Crisis in Oekra�ne #97 Strijd tussen leger en opstandelingen

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Tijdlijn van de ontwikkelingen in Oekra�ne
NOVEMBER
* Nov 21: Kiev suddenly announces suspension of trade and association talks with the EU and opts to revive economic ties with Moscow, triggering months of mass rallies in Kiev.
* Nov 30: Riot police try to break up the Kiev demonstration by force. Protest turns against Yanukovich and his government.

DECEMBER
Protests continue with crowds of up to 800,000. Some clashes with police. Opposition forms bloc called Maidan. Yanukovich and Putin meet, Putin agrees to buy $15 billion of Ukrainian debt and to slash by a third the price of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine.

JANUARY
* Jan 22: Three people die in protests in Kiev. EU threatens action over crisis. Talks between opposition, Yanukovich fail.
* Jan 23: Washington threatens sanctions over violence.
* Jan 26: Unrest spreads to pro-Yanukovich east.

FEBRUARY
Anti-government protests turn increasingly violent. At least 77 people killed in clashes between demonstrators and police.
* Feb 21: Opposition leaders sign EU-mediated peace pact with Yanukovich.
* Feb 22: Ukraine's parliament votes to remove Yanukovich, who flees. Arch-rival Yulia Tymoshenko released from jail.
* Feb 26: Ukraine appoints new government. Angry Russia puts 150,000 troops on high alert.
* Feb 27-28: Armed men seize Crimea parliament, raise Russian flag. Militia take control of two airports in Crimea.

MARCH
* March 1: Putin wins parliamentary approval to invade Ukraine, angering the White House. Russian forces fan out in Crimea.
* March 6: Crimea's leadership votes to join Russia. U.S. President Barack Obama orders sanctions on those responsible for Moscow's actions in Ukraine.
EU leaders hold emergency summit to find ways to pressure Russia to back down and accept mediation.
* March 15: Two killed in clashes between pro-Russian demonstrators and Ukrainian nationalists.
* March 16: Referendum held in Crimea, shows overwhelming support for joining the Russian Federation.
* March 21: Putin signs laws completing annexation of Crimea. The U.S. imposes sanctions on Putin's close allies, EU follows with similar measures.
* March 23: NATO says Russia has amassed a large force at Ukraine's border.
* March 24: Ukraine pulls troops from Crimea.

APRIL
* April 2: NATO suspends cooperation with Russia.
* April 7: Pro-Russia activists in eastern Ukraine proclaim the creation of the "Donetsk People's Republic".
* April 12: Separatists take control of city of Slaviansk in eastern Ukraine. Kiev prepares troops.
* April 13: One Ukrainian state security officer killed and five wounded in operation against separatists.
* April 14: Obama warns Putin in phone call that Moscow would face further costs for its actions in Ukraine.
* April 17: Pro-Russian separatists seize armored vehicles of Ukraine forces trying to recapture rebel-controlled town.
* April 18: The United States, Russia, Ukraine and the EU reach deal for illegal armed groups to disarm and end occupations of public buildings and spaces.
* April 19: Separatists say they will not sign deal until the Kiev government steps down.
* April 24: Ukraine sends in troops again to try to expel the separatists in Slaviansk, kill five rebels.
* April 25: Ukrainian forces mount full blockade of Slaviansk. Separatists detain group of international observers, say a Kiev "spy" among them.
* April 26: G7 leaders agree to impose extra sanctions on Russia over Ukraine. Yatsenyuk cuts short a Vatican trip to see Pope Francis, saying Russian warplanes violated Ukraine's airspace seven times overnight. Russia denies the claim.
* April 27: Rebels say the OSCE observers are "prisoners of war" and present them in front of the press, where they say they have not been mistreated.
* April 28: West imposes new sanctions on Moscow. Russia vows a "painful" response. Russia says troops have returned to barracks after conducting exercises on the border with Ukraine. The West says there is no sign of this pull-back. Russia assures the US it will not invade Ukraine.
* April 29: Russia accuses Washington of seeking to revive Iron Curtain policies. Putin warns sanctions could harm Western interests in Russia's lucrative energy sector, denies there are Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
* April 30: Kiev says its armed forces are on "full combat alert" against a possible Russian invasion. Interim president Oleksandr Turchynov admits Kiev is "helpless" to prevent rebels over-running towns. Rebels storm the regional police building and town hall in Gorlivka. The International Monetary Fund approves $17-billion aid deal for the beleaguered Ukrainian economy.

MAY
* May 1: Some 300 pro-Russian militants seize prosecutor's office in Donetsk amid violent clashes with police. Conscription reintroduced for all Ukrainian men aged 18-25.
* May 2: Ukrainian commandos launch pre-dawn raid to retake Slavyansk. Rebels shoot down two helicopters and two servicemen are killed.
* May 3: Slavyansk rebels free OSCE inspectors after Kremlin envoy intervenes. Two days of mourning proclaimed over Odessa deaths. Fierce firefights around Slavyansk and nearby towns as military seeks to retake control.
* May 4: Kiev vows to expand "anti-terrorism" operations. Yatsenyuk launches probe into security forces in Odessa over the deaths.
May 5: A fresh assault begins on Slovyansk. The interior minister says more than 30 rebels are killed. Four servicemen are also killed. Russia warns Europe's peace is at risk. UN chief Ban Ki-moon offers to mediate personally as the West launches new diplomatic push.
May 6: Russia rejects a German-led move for a new peace meeting. Germany says Ukraine is on the verge of war.
May 7: In a surprise announcement, Putin calls for rebel independence referendums to be pushed back and endorses Ukraine's planned presidential election. He says Russian troops pulled back from border. The new overall toll from Ukrainian military operations stands at 14 servicemen dead.
May 8: Rebels vow to press on with referendums despite Putin's call. Russia conducts military exercises, test-fires several missiles, and says nuclear capabilities are on "constant combat alert." NATO says there is no sign of a Russian troop pull-back.
May 9: Putin flies to annexed Crimea after overseeing a display of military might in the Red Square where he paid tribute to Russia's "all-conquering patriotic force." Clashes break out in Mariupol that the interior minister says leave 21 dead.
May 10: France and Germany threaten to step up sanctions against Russia if the May 25 election is disrupted and urge Kiev to cease "offensive" operations before the vote.
May 11: "Referendums" are held in the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk. Fighting is reported around Slovyansk as rebels try to retake TV tower.
May 12: Pro-Russia activists declare resounding victory in a twin referendum on sovereignty for eastern Ukraine. The provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk voted on Sunday to secede from Ukraine. Russian gas giant Gazprom gives Ukraine until June 3 to pay $1.6bn for natural gas. The EU ramps up sanctions on Moscow.
May 13: Seven Ukrainian soldiers killed in rebel ambush in the deadliest single loss of life for the military since the start of the uprising.
May 14: Ukraine hosts "national unity" talks based on an OSCE roadmap but rebels are not invited.

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Ukraine forces resume massive shelling in Slavyansk region

Ukraine’s National Guard has resumed massive shelling of a settlement near the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk on Saturday. "Bombing alarm sirens are switched on in the city," a self-defense representative told Itar-Tass. Meanwhile, automatic rifle fire can be heard in Semyonovka and the Krasny Liman settlement on a highway to the eastern city of Kharkov, the representative added.

The shelling of Semyonovka from Mount Karachun resumed again on Friday evening. "An intensive fire from mortars and howitzers" lasted several hours, the people’s self-defense representative said. However, reports of casualties and destroyed buildings in this settlement are not yet available, because no one was permitted to enter the area under continuing gunfire.

Kiev to try to complete special operation in eastern Ukraine before Poroshenko's inauguration - DPR

The city center also came under gunfire overnight to Saturday. A fodder-producing plant has been shelled, Stella Khorosheva, said spokesperson for Slavyansk People’s Mayor Vyacheslav Ponomarev.

For his part, the self-defense activist noted that two residential houses had been partially destroyed in Revolution and Lenin Streets near the Ukrainian Security Service's local department building. "Several people were wounded by pieces of broken glass," he added.

However, self-defense in the city of Kramatorsk, ten kilometers from the city of Slavyansk in east Ukraine’s Donetsk Region, denied several media reports that battles were underway in the city. "Sporadic gunshots were heard but, in general, all is calm in the city," the self-defense activist said.

Reports of intensive clashes around Donetsk international airport remain unconfirmed. "As far as we know there are no active combat actions in this district now," the self-defense activist said.

