Ukraine War Update - 2 April 2015

Thursday, April 2, 2015  7:28 AM PDT

"Five shells hit the village. It was not our guys shelling, but those idiots – the Russian scum!" - Russian militants shelled Sopyne village in ‘M’ sector.

   (Censor.NET) --- Russian militants’ impacted houses in Sopyne village while committing artillery attack on the neighbouring village of Shyrokyne and its outskirts.

   Five houses were damaged as a result. The shelling was recorded March 31, Censor.NET reports.

Thursday, April 2, 2015  7:04 AM PDT

Crimean Tatar news agency moves office to Kiev

   (Interfax) --- On April 1 QHA, the Crimean Tatar news agency, stopped working in Crimea due to the refusal of the Russian Federal Service for the Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) to register it in.

   Due to this, the agency decided to move its office to Kiev.

   "After Crimea came under Russia's control, because of Roskomnadzor's refusal to register the agency, which was typical for many Crimean Tatar media [outlets], the leaders [of the agency] decided to move its main office to the capital of Ukraine, Kiev," reads the statement issued by the agency, which was posted on its website on Wednesday.

   According to the statement, QHA will use all the necessary legal means to prolong its activity in Crimea.

   However, until the situation is resolved the company's office will be located in Kiev, and regional branches will work in other Ukrainian cities, and in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey.

   As reported, the only Crimean Tatar TV channel in the world stopped broadcasting in Crimea on April 1, as the Russian Federal Service for the Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media refused to register it. Lale Children's TV channel, Meydan radio station, and a number of Crimean Tatar newspapers were also refused registration.

Thursday, April 2, 2015  7:02 AM PDT

Almost 90% of Donbas residents want to remain there – KIIS

   (Interfax) --- The ceasefire in Donbas has had a positive impact on local residents, according to a poll conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) between March 2 to March 16.

   The results of the poll were presented during a roundtable talk entitled "Donbas Humanitarian Map: The Needs of the Locals and the Internally Displaced," held in Kiev on Monday.

   According to the poll, the number of locals who find it "difficult, but possible to live" there rose to 63%, compared with 48% in December 2014, 7% said they believe the "situation is not so bad", compared with 5% in December, and the number of residents who believe "it is impossible to live in such misery" fell to 30%, from 43% in December.

   The number of residents who said they lacked food remained unchanged at 45%, 50% have insufficient medical supplies compared with 58% in December, and 34% lack household supplies, down from 38%.

   The main sources of income for Donbas residents are salaries (34%), pensions (27%), help from relatives and friends (24%), savings (26%), humanitarian assistance (24%), food and goods retail (23%), casual and part time employment (12%), social security payments (5%), and subsistence farming (3%).

   Of those polled, 89% are not willing to leave, 6% want to leave, 2% plan to move, and 3% were undecided.

   The poll was conducted for the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation Humanitarian Center.

   A total of 2,105 of Donbas residents were polled, in both government and militant controlled areas.

Thursday, April 2, 2015  6:34 AM PDT

Crimean ports ‘may close due to transport isolation’

   (UNIAN) --- The steep drop in the profitability of Crimea’s ports is making it impossible to operate and maintain them in the proper technical conditions, local publication Novosti Kryma has reported, quoting the CEO of the Crimean Sea Ports enterprise, Andriy Vasiuta.

   The situation is further aggravated due to transition to Russian legislation, Novosti Kryma said.

   The authorities of the occupied Crimea have recognized that due to Western sanctions and the transport isolation of the peninsula, the ports are suffering from a decline in profitability, according to Vasiuta.

   In 2012 Crimean ports handled seven million tonnes of cargo, but in 2014 this had more than halved to three million tonnes.

   "Such a situation virtually eliminates the possibility of making our own investment in the future development of the ports and maintaining them in the required technical condition," Vasiuta said.

   In addition, he said the Crimean ports are experiencing difficulty in bringing their documents in line with the norms of Russian legislation, which "could lead to their complete shutdown."

   "All these activities: the registration of port boundaries and water areas, the issuing of permits for the relevant activities, the certification of hydraulic facilities, handling systems etc. – all this entails not only time, but also financial costs," Vasiuta said.

   In this regard, he appealed to federal officials to extend the transition period for the Crimean ports to complete the package of documents envisaged by the laws of the Russian Federation, and to allow them carry out activities on the basis of the available Ukrainian forms of documents.

Thursday, April 2, 2015  4:18 AM PDT

Kiev expects full withdrawal of militants' heavy weapons from Donbas – ATO spokesperson

   (Interfax) --- Ukraine expects the Russian-backed militants to fully withdraw their heavy weapons and military hardware from the line of contact in Donbas, anti-terrorist operation (ATO) spokesman Andriy Lysenko has said.

