Tag: Ukraine

Ukraine’s military on full combat alert as separatists rage in the east

Ukraine’s military is “on full combat alert” against a possible Russian invasion, acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has said. His comments came after pro-Russian gunmen seized more buildings in the country’s east. Speaking to a ministerial meeting on Wednesday in Kyiv, interim President Turchynov said, “Our armed forces are on full combat alert,” adding that “the threat of Russia starting a war against mainland Ukraine is real.” Ukraine’s defense forces have been on high alert for […]

Ukraine blames Moscow for ‘human shield’ detentions in east

(Reuters) – Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine offered on Saturday to release eight captive international observers in a prisoner exchange, as Western governments prepared new sanctions against Moscow. The pro-Western government in Kiev blamed Russia for what it called the kidnapping on Friday of the monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The separatists said they suspected the observers of spying;Ukraine said they were being used as human shields. Since Ukrainians toppled their pro-Russian […]

Ukraine forces kill up to 5 rebels, Russia starts drill near border

(Reuters) – Ukrainian forces killed up to five pro-Moscow rebels on Thursday as they closed in on the separatists’ military stronghold in the east and Russia launched army drills near the border in response, raising fears its troops would go in. Under an international accord signed in Geneva last week, illegal armed groups in Ukraine, including the rebels occupying about a dozen public buildings in the largely Russian-speaking east, are supposed to disarm and go home. […]

Russia announces new exercises on Ukraine border

Russia’s defense minister has announced new exercises in regions bordering on Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said Kyiv’s military operations in the east would “have consequences.” Russia’s announcement that maneuvers near the border had been resumed came after clashes in eastern Ukraine, with the interior ministry in Kyiv saying it had killed up to five militants. “We are compelled to react to such a situation,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was reported as saying by […]

Deadly gun attack in eastern Ukraine shakes fragile Geneva accord

(Reuters) – At least three people were killed in a gunfight in the early hours of Sunday near a Ukrainian city controlled by pro-Russian separatists, shaking an already fragile international accord that was designed to avert a wider conflict. The incident triggered a war of words between Moscow and Ukraine’s western-backed government with each questioning the other’s compliance with the agreement, brokered last week in Geneva, to end a crisis that has made Russia’s ties […]

US ramps up pressure on Russia as Ukraine separatists sit tight

The US has warned Russia of further sanctions unless it helps convince Ukrainian separatists to leave government buildings. They have so far ignored the terms of a deal to de-escalate the crisis and refused to budge. US national security advisor Susan Rice said Moscow must use its influence to persuade pro-Russian activists to implement the Geneva deal, which order those occupying administrative buildings to disarm and leave. Rice warned that the US was otherwise prepared […]

Putin calls Russian interference in Ukraine ‘nonsense,’ backs Geneva talks

President Vladimir Putin has called claims Russia is behind eastern Ukraine’s unrest “nonsense.” He has accused the government in Kyiv of raising tensions in the region, while expressing hope for crisis talks. During the beginning of a televised call with the nation on Thursday, Putin said Ukraine’s decision to send armed forces to the country’s restive east rather than establishing a dialogue was a “grave crime.” He also dismissed Western accusations that Russian special forces […]

Putin warns Merkel of civil war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Ukraine is on the verge of a civil war. Putin’s warning comes after Kyiv deployed troops against Pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine. Speaking with Chancellor Merkel via phone on Tuesday, President Putin condemned Kyiv’s deployment of troops against pro-Russian separatists as an “anti-constitutional” attempt “to forcefully suppress protests” in eastern Ukraine. “The Russian president remarked that the sharp escalation of the conflict has placed […]

Russia prepared to let tanks roll across borders: German minister

(Reuters) – German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel warned on Monday of an escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, saying “Russia was clearly prepared to allow tanks to roll across European borders”. Speaking at an event in Berlin alongside new French Prime Minister Manuel Valls to commemorate World War One, Gabriel urged Europe to remember the lessons of the two world wars and not take freedom and security for granted. The Ukraine crisis had shown that […]