Intense clashes break out on Slavyansk outskirts, casualties reported

Intensive fighting broke out in several areas on the outskirts of Slavyansk where Ukrainian military is using attack helicopters, the city self-defense headquarters’ representative told RIA Novosti. He added that at least two civilians had been killed. "About 7-10 helicopters are circling over the battleground. From time to time they fire decoy flares and strafe militant positions with machine-gun fire," the headquarters representative said.

Shooting resumed at the intersection of the Kharkov-Rostov route and the road to Red Liman where the militants periodically attacked Ukrainian military checkpoint in the afternoon. Gunfire was also reported at the military airbase near Kramatorsk. Clashes take place near Chervony Molochar village and Andreevsky checkpoint.

Earlier this afternoon the Ukrainian military resumed shelling a residential district with mortars. Self-defense headquarters report that two civilians, among them a 40-year old woman, were killed as a result.

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Chrystia Freeland: Mood in Ukraine determined, optimistic

[...]

I was also in the Donbass region, where the fighting is going on now. And I was astonished by the extent to which state authority had just melted away.

There wasn’t a lot of fighting while I was there, but it’s a very contested area, and it’s not clear what is going to happen there. It’s not clear if the government is going to be able to restore Ukrainian political order, partly because I think the Ukrainian government will hold back from doing anything that would lead to high civilian casualties – the morality of their new state is very important to them.

[...]

What was the mood like there?

On the border, in all of Ukraine right up to the border of the contested area, the mood was determined and really optimistic – I was surprised by both. The people felt, I think correctly, that war with Russia was still a real possibility, and they were prepared to fight. And I was surprised at the extent of that feeling – regular friends of mine for 20 years would have a gun in their office. So what surprised me was how that mood was so widespread, all the way up to the Donetsk Oblast border.

In the Donbass, where I also was, it was a totally different mood – a mood of real fear and uncertainty. It’s really scary to be in a country where the government has melted away. It’s terrifying actually. And that was the situation. And what that means is that just a few guys with guns can make you do anything. So say you call the cops – people say the police would show up and not do anything.

So, very scared, and very uncertain. I wouldn’t say there is a lot of support for the separatists at all, and support for them is declining as time goes on, particularly as the prospect of this somehow being connected with Russia recedes. And what many are really thinking is “oh my god – these ragtag irregular military guys, is this who we want?”

[...]

So are you more or less optimistic about Ukraine’s future after visiting there?

More optimistic. I’m less optimistic about the Donbass and the ongoing security danger. But for 90 percent of Ukraine, I’m much more optimistic. People were much more united, very broadly throughout the society there was a real understanding of being at a turning point and a commitment to get it right. It was really moving.

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Activists protest outside the French embassy in Kiev

Activists on Sunday protested outside the French embassy in Kiev, calling on France to cancel a $1.6 bn deal to sell Mistral helicopter carrier ships to Russia.



France insists that cancelling the contract would incur financial penalties and do more damage to Paris than Moscow.

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In Ukraine these days, even candy is political.



Mothers kicked the boxes, stomped the candy with their feet and screamed at the militants once they found out that the sweets were made by Roshen, the company owned by the Ukrainian tycoon Petro Poroshenko, whom rebel supporters blame for the violence that has engulfed the country's southeast.

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More Foreign Fighters Break Cover Among Ukraine Separatists

[...]

"The split of the country is final. There is nothing uniting us with them (the Kiev leadership) now," Alexander Khodakovsky, a defector from the Ukrainian state security service who now commands Battalion Vostok, told Reuters.

[...]

Foreign fighters at the Battalion Vostok base in the north-eastern part of Donetsk, a city of 1 million people, gave various reasons for joining the separatists defending the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic".

"My personal motivation is the religion, protecting Orthodox Christianity from the West," said Oleg, nicknamed Mamay, from North Ossetia, a Russian region on the northern rim of the Caucasus mountains.

[...]

Oleg - stout, black-haired and bearded, carrying a flak jacket and a short machine gun on his arm - said there were 15 Ossetians, including himself, fighting in the ranks of Battalion Vostok around the Donetsk airport on May 26-27.

He and other Vostok fighters said their casualties included one native of Chechnya, a region of Russia where Moscow fought two separatist wars and which is now run by a Kremlin appointee Ramzan Kadyrov, who runs his own militia, or "Kadyrovtsy".

"There are no Chechens now. There were. They left yesterday (on Thursday) with their injured and killed. There was only one casualty among the Chechens," Khodakovsky said. "They were volunteers, not Kadyrovtsy."

[...]

Battalion Vostok fighters also said their comrades included a few from the states of former Soviet Central Asia.

Khodakovsky said he had some 1,000 men in his unit now and that some more "volunteers" were coming, with experience of state security structures or the army.

[...]

Until mid-March, Khodakovsky used to head the elite special unit "Alfa" in his native Donetsk region, a senior and prestigious role in the state security service.

He says his shift was gradual, from rejection of the interim authorities brought to power in Kiev by street protests that in February ousted the former president, Moscow ally Viktor Yanukovich, to an all-out rejection of being part of Ukraine.

[...]

Khodakovsky, who is also responsible for state security in the separatist republic's "government", sides with another armed unit called Oplot and the separatist's "prime minister" Alexander Boroday, who publicly admits to being a Muscovite.

"Some Moscow politicians finance their own people in our government; that is an inevitable necessity," he said, without giving details.

He dismissed Pushilin, leader of the "Donetsk People's Republic", as just a figurehead and admitted he had no illusions as to Moscow's immediate goals in Ukraine's east.

"I think Russia uses us to pursue its geo-political interests, have a buffer between itself and the West. We do not deceive ourselves about that. But even knowing this, we stick to Russia because it is our culture," he said.

The rebels have now taken positions deeper into Donetsk, an industrial hub, setting up barricades and posts in residential areas in the hope that Ukraine's army would not fight in a densely populated area and endanger the urban infrastructure.

"We have no other option," Khodakovsky said. "They should understand the consequences of fighting within a city if Poroshenko wants to go down in history as 'The Bloody One'."

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Slavyansk families find shelter in Ukraine monastery

Elena and her four-year-old son arrived at the monastery doors clutching two travel bags and a teddy bear, as they sought shelter from the violence engulfing their hometown of Slavyansk.

More than a month into Kiev's "counter-terrorism" operation against insurgents in eastern Ukraine, the town of 110,000 people has become the epicentre of the conflict.

"The children screamed and cried the moment the shelling begins," said the 35-year-old Elena, recounting the weeks of sporadic clashes between rebels and the Ukrainian government troops encircling the town.

"We had to spend nights in the basement. How long can anyone live like that?"

[...]

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Ukraine: Elections without the East

Elections without Donbas

The electoral map of Ukraine would have looked a bit different if the majority of citizens in Donetsk and Luhansk and nearly all in Crimea had not been prevented from voting. The self-proclaimed authorities of the Donetsk and Luhansk "people's republics" which held separatist "referendums" already on May 11 did everything to disrupt the elections. According to the OSCE observer mission, "forced evictions and closures of District Election Commissions by armed groups, abductions, death threats, forced entry into private homes and the seizure of equipment and election materials were attempts to prevent the election and to deny citizens their right to vote".

The other reason for the very low turnout was the resignation of the local population and the mistrust towards Kiev. According to an opinion poll conducted on the day of the elections in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, 67 percent of the respondents said that they had no intention to vote; of them, 30.5 percent knew that voting was not possible in their area; 26,6 percent saw no suitable candidate; 6.8 percent referred to the lack of security; 12.4 percent doubted the fairness of the elections; and 7.7 percent did not consider their region a part of Ukraine. In fact, those few who dared to go to the ballot boxes were motivated pro-Ukrainian citizens and voted rather in accordance to the rest of the country.

The de facto absence of the Donbas vote in the presidential elections is difficult to overestimate. The political machine of the Party of Regions was created in the late 1990s, when then president Leonid Kuchma made a deal with the Donbas oligarchs which provided him and his "party of power" with electoral support. The use of "administrative resources", massive election fraud, black PR and destructive identity games pitting the East against the West of the country were the Party of Regions' favourite instruments of power which degraded the Ukrainian political system.

