Ukraine War Update - 13 June 2015

Saturday, June 13, 2015  5:17 AM PDT

Oil depot near Kyiv caught fire again - State Emergency Service

   (Censor.NET) --- The tank facility in Kriachky village of Vasylkiv district in the Kyiv region started burning again.

   This was announced by the State Emergency Service's press service, Censor.NET reports.
   "On 11:50, June 13, a 900-cubic-meters container caught fire as a result of containment failure of a neighboring container," the report reads.
   Firefighters are working on the scene at the moment. 24 people and four vehicles are involved in fire-fighting.

Saturday, June 13, 2015  5:15 AM PDT

Ukraine Protests To Russia Over Attacks On Embassy, Consulate

   (RFE/RL) --- Ukraine has demanded compensation from Russia after mobs vandalized its embassy in Moscow and its consulate in Rostov-on-Don.

   "We demand from the Russian authorities an immediate comprehensive investigation, strict punishment of those responsible, and compensation for material damage," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a June 13 statement.

   The attacks underscore tensions between the two countries as fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists continues to rage in eastern Ukraine.

   Around 100 people are reported to have thrown eggs at Ukraine's Moscow embassy on June 12.

   A similar overnight attack on the consulate in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don left the building's windows smashed and office equipment damaged.

   Ukraine's complaint comes one day after Russia's Foreign Ministry published a note of protest demanding an investigation into damage to its consulate in Kharkiv, in Ukraine.

   Vandals reportedly pelted the building with eggs and paint.

Saturday, June 13, 2015  3:20 AM PDT

Situation in Ukraine's eastern regions.

   KYIV, June 13 (Ukrinform). --- The situation in eastern Ukraine remains tense. Despite the declared ceasefire, Russian-backed terrorists continue to fire at Ukrainian army positions and settlements in Donbas.

   The map reflecting the situation in Donbas as of 12.00 on June 13 has been released by the information and analytical center of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council.

Saturday, June 13, 2015  3:13 AM PDT

Six soldiers killed and 14 injured over past 24 hours

   (Censor.NET) --- Six Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the ATO zone on June 12.

   Representative of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine on ATO issues Colonel Andrii Lysenko said at a briefing, Censor.NET reports.

   "Six soldiers were killed and 14 wounded over the past 24 hours," Lysenko said.

Saturday, June 13, 2015  2:56 AM PDT

Russian terrorists undermined railway overpass near Popasna – ATO Press Center

   (UAPosition) --- ATO Press Center reports that Russian terrorist troops undermined railway overpass near Popasna

   On June 12, about 2 am was undermined overpass of the railway track near the village Popasna that is on controlled by Ukraine territory of Luhansk region in a few kilometers from the boundary line.

   According to preliminary conclusions of experts, the explosion was provided by the explosive charge, pre-installed by militants of illegal armed groups. In place of the incident are found signs of at least six explosive devices that were laid on top of the bottom of the overpass. In addition, experts have found effects of the detonation of artillery shells that were installed along with the explosives.

   The fact of deliberate disabling of transport infrastructure recorded observers from the OSCE. Also, the area around the place of incident for the other explosive devices was examined by military engineers.

   Now, on the place of the explosion work repair crews. Movement by rail is planned to be resumed by the end of tomorrow.

Saturday, June 13, 2015  2:31 AM PDT

Around 70 Horlivka inhabitants jumped on OSCE representatives

   (Censor.NET) --- In Horlivka town (‘DPR’-controlled) the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) was approached by around 70 local inhabitants, visibly upset and distressed and verbally aggressive and critical towards the SMM.

   The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine informed about this incident, Censor.NET reports citing UNIAN.

   Some members of the local crowd made violent threats against OSCE representatives . The SMM left the scene after the OSCE flag was broken off the vehicle and thrown to the ground. A Russian Federation Armed Forces representative of the JCCC's office in Horlivka was present when the incident occurred.

Saturday, June 13, 2015  1:53 AM PDT

Pro-Ukrainian activists occupy building of Odesa communists

   (Interfax) --- Representatives of radical and pro-Ukrainian organizations have occupied the building of the Odesa regional committee of the Ukrainian Communist Party in Mechnikov Street.

   "Tsarkov, the head of the Odesa regional office of the Communist Party, entrusted the party's regional committee to the care of the Right Sector. Honestly, we ourselves are not fully clear yet. The paper arrived by e- mail. We are shocked and perturbed," Varvara Chernoivanenko, a spokeswoman for the Right Sector, wrote on Facebook.

   Eyewitnesses claim that up to 100 activists took part in the takeover of the building, who raised a Ukrainian flag on its roof and burnt the Soviet symbols they had found at the building.

   A communist member of Odesa City Council, Oleksandr Paradovsky, was present at the scene. He described the incident as a "raid attack."

   Yevhen Tsarkov, first secretary of the Communist Party's Odesa regional committee, is currently unavailable for comment. The website of the party's regional committee is temporarily unavailable either.

Saturday, June 13, 2015  1:10 AM PDT

Terrorists fire at Ukrainian soldiers’ positions from banned weapons

   (Censor.NET) --- During last night, the terrorists kept on violating the Minsk agreements. The militants attacked the Army’s positions for about 40 times.

   Censor.NET reports citing the ATO press center.

   Butovka mine, villages of Opytne, Pisky, and Avdiivka town were fired from 122-mm howitzers, mortars, small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. Troitske and Zolote villages were shelled with mortars.
   The Russian terrorists attacked the ATO forces' positions near the Donetsk airport for about 18 times after the midnight. The militants shelled Marinka village with 120-mm mortars, while Zolote, Starohnativka and Hranitne villages were shelled with 122-mm guns.

   The militants fired at the village of Chermalyk (near ​Mariupol city) from 120-mm mortars at 2 a.m. Krymske village (Luhansk region) was fired from mortars, anti-aircraft guns and APCs.

Friday, June 12, 2015  13:37 PDT

OSCE reports militants' military hardware amassed near Ukrainian-controlled Mariupol

   (UNIAN) --- The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine has registered a large amount of militants' military equipment and vehicles in the northeast of the Ukrainian-controlled city of Mariupol in Donetsk region.

   "In a number of locations in "DPR" –controlled areas northeast of Mariupol, an SMM UAV spotted, inter alia, 14 main battle tanks (MBT), 48 armoured personnel carriers, and two engineering vehicles," the OSCE SMM said in its update on June 12 based on the information received as of 1930 Kyiv time on June 11, 2015.

   An SMM ground patrol observed an additional MBT in the same general area.

   What is more, further north – around "DPR"-controlled Ilovaisk (30km east-south-east of Donetsk) – an SMM UAV saw 32 military-type trucks.

Friday, June 12, 2015  10:17 PDT

Dramatic Battles Rock Ukrainian Village

   (RFE/RL) --- RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service has brought further dramatic evidence that the cease-fire in eastern Ukraine is not being observed. Video shot in the village of Pisky on June 6 shows Ukrainian troops defending the village with machine guns, and taking cover in trenches. During the filming, one soldier was injured and received treatment.