Ukraine War Update - 30 April 2015

Thursday, Apr. 30 2015, 9:17 AM PDT

Donbas separatists violated ceasefire 26 times in 6 hours Apr. 29

   (Zik) --- The Russian troops and Donbas separatists kept attacking Ukraine army positions in the night of Apr. 29, opening fire 26 times as of 18.00 through the midnight, the army spokesman said.

   In the Donetsk oblast, the enemy opened fire 5 times using 120-mm mortars near Pisky. Near Avdijyvka, Zajtseve and Shyrokine, the enemy shelled our positions using 120-mm and 82-mm mortars. 

   The separatists also opened fire on Ukraine army positions using 122-mm mortars near Avdijyvka and Opytne, the official said.

   Close to midnight, Ukraine outpost near Zajtseve was attacked by a group of 10 militants. Ukraine servicemen repulsed the attack successfully.

   In the Luhansk oblast, the enemy shelled our positions near Shchastya using 82-mm mortars, the spokesman said.

Thursday, Apr. 30 2015, 9:16 AM PDT

Ukraine minister dismisses Russian concerns, praises Canada’s military

   (Canadian Press) --- Ukraine’s visiting foreign minister says it’s a joke that Russia is characterizing Canadian military trainers in his country as “deplorable.”

   Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin says the Canadian Forces trainers will bring his country’s military forces and national guard up to a higher standard so they can better repel Russian aggressors.

   The Russian Embassy has called it both counterproductive and deplorable for Canada to deploy 200 soldiers to improve the combat skills of troops in the Ukraine.

   Klimkin says the move can hardly be considered provocative, given that Russia has already compromised Ukraine’s border by sending in mercenaries and heavy weaponry.

   Defence Minister Jason Kenney has said the Canadian troops will be 1,300 kilometres away from Ukraine’s restive eastern regions.

   Klimkin is in Ottawa for a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson, who announced seven new projects worth $14-million to strengthen human rights, improve access to justice and give support to civil society in Ukraine.

Thursday, Apr. 30 2015, 7:38 AM PDT

Terrorists refuse to comply with silence mode actively using banned heavy weapons - NSDC

   (Censor.NET) --- The terrorists continue shelling with the use of prohibited weapons.

   The situation was steadily tense over the past day in the ATO area. The enemy refuses to respect the silence mode and actively uses banned heavy weapons. In particular, yesterday militants used 120 mm mortars 17 times, and 122 mm guns twice.

   This was stated at a briefing of Presidential Administration's speaker on ATO matters Colonel Andrii Lysenko, Censor.NET reports.

   "At the Mariupol direction shootouts resumed near Shyrokyne, where the enemy is most active at night. It was quiet in other areas of this sector yesterday.

   "At the Donetsk direction shelling of our positions continues in the area of the Donetsk airport: The most tense situation is in the village of Pisky, where illegal armed groups are actively using prohibited weapons the most, forcing our military to open fire. [The situation] is uneasy in the northern suburbs of Horlivka: yesterday our fighters engaged with a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the enemy in the area of Zaitseve. As a result of precision fire of the ATO forces the enemy retreated.

   "At the Luhansk direction the militants were active in Shchastia, opening massive fire on our positions from different types of small arms. The silence mode is also not respected in the area of Bakhmutivka highway. In particular, snipers of the militants are operating in the area of Sokolnyky.

   "As a result of fighting in the Donetsk region, 31 towns and villages along the demarcation line have been cut off from electricity supply. The cities of Donetsk, Avdiivka, Mariinka, Horlivka, Vuhlehirsk, and Debaltseve have been partially cut off," Lysenko stated.

Thursday, Apr. 30 2015, 6:34 AM PDT

Poland, Romania support visa abolition for Ukrainians

   KIEV, April 30(Ukrinform). --- Poland and Romania support the abolition of visas for Ukrainians and Georgians. Both countries will make such statements during the Eastern Partnership Summit that will take place in Riga soon.

   The ministers of Poland and Romania stated this after the meeting in Warsaw, Polish Radio reported.

   Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna notes that Ukraine and Georgia are moving in the right direction, implementing measures to cancel visas. He says that Poland will support both countries on their way to abolition of the visa regime.

   In turn, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu supports his colleague. He reminds that both Poland and Romania have already gained good experience with Ukraine in the framework of the so-called local border traffic.

Thursday, Apr. 30 2015, 5:43 AM PDT

One Ukrainian soldier killed, four wounded in Donbas conflict zone in last day

   (UNIAN) --- One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another four injured in the Donbas conflict zone over the last 24 hours, National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said at a briefing in Kiev on Thursday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

   "Over the last day, we have lost one Ukrainian soldier, and another four were injured as a result of military clashes," Lysenko said.

   As UNIAN reported earlier, on April 29 no Ukrainian soldiers were killed, but three were wounded in the Donbas conflict zone.

