crime/two-ukraine-soldiers-captured-by-militants-854378.html

They accidently entered separatist-held areas, Kyiv says

Two Ukrainian servicemen were captured yesterday by the Russian-backed separatist forces in the conflict zone in Luhansk region, the country's Anti-terrorist center officially confirmed on December 27, according to the local media outlet 1+1.

The soldiers were captured after they made a wrong turn and accidently entered the militant-held areas near Zolote village, while trying to get back to their unit from a hospital by car.

After that all contact with them was lost.

According to Ukraine's military, the servicemen were transported to the separatist stronghold Luhansk, their health condition and names remain unknown so far.

Ukrainian state security service, the SBU, earlier said that 110 Ukrainian prisoners are kept by the militants in the Donbas warzone, with ten more being held in Russia.

The Minsk talks about their release or exchange have been slow, and Kyiv said it will release 15 arrested as a sign of good will, hoping to finally advance the negotiations.

**********************

According to the journalist, neither of these women were included in the prisoner exchange list – they were both hostages captured with no particular reasons.

In turn, Ukraine will "voluntarily" hand over to militants as many as 15 people at once from the exchange list. All of them are either under investigation in Ukraine, or have already seen their verdicts "We are handing over six women and nine men, who, unlike the two hostages, were on the exchange lists. Ukraine never takes hostages – it’s the actual terrorists we are handing over, as well as mercenaries, spies and their collaborators, who are subject of the enemy interest," Butusov wrote.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the "DPR" terrorists in the morning of Tuesday, December 27, handed over to the Head of the Ukrainian Center for the Hostage Release "Officer Corps", Vladimir Ruban, two captive women.

http://www.unian.info/war/1699426-j...-of-them-fell-in-love-with-dpr-terrorist.html

******

Eighteen occupiers were killed and other 38 people were wounded in Donbas last week, according to a Ukrainian military intelligence.


"Over the past week, as a result of the enemy's attempts to seize new positions at the Svitlodarsk Arc, as well as violations of rules on arms and ammo transportation, poor conditions of service and medical treatment, the number of killed and wounded in the formations and military units of the 1st (Donetsk) and the 2nd (Luhansk) Army Corps of the Russian Armed Forces has increased," the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's Defense Ministry


It is noted that in the period between December 19 and December 25, the enemy lost 18 soldiers, while another 38 troops were wounded.

"Of them, three soldiers were killed and five were wounded in the 9th separate assault motorized rifle regiment of marines (Novoazovsk) of the 1st Army Corps (Donetsk) of the Russian Armed Forces. Another wounded soldier was from the 2nd separate motorized rifle brigade (Luhansk). Additionally, 15 military were killed and 32 - wounded in the 7th separate motorized rifle brigade (Bryanka) of the 2nd Army Corps," the intelligence said.

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The SBU Security Service of Ukraine has revealed an unauthorized international communication channel in Donetsk region, which had been actively used by terrorists, the SBU's press center told UNIAN.

http://www.unian.info/war/1697962-s...munication-channel-in-donbas-photo-video.html
The law enforcers found out that three residents of the town of Pokrovsk had organized the channel using special telecom equipment. The attackers routed telephone traffic over the Internet via IP-telephony technology, bypassing international switching centers.

"During searches at their premises, the officers seized GSM-gateways, through which an uncontrolled communication channel had been organized, computer equipment, as well as 3,000 Sim cards," the report says.


According to the detainees, it was the representatives of the "DPR" and "LPR" illegal armed groups who ordered the "services" on creating an unauthorized comm channel," the SBU said.

Criminal proceedings were initiated under Part 2 Article 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Investigative actions are underway.

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"Unfortunately, the ceasefire is not observed by the terrorist groups. Unfortunately, there were 33 attacks with the use of mortars and artillery systems yesterday," Poltorak said at a briefing in Kharkiv on Monday.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/393343.html
Over the past day the Russian-occupation forces continued shelling our positions totaling to 37 shelling.

