This is Ukraine today – October 13

Maidan Community Sector, Lviv: Dear friends!

War, not the expected peace arrived at the doorstep of Great Britain and France when they gave up Czechoslovakia to Hitler in 1938. War is happening right here at home and not in faraway Europe – the United States were harshly reminded about this at Pearl Harbor in 1942. War descended on Ukraine and thus is now much closer to Paris and Berlin, because Europe and the US haven’t supported Georgia in 2008. War showed up in the homes of Dutch, British, French, German, Australian families because Europe and the US weren’t courageous enough to lend a helping hand to Ukraine in 2014. It is impossible to run away from war and overwhelming aggression, it is impossible to buy yourself off. The war will catch up with you if you don’t stand up to it with utmost determination.

October 13 – Russia is withdrawing some of its troops from Ukrainian border, – said NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko. Compared to October 1st, the number of troops at the border with Ukraine has decreased by 2000 persons. At the same time OSCE mission has stated that they cannot confirm the withdrawal of Russian troops from the border.

October 13 – During October 1-10th, Poland has reduced the reverse gas supply to Ukraine by 1.4 times to 28.1 million cubic meters. Earlier in September, the British Financial Times wrote that “Gazprom” has decided to restrict gas supply to the EU in order to block reverse gas supply to Ukraine, which has not been receiving gas since June and thus would like to cover some of its gas deficit by receiving gas from the EU. The major source of EU reverse gas supply to Ukraine is Slovakia, which has started reverse gas supply earlier this month.

October 13 – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has presented Stepan Poltorak as a candidate for the position of the Minister of Defense in Ukrainian Parliament. Poltorak previously held the post of the Commander of the National Guards of Ukraine.

October 13 – Interior Ministry of Ukraine plans to increase the number of checkpoints around Kyiv before the upcoming parliamentary elections, said Kyiv Police Chief Oleksandr Tereshchuk.

October 13 – At the base of the National Guard in Novi Petrivtsi near Kyiv 350 contracted soldiers revolted and started walking towards the capitol to the Administration of the President. Soldiers arrested officers. During the march the participants called out slogans against Petro Poroshenko. Prior to this, the National Guard fighters during four days had demanded their monetary compensation which they had not received over some time. The soldierrs plan to demand that the President dismiss the commanders of the army units who have permitted the situation to degenerate to such a degree. By the Office of the Administration of the President, the soldiers started demanding that Petro Poroshenko sign an order for demobilization. Several hundred National Guardsmen gathered there. The Administration is protected by several rows of police. Nearby there were military cars, however, there were no conflicts, both sides behaved peacefully. A situation developed spontaneously and was heightened by the emotions of the parents of the soldiers. The protestors were also joined by the wounded soldiers of the volunteer batallion Aidar to try to convince them to curtail the demonstration. “There (in the East) our brothers are dying and you are demanding demobee!” one of them said. However, the soldiers accused the wounded ones of being provocators. During an interview with Hromadske TV two soldiers who took part in the protest clarified that they had not yet served in the ATO area. By the evening, part of the contracted soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine who demanded demobilization at the Administration of the President, left Bankova Street on which the Administration of the President is located.

October 13 – Up to fifty contracted soldiers of Army Unit #3017 of the National Guard which is dislocated in Kharkiv, left the location and also gathered with their possessions on Freedom Square in front of the Kharkiv Region Administration, demanding demobilization since they had completed their terms of service. Close to 5 PM the soldiers were driven back to their units.

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Taras Voznyak

Culture expert, political scientist, editor-in-chief and founder of Independent Cultural Journal "Ї", Co-founder and Head of the Board of Directors of Polish-Ukrainian Cooperation Foundation (PAUCI), Member of the Board of Directors of International Renaissance Foundation, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Center of International PEN-Club
Taras Voznyak on wikipedia

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