Donetsk and Luhansk were the motor of Yanukovich's election campaign in 2004, which resulted in the Orange Revolution; the same two regions secured his victory in 2010 and brought Ukraine's most unfortunate president to power. After the escape of Yanukovich, the Party of Regions failed to reinvent itself and had to face the early elections without a strong leader. Its powerful sponsors, such as the richest man in Ukraine, Rinat Akhmetov, tolerated and even supported separatism in the East. Ironically, it was the Party of Regions which, due to separatist unrest, lost most votes in their own domain.

The very fact that current elections were relatively free and fair and took place without much black PR and fraud is ascribed by some observers to the non-participation of the Donbas elites and the marginalisation of the Party of Regions. Even if this is true the problem of political representation and re-integration of the Donbas in the Ukrainian nation remains. A solution is problematic in a situation of civil conflict, with growing casualties on both sides. And yet, if the early parliamentary elections are scheduled for this autumn, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, like the rest of the country, should have a real political choice and an opportunity to vote.

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Op maandag 2 juni 2014 09:12 schreef JeMoeder het volgende:
Deze video is me trouwens niet in de koude kleren gaan zitten:

Ukraine: Death Road to Donetsk Airport

Ben hem nog niet tegen gekomen hier, wellicht heb ik iets gemist...

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Op maandag 2 juni 2014 09:02 schreef arjan1112 het volgende:
Waarom stuurt Poetin niet gewoon een leger naar Kiev en verklaard ie op tv dat Oekraine vanaf nu een onderdeel van het grote Russische rijk onder leiding van KGB Tsaar Vladimir Vladimirovitz Poetin is

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Op maandag 2 juni 2014 09:04 schreef arjan1112 het volgende:
Zbgiew Berzinski beweerde op CNN ( maanden geleden ) dat de VS een leger van 30.000 man aan de pools/ oekraiense grens moet neerzetten.

is dat leger er al, of slaapt Obama nog steeds ?

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Russia gives Ukraine more time to pay gas bill

Russia' Gazprom has given Ukraine more time to settle its gas bill after receiving a part payment of $786m (�469m).

The company had previously threatened to halt shipments of gas unless Ukraine paid its bill in full and agreed in future to pay in advance.

Gazprom says Ukraine still owes it almost $2.5bn.

Negotiations between the two sides will resume now that a part payment has been made.

Ukraine announced on Friday that it had made a payment, but has refused to settle the full amount in protest against Gazprom's recent 80% price increase.

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Russias Gazprom ready to reduce gas price for Ukraine not only through lower export duty

MOSCOW, June 02. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian energy giant Gazprom is prepared to reduce the gas price for Ukraines Naftogaz not only through a lower export customs duty, Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller told reporters on Monday.

If Ukrainian gas debt is settled Russia will be prepared to consider a scheme of resolving the price issue not only through a lower export customs duty, but also in direct commercial talks on a corporative basis, he said.

Gazprom also will not sue Ukraines Naftogaz at the Stockholm international arbitration court before June 9, Aleksey Miller said.

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Op maandag 2 juni 2014 09:02 schreef theNull het volgende:

twitter:

EuromaidanPR twitterde op maandag 02-06-2014 om 08:01:15 #BREAKING - #Luhansk HQ border control under attack by +200 armed terrorists vs. 70+ UKR http://t.co/EUjP1PMGWK EMPR http://t.co/8KPi6FhP4U reageer retweet

[ afbeelding ]

02.06.2014 Люди в камуфляже возле погранзаставы. Луганск

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Pro-Russia militia attack Ukraine border post, dead and wounded reported

(Reuters) - A fierce battle was underway on Monday in Ukraine's rebellious east after a pro-Russian militia attacked a Ukrainian border post with automatic weapons and grenade launchers in the early hours.

Security sources said a force of separatists had occupied the upper floors of a nearby apartment block and were shooting into the border post on the southern edge of Luhansk, a city very close to the frontier with Russia.

"Shooting is continuing. There has been no let-up in firing for seven hours now," border post spokesman Oleh Slobodin said.

"We have 8 or 9 wounded. The attackers have five dead and 8 wounded," he said.

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At night terrorists fire at roadblock of ATO near Slaviansk

SLAVYANSK, June 01, /UNIAN/. Terrorists tried to break through encirclement in the region of Slaviansk, having attacked one of the roadblocks of the Ukrainian soldiers.

In the night of June 2 fighters fired at a roadblock of the Ukrainian soldiers near Slaviansk in the Donetsk Oblast.

Head of the group on informing about antiterrorist operation Vladyslav Seleznev wrote this in his Facebook page.

It was also reported today about attack of 500 fighters on border unite near Luhansk.

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Five civilians wounded in artillery shelling on Slavyansk by Ukrainian troops

SLAVYANSK, June 01, /ITAR-TASS/. Five civilians were wounded as the Ukrainian military opened artillery fire at town of Slavyansk in Ukraines southeastern Donetsk regions, a representative of Slavyansks voluntary corps told Itar-Tass on Sunday.

According to the representative, fire was opened at the enterprises Stroimash and Slavtyazhmash. Apart from that, the town is having problems with mobile communications. There are problems with the internet in some of the towns districts.

On Saturday, according to the voluntary corps representative, patients were evacuated from Slavyansks central clinic.

They were taken to a district hospital in Nikolayevka some 18 kilometress off Slavyansk, he said. But some of the clinics personnel remained in Slavyansk, since wounded people are taken here every day.

On Saturday, the town and its suburb Semyonovka came under fire.

Что происходит в Славянске на самом деле ? / What happens Slovyansk really?

Women & Children Forced to Walk

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Multiple fatalities feared after Kiev fighter jet attacks admin HQ in Ukraine's Lugansk

Multiple casualties are being reported in the administration building of the city of Lugansk, eastern Ukraine, after a fighter jet attack. The assault was followed by heavy gunfire on the ground, causing panic among civilians.

At least five people have been killed in the attack, according to RIA Novosti. Many wounded are still trapped inside the administration headquarters, which caught on fire. The death toll may rise.

LifeNews channel reports one fatality and "many" people sustaining injuries.

The building fa�ade has been seriously damaged. The wounded are being evacuated from the administration HQ. About six ambulance vehicles have arrived at the site, while the building is reportedly on fire.

Штурмовик нанес удар по Луганской ОДА/Lugansk

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A firefight continues in the city of Lugansk where militia from the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Lugansk are trying to storm the headquarters of the State Border Service of Ukraine.

The installation was sealed off soon after midnight by armed militia, demanding the servicemen lay down their arms and leave the military base. After four hours of negotiations, the militia launched an assault using assault rifles and grenade launchers.

Several attempts to enter the installation have ended in vain. The Kiev authorities are unable to send any forces to rescue the unit so they dispatched a Sukhoi fighter jet, which made several passes over the city but could not launch a missile attack because the pilot failed to identify the targets, the Ukrainian State Border Service's press department reported.

Lugansk. Army LPR Storms UKR Border Post. 02.06.2014

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Op maandag 2 juni 2014 14:51 schreef deelnemer het volgende:
Multiple casualties are being reported in the administration building of the city of Lugansk, eastern Ukraine, after a fighter jet attack.

twitter:

EuromaidanPR twitterde op maandag 02-06-2014 om 15:00:29 Terrorists in #Lugansk fired from a manpad at Ukr military aircraft, missile got in the administration building @LUGANSK_TODAY |EMPR reageer retweet

twitter:

lennutrajektoor twitterde op maandag 02-06-2014 om 15:01:51 This is the dent left after air assault. Doesn't look like aircraft cannon or rocket. More like duped IGLA-1.#Luhansk http://t.co/wQBDwn2XuS reageer retweet

twitter:

lennutrajektoor twitterde op maandag 02-06-2014 om 15:07:53 #Luhansk eyewitness claims duped by AA reflectors IGLA-1 rocket took conditioner on city hall building as next target http://t.co/3ZEgDp5Mn6 reageer retweet

twitter:

lennutrajektoor twitterde op maandag 02-06-2014 om 15:41:24 Here is #Luhansk city hall before & after IGLA-1 took air conditioner as next target.#Ukraine #ATO #SaveLuganskPeople http://t.co/jwSzLoyAJZ reageer retweet

twitter:

codycoyote37 twitterde op maandag 02-06-2014 om 15:51:41 #Lugansk #Luhansk Informed, educated, thinkers don't buy RusMedia's spin. Air-to-surface missile would have caused much more damage. reageer retweet

twitter:

MrKovalenko twitterde op maandag 02-06-2014 om 16:11:29 #ATO press officer: #Luhansk govt bldng exploded from inside, allegedly terrorists can't keep their explosives safe. http://t.co/4OHWmN5rRr reageer retweet

Луганск - Самолёт наносит ракетный удар по центру города 02.06.2014

quote:

Op maandag 2 juni 2014 14:51 schreef deelnemer het volgende:
Multiple casualties are being reported in the administration building of the city of Lugansk, eastern Ukraine, after a fighter jet attack.

quote:

Al Jazeera Ukraine liveblog

Vladyslav Seleznyov, a spokesman for Ukraine's operation against the pro-Russian rebels, denied there had been any air strike against the regional administration building in Luhansk, but acknowledged air strikes against two separatist checkpoints in Luhansk region.