According to the ATO headquarters, Shyrokyne in the Mariupol sector was thrice fired by tanks. There were also recorded the 122-mm artillery shelling and infantry combat vehicles weapons. Invaders fired Talakivka and Shyrokyne from mortars of various calibers. Shyrokyne, Maryinka, Pavlopil and Vodiane were shelled from rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns. Ukrainian military were forced to once return fire in Shyrokyne area in order to preserve the lives of the Ukrainian military personnel.

Luhanske was shelled from mortars in the Donetsk direction. Rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and small arms were used to attack Avdiyivka, Opytne, Yuzhne, Zaitseve and Luhanske.

Stanytsa Luhanska in the Luhansk direction was fired using grenade launchers.

**********

Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov has the decision by volunteers to launch a blockade against territories not under Ukraine's control in Donetsk and Luhansk regions which is within the competence of only one official –President Petro Poroshenko, who is the nation's commander-in-chief.

"If a decision will be taken to launch a blockade, so be it. If the commander-in-chief does not take this decision, so be it. Individuals who are attempting to improvise posts in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone will not succeed," Turchynov told journalists on Tuesday, commenting on an initiative to block shipments to the occupied territories.

As earlier reported, on December 26 veterans of ATO in eastern Ukraine along with volunteers announced they had deployed mobile groups and started former checkpoints for blocking work of illegal trade with areas not under Kyiv's control.

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14:50
Russian ombudsman visits two Russian soldiers held at detention center in Ukraine

11:03
Two captives transferred to Ukrainian side in DPR

10:43
Russian and Ukrainian ombudsmen visit 3 Ukrainian citizens being held at Simferopol detention center

 

[Hindustani78]

Ukraine continues to monitor the activity of ships in closed-off Crimean harbors


http://uatoday.tv/crime/more-than-600-foreign-vessels-spotted-in-crimea-bays-854663.html

15:52 Dec. 27, 2016
652 foreign vessels have anchored off in Russian-occupied Crimea so far, despite the economic sanctions against the peninsula, chief of Ukrainian border patrol service Viktor Nazarenko told journalists Tuesday, December 27.


Ukraine has officially closed off Crimean seaports after the Kremlin sent its troops to gain control the territory.

Nonetheless, both the government and non-governmental observers say some foreign ships, including the EU ones, continue to enter the peninsula's harbors.

Ukrainian lawmakers previously tackled the problem by voting for changes to the country's law, allowing to arrest vessels for violating the rules.

‘The latest example – the detention of ship Sky Moon (Tanzanian flag) in the Danube river, which proceeded from Sevastopol and a Moldovan seaport. As of today the vessel is arrested, its captain has been notified of the suspicion and the investigation is taking place', Nazarenko said.

In October Monitoring group Maidan of Foreign Affairs and BlackSeaNews in cooperation with Ukraine Today presented an analysis of the effect of sanctions on Russian occupational administration in Crimea.

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http://uatoday.tv/politics/russian-...raine-steppes-osint-investigation-854673.html

More evidence of Russia's direct involvement in Ukraine conflict uncovered

In 2016, InformNapalm open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigators revealed dozens of facts of the Russian involvement in the undeclared war against Ukraine.

The latest story uncovers colleagues from the Reconnaissance Battalion of the 7th Military Base spotted on a "Ukrainian mission – 2015".

The investigators note that the 7th Russian Military Base of the 49th Army (Southern Military District, Russia, based in Abkhazia, Georgia) has been largely featured among the evidence collected over the past year.

Source: InformNapalm

The group also revealed the source of information about the personnel and structure of the Battalion Tactical Group (BTG) from the 7th Military Base. It is a picture posted on VK2, the one taken "in the office", at the base camp of Russian troops, located Oktyabrsky Raion, Rostov Oblast, near the Ukrainian border. Among other documents on the table, a ration record was discovered. This document reflected the structure of the BTG from the 7thMilitary Base BTG on "Rostov-Ukrainian mission" in 2016.

