Section: Special sections
Putin explains why he does not agree to prisoner exchange with Ukraine
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 from Russia. ”Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has once expressed the idea of an ”all for all” exchange. I totally agree with that, but later...
”We do not feel guilty” – Putin comments on Crimea annexation, Donbas war
Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that Russia is not to blame for the war in Donbas and other tragedies that have taken place in Ukraine over the past three years. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, he said that Russia had not been the initiator of ”what has happened,” according to the Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper. ”We do not...
U.S. State Department appeals to Russia about accords on ”ceasefire” in Eastern Ukraine
The U.S. State Department hopes that a long-term truce will be established in Donbas in connection with the intention of parties to armed conflict to observe the ”ceasefire” from midnight on December 24. ”The United States welcomes the trilateral contact group`s announcement of an agreement for a holiday ceasefire in eastern Ukraine – excuse me –...
OSCE reports 300% increase in use of banned weapon in Donbas last week
Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine Alexander Hug has reported about a 300% spike in the use of weapons banned under the Minsk peace agreements on Donbas. ”Last week the use of Minsk-proscribed weapons increased by approximately 300%,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday. He also reported...
Russian troops attacked Ukraine 24 times in last day: 2 Ukrainian soldiers killed, 11 wounded
Combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 24 times in the past 24 hours, according to the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters. View map in full size In the Mariupol sector, the enemy fired 122mm artillery systems on the village of Novohryhorivka, as well as mortars on the...
Lithuania found Russian spyware on its government computers
The Baltic state of Lithuania, on the frontline of growing tensions between the West and Russia, says the Kremlin is responsible for cyber attacks that have hit government computers over the last two years, according to Reuters. The head of cyber security told Reuters three cases of Russian spyware on its government computers had been discovered...
After assassination of the Russian ambassador, Turkey and Russia are only getting closer
The assassination of Russia`s ambassador to Turkey on Monday might have been expected to derail a fragile detente between the regimes of Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Instead, it has served to underline a budding alliance that could have the effect of excluding the United States from the endgame of Syria`s civil war and critically...
Ukraine to release 15 Donbas militants, expects ”humanism” in response
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed decree No. 561 to pardon nine convicts. 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,...
U.S. drones used by Ukraine army at Donbas was ineffective against Russian jamming and hacking
Millions of dollars` worth of U.S.-supplied drones that Kiev had hoped would help in its war against Russian-backed separatists have proven ineffective against jamming and hacking, Ukrainian officials say, according to Reuters. The 72 Raven RQ-11B Analog mini-drones were so disappointing following their arrival this summer that Natan Chazin, an...
Russian hackers tracked Ukrainian artillery units using Android application – Reuters report
A hacking group linked to the Russian government and high-profile cyber attacks against Democrats during the U.S. presidential election likely used a malware implant on Android devices to track and target Ukrainian artillery units from late 2014 through 2016, according to a new report released Thursday, Reuters reports. The malware was able to...