Seleznyov told Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper:

"We destroyed two checkpoints in Luhansk region. When the plane was turning back, they (the separatists) tried to shoot it down. A heat-seeking device was launched but it turned out that it fell on the fighters themselves and destroyed part of the wall of the administration building."

Deadly attack on Lugansk admin building, Kiev denies air strikes

� АСП� ОСТ� АНЯЕМ С� ОЧНО.Администрация после бомбежки(кровь и воронки). Луганск(Lugansk) 02 06 2014

Lugansk Ukraine 02 06 2014 After Ukrainian army air strike 1 часть из 6

SPOILER: nare beelden

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

quote:

Al Jazeera Ukraine liveblog

Russia and Ukraine on Monday made substantial progress toward reaching an agreement on a lower price for gas deliveries and the payment of outstanding debt by Kiev, in a bid to avert a disruption of gas supplies that could also affect western Europe, a top EU official said.

The chief executives of the two sides' state gas companies agreed on a proposal that would see a lower gas price for Ukraine complete with a debt repayment schedule, said the European Union's Energy Commissioner, Guenther Oettinger, who hosted the negotiations in Brussels.

Russia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz will now take the proposal to their experts and shareholders for approval, notably the respective governments, which is the prerequisite for another round of talks to seal the deal in the coming days, he said.

quote:

Op dinsdag 3 juni 2014 00:22 schreef UpsideDown het volgende:
NOS besteed er aardig aandacht aan, overige site's laten het wat afweten idd, terwijl het om de grootste pro-Russische aanval tot nu toe gaat.

quote:

Op dinsdag 3 juni 2014 00:49 schreef UpsideDown het volgende:

[..]

Is dat niet veroorzaakt een afgeslingerde shell als reactie op de aanval? Het is bekend dat het Oekra�nse leger gradraketten en artillerie inzet.

quote:

Video May Show Ukrainian Jet Conducting Airstrike in Lugansk

Луганск обстрел истребителем обладминистрации

The smoking gun? This video reportedly shows a Ukrainian jet firing rockets today in Lugansk. What is compelling, however, is that the trajectory of the plane matches very closely the video of the attack we posted earlier. Near the State Administrative building, to the east where the attack struck earlier today, is a communications tower (map) which places this plane at the scene of today's attack. Here is a screenshot from the video, which shows the communications tower, and a geotagged photo taken east of today's attack:

This is compelling evidence that an airstrike, in fact a rocket strike, was conducted against the State Administrative Building, a building which has been occupied for months by Russian-backed separatists. This also matches the theory that while Ukrainian forces were defending against a separatist attack at the southwest corner of Lugansk, at least one aircraft made an attack run against the separatist headquarters a few kilometers away.

The video below is very graphic, as noted in the tweet, but some important pieces of data can be taken from the video.

First, the damage is very widespread. No RPG or similar weapon could cause this level of damage.

Second, the epicenter of the damage in the video is the 4th floor window of the state administrative building. In the video, a firetruck is putting out the fire through one of the windows. The damage in the window is consistent with an explosion that started on the outside of the building.

Also important, however, is the point that the significant damage down below could not have all come from the explosion on the fourth floor of the building. In one video we've posted below, however, we see one of the cars explode, a car which is parked across the street from the admin building. The building could not have suffered the kind of damage, on the fourth floor, as a result of the explosion on the street. Again, this supports the hypothesis that there were multiple explosions, perhaps a combination of a rocket/missile and autocannon attack from a low-flying Ukrainian aircraft.

quote:

Ukraine Relied on Air Power To Defeat Separatists in Lugansk

While the evidence seems nearly airtight that a Ukrainian jet conducted an airstrike against the Regional Administration Building in Lugansk, it's important to not forget that the airstrike was part of a Ukrainian counteroffensive after separatists launched a significant attack earlier.

Kyiv Post has a blow-by-blow description of what happened in southwest Lugansk:

http://mashable.com/2014/06/02/ukraine-russia-border-gunfight/

LIVE FIRE: Raw video of pro-autonomy militia in Lugansk border base battle

Weapons seen in this video:

- RPG-7

- AK-74s, several variants include the M (military variant) and possibly the S, at least one of which is equipped with a GP-34 grenade launcher and scope.

What seems clear is that Ukraine, continuing a trend which began last Monday in Donetsk, is beginning to rely more on its airforce to deal defeats to the Russian-backed separatists--separatists who are increasingly well armed.

The danger, of course, is obvious. If the separatists are so well equipped that Ukrainian officials believe that airstrikes are the best way to deal with them, the risk of civilian casualties could mount in places like Lugansk, Donetsk, and Slavyansk.

quote:

Op dinsdag 3 juni 2014 10:48 schreef IkStampOpTacos het volgende:
Staan ook een aantal aftermath filmpjes op liveleak met allemaal dode mensen. Meesten gewone burgers als ik het goed zie. Zie zo niet of ze hier al gepost zijn, maar dezen bedoel ik:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cba_1401732635

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=add_1401727388

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=856_1401717090

quote:

Op maandag 2 juni 2014 11:14 schreef speknek het volgende:
Ze moeten die voorraadlijn met Rusland natuurlijk open houden.

quote:

Ukraine-Russia border gunfight

Seleznyov said the surprise insurgent assault, which lasted for more than eight hours, was an attempt to further destabilize the country's border with Russia in order for rebel reinforcements and supplies needed to fuel the ongoing fight for eastern Ukraine to pass through more easily.

Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia is notoriously porous. Historically, it’s been a haven for smugglers. In recent weeks, several Russian insurgents have snuck through with little or no problems. Members of the pro-Russia Vostok Battalion told Mashable in Donetsk last week that they were able to cross from Russia into Ukraine by simply telling border guards that they were tourists.

An alternative account of the gunfight was given by insurgent leaders in Luhansk to Russian state media. The press service of the self-proclaimed Luhansk Peoples Republic told Itar-Tass news agency that its fighters were battling with the ultranationalist militant group Right Sector as well as the National Guard, which includes many protesters from last winters Euromaidan revolution in Kiev that overthrew the President Viktor Yanukovych and his government.

quote:

Russia Is Accusing Activists in Crimea of Terrorism

Russia’s federal security service, the FSB, is cracking down on Ukrainian activists in Crimea. Late last week, it announced the arrest of four people in its newest jurisdiction for allegedly planning to blow up various targets, including a Lenin statue.

VICE News interviewed one of the suspects, an activist named Gennady Afanasiev, shortly after the March referendum that Russia used to justify its annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.

We had been in touch with Afanasiev in the regional capital of Simferopol to find out where and when pro-Ukraine protests were going to be held. Even as Russian troops tightened their grip on the Ukrainian province, he was one of a few organizers of the rallies who wasn’t afraid to continue his activism.

But because things had gotten so dangerous for supporters of Ukraine by the time we interviewed Afanasiev on camera, he had taken to wearing clothes in the colors of the Russian flag. He told us that he had stopped meeting with fellow activists as a precaution.

“We don’t meet up anymore,” Afanasiev said. “Someone could rat us out, we could get attacked, they could say we’re extremists or terrorists.

[...]

Among the other activists arrested with Afanasiev was Oleh Sentsov, an award-winning film director who supported the protests that toppled Ukraine’s former president Viktor Yanukovych and opposed Crimea’s annexation to Russia.

[...]

“The suspects have confessed to being part of Right Sector and to organizing terrorist acts on the territory of Crimea with the aim of destabilizing the social and political situation on the peninsula,” the Russian security service claimed in its statement. Right Sector, the Ukrainian nationalist group, has denied that the four were members.

quote:

Op dinsdag 3 juni 2014 08:13 schreef firefly3 het volgende:

[..]

