This is Ukraine today – June 13

Maidan Community Sector, Lviv: Dear friends!

By annexing Crimea, Russia has carried out an act of aggression against Ukraine. Currently Russia is transferring terrorist and sabotage groups to Eastern Ukraine. Russia aims to prevent legitimate presidential elections from happening. Everyday life in Eastern Ukraine has turned into a continuous nightmare in the middle of Europe. Our country is being destroyed right before our eyes. We therefore take the courage to inform you about current events in Ukraine. This is just another point of view. We will do our best to remain objective.

49 Ukrainian Military Personnel Killed

Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office says pro-Russian separatists have shot down a military transport plane, killing all 49 people on board.

The office said 40 service members and nine crew were killed early Saturday when the rebels shot down the Ukrainian Air Force Ilyushin-76.

The Defense Ministry said the aircraft filled with troops and supplies was about to land at the Lugansk airport when the separatists downed it with a large-caliber machine gun.

The prosecutor’s office said a criminal investigation has been opened under anti-terrorism laws.

On Friday, the U.S. State Department confirmed that Russia has sent tanks and other heavy weapons to separatists in Ukraine.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said a convoy of three T-64 tanks, several rocket launchers, and other military vehicles crossed the border near the Ukrainian town of Snizhne in the last three days. She called the move “unacceptable.”

Earlier in the day, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that if reports of “pro-Russian armed gangs” acquiring heavy weapons from Russia were confirmed, it would mark “a serious escalation” of the crisis in eastern Ukraine.

Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in March, has repeatedly said it would not make further intrusions into Ukrainian territory.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s government said that its security forces regained control of Mariupol, a port city in the Donetsk region that has changed hands several times.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Ukrainian forces raised the country’s flag over city hall.

http://www.voanews.com/

June 13 – “Naftogaz” (Ukraine) had said that “Gazprom” (Russia) wrecked the negotiations regarding gas prices. Russia would like to form gas prices unilaterally. At the same time Russia would like to be able to change the price for gas, depending on the political agenda in Ukraine. Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk has ordered regional authorities to prepare for the termination of the gas supply from Russia to Ukraine starting June 16th. He also warned the partners in the EU about such a possibility. Finally, Putin’s regime has met adequate resistance in Ukraine concerning gas issues. Obviously from now on, Russia plans to store gas in three-liter jars.

June 13 – “Gazprom” will increase gas supply via the “Nord Stream” in case of interrupted gas transit to Europe through Ukraine, said Alexey Miller, CEO of “Gazprom”. There is one challenge, though – “Nord Stream” capacity is 27.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year (and it is partially full), whereas the capacity of Ukrainian transit system is 142.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year. So is will be impossible to bypass Ukraine. Same as with the invasion – it will fail.

June 13 – Near Snizhne (Donetsk oblast), Ukrainian military disabled 2 tanks of Russian terrorists in the zone of anti-terrorist operation (ATO), destroyed 3 armored personnel carriers, 2 trucks and 2 cars with heavy machine guns, informed Dmytro Tymchuk, the Head of the “Information resistance” group. “In the border areas, ATO forces blocked and seized 3 motorcades that trespassed from Russian Federation. The vehicles were carrying ammunition and weapons, intended for terrorists”. After helicopter strikes, the motorcade was destroyed. Then the assault landing force completed the defeat of the enemy. Three tanks carrying separatists which traveled to Ukraine from Russia, broke near Artemivsk in Donetsk oblast, informed the Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Geraschenko. These tanks were previously owned by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but during the occupation of Crimea were seized by the Russian military and transported to mainland Russia by sea.

June 13 – Russian terrorists fired at a vegetable storage in Dobropillya using a mobile unit “Grad” (40 rockets in one discharge).

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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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