On August 28, chaired by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko it was held the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on the question “On urgent measures to protect Ukraine and to strengthen the defense of Ukraine.”
After the discussion, the Council adopted a set of measures to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the strategic priorities of foreign policy, increasing of military capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations and law enforcement agencies, usage of the potential of the defense industry, strengthening of information systems and cyber security of Ukraine.
Council decided to recommence this autumn compulsory military service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while designed for military service soldiers will be trained and will not be involved in combat missions in the area of ATO.
The Council requested the Minister of Foreign Affairs to apply immediately to states that have signed the Budapest Memorandum 1994 for the consultation on the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Ukraine will also appeal for help to the UN Security Council, NATO, EU, OSCE and to the strategic partners-states of Ukraine. Our state expects to get help from the United States, in particular by granting special status “Major non-NATO ally (MNNA)”. This was stated by spokesman of the Information-Analytical Center of the National Security and Defense Council Andrei Lysenko during a press conference in Kiev.
Military operations in the conflict zone
The situation in Lugansk region and southern districts of Donetsk region remains difficult. With the direct support from the armed forces of Russia, terrorists continue to attempt to counterattack forces of ATO and try to control the situation in the areas around Ilovaisk, Amvrosiyivka, Starobeshevo, Novoazovsk of the Donetsk region.
During the day, terrorists in cooperation with units of the Russian Federation, renewed active operations in areas around Ilovaisk, Novosvitlivka, Hryaschovate, Novoazovsk and hill Savur-Mogyla. It is growing in number groups in a northerly direction near Luhansk.
Towards the south Ukrainian military received reinforcements. In particular, they got antitank weapons. Also tactical group “Border” started to conduct measures for the protection and defense of the border on the second line on the direction Novoazovsk – Amvrosiyivka.
The first operational brigade of National Guard of Ukraine strengthened fortifications and defenses of Mariupol (Donetsk region). During the fighting operations Ukrainian units took control under the village Komsomolske, Donetsk region. As a result of fighting, three soldiers were wounded. They were provided with necessary medical assistance.
In occupied by Russian troops Novoazovsk Donetsk region it is mined town districts. The local bakery and agricultural enterprise were damaged by RF Armed Forces shelling. We are warning its residents to be careful when moving by cars, as well as during evacuation of relatives. In the city also it began every-yard-patrolling jointly by Russian soldiers and DNR-guerillas. They check registration and delay inhabitants of other cities.
Yesterday in the central square of Mariupol passed anti-Russian meeting in which people expressed their indignation of Russian intervention.
At the meeting it came thousands of residents of the seaside town, also joined settlers from the area of ATU. At the meeting people expressed their readiness to defend the city and the southern borders of Ukraine.
In general, in all zones of combats during the last day ATO forces 35 times entered in fire contact with terrorists around towns Kruglyk, Leninske, Petrovse, Mayorsk, Novobahmutivka, Marinka, Tonenke, Berezove, Chervona Polyana, Komisarivka, Heorhiyivka, Malomykolayivka, Avdiyivka, airport “Donetsk” and “Luhansk”.
Yesterday at 15:40 nearby Ukrainian village Patriotychne it was the battle between the unit of State boundary guard and the Russians, who have marked their fighters with white bandages on both sleeves, and battle machinery – with white circles. Under the pressure of border guards enemies retreated towards Novoazovska. One hour later angry Russians had been fired villages Nameless – Samson about 50 minutes with “Grad” multiple rocket launching systems.
The border patrol discovered the terrorists’ truck convoys, who was marching towards the village Lysyche (Amvrosiivskyi district). In the column, with a total length of about 1.5 km, 2 armored vehicles moved, URAL, KAMAZ, armored vans and cars marked with St. George ribbons.
At the same time began firing of checkpoint “Uspenka” and column was divided and a part of it went in the direction of checkpoint “Uspenka.”
The jointed forces of border guard service and National Guard unit attacked the terrorists. As a result of the battle it was destroyed more than 20 items of machinery, 26 terrorists mostly Chechen and Russian nationality.
At the same time it was received information about a clash of National Guard with column militants in the cross-roads Uspenka-Lysyche-Kalinowo. Border guards went to assist and at a distance of about 800 m from the village Lysyche found a column of fighters and opened fire in it. After the destruction of “Kamaz” with ammunition and several vehicles, guards retreated to the forest to reload weapons of BTR-80. After leaving the place of their previous dislocation, terrorists opened fire with mortars. Ukrainian security forces suffered no losses.