Hoi Meth. Waarom post je niet meer onder je eigen username?

quote:

Inauguration of Ukraine's Poroshenko set for June 7

(Reuters) - Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko, who won an overwhelming victory in an election on May 25, will take the oath as president on Saturday, parliament ruled on Tuesday.

quote:

NATO to consider longer-term response to Ukraine crisis

(Reuters) - NATO defense ministers will consider on Tuesday what longer term steps the alliance needs to take to bolster its eastern defenses and improve its ability to respond to the unorthodox tactics used by Russia in Ukraine.

[...]

quote:

U.S. reviews military presence in Europe after Russian moves in Ukraine

(Reuters) - The United States is reviewing its military presence in Europe as a result of Russia's intervention in Ukraine, the White House said on Tuesday at the start of a four-day European trip by President Barack Obama.

Obama will call on Congress to support a "European Reassurance Initiative" of up to $1 billion to increase U.S. military rotations on the continent, it said.

The effort would involve increased participation by the U.S. Navy in NATO naval force deployments, including "more persistent deployments" to the Black and Baltic seas, it said.

quote:

Fighting rages between army and separatists in eastern Ukraine town

(Reuters) - Fighting raged in eastern Ukraine for the second straight day on Tuesday as the army rolled out an offensive against pro-Russia separatists holding the city of Slaviansk and claimed to have inflicted losses on the rebels.

[...]

"At the present time the active phase of the "anti-terrorist operation" is going on near Slaviansk. The (separatist) fighters are being blocked. If they refuse to lay down their arms they will be destroyed," said Vladyslav Seleznyov, a spokesman for the military operation.

"Our job is to establish peace in the region and this we will do," he said.

He could not confirm reports of wounded on the Ukrainian side around Slaviansk, but he said there were preliminary reports of dead and wounded among the separatist fighters.

"Information that Ukrainian planes and helicopters have been shot down are not true. Yesterday one of the helicopters received holes from small arms fire," he said.

Defence analyst Dmytro Tymchuk, who is recognised as having good military sources, said separately that one person had been killed on the Ukrainian side and 13 others wounded when a Ukrainian military column was attacked on its way to Slaviansk from its base in Izyum, to the north-west.

quote:

Op dinsdag 3 juni 2014 12:54 schreef waht het volgende:

[..]

Oftewel even de boel schoonvegen.

Славянск Сильная Стрельба 3.06.2014 Семеновка

Украина Славянск АТО Попадание из ПЗ� К в боевой вертолет Ми 24 03 06 2014

quote:

Ukrainian military resumes shelling of Sloviansk

SLOVIANSK, June 03. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukrainian troops resumed massive shelling of the town of Sloviansk, Donetsk region, early on Tuesday, and warplanes have appeared over the town, a representative for the people's militia told ITAR-TASS.

"The Ukrainian military concentrated fire on the village of Semyonovka, where residents have had no electricity since a power cable was severed on Monday," the representative said. "Automatic fire is heard in different parts of the town. There's a fierce battle going in the north-east Sloviansk."

Heavy fighting throughout last night was reported in the town of Kramatosk located 10km from Sloviansk. Explosions and artillery fire were heard at the local airfield. Latest reports said three militiamen had been killed when their car was blasted by Ukraine's military near the village of Yasnogorsk, Kramatorsk area.

В Краматорске идет ожесточенный бой,слышны взрывы возле аэродрома.03/06. Славянск,Луганск,Донецк

quote:

Fighting near the village of Semyonovka

SLOVIANSK, June 03. /ITAR-TASS/. Kiev-controlled troops are exchanging fire with militia units near the village of Semyonovka off Sloviansk in the Donetsk Region. Militia fighters have punctured several armored personnel carriers, parliament-appointed Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on Tuesday.

According to Avakov, "militia's roadblocks and engineer works have been destroyed in the Semyonovka area. We're moving on. We request the civilians of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Krasny Liman to remain in their houses to avoid risks to life."

A militia representative told ITAR-TASS earlier on Tuesday that warplanes had appeared over Sloviansk. "The Ukrainian military concentrated fire on the village of Semyonovka, where residents have had no electricity since a power cable was severed on Monday. Automatic fire is heard in different parts of the town. There's a fierce battle going in northeast Sloviansk."

quote:

Leger Oekra�ne zet offensief in tegen separatisten Slavjansk

In het oosten van Oekra�ne heeft het regeringsleger de aanval ingezet op separatisten in Slavjansk. Volgens minister van Binnenlandse Zaken Arsen Avakov is het gevecht om de stad in een ‘beslissende fase’ beland. Dat meldt persbureau AP vanochtend. Avakov heeft bewoners van Slavjansk en de omringende steden Kramatorsk en Krasny Liman verzocht om binnen te blijven.

SITUATIE NORMALISEREN

Volgens een journalist van AP is er in de stad zwarte rook gezien. Ook worden er geweervuur en artillerie gehoord. Volgens een woordvoerder van de rebellen is er een helikopter van het Oekra�ense leger neergehaald, maar dat kan nog niet bevestigd worden.

Het offensief zat er al aan te komen; het Oekra�ense leger bouwde in de afgelopen dagen paar dagen al een troepenmacht bij de stad op. Eerder al kondigde een onderminister aan dat Oekra�ne door zal gaan met de acties totdat de situatie in het oosten weer ‘normaal’ is.
De situatie in het oosten van Oekra�ne is in de afgelopen paar dagen steeds grimmiger geworden. Zo werd gisteren een grenspost van Oekra�ne door honderd opstandelingen bestormd. Volgens AFP werden daarbij vijf separatisten gedood. Daarnaast werd er vorige week een helikopter van het leger neergehaald en vielen er meer dan dertig doden bij gevechten rondom Donetsk.

quote:

Ukrainian border service chief called for more protection borders.

Mykola Litvin, Ukrainian border service chief, called for more protection for the country's frontiers on Tuesday, a day after eight of his men were injured in attack on border post in the outskirts on Luhansk city.

“We should move from protection to defense of the border, especially in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. We should take a number of measures to protect the border. The border should be strengthened by army and National Guard units, which will enable us to control and fulfill our functions at a proper level.”

quote:

Offensive Ukraine army against rebels

Ukraine's acting president Oleksandr Turchynov said on Tuesday that Ukrainian troops had launched an offensive against pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country, destroying rebel checkpoints and bases in Luhansk.

"This morning we destroyed the hidden base of terrorists near Severodonetsk. Now we have an active operation by anti-terrorists forces to liberate the north of Donetsk," Turchynov said in remarks to the parliament in Kiev on Tuesday.

Ukraine's acting chief prosecutor, Oleh Makhnitsky, said 181 people, including 59 Ukrainian servicemen, had been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine and another 291 had been wounded.

With the insurgents controlling several cities in the east, the death toll released by Makhnitsky is likely to be incomplete.

quote:

Fighting Slaviansk

Fighting raged in eastern Ukraine for the second straight day on Tuesday as the army rolled out an offensive against pro-Russia separatists holding the city of Slaviansk, with dead and wounded on both sides, the Ukrainian government said.

[...]

Twelve hours after Kiev's forces launched an overnight military operation in and around Slovyansk, Vladyslav Seleznyov, a spokesman for the Ukrainians, said:

“Today we have had two killed and 42 wounded”

He put the number of dead and wounded on the separatists side at about 300. This figure could not be independently confirmed.

"Fighting is continuing", he told Reuters on Tuesday evening.

quote:

Ukraine women's battalion mans barricades

Pro-Russia brigades of female fighters have erected checkpoints and seized much of eastern Luhansk region.

[...]

On the morning of April 7 she was asked to help bar the road to police. "By 7:15am I was standing here. We didn't have anything. No guns, no clubs, no uniforms even. Nothing," she said. "We stood shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand – six women," she said with a quiet and simple pride.

This is how the "battalion" - actually about 25 women from Krasny Luch - was formed. Today, about 25 men have joined them, making up a small defence force that is intent on protecting their town from what they see as aggression from Kiev - and could possibly attract further recruits.

[...]

Unlike many of their masked male counterparts, the women at the rebel roadblock seemed to feel freer to talk about the politics that have brought Ukraine to the predicament it is in today. "We didn't want this war and we didn't bring that government [in Kiev] to power. We have only decided to be independent," said Gerasimenko, "but no one is allowing us," she said, referring to the newly elected government of Petro Poroshenko, an oligarch opposed by the separatists.