   "The set of measures to implement the Minsk agreement clearly tells us what weapons and equipment, what caliber and at what distance [the weapons] should be pulled out. If they [militants] have got certain new heavy weaponry whose caliber isn't mentioned in the documents, they should turn to the trilateral contact group so that these changes can be incorporated in due course," Lysenko said when commenting on the statements made by representatives of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic that they are preparing an additional agreement on the withdrawal of heavy weapons to be signed with Kiev.

   Lysenko said that Ukraine is looking forward to the complete withdrawal of all heavy weapons, instead of the simulation of the process.

   "First, they'll have to implement the clause regarding the withdrawal of weapons rather than make provocative statements and simulate the pull-out of their equipment," he said.

Thursday, April 2, 2015  3:35 AM PDT

No casualties among Ukrainian soldiers on Wednesday - NSDC

   (Censor.NET) --- No Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded over the past day in the anti-terrorist operation area.

   This was announced by the ATO speaker Andrii Lysenko, Censor.NET reports.
   "Over the past day, no Ukrainian soldiers were killed, no one was injured. All the guys are alive and maintain their positions," Lysenko said.
   As reported, four soldiers were wounded in the ATO area on March 31.

Thursday, April 2, 2015  1:44 AM PDT

Volunteers developed 'Cyborg' ballistic mask for Ukrainian soldiers.

   (Censor.NET) --- Kiev region volunteers developed a ballistic mask they called 'Cyborg,' which can protect Ukrainian soldiers' faces and necks of shrapnel.

   As reported by Censor.NET citing Channel 5, Ruslan Yarynko together with colleagues have been developing protection for soldiers at the Bila Tserkva mechanical plant since the beginning of war in the Eastern Ukraine. Their first achievement was an armour vest. After nine months of work, the inventors have developed ballistic masks for face protection from shrapnel.
   Ballistic masks can hold not only the Makarov gun bullets, but also 12-gauge shotguns. One ballistic mask costs 3,000 UAH (approx. $115), which is four times cheaper than its foreign analogue. The volunteers have already submitted their invention to the Ministry of Defense. At the moment, the mask is tested in the labouratories.

Thursday, April 2, 2015  1:32 AM PDT

Ukraine should prepare to the worst, to open war with Russia - Chubarov

   (Censor.NET) --- Ukraine should get ready to the full-scale military conflict with Russia.

   As reported by Censor.NET citing Ukrinform, this opinion was voiced by head of the Crimean Tatars Mejlis Refat Chubarov on air of Channel 5.
   "I am one of those who calls to get ready to the worst - to open war with Russia," Chubarov said.

   According to him, the war for Ukraine will only be over after the Crimea is returned within the state.

   "The opinion that the enemy can keep some territories of Ukraine is dangerous for Ukraine itself. If we really take care about Ukraine, if we want it to pan out, and that we live in a country which is highly respected by its neighbors and respects itself, we need to return the Crimea. This is why for us the war will be over only when the Crimea is part of the Ukrainian state," Chubarov stressed.

Thursday, April 2, 2015  1:13 AM PDT

300 Russian soldiers arrived to Donetsk from Ulan-Ude - ATO headquarters

   (Censor.NET) --- About 300 Russian soldiers from the 5th brigade (Ulan-Ude, Russia) of the 36th Army of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Army arrived to Donetsk on March 27.

   As reported by Censor.NET citing Donetsk city website 62.ua, this was announced by deputy commander of the ATO, Colonel Valentyn Fedychev.

   According to the Russian military, they had been officially released from the Russian army for the period of "tour of duty" in the Eastern Ukraine. They will be reinstated in Russian army after the tour of duty ends by signing a new agreement.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015  23:55 PDT

Blast rocks night Kiev street

   (Zik) --- A blast, the first in Kiev since the start of the war in Donbas, hit a bank office in Borshchahivska St. at 4 a.m. today.

   The police have not yet identified the type of the explosion, they say.

   There are no casualties as the accident took place in the early hours of Apr. 2.

   This is the first explosion in Kiev since the start of the war in Donbas, Earlier, several explosions happened in Odesa and Kharkiv.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015  11:25 PDT

Russia plundering Donbas

   (Zik) --- March 30, twenty trucks loaded with equipment dismantled from Donbas plants crossed the border into Russia, Ukraine army spokesman writes on Donetsk oblast administration Twitter page, Ukrayinska Pravda reports.

   Earlier, the rebels and their Russian patrons were reported of stealing coal, metal scrap, sun-flower seeds and used cars from the area, sending all this to Russia.

   “Russia has significantly cut fuel supplies to the Donetsk and Luhansk republics, forcing them to follow the Minsk agreements,” the official writes.

   He also announced  there is 41 damaged tanks in Horlivka, with 5 totally beyond repair.