Judging by the number of our publications, featuring military unit 09332 (there are 26 publications, including the last one, and 10 of them are from 2016), the 7th Military Base of the Russian occupation forces is the most belligerent military force of the Russian Army in Ukraine.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://uatoday.tv/press/no-peace-in-sight-in-eastern-ukraine-dw-855118.html

But people are dying there almost on a daily basis. Ceasefire violations have become a daily routine. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine delivers ample proof of this, recording a massive 300,000 incidents in 2016 alone.

Behind those figures looms Donbass's awful reality - trench warfare between separatists and the Ukrainian army. The civilian population is caught in the middle - dependent on humanitarian aid, putting up with wrecked buildings and disrupted power, water and gas supplies.

Regular meetings of the Trilateral Minsk Contact Group on Ukraine were supposed to provide improvements. But not a single one of the countless calls for a ceasefire has been adhered to so far. Another attempt has just been made: a Christmas truce has been in effect since December 24.

Officially, Ukraine says that its troops don't carry out military offensives. But clearly both sides try to seize control of individual residential areas by means of incursions, with the situation coming to a head on December 18, when heavy fighting erupted on Svitlodarsk bulge, north-west of Debaltsevo. Both sides accused each other of starting hostilities, and five Ukrainian soldiers were killed.

On that day alone, the OSCE recorded 2,900 explosions, the majority of them in the vicinity of Debaltsevo and Svitlodarsk.

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http://uatoday.tv/politics/russian-...n-soldiers-ukrainian-intelligence-855268.html

Bodies were taken from Horlivka and Makiivka morgues on December 22


According to the report from Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Russia military command uses the so-called 'humanitarian convoys' to secretly take away the killed soldiers. The aim of this operation is to disguise the presence of Russian army in Donbas.

Moreover, the intelligence reports that the tensions between Russia-backed separatist forces and their commanders - Russian officers - continue to escalate. On December 26, there was a gunfight in Bryanka between drunk soldiers that were at an operational site and Russian officers that came for a spot check.

As a result, one person was killed and several more were wounded. Because of this, soldiers were forbidden to leave the headquarters and were stripped of compensation for injuries that happened when they were drunk. That caused even more disagreement.

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http://uatoday.tv/politics/militants-pull-grad-missile-systems-up-to-frontline-in-donbas-855398.html

Grad BM-21 missile system (UNIAN photo)

The enemy missile systems are deployed and ready to be engaged in combat

The pro-Russian militants have deployed the Grad multiple-launch missile systems near the so-called Svitlodarsk rim at the Donbas frontline, the UNIAN agency reports.

"The Svitlodarsk rim remains to be a zone with never-ending shells against our positions, and they increase and decrease in number ever and again," Ukraine's ministry of defence ATO spokesperson Andriy Lysenko said.

Also, the Ukrainian command has the information on the Grad missile systems deployed by the pro-Russian militants in that area of the frontline, but the systems have not been engaged yet, Lysenko also said.

The heavy combat collisions had taken place at the Svitlodarsk rim on December 18-22. The militants made several attempts to seize the Ukrainian position but were pushed back after the severe firefight.

As a result of the clashes near Svitlodarsk, the Ukrainian troops suffered their biggest casualty losses in the past 5 months.

****************

http://www.unian.info/war/1701227-m...itions-in-donbas-44-times-in-past-24-hrs.html
Positions of the Ukrainian military in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in Donbas were fired on by pro-Russian militants 44 times over the past day, the ATO HQ press center wrote in a statement on Facebook.


It is noted that the occupying forces continue shelling the Ukrainian positions in all directions. In particular, in the Mariupol direction, the village of Shyrokine was shelled from 122mm artillery. Vodiane and Shyrokine as well were shelled from 120mm and 82mm mortars.

The militants used grenade launchers and small arms firing at Talakivka, Vodiane, Maryinka, Pavlopil, and also Shyrokine, where the active sniper was spotted aiming.

In the Donetsk direction, Novhorodske, Luhanske, and Avdiivka came under fire from 120mm and 82mm mortars. Militants shot their grenade launchers and heavy machine guns on Travneve, Luhanske, Zaitseve, Nevelske, and Myronivske. Yuzhne was shelled from anti-aircraft systems," reads the statement.