After taking yet another phone call from her worried, 62-year-old mother back in town, Dustova said, "I don't see any leaders amongst our politicians, male or female. We just have oligarch after oligarch. We're just regular miners that know the price of labour and know that we can't live on the money we get paid. This is now a miner's republic."

quote:

OSCE Confirms 'Rockets' Used In Lugansk Explosion

The OSCE confirms that based on their own observations the separatists headquarters, inside the Regional Administration Building, was indeed struck by rockets fired from a Ukrainian aircraft:

In Luhansk the situation remained volatile. On 2 June, shortly after 15:00 hrs, rockets hit the occupied regional administration building. Based on the SMM’s limited observation these strikes were the result of non-guided rockets shot from an aircraft. The number of casualties is unknown.

A number of Luhansk city and region inhabitants tried to escape the combat zone. The SMM learned that trains to Kharkiv and Kyiv appeared to be fully booked for the next couple of days.

Interestingly, the report does not mention the fighting in southwest Lugansk, where separatists launched a large offensive yesterday morning.

quote:

Besieged Lugansk Border Guards Given Deadline to Surrender

"At the border guards' base. There are currently around 100 people inside. The LNR [Lugansk People's Republic] have given an ultimatum to surrender by 18:00 [15:00 GMT]"

Ukrainska Pravda reported that the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service had issued a statement saying that the base was once again surrounded by separatist fighters. The statement says:

"A huge number of armed men, including Russian so-called 'Cossacks' have gathered around the Lugansk border guard base. They are armed with heavy weapons - mortars, RPGs and heavy machine guns."

A new assault on this unit could begin at any minute as an act of retaliation, due to the fact that the border guards have not laid down their arms and surrendered, and are continuing to perform their duties."

Meanwhile Mykola Lytvyn, chief of the State Border Guard Service, said that the border guards are preparing for fresh attacks, but that plans for ground support for the guards were still being decided.

quote:

Shell halts drilling for shale gas in Ukraine because of military hostilities in east

MOSCOW, June 03. /ITAR-TASS/. The Royal Dutch Shell has temporarily halted drilling for shale gas on the border of Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Donetsk regions to protect its personnel from clashes that intensified between anti-Kiev activists in the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Ukrainian army.

On January 24, 2013, the Ukrainian government signed a production sharing agreement with the Royal Dutch Shell, the local company Nadra Yuzivska (90% of which belongs to Nadra Ukrainy and 10% to SPK-GeoServis) for prospecting, developing and extracting shale gas at the Yuzivska field. Under the agreement, Shell and Nadra Yuzivska each hold a 50% equity stake in the project.

Predicted resources of the Yuzivka field are valued at 4.054 trillion cubic meters of gas. Industrial mining is to start in 2017. The drilling on the Yuzivka field started in 2013.
Pilot testing is scheduled for 2015.

quote:

OSCE relocates observers from Donetsk and Luhansk regions for security reasons

GENEVA, June 03. /ITAR-TASS/. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is reducing the number of observers in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Eastern Ukraine for security reasons, OSCE Secretary-General Lamberto Zannier told journalists on Tuesday.

The OSCE will continue monitoring Ukraines eastern regions as closely as possible but at the moment it has to relocate its observers from Donetsk to safer places such as Kharkiv, Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk so that they could perform their monitoring functions from there, Zannier said, adding the OSCE would also cut the number of observers in the Luhansk region.

The OSCE Secretary-General added that observers lost in east Ukraine are safe.

quote:

NATO agrees to 'readiness action plan' to counter Russia over Ukraine

NATO defence ministers agreed on Tuesday series of steps to bolster protection in eastern Europe after the Ukraine crisis, but insisted they were acting within the limits of a key post-Cold War treaty with Moscow.

NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said ministers had agreed to develop a "readiness action plan... to respond to the changed security environment" created by the escalating conflict in Ukraine.

This will include measures such as pre-positioning supplies and equipment in member states and stepping up work to improve military capabilities to help NATO speed up its reaction time to any threat.

The plan will go to NATO leaders at their September summit in Britain for approval.

twitter:

StateOfUkraine twitterde op dinsdag 03-06-2014 om 22:39:33 Battle in #Luhansk #Ukraine: pro-#Russia/Russian fighters are attacking another Ukrainian military base (№3335) https://t.co/5NmmMqHCem reageer retweet

Луганск (р-н Городок). Снова бой. в/ч 3035. ч.1 (03.06.14)

twitter:

UkraineConflict twitterde op dinsdag 03-06-2014 om 23:51:41 Footage from the national guard base in #Luhansk tonighthttps://t.co/2AqXxviYPJ reageer retweet

Луганск. Перестрелка у в/ч 3035

quote:

National Guard abandoned a military outpost in Luhansk

Ukraine's National Guard said on Wednesday that its forces abandoned a military outpost in the eastern city of Luhansk after running out of ammunition in a 10-hour battle with pro-Russian rebels.

Officials said in a statement that six militants were killed and three Ukrainian servicemen were injured in fighting overnight.

quote:

Militairy unit was ambushed by rebels on Tuesday morning.

Ukrainian troops were evacuated from Izyum on June 3 after an armored column was attacked en route to Slovyansk from its main base in Izyum in the Kharkiv region. The “anti-terrorist operation” unit was ambushed by rebels on Tuesday morning. One soldier was killed and 13 were wounded in the attack, according to reports.

This footage captures wounded soldiers on gurneys being air lifted from the region in helicopters.

АТО: Евакуація поранених після засідки терористів

quote:

Ukraine, on way home

Kiev/New Delhi: The first batch of 500 Indian students has arrived safely in Kiev from Ukraine's restive eastern region of Lugansk and will be returning to India after the Indian mission facilitated their evacuation.

According to external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin, the students from Lugansk region arrived in Kiev "responding to the advisory to leave the region".

The Indian mission in Ukraine has been facilitating the evacuation of 1,000 Indian nationals, particularly students, in the wake of growing tension in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian rebels and the Ukraine government.

twitter:

KyivPost twitterde op woensdag 04-06-2014 om 08:19:41 Interim #Ukrainian president considering #martial law in #Donetsk, Luhansk regions http://t.co/igW0YpYjbF reageer retweet

quote:

Dmitry Tymchuk

Dmitry Tymchuk is a Ukrainan military expert and blogger. He is an officer of Ukrainian military reserve and leader of the "Information resistance" blog. During the ongoing 2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine, he is extensively cited on situation in the country as an independent source by both sides and abroad.

quote:

Dagestani's demand republic leaders resignation

In an echo of the success Abkhazians had in pressing for the ouster of their republic’s leader, 271 delegates to a May 31 meeting in Makhachkala calling itself “the Extraordinary Congress of the Peoples of Dagestan” has demanded that Moscow fire Ramazan Abdulatipov as republic head and replace him with one of three Daghestani politicians.

[...]

Instead, the echoes of Abkhazia are likely to weaken Moscow’s control across the North Caucasus and perhaps more generally, yet another blowback from the actions that the Russian government has been taking in eastern Ukraine and one that must be added to the real costs of Putin’s Ukrainian adventure.

quote:

Anti-terrorist operation regime imposed in 3 villages of Dagestan, North Caucasus

MAKHACHKALA, June 04. /ITAR-TASS/. An anti-terrorist operation regime was imposed early on Wednesday in three settlements of the Russian republic of Dagestan, North Caucasus, a source from the operation headquarters in Dagestan told ITAR-TASS.

The regime was imposed at 7.00 am Moscow time, in three settlements of Dagestans Kizlyar region, the source said, adding that an operation was underway to neutralize gunmen.

quote:

Obama holds talks with new Ukraine president

US President Barack Obama has met Ukraine's president-elect Petro Poroshenko in a show of US support as the country battles a pro-Russian uprising that the West blames on Russia.

The talks on day two of his European tour came before the US president heads to a G7 summit in Belgium which aims to cement Western policy towards Russia.

On Tuesday, Obama said "further Russian provocation will be met with further costs for Russia including, if necessary, additional sanctions".

---------------------------------------------------------------------

In an interview with the French TF-1 TV channel published on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Washington of "the most aggressive" actions on the international arena.

"It is no secret that the most aggressive, the most rigid policy on protection of own interests, as understood by the US administration, is pursued exactly by the US, year in, year out," Putin said.

