CONSOLIDATED DATA OF THE INFORMATION AND ANALYTICAL CENTRE OF THE NSDC OF UKRAINE 17:00 – 26 AUGUST 2014
Today in Minsk President of Ukraine met with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and President of Republic of Belarus Lukashenko. These meetings were held before consultations in format EU-Ukraine-“Eurasian Three”. During the meetings the President of Ukraine said that he has high hopes for today’s visit, which is aimed at restoring peace in the Donbass.
“The key position today – is the peace in the Donbas, which will stop the suffering of the people,” – said Poroshenko. He is convinced that resolve the situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions is now more important than economic and energy issues. “The priority is peace,” – said Petro Poroshenko.
President of Ukraine stressed that expects on the support of all neighboring countries, including Belarus and Kazakhstan on issues of providing of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
President Petro Poroshenko called on Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to support his peace plan to resolve the situation in the Donbas.
“I am convinced that this plan today is actual, the only possible tool for stop the bloodshed and for providing of post-conflict reconstruction of Donbass. Therefore, I urge all participants of today’s meeting to consider and if possible take the plan as a basis for the situation resolve in the Donbas” – said the President.
Against the background of the planned negotiations, reduction of Russia’s support is not observed and as far as the transfer of military equipment into Ukraine. On the border with Ukraine near Gukovo (Rostov region of the Russian Federation) were found about 100 pieces of military equipment, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, trucks, “Grad” systems which are probably planned to be sent in Ukraine.
A spokesman of the Ministry of Defense Stephen Warren said that Russia continues to supply to the Donbass huge number of heavy weapons and also shells the Ukrainian military positions. “I can confirm that there were many Russian columns of heavy equipment, including tanks, rocket launchers, air defense systems and other heavy weapons,” – said Warren.
The largest column, which was fixed by the American side about two weeks ago, concluded of 100 pieces of equipment, including tanks. In addition, according to the Pentagon, Russia fired Ukrainian territory with artillery and missile systems. These facts suggest that Russia says one thing and does quite the opposite, and this becomes the source of great concern. “Once again we urge the Russians immediately stop separatists support in Ukraine and begin to work for a peaceful settlement of the conflict”, – said the representative of the Pentagon.
Military operations in the conflict zone
Ukrainian military are defending key areas in terrorists counter-attack directions. Armed Forces of Ukraine in cooperation with the Interior Ministry special forces and the National Guard of Ukraine perform tasks of search, disarmament, elimination of terrorists and subversive intelligence groups of Russian mercenaries in the village Rodakovo (Lugansk region). Ukrainian soldiers also conducted search-and-destroy actions towards Komisarivka – Alchevsk.
Today, a new brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine enforced by armored vehicles arrived for combat missions in the ATO area. Part of this technique was presented to the Ukrainians at the Ukrainian Independence Day parade.
The situation in the conflict zone localities
Terrorists continue to shell residential areas in captured cities. As a result of attacks in Petrovsky district of Donetsk were killed three civilians, destroyed houses and the Kiev district of the city.
Due to terrorists fighting it was stopped the supply of electricity to the 4th ascent of Western Alchevsk filtration water plant, which delivers water to Bryanka, Stakhanov, Pervomaysk and Petrovsky in Luhansk region. In this regard, it was complicated the drinking water supply to the eastern part of the region.
On the border of ATO area the State Emergency Service of Ukraine deployed 7 transit points aimed to meet people who leaves the active combat zone. Each point can take 70-400 persons. In the Donetsk region – there are points in the area of Krasnoarmiysk, Volnovakha and Mariupol. In Lugansk region they are situated in Svatovo, Lysychansk, Shchastya, in Dnipropetrovs’k region – in Orly village (Pokrovsky district).
The soldiers from the 1st combined detachment of the State Special Transport Service, which is stationed in Lviv, are rebuilding educational institutions in the Slovyansk. They restore facades, repair damaged buildings, and replace windows, working 24-hour long. They are going to finish the work on the four facilities until 1st September, so that children can learn there.
In general, during the Antiterrorist Operation there were damaged more than 280 schools of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, 168 of which are located in the Donetsk region.
In addition, the officers of the State Special Transport Service protect from diversions 10 strategically important railway bridges in the Dnipropetrovs’k region, which borders the ATO-area and 2 road bridges in the Donetsk region, which were rebuilt instead of the destroyed bridges. After all, terrorists continue to undermine and destroy the transportation infrastructure.
International support
The U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has stated that the invasion of the territory of Ukraine by new columns of Russian tanks and heavy weapons means the beginning of a counter-offensive. “The new columns of Russian tanks and armor crossing into Ukraine indicates a Russian-directed counteroffensive may be underway” – he wrote on his page on Twitter.
In this regard, the United States of America are concerned about the plan, announced by the Russian Foreign Minister this week, aimed to send another “humanitarian convoy” to the East of Ukraine. The spokesperson for the United States Department of State Jennifer Psaki noted that much remained unknown in the case of the first Russian “humanitarian convoy”. ” We don’t know what Russia brought into Ukraine, who it went to, and what Russia took out of Ukraine. We do know that Russia sent in a convoy of well over 200 trucks without the permission of the Ukrainian Government. We also know that Russia continues to fuel the conflict with weapons, training personnel, and material. It’s also not clear that all the trucks and drivers departed. But in terms of those – that level of specificity, we don’t have that at this point in time “- she said. Psaki also pointed out that the United States supported humanitarian assistance to the residents of Donbass, but it had to be done through the International Red Cross and agreed by the Ukrainian government, rather than in a unilateral way by the aggressor country.