In the direction of Luhansk the invaders fired on Novo-oleksandrivka and Novozvanivka using weaponry installe don APCs, as well as grenade launchers and heavy machine guns.


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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/393699.html

Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Valeria Lutkovska during a meeting with her Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova asked to consider the possibility of placing Ukrainian citizen Stanyslav Klykh, who has been imprisoned in Russia, to an establishment situated as close as possible to the border with Ukraine so that his relatives could visit him

As reported on the official website of the Ukrainian ombudsman, on December 26, Ukrainian ombudsman Lutkovska and Moskalkova first visited pretrial detention center in Simferopol in the occupied Crimea, then - pretrial detention center in Mykolaiv.

"The main result of the second meeting of the ombudsmen of the two countries has become an agreement on assistance in the organization of regular visits of ombudsmen to monitor the observance of the rights of their citizens, who are located in places of confinement in the territory of another state," the statement says.

In particular, Moskalkova expressed a desire to meet with Russian citizens held in penitentiaries in Odesa. Lutkovska, in turn, expressed a desire to come see Ukrainian citizens who are currently in penitentiaries in Moscow, including Yevhen Panov, Roman Suschenko, and others, it said.

Moskalkova noted substantial advancements on the issue of transfer of those Ukrainian citizens currently imprisoned in the territory of Crimea to penal colonies in Ukraine where they could further serve their sentences. "Therefore, we hope to see the agreements reached at the first meeting between the ombudsmen in Minsk implemented in the near future," it said.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/393755.html

"Let's start from good news. No Ukrainian servicemen were killed or injured in the past 24 hours," Lysenko told a briefing conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.

In the Luhansk sector, yesterday hostilities were only observed in the Popasna district, where the adversary fired four times on positions of Ukrainian forces, using light weapons and armored vehicles, Lysenko said.

In the Donetsk sector, shelling took place all along the frontline. Kyiv's adversary continues to systematically violate the regime of calm near the Svitlodarsk bulge, near Horlivka, in the Avdiyivka industrial zone and near Donetsk Airport, he said. In total, this sector saw 15 instances of shelling by the adversary in the past 24 hours, including five episodes where heavy weapons were used, Lysenko said.

Almost all shelling episodes in the Mariupol sector on Tuesday were along the Pavlopil-Shyrokyne frontline segment, where the adversary used heavy weapons, such as mortars and cannons. In total, 25 instances of shelling were recorded in the Mariupol sector in the past 24 hours, including eight cases where heavy weapons were used.

The regime of ceasefire was agreed between the conflicting parties in Donbas to take effect at 12:00 a.m. on December 24, but was violated many times since that time.

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16:20
Kyiv to hand 15 POWs over to Donbas on December 29 - LPR

15:57
Basurin reports over 500 ceasefire breaches by Ukrainian troops registered in DPR in past 24 hours

13:45
Ukraine should switch mostly to own gas production by 2020 - PM Groysman

12:36
Kyiv sees 44 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas

Armed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, walk outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalnoye, near the Crimean city of Simferopol, March 14, 2014.Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.unian.info/war/1705032-day-in-ato-snipers-active-in-all-areas.html

In Mariupol direction, the invaders fired mortars on Krasnohorivka and Talakivka. They also shot from grenade launchers and small arms on Shyrokine, Starohnativka, Talakivka, Pavlopil, Hnutove and Vodiane. In the Donetsk direction, combined Russian occupation forces fired grenade launchers and mortars at positions near Luhanske, Troitske, Zaitseve, Verhnyotoretske, Avdiyivka, and Kruta Balka


In the direction of Luhansk, the enemy fired from mortars on Malnove, and from grenade launchers - on Balka Krutenka, Novozvanivka, and Stanytsia Luhanska. In all three directions snipers were reported to be more active, in particular near Hnutove, Vodiane, Talakivka, Novozvanivka and Avdiyivka. A total of 45 attacks were reported in the past day.