"We have barely any troops abroad, whereas the US has troops everywhere, it has military bases all over the world, and everywhere they participate in deciding the fates of other nations that are thousands of miles away from their own borders."

quote:

Op woensdag 4 juni 2014 12:32 schreef firefly3 het volgende:

[..]

Waarom pro oekrains en niet neutraal, omdat jij dat zegt?

twitter:

EuromaidanPR twitterde op woensdag 04-06-2014 om 13:59:35 Refugee Crisis Begins. East SOS: people run from the #Donbass http://t.co/XIJFAltwyA |EMPR News #Ukraine http://t.co/S1WKc77XxO reageer retweet

quote:

Ukraine leader says to unveil peace plan soon

(Reuters) - Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday he would announce a plan for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in the east of the country soon after his inauguration on Saturday.

"Very quickly after the presidential inauguration we are ready to present our plan for the peaceful solution of the situation in the east," he told reporters after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama in the Polish capital.

He gave no details of what that solution might involve. Previously Ukrainian officials have said they are willing to seek talks with pro-Russian separatist rebels in the east, but could not find suitable negotiating partners.

The government in Kiev is pursuing an armed operation against insurgents in the east. A spokesman for the operation said more than 300 of the rebel fighters had been killed.

quote:

State Border Guard has been withdrawn from Lugansk base.

The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service (SGBS) has issued a statement on its website announcing that their personnel have been withdrawn from their Lugansk base. The base has been under attack by separatists since the early hours of June 2. Militants surrounded the base and have established sniper and RPG firing positions on the roofs of overlooking tower blocks. While air support has been provided there have been no ground reinforcements to break the encirclement.

The SGBS statement reads (translated by The Interpreter):

"Due to the lengthy attacks by large groups of well armed militants and the inability to carry out any further duties from their place of permanent deployment, the command of the Lugansk detachment and the Stanychno-Luganske border guard division have been relocated to safer locations to perform tasks for the organisation for the defence of the state's borders."

луганск 4.06 Пограничники покидают часть

quote:

This video, shared to the Open Newsroom, reportedly shows the Ukrainian soldiers withdrawing from the Border Guard base in Lugansk. As we noted in our previous update below, the State Border Guard has announced that it was withdrawing from the base that has been under fierce separatist attack for days.

The problem, however, is that nothing about this video looks like a planned military withdrawal. The men in the video are leaving the facility in civilian clothes and are not carrying weapons. Meanwhile, the separatists we posted video of earlier are in control of the armored vehicles.

These soldiers have surrendered, and are leaving behind their weapons and armored vehicles.

Луганск в ч 3035 захваченный БТ�

quote:

Fighting rages in eastern Ukraine town, residents flee

(Reuters) - Ukrainian government forces battled separatists with artillery and automatic weapons on Wednesday as fighting raged for a second straight day in and around the eastern town of Slaviansk, forcing many frightened residents to flee.

[...]

Fleeing the fighting, families came through the barbed wire checkpoint in small groups, taking with them only as much as they could carry.

"It's a mess," Marina, a young woman, sobbed as she clutched her husband's arm. "It's war."

Balancing his four-year-old daughter on his hip, Andrei Bander, 37, said he feared he would not be back any day soon.

"We took only what was most necessary. We are going. We don't even know where. We will head to Russia though because it's clear we need to leave Ukraine. I don't see anything good left here," he said, waiting for a taxi in the no man's land beyond the check point with only a few small bags.

"In the past few days, from 5.30 in the morning until about 1 p.m., we have been sitting in the basement. We didn't have time to have lunch or wash or anything."

[...]

Water in the city has been shut off since Tuesday afternoon, residents fleeing Slaviansk said.

While some families, mainly women and children were trying to leave, some men waited in their cars to get back to the town but were not being let through the roadblock by Ukrainian forces.

Soldiers fired warning shots in the air when one car, coming from the direction of Slaviansk, tried to drive up to the check point.

"My wife and two small children are there, but I can't get back to them," said a resident who gave his name as Sasha, 31.

quote:

Obama condemns Russian 'dark tactics' in Ukraine

Speaking in Warsaw to mark 25 years since the fall of communism in Poland, he hailed Polish democracy as a beacon for neighbouring Ukraine.

"How can we allow the dark tactics of the 20th Century to define the 21st?" he said.

[...]

Mr Obama has now arrived in Brussels for a meeting of the G7 major industrial nations, the first since Russia was removed from the G8 in protest over its annexation of Crimea in March.

He is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in France on Friday, during 70th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

[...]

In his speech, the US president said that Poland's long struggle against occupation and tyranny was mirrored in the plight of Ukraine today.

"We will not accept Russia's occupation of Crimea or its violations of Ukraine's sovereignty," Mr Obama said.

"As we've been reminded by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, our free nations cannot be complacent in pursuit of the vision we share - a Europe that is whole and free and at peace."

Later German Chancellor Angela Merkel threatened Russia with further sanctions if Moscow failed to rein in separatists in eastern Ukraine.

"It is decisive that President Putin use his influence to get the separatists to refrain from violence and intimidation, hand over their weapons and stop the occupations," she said in a speech to parliament.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Ukraine, separatist rebels have taken two military bases in the eastern region of Luhansk as fighting continues near the rebel-held town of Sloviansk.

Obama Speaks At Warsaw Freedom Day- Full Speech

twitter:

MrKovalenko twitterde op woensdag 04-06-2014 om 15:01:16 #Ukraine President-elect #Poroshenko: I'm ready to sign a free trade zone treaty with the #EU right after my inauguration. via @Programa_PP reageer retweet

quote:

Unrepentant on Ukraine, Putin prepares to meet his critics

MOSCOW, June 4 (Reuters) - Whether he is made to feel like an unwelcome guest or the Prodigal Son returning, Vladimir Putin is relishing the chance to show his defiance over Ukraine at his first meetings with Western leaders in months.

With his ratings soaring at home, the West showing no taste for a fight over Crimea and Europe reluctant to hit Moscow with new sanctions, the Russian president feels he has the upper hand as he sets out for World War Two anniversary events in France.

quote:

Van Rompuy: "Associatieakkoord met Oekra�ne moet eind juni rond zijn"

Van Rompuy verklaarde dat de Europese Unie tegen het einde van de maand het associatieakkoord met Oekra�ne helemaal ondertekend wil hebben. Dat moeten "ten laatste op 27 juni" gebeuren, op de volgende Europese top in Brussel. Dan worden ook de associatieakkoorden met Georgi� en Moldavi� geofficialiseerd.

Het associatieverdrag dat Oekra�ne met de Europese Unie onderhandeld heeft, lag vorig jaar aan de basis van de onrust die in Kiev ontstond. Toenmalig president Viktor Janoekovitsj besliste namelijk om het verdrag niet te ondertekenen en een pro-Russische koers te gaan varen. In de maanden die volgden werd Janoekovitsj afgezet en ondertekenden de nieuwe machtshebbers in Oekra�ne alvast het politieke luik van het associatieverdrag. Dat gebeurde op 21 maart.

Het politieke luik had inhoudelijk niet veel om het lijf en was vooral symbolisch erg belangrijk voor de toenadering tussen Oekra�ne en de EU. De resterende hoofdstukken van het verdrag bevatten evenwel een omvattend vrijhandelsakkoord.

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EuromaidanPR twitterde op woensdag 04-06-2014 om 19:49:57 #Ukrainian border guards left #Sverdlovsk without battle http://t.co/A8rGWT8gNP | EMPR News reageer retweet

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Rebels seize 3 government bases in eastern Ukraine

Pro-Russian insurgents dislodged government troops from three bases in eastern Ukraine, a new blow to beleaguered armed forces as its president-elect vowed new initiatives to help end the regional mutiny.

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Op woensdag 4 juni 2014 20:21 schreef Igen het volgende:
Klinkt alsof Oekra�ne z'n krachten wil bundelen en eerst alleen vanuit het westen Donetzk weer onder controle wil krijgen?

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Reports That Sverdlovsk Border Guard Base Seized by Separatists

Roman Bochkala, a Ukrainian journalist, has been reporting via his Facebook page today on events in the town of Sverdlovsk in the Lugansk region. He says there are local reports of infiltration by a large force from Russia, including 10 BTR armoured personnel carriers. The separatist fighters surrounded the Border Guard base in the town centre and appeared to be preparing an assault. He reports that the border guards surrendered the base without a fight and left an arsenal of weapons behind.

