Ukraine War Update - 2 June 2015

Tuesday, June 2, 2015  6:24 AM PDT

Canadian PM to visit Ukraine ahead of G7 summit

   (UTR-TV) --- Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper will arrive to Ukraine on an official visit on June 6, prior to the G7 Summit, which will take place on 7-8 of June in Germany.

   According to the report on his web-site, during his visit to Ukraine Harper will meet President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk to discuss the international community's response to Russian aggression and Canada's continued support for Ukraine's ambitious economic and democratic reforms. It will be already the third visit of the Canadian prime minister to Ukraine since last January.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015  3:44 AM PDT

Rebel-held territories in Donbas to be sealed off – Lutsenko

   (Zik) --- The existing practice of sealing off the territories held by the rebels in the Luhansk oblast is to be implemented in the Donetsk oblast, the leader of Rada’s largest faction, Yury Lutsenko, says.

   “The president believes the cancer tumor is to be sealed off. The decision by the Luhansk oblast Governor Moskal to close the border with the rebel-held territories is positive and should snowball to the Donetsk oblast,” Yury Lutsenko said, addressing Rada June 2.

   First of all, Ukraine has to strengthen the touchline and impose economic blockade of Donbas, he said.

   “The plan is simple: either Russia withdraws the terrorist groups and lets Ukraine impose control over its border with Russia or the blockade continues along the touchline,” he said.

   In addition, free economic zones are to be set up in the Kharkiv and Odessa oblasts – to give the middle class the opportunity to move there, get credits and create new jobs,” he said.

   Importantly, he said, Ukraine is to launch an effective pro-Ukrainian propaganda campaign in the media, social networks and in the world, Interfax-Ukrayina reports. 

Tuesday, June 2, 2015  3:47 AM PDT

Japanese prime minister to visit Kiev

   (UTR-TV) --- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will pay the first-ever official visit to Ukraine on June 5-6.

   The visit of the Japanese prime minister paid shortly before the G7 summit "will be a major manifestation of the firm and comprehensive political support to Ukraine," Ukrainian presidential press service said on Tuesday. The sides will confer on bilateral relations in the political, economic, scientific, technological and humanitarian fields, pressing global and regional affairs, and cooperation between Ukraine and Japan in international organizations. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will meet Shinzo Abe on June, 6.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015  2:44 AM PDT

No one killed, eight Ukrainian soldiers wounded over past day, - ATO speaker

   (Censor.NET) --- Eight Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the course of the anti-terrorist operation on June 1.

   This was announced by the Presidential Administration representative on ATO matters, Colonel Andrii Lysenko at a briefing, Censor.NET reports.

   "Over past day, no Ukrainian soldiers were killed in combat activities, eight received wounds," he said.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015  12:36 AM PDT

Crimean authorities destroy Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar books

   (Zik) --- Like the Fascists in Germany, the Crimean authorities are destroying books in the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar language, Vesilya Ibrahimova, head of Crimean Tatar language school in Kherson says, Krym. Realiji reports June 2.

   “The current situation proves that Putin’s declarations cannot be trusted. In March 2014 he assured that there will be three languages in Crimea – Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar.

   However, the Russian authorities have embarked on a campaign to restrict the use of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar languages: new books in these languages are not published and those kept in the libraries are written off and destroyed. Everything is done to have only one language on the peninsula, Ibrahimova said June 1 at the opening ceremony of launching a free Crimean Tatar school in Kherson. 

Monday, June 1, 2015  23:39 PDT

Ukrainian soldiers joined battle with terrorists near Vesela Dolyna, - ATO press center

   (Censor.NET) --- Russia-backed terrorists continued shelling villages and anti-terrorist operation positions on Tuesday night.

   This is reported by Censor.NET citing ATO press center.
   "Starting 6 p.m. Monday, June 1, terrorists continued to shell Ukrainian army's positions in all directions. At Donetsk direction, mercenaries fired at Pisky, Butivka mine, Marinka, Opytne, and Vodiane with mortars and artillery of over 100 mm," the message reads.
   At Artemivsk direction, terrorists' artillery shelled Markove, mortars were used to fire at Novhorodske, large-caliber machine guns - at Leninske, grenade launchers and small arms - at Kirove.
   Near Vesela Dolyna, the Donetsk region, Ukrainian soldiers engaged in a combat with a reconnaissance and sabotage group of the enemy.
   At Mariupol direction, terrorists used mortars and artillery banned by the Minsk agreements, as well as grenade launchers and small arms to fire at Shyrokyne.

   It all went quiet there after 9 p.m. until morning of Tuesday.

   The situation was relatively calm at Luhansk direction, where mercenaries broke the silence twice by firing at Shchastia and Zolote-4 with small arms.

   The headquarters noted that number of enemy's drones is not decreasing. 15 flights were recorded at Mariupol and Luhansk directions.

Monday, June 1, 2015  17:34 PDT

Two Nights Under Fire In Eastern Ukraine

   (RFE/RL) --- During a week embedded with the Ukrainian army, Mykhaylo Shtekel from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service spent two days and two nights under fire in the trenches of the 92nd mechanized brigade near Shchastya (which means "happiness"), a town in eastern Ukraine which changed hands in fighting with Russian-backed separatists last summer. The attacks, on May 25-26, took place at the same checkpoint where the unit captured two alleged members of Russian special forces a few days earlier.