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http://www.unian.info/war/1705082-o...-transportation-on-ukraine-russia-border.html
"On 22 December at 16:09hrs the OT [observer team] in Donetsk BCP [border crossing point] observed a van with Ukrainian license plates crossing the border from the Russian Federation to Ukraine.

The driver wore a camouflage coat. The van had a sign 'Gruz 200' on its windshield from inside and had an inscription ANUBIS written in Russian on its side. The OT was not able to ascertain whether there was any coffin inside the van or not," the report reads. "On 22 December at 07:20hrs the OT in Donetsk BCP observed a white van with Ukrainian license plates with the inscription 'Funeral', crossing the border from Ukraine to the Russian Federation," the OSCE SMM wrote.

The monitors also reported on an ambulance spotted Dec 21 "with 'LPR' registration plates arriving at Donetsk BCP from Ukraine and parking in the customs control zone. The ambulance had the inscriptions 'Medical Emergency Assistance', 'Emergency Medicine' and 'Reanimation' written in Russian on its sides."

"At 11:00hrs an ambulance with Russian licence plates arrived at the BCP from the Russian Federation and parked near the first ambulance. One person was transferred by stretcher from the ambulance registered in the Russian Federation to the other ambulance. At 11:06hrs both ambulances left the BCP in the directions from which they arrived," the report reads,

Another case of an ambulance crossing to the Russian Federation for a short period of time was recorded December 22. As UNIAN reported earlier, in the period between Dec 20 and Dec 27, military clashes were reported at the Svitlodarsk Arc between the Ukrainian forces and the pro-Russian militants.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/394180.html
Three Ukrainian soldiers have been injured in the Anti-Terrorist operation (ATO) zone in the east of the country over the past day, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk has said.

"Over the past day, as a result of the fighting, none of the Ukrainian military has been killed, while three soldiers have been injured," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

In his words, grenade launcher and small arms fire was intense in the vicinity of Stanytsia Luhanska, Krymske and Popasna.

In the Donetsk sector, hostilities were seen all along the contact line excluding the Donetsk airport. Most shelling incidents occurred in the Avdiyivka industrial zone, the Svitlodarsk bulge and the outskirts of Horlivka, he said.

In the Mariupol sector, hostiles fired mortars near Talakivka and Krasnohorivka. In all, 24 provocations were observed in that area over the day, Motuzianyk said.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/394067.html
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers on Wednesday amended the rules for aircraft alert forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in peacetime in resolution No. 1012 and allowed the military to open fire on the aircraft after the intent-to-fire message. The corresponding decision was published by the government's press service on Thursday evening.

According to the amendments, "aircraft alert forces use weapons and military equipment after the intent-to-fire message issued from cannon armament of alert interceptors (helicopters)." These changes are aimed at "terminating illegal activities of aircraft, if they are used to carry out a terrorist offense in the airspace of Ukraine, including in the area of Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO)."

The explanation document says that the decision was made "for the adaptation of the basic legislative documents on defense to the modern world and challenges under the conditions of a "hybrid war" with Russia."

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13:00
DPR reports 314 fatalities caused by Ukrainian attacks in 2016

11:44
Militia sniper activity intensifies on contact line in Donbas - Kyiv

December 29, 2016


18:25
UKRAINIAN SIDE HANDS OVER 15 PRISONERS TO DPR AS GESTURE OF GOODWILL - INTERFAX CORRESPONDENT FROM SCENE

13:40
Ukrainian soldier killed in armed clash in Donetsk region - Kyiv

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.unian.info/war/1706642-mortar-shelling-clash-near-popasna-ato-hq-report.html
31 December 2016

Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/war/1706642-mortar-shelling-clash-near-popasna-ato-hq-report.html
A total of 48 attacks on the positions of the Ukrainian forces in Donbas were recorded in the past 24 hours, according to the press center of the ATO Headquarters.