According to military intelligence, it does not stop the supply of Russian weapons and personnel to terrorists in East Ukraine. So yesterday around settlements Anikin (RF) – Provallya (Ukr). nearby surroundings of “Hrushovski Prud” from Russian Federation towards Krasnodon came in 5 “Kamaz” with armed mercenaries.
At 20.15 in the Russian Federation at the state border in the direction of settlements Derkul (RF) – Krasna Talivka (Luhansk region) the provocation was conducted by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. 2 tanks and 9 armored vehicles began to move at high speed toward Ukraine, but a few meters from the state border stopped and went across the border. There is a high probability that they will try to make an illegal invasion in Ukraine on the other border.
The situation in the conflict zone localities
Terrorists continue to terrorize the local people in the captured cities. Through shelling attacks there were damaged several residential high-rise buildings in Alchevsk. After firing some areas of Gorlovka remained without electricity.
As a result of fighting attacks it was damaged by terrorists the main pipeline in Stanichno-Luhansk district, which provided the supply of natural gas from fields in Olhinskoho to the localities of the region. Therefore without gas supply remained 11 thousand buildings in 13 towns.
Ukrainian forces restore order and security in the liberated territories. According to the State Emergency Agency in Luhansk and Donetsk regions the whole overnight the pyrotechnic teams surveyed an area of 13.5 hectares, found and seized 196 explosive devices.
According to “Ukrtelecom” since August, 27 there was resumed providing of long-distance and international telecommunication in localities in Lugansk region: Sevyerodonetsk, Rubizhne, Novojdar, Svatove, Kreminna, Trojitske, Novopskov, Starobilsk, Markivka, Bilokurakine, Belovodsk, Milov, Lisichans’k Kirovsk, Stakhanov and Slavyanoserbsk.
International support
Yesterday UN Security Council held an extraordinary meeting in connection with the invasion of armed forces of Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine. The vast majority of participating countries expressed their concern about recent reports of the fact that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and condemned the aggressive policy of Moscow. In particular, the United States, Britain, France, Romania, Lithuania urged Russia to stop the conflict.
Yesterday the President of the United States Barack Obama had a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The parties agreed on Russian aggression in Ukraine, noting that Russia finances, provides weapons and supplies terrorists to Eastern Ukraine.
The German Chancellor informed the American President Obama about the extraordinarily meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, where should be defined more sanctions against Russia.
The American President has claimed that the United States support Ukraine, doing everything possible to ensure “they have the best chance at dealing with what is admittedly a very difficult situation.”
NATO’s Allied Command Operations in Mons released satellite imagery ptoving the Russian aggression as well as the information about the participation of over 1,000 Russian troops alongside the terrorists in military actions in the territory of Ukraine.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman has informed about a deployment of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Mariupol in order to identify the presence of Russian troop in that area.
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said that the act of Russian aggression in Ukraine must be given a collective response by Canada and its allies.
The Foreign Minister of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs has claimed that the events in the East of Ukraine is war. According to him, the Russian invasion of Ukraine should be considered by the UN Security Council as an act of aggression, and the actions of the UN must be “relevant”.
The President of Romania Traian Basescu condemnded Russia’s support for separatists in Ukraine and reiterated Romania’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. According to Basescu, the main objective of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is to create a much larger Transnistria in the East of Ukraine in order to block both the ratification of the EU Association Agreement, and the possible advance of Ukraine in its effort to become a member state in the medium term.
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite has stated: “Lithuania strongly condemns Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. Such actions threaten Ukraine’s existence, international peace and security. The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also issued a statement strongly condemning “an obvious invasion of Ukraine by the Russian armed forces”. According to the official statement, “Such actions taken by the Russian Federation are gross violation of fundamental principles of international law and agreements reached at international meetings. These actions openly violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and undermine security across the entire region”.
Lithuania has called on Russia to immediate withdraw its military forces, weaponry and equipment from the sovereign territory of Ukraine, and to end support in any form for the armed separatists in east of Ukraine. Also Vilnius insists that the actions taken by the Russian armed forces inside of Ukraine receive an adequate response from the international community and its institutions.