Thursday, Apr. 30 2015, 4:53 AM PDT

20 Odessa separatists who were preparing Bessarabia proclamation by order of Russian curators were detained - SBU

   (Censor.NET) --- SBU in a special operation revealed and neutralized a group of separatists, whose activity was aimed at proclamation of an illegal entity in the Odessa region.

   This was announced by the SBU adviser Markiian Lubkivskyi, Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

   "A special operation was carried out April 29 ... A group of individuals has been revealed and localized, which group had a clear organizational structure, acted in the Odessa region, and coordinated its activities with the Russian Federation. Almost 20 people were detained, 17 raids conducted ... It was found that the ultimate goal of those persons had been to proclaim an entity titled "Bessarabia," Lubkivskyi said at a briefing in Kiev on Thursday. 

Thursday, Apr. 30 2015, 12:12 AM PDT

Russia's Anti-Swastika Crusade Hits Toy Stores, Bookstores, And Museums

   (RFE/RL) --- Russian authorities are conducting a nationwide campaign to rid the country of Nazi insignia in the run-up to Victory Day on May 9.
   The celebration of Nazi Germany's surrender in World War II, one of the most important holidays in Russia, has taken on a new meaning as Moscow presses on with its efforts to portray Ukraine's new pro-European leadership as Nazi sympathizers.
   In November 2014, Russia introduced a new law prohibiting the "public demonstration or propaganda" of Nazi symbolism.
   The unfolding crackdown, however, is raising eyebrows in Russia and beyond.
   Authorities have raided toy stores and antique shops selling World War II paraphernalia, fined the use of historical photos, and prompted stores to remove an award-winning book denouncing the Holocaust.
Toy Soldiers
   Russia's most famous toy store is in hot water for selling figurines representing World War II Nazi officers, including of the feared Waffen SS.  

​   Investigators opened a criminal case against the Central Children's Store in downtown Moscow, previously known as Children's World, in early April on charges of "inciting hatred and hostility" and "abasing the dignity" of Soviet war veterans.
   The premises were searched, vendors were questioned, and the owner received a warning about violating the Russian law on extremism.
   The Central Children's Store, located across from Moscow's KGB headquarters, triumphantly reopened in late March after seven years of renovations.

   An online poll showed that 65 percent of Russians disapproved of the case against the store. 

Holocaust Graphic Novel 

   Moscow's biggest bookstores, eager to comply with the official guidelines, have pulled an award-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust from their shelves.

   It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 and is inspired by the story of Spiegelman's father, a Polish Jew who moved to the United States after surviving the Holocaust.
   The book cover shows a Nazi swastika.
Historic World War II Photo
   A journalist in Smolensk was prosecuted for posting a historic photo of a courtyard under Nazi occupation on VKontakte, Russia's biggest social networking site.
   The historic picture shows Nazi soldiers standing at attention and a flag with a swastika.
   Smolensk was under Nazi occupation between 1941 and 1943. 

   Polina Petruseva, who writes under the pen name Polina Danilevich, was detained by armed police officers at the office of her newspaper.
   She was found guilty in March of violating the Russian law banning Nazi symbolism and fined 1,000 rubles ($16).
   She could have faced a prison sentence. 

   She told RFE/RL that her great-grandparents were resistance fighters and her grandfather survived Nazi concentration camps as a child.
   She said she had taken the pen name Danilevich, her great-grandparents' surname, in their honor.

Soviet-Era Posters
   The newly opened U.S.S.R. Museum in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East, is following the government's directive to the letter.  

   Museum employees have placed stickers on all the swastikas featured in the museum's new exhibition of Soviet World War II posters, many of which portray the swastika being crushed or in the form of animals such as wolves and snakes. 

   Employees told local journalists they had consulted prosecutors and Roskomnadzor, Russia's mass media regular, before proceeding.
   The exhibition is dedicated to Victory Day.

Thursday, Apr. 30 2015, 12:05 AM PDT

Klimkin strongly reacts to rumors of UN general secretary’s likely visit to Moscow

   (Zik) --- Russia is ruining the UN charter with its actions. Therefore, the likely visit of UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon to attend Victory Day celebrations would give a wrong signal, Pavlo Klimkin said in New York, Gordon reports Apr. 30.

   Recall that on Wednesday some Russian media reported that Russia awaits the arrival of Ban Ki-moon to attend the May 9 Victory Day celebrations and military parade in Moscow. The invitations to the UN general secretary have been sent, they said.

   Meanwhile, there has been no official confirmation of Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Russia.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015  18:14 PDT

International Rescue Committee forced out of East Ukraine

   (BBC) --- The offices of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in eastern Ukraine have been closed down by pro-Russian rebels who accused it of spying.

   Staff working for the aid organisation were briefly detained as their office in the rebel held city of Donetsk was raided and searched by masked gunmen.

   Several employees were then put on a coach to the capital Kiev.

   The IRC - led by former British Foreign Minister David Miliband - has not so far commented on the expulsions.

   A spokeswoman said the group was concentrating on ensuring its staff - expats and Ukrainians - were "safe and sound".