In the Mariupol direction the invaders opened fire at Shyrokine and Talakivka from 120mm and 82mm mortars. They also fired grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms -on Vodiane, Talakivka, Pavlopilya, Maryinka, Shyrokine, Lebedinske, and Hnutove. As noted in the report, the invaders shelled Novozvanivka (in the Luhansk directions) from 82mm mortars.

Grenade launchers and small arms were used in the attacks on Stanytsia Luhanska, Novozvanivka, Kondrashevka Nova, Krasne Hlynyshche, and Novo-Oleksandrivka.


According to ATO Staff in the Donetsk direction, the militants fired small arms at Troitske, Avdiyivka, Luhanske, Zaitseve, Yuzhne, Verhnyotoretske, and Opytne. At the same time, it is reported that a clash with the pro-Russian militants took place near Popasna. The militant attack was repulsed, the enemy suffered losses and retreated.

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http://www.unian.info/war/1707186-h...enko-speaks-of-donbas-death-toll-in-2016.html

"Heroes never die": Poroshenko speaks of Donbas death toll in 2016

211 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in 2016, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Saturday, during his visit to Mariupol.

"This year alone, 211 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine gave their lives for peace and freedom of our country, protecting it from the aggressor. We bow to the memory of the soldiers and officers who died for Ukraine," said the president. As UNIAN reported earlier, President Poroshenko along with the three U.S. Senators paid a visit to the command post near Shyrokine to wish the Ukrainian soldiers a Happy New Year.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/394291.html
The Ukrainian Justice Ministry has decided to accept Valentyn Vyhovsky convicted by a Russian court for serving his sentence in Ukraine under the 1983 Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, and an appeal for reconciling the Russian court's judgment with the Ukrainian law has been filed with the Kyiv Darnytsky District Court.

"Relevant documents have been submitted to the Kyiv Darnytsky District Court requesting reconciliation of the Russian court's judgment with the Ukrainian law. Once a copy of the court's judgment is received, the Justice Ministry will notify Russia about the decision enclosing a copy of the court's judgment. The convict will be transferred with the consent of all sides," the ministry said in a report posted on its website on Saturday.

Petro Vyhovsky asked the Justice Ministry on April 4 to ensure the transfer of his son, Valentyn Vyhovsky, from Russia to Ukraine.

Kyiv resident Valentyn Vyhovsky was detained at the Simferopol rail terminal in Crimea in 2015. A Russian court sentenced him to 11 years on espionage counts.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/394300.html
A Ukrainian soldier was wounded in fighting in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone on Friday, spokesman for the Defense Ministry for ATO matters Oleksandr Motuzianyk has said.

"No deaths among Ukrainian military have been reported as a result of the fighting, one soldier was wounded near the village of Novoaleksandrivka," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday.

*****************************

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.unian.info/war/1707731-ukraine-reports-1-wia-in-past-24-hours.html

01 January 2017
One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, according to a Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman.


"One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in action (WIA) near the village of Zaitseve as a result of enemy shelling," Defense Ministry speaker for Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) issues Oleksandr Motuzianyk said at a briefing in Kyiv on Sunday, January 1.

As UNIAN reported earlier, combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 44 times in the past 24 hours.

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http://tass.com/world/923633

KIEV, January 1. /TASS/. Ukraine’s border guards at Kiev’s Borispol airport have detained a Russian national who is on Interpol’s wanted list, the Ukrainian Border Service said on Sunday.

"The 35-year-old Russian citizen had been on Interpol’s wanted list since May 2014 to be brought to criminal responsibility for committing crimes linked to participation in a terrorist group," the statement said.

The Russian citizen, whose name has not been revealed, was detained on Saturday during the registration of passengers of the Istanbul-Kiev flight. The man has been handed over to police.

Russia’s Embassy in Kiev has not so far provided information confirming the detention.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.unian.info/war/1708081-u...its-positions-in-donbas-over-past-24-hrs.html
With a total of 38 attacks on positions of the Ukrainian forces in all directions in Donbas, the militants used grenade launchers, mortars and small arms, that’s according to the press center of the ATO Headquarters.