The surrender of the base, if confirmed, is the third today following the separatist capture of a Border Guard base and a National Guard barracks in the city of Lugansk. There were complaints that the Lugansk border guards, who held out against a sustained assault for two days, received little to no assistance from the Ukrainian military, bar ineffectual air support. Bochkala reports that the border guards in Sverdlovsk were unable to make contact with the Anti-Terrorism Operation headquarters.

Here are some of Bochkala's Facebook posts (translated by The Interpreter):

10:42 GMT: Separatists have surrounded a border guard detachment in the centre of Sverdlovsk in the Lugansk region. Snipers and machine gunners have been seen. An assault is expected to begin during the night.

The border guards' colleagues from the Dolzhansky checkpoint have rushed to aid them but they cannot get into Sverdlovsk. Local pro-Russian residents have blocked the road. The border guards need help urgently! They are unable to contact the ATO headquarters.

According to the local residents, some 30 covered KamAZ trucks carrying militants were seen in the village of Provalye near Sverdlovsk. In the woods stand 10 Russian BTRs, which illegally, but easily crossed the Ukrainian border during the night.

14:58 GMT: Without a fight. The Ukrainian border guards have withdrawn fom Sverdlovsk. The column his moving towards Kharkov. They're currently standing at a checkpoint near Krasnodon.

15:53 GMT: On the march. The Ukrainian border guards leave Sverdlovsk.



16:06 GMT: Leaving their base in Sverdlovsk, the border guards abandoned a whole arsenal of weapons, to the delight of the separatists.

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Report Says 2 Ukrainian Helicopters Downed Over Slavyansk, 1 Destroyed. 16:53 (GMT)

InfoResist.org reports that Vladislav Seleznev, the spokesman for the government's Anti-Terrorism Operation, has told them that two Ukrainian helicopter gunships were downed by enemy fire over the separatist-held town of Slavyansk today. They report, (translated by The Interpreter):

"I can confirm reports of two helicopters being downed over Slavyansk. These were Mi-24s which were on combat duties over Slavyansk. One helicopter was shot down using MANPADS, the other by anti-aircraft artillery", said Seleznev.

According to the spokesman, the pilots sustained minor wounds and burns. They have received medical treatment. Meanwhile, one of the helicopters sustained minor damage from being shot, it will be returned to combat duties after repairs, the second was completely torched.

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Op woensdag 4 juni 2014 20:21 schreef Igen het volgende:
Klinkt alsof Oekra�ne z'n krachten wil bundelen en eerst alleen vanuit het westen Donetzk weer onder controle wil krijgen?

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

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Op woensdag 4 juni 2014 21:31 schreef UpsideDown het volgende:
Ik geloof eigenlijk niet dat er vandaag 300 seperatisten zijn gedood, ik denk dat 100 al veel is.

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Op woensdag 4 juni 2014 22:13 schreef UpsideDown het volgende:

[..]

Dat is inderdaad een veel toegepaste tactiek, het moreel van de tegenstander proberen te breken door jezelf als prestigieus en overweldigend te profileren.

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A spokesman for Kiev's "anti-terrorist operation" said more than 300 rebel fighters had been killed and about 500 wounded in fierce fighting in the past 24 hours in and around the city of Slovyansk, a strategically located separatist stronghold.

Government forces used aircraft, helicopters and artillery in a fierce attack to try to root out the separatists who have controlled Slovyansk and surrounding areas since early April.

But the rebels on Wednesday denied the government's casualty figures. "Reports of 300 dead are not true. Losses to the Ukrainian side were more than ours," Aleksander Boroday, "prime minister" of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said, Interfax reported.

Describing the fighting as "heavy", the government forces spokesman, Vladyslav Seleznyov, said two servicemen had been killed and 45 wounded.

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Petro Poroshenko, speaking in Warsaw after meeting with President Barack Obama and other Western leaders, rejected a call from Ukraine's interim authorities to introduce martial law in the restive east. Poroshenko said he would seek to pacify the region with an offer of amnesty and a promise of early regional elections...

Poroshenko's offer, expected to be detailed in his inaugural address on Saturday, came as the Ukrainian troops suffered a series of humiliating setbacks on Wednesday.

After hours of fighting in which six militants were killed and three Ukrainian servicemen were injured, the National Guard forces ran out of ammunition and had to leave their base near the eastern city of Luhansk.

Also Wednesday, rebels seized a border guard base on the city's outskirts following a nearly two-day-long siege and forced guards out of another base in the nearby town of Sverdlovsk on the Russian border. The guards there were granted a safe exit and left with their weapons.

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Eerie silence grips shelled Ukraine town

Krasny Liman, Ukraine - The Ukrainian army is carrying out a clean up operation in parts of Krasny Liman near the embattled city of Slovyansk a day after shelling the town in the east of the country.

While government troops refused to clarify who they were fighting in the town, more than 50 pro-Russian rebels were stationed in the woods nearby on Wednesday, reportedly manning positions on the edge of the town.

Though townspeople said that shelling - which began on Tuesday morning - claimed several victims, a nurse was only able to confirm that two civilians were wounded during an army attack on a nearby rebel checkpoint along a road heading through heavy forest into Slovyansk, about 18km southeast of Krasny Liman.

On Wednesday, the northern section of Krasny Liman was quiet despite a growing sense of dread among the residents. A group of men outside a grocery expressed shock and anger, saying they could not understand why the army had shelled their town.

'Brother against brother'

"This is brother against brother," said Dima, who had bought bread and was heading home to prepare his basement as a shelter for his wife and three young children.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would they shoot into a town full of civilians?" he said, adding that the pro-Russian rebels had only set up barricades a little more than a week ago in the town.

The town bore tell-tale signs of the shelling. A bread factory had a large hole blasted through its front wall. Nearby, a house was still smoldering after a direct artillery hit. The family had left just hours before to stay with relatives.

Around the corner, Krasny Liman resident Igor Chugay was preparing his basement as a bunker. Last night he drove his wife and children to Svyatagorsk to escape the fighting.

Although the Ukrainian army would not let journalists into the southern section of town, a road leading away from the centre towards Slovyansk showed the carnage wrought after the Ukrainian army rolled through a rebel checkpoint on Tuesday.

Half a dozen burnt-out vehicles were scattered along the road. Tanks or armoured personnel carriers had rolled through the series of checkpoints, shooting as they went. Thousands of brass casings littered the road ranging from 30mm light canon to heavy machine-gun and assault rifle ammunition.

Trees along the roadside in this no man's land had been splintered and knocked down by the heavy fire and the two-storey train station of Brusinye in the forest had a gaping hole blown in its centre, caused by an airstrike.

Down the road through the woods, the heavy thump of continuous and heavy artillery fire could be heard coming from the direction of Slovyansk about 10km away.

Pro-Russian fighters

The pro-Russian rebels continued to man a large checkpoint on the forest road between Slovyansk and Krasny Liman. Many of them were heavily armed with anti-tank missiles and assault rifles, though some carried shotguns.

Acting interior minister Arsen Avakov claimed on his Facebook page on Tuesday that government troops had broken through rebel positions around the village of Semenovka on the southeastern edge of Slovyansk.

"An active offensive stage of the counterterrorist operation is underway in Slovyansk, he wrote.

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G7 willing to step up sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

(Reuters) - The world's leading industrialized nations threatened on Wednesday to impose harder-hitting sanctions on Russia if it does not help restore stability to eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian militias continue to operate at will.

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Op donderdag 5 juni 2014 11:54 schreef SadPanda het volgende:

[..]

Lees eens verder en dan zie je dat hij dat helemaal niet zegt.

Маша и Медведь - Маша + каша (Masha and the Bear - Recipe for Disaster)

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Op donderdag 5 juni 2014 12:37 schreef SuperHarregarre het volgende:
Hadden jullie dit al gezien trouwens. NSFL.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=cba_1401732635

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EuromaidanPR twitterde op donderdag 05-06-2014 om 08:17:38 2checkpoints of #Ukrainian armed forces were under fire in the North of #Lugansk region this morning. No losses, Dmitry #Tymchuk FB |EMPR reageer retweet

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EuromaidanPR twitterde op donderdag 05-06-2014 om 08:12:00 No large-scale combat occurred at night in the #ATO area. No losses on the side of #Ukrainian military yesterday, Dmitry Tymchuk FB |EMPR reageer retweet