02 January 2017

In the direction of Mariupol, the militants fired 120mm mortars at Talakivka, Shyrokine and Vodiane. “82mm mortars were fired [by militants] on Pavlopilya, Shyrokine, Talakivka, Lebedynske and Vodiane.

They fired grenade launchers and small arms on Hnutove, Vodiane, Pavlopilya, Lebedynske, Maryinka, Novotroitske," reads the statement published on Facebook. In the Donetsk direction the same types of weapons were fired at Luhanske, Avdiyivka, Troitske and Zaitseve.


At the direction of Luhansk the invaders fired on Ukrainian positions from grenade launchers near Stanytsia Luhanska, and from small arms - near Syze.

As a result of violations of "silence regime" by militants, three Ukrainian troops were injured. "January 1, three of our soldiers were wounded," the statement reads.
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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/394393.html
A total of 211 servicemen of the Ukrainian army were killed in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) area in Donbas in 2016, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"This year alone, 211 servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces sacrificed their lives for peace and freedom of our country," defending Ukraine from the adversary, Poroshenko said when delivering a speech in Mariupol, the Donetsk region, on Saturday.

Poroshenko went on to say that despite a slight decrease in fire intensity on the part of Kyiv's adversary, "the silence agreed upon in Minsk failed to materialize".

Two weeks ago, the opposing force attempted to take two strongholds of the Ukrainian army near Luhanske, a town at the Svitlodarsk bulge, Poroshenko said. The Ukrainian forces then repelled the attacks and "also staged a counterattack", Poroshenko added. As a result, the adversary suffered heavy losses and the Ukrainian army improved its dispositions, he said.

A tense situation also remains in Shyrokyne, the place where Kyiv's adversary has recently used almost the entire spectrum of weapons, except for rocket artillery, Poroshenko said.

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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/394401.html
A soldier of the Ukrainian army was wounded in the hostilities in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said on Sunday, January 1.

"None of Ukrainian servicemen was killed in the hostilities over the past day, yet one serviceman of ours suffered injury," he told a press briefing in Kyiv.

According to Motuzianyk, the soldier was wounded in a militia attack near Zaitseve.
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http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/394407.html
Four soldiers of the Ukrainian army were wounded in the hostilities during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said on Monday, January 2.

"None of Ukrainian servicemen was killed over the past day. Four servicemen were injured," he told a press briefing in Kyiv.

**********************

President presented new equipment and armament to the border guards of the Donetsk border unit
31 December 2016 - 18:23

http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news...kordonnikam-doneckogo-prikordonnogo-zag-39366
In the course of the working trip to Donetsk region, President Petro Poroshenko examined the observation tower and took part in the launch of “AEROS” - system of early detection, prevention and identification of targets, which is located in Mariupol. He also conveyed the lightly armored motor boat UMC-1000, 16 units of armored vehicles “HUMMER” and new armament.

The Head of State handed respective certificates for the equipment to the commanders of the units.

“One cannot come to the holiday with empty hands. Thus, the marines received the modernized rapid patrol armored motor boat of Ukrainian production,” Petro Poroshenko said.

The Head of State emphasized that the complex protection system of the maritime borders of our state and its maritime economic zone was being created.

“The renewed post of technical observation “Mariupol” is the example of our progress in that issue. It is equipped with modern system of early detection, prevention and identification of targets. We can find any air or water target. We can even find a swimmer,” the President emphasized.

According to him, “AEROS” is the Ukrainian-American development produced by “Ukroboronprom”. Due to the assistance, investments of our American partners, this system significantly increases the efficiency of response, as stated by the President.

“Two and a half years ago, we had been absolutely blind and had no information. Today, we strongly control the security of our borders at the distance up to 50 km in each direction,” Petro Poroshenko stressed.

“We are planning to install 5 more such complexes. They will be integrated into a single state data system of detection and analysis of water and air conditions in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, as well as in the basins of Dnipro and Danube,” the Head of State informed.

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In the course of the working trip to Donetsk region, President Petro Poroshenko took part in the ceremony of opening reconstructed bridges over Kazennyi Torets and Siverskyi Donets.

“Opening of reconstructed bridges over two rivers of Donbas - Kazennyi Torets and Siverskyi Donets is a simple and clear manifestation of revival of the country. The third, TV bridge, will help us join the solemn ceremony. This event is a good sign for the whole Ukraine and for the region in particular,” Petro Poroshenko said.

“People in the occupied territories saw that our first priority is the reconstruction of liberated Donbas, creation of normal living conditions, construction of bridges, schools, kindergartens and houses,” the President noted.

According to him, this is the priority demonstrated by the Ukrainian Government, Parliament and President.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.unian.info/war/1708716-u...ombat-casualties-near-maryinka-in-donbas.html
03 January 2017

Over the past day the invaders continued to fire at Ukrainian positions in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in all directions, the Headquarters of the Anti-Terrorist Operation reported Tuesday, adding that two military servicemen were killed and another two got wounded near the village of Maryinka as a result of weapon mishandling.

"Militants fired 120mm mortars and weapons installed on infantry fighting vehicles on Shyrokine. 82mm mortars were fired on Shyrokine and Vodiane. Grenade launchers and small arms - on Pavlopil, Shyrokine, Maryinka, Hnutove and Lebedynske," reads the statement.

Sniper was active near Hnutove, while anti-tank missiles were used by militants near Talakivka.


In the direction of Luhansk, the Russian occupation forces fired grenade launchers and small arms on Novozvanivkf, Lobacheve and Stanytsia Luhanska.

In the Donetsk direction - Luhanske, Severne, Avdiyivka, Troitske, and Zaitseve were shelled.

A total of 32 militant attacks were recorded over the past day. "January 2, 2017 as a result of a violation of the rules for handling weapons, two soldiers were killed and another two were wounded in one of the military bases in the zone of the ATO near Maryinka," reads the statement.

It is noted that the authorities have launched an investigation into the deadly incident.


As UNIAN reported earlier, over the past day, four Ukrainian troops were wounded in the ATO zone.

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/394540.html

The Centre Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats has started operating in Prague since January1, which will search for a series of fibs of the Russian Federation in the Internet and promptly expose them, DW has said.

The centre will be subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Czech Republic. It will be comprised of 20 people.

"Minister of Internal Affairs of the Czech Republic Milan Chovanec expects the employees of the centre will be able to report on misinformation and make the necessary changes in a few minutes after the appearance of fakes on the web," the statement says.

According to the dpa agency, the center will also struggle against the "propaganda of external forces." Observers of Prague analytical center "European values" warn of the growth of the influence of the media, controlled by the Russian state, the agency says.

One of the key tasks of the Centre for 2017 will be the defense of the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic from an external information influence. "Prague is particularly concerned about parliamentary elections scheduled for 2017. The Czech authorities believe that Moscow will try to influence public opinion in the country to support the pro-Russian parties."

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.unian.info/war/1709801-u...ian-military-grouping-hardware-in-donbas.html
03 January 2017

A 40,000 Russian military grouping has been formed in occupied Donbas, of which 5,000 are Russian regular troops, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said in an interview with Ukraine TV Channel 5.

"In fact, the situation was quite tense and serious in the Donbas conflict zone this year. This was due to the formation of the Russian grouping in the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone. As of today, there are about 40,000 servicemen there, of which 5,000 are regular Russian troops," he said.


According to Poltorak, Russia has massed about 600 tanks, 1,300 combat vehicles, 860 artillery systems and 300 multiple launch rocket systems in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas.

"Of course, with this military build-up, it was very difficult to talk about peace, especially with those who do not wish to fulfill the Minsk agreements or is very aggressively against Ukraine," he said.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.unian.info/war/1710511-ukraine-reports-2-wia-in-past-24-hours.html
04 January 2017


Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, according to a Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman.

"There were two wounded in action (WIA) as a result of militant shelling," Defense Ministry speaker for Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) issues Oleksandr Motuzianyk said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday, January 4, a UNIAN correspondent reported.

As UNIAN reported earlier, combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 39 times in the past 24 hours.