Ukraine War Update - 31 July 2015

Friday, July 31, 2015  3:25 AM PDT

Two Ukrainian soldiers killed, seven wounded over past day, - ATO speaker

   (Zik) --- Two soldiers were killed and seven were injured in the course of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) on July 30.

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

"Over the past day, we lost two our soldiers in active combat activities, another seven received injuries," he said.

Friday, July 31, 2015  3:22 AM PDT

105 attacks on Ukrainian troops’ positions recorded overnight, a record number this month, - NSDC

   (Censor.NET) --- The Russian terrorist groups attacked the Ukrainian forces’ positions 105 times overnight using banned large-caliber artillery systems, which killed two soldiers and injured five more. This is the largest number of daily assaults committed in July.

   The press service of the National Security and Defense Council draws the attention of the international observers and official representatives of the OSCE to the rapid growth in the number of cases of attacks on Ukrainian troops' positions and peaceful neighborhoods of the frontline towns and villages using artillery systems prohibited by Minsk cease-fire deal which often result in civilian casualties. In addition the enemy forces buildup has been recorded in sensitive areas, Censor.NET reports.

   Active training and combat shakedown of the assault units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are underway on the Crimean peninsula and at the eastern border with Ukraine. All this facts evidence Russia's deliberate violation of all peace accords reached in Minsk.

   The press officer of the sector "B" reported earlier that the number of militants' attacks has dramatically increased at the Donetsk direction after recent arrival of another Putin's "humanitarian convoy".

Friday, July 31, 2015  3:13 AM PDT

Militants shelled Toshkivka overnight, two civilians wounded, - Luhansk state administration.

   (Censor.NET) --- Toshkivka village in the Luhansk region was shelled for the first time in three months.

   This was announced by the press service of the Luhansk regional military civil administration, Censor.NET reports.

   "The village of Toshkivka, Popasna district, was shelled in the Luhansk region. The village is more than 10 km from the demarcation line, the shelling took place at 2:30 a.m. As a result, a 23-year-old was wounded with shrapnel. According to his parents, he was saved by a tea table, which was hit by most of the shrapnel. The parents themselves were sleeping in another room together with 16-year-old brother of the wounded man. In a neighboring house, 80-year old woman was covered by a fallen roof, receiving face wounds. First deputy head of the Luhansk regional civil military administration Mykhailo Pukhtaievych, who arrived to the scene, rushed the old woman to a hospital," the message reads.
   Also, six houses were damaged, three of them totally destroyed. At some streets, power and gas supply was halted by damages, with repair works underway.

   "The last shelling here was over three months ago. It has been relatively calm since then in the village. After we return to the state administration, we will solve the matter of immediate aid to those affected by it," Pukhtaievych said.

Friday, July 31, 2015  2:42 AM PDT

Situation in Ukraine's eastern regions.

   KIEV, July 31 (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 July 31 has been released by the information and analytical center of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council.

Thursday, July 30, 2015  22:51 PDT

Rebels place tanks near radioactive materials dump in Donetsk

   (Zik) --- The rebels have positioned their tanks near the radioactive materials dump of the local chemical plant in Sofiyivska St., Informator reports.

   The cite carries a photograph made by locals of 2 tanks in firing position near the dump.

   If the dump is hit by Ukraine army return fire, radioactive materials may get into the Karlivske water reservoir supplying water to Donetsk, Informator warns.

Minister Niinistö: Finland needs to rethink its defence of Åland

   (Yle.fi) --- F Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö says changes in the international geopolitical landscape such as the Ukraine crisis mean that Finland should reconsider its defence policy, particularly with regard to the Åland Islands -- a neutral, demilitarized zone by international agreement.

Finland's Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö 

Image: Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva

   Finland's Minister of Defence Jussi Niinistö says Finland should reappraise its defence policy in light of increased military operations in the Baltic Sea.

   "Finland must be prepared for any potential situations and defend all of its territory. We have to consider how we would provide official assistance to the Ålands, if such a situation should arise," said Niinistö.

   In an interview with Lännen Media regional news service, the topic of Åland came up, and Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö  of the Finns Party volunteered that he thinks Finland should be prepared for a situation in which Åland might be invaded by foreign soldiers.

   "Several scenarios have been considered. War can start without an official announcement," revealed Niinistö, referring to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. 

   The Minister justified his comments by saying that on the heels of the Ukraine crisis, security policy considerations have dramatically changed. For example, military traffic in the Baltic Sea by both Russia and NATO has increased.

Russia doesn't recognize Åland neutrality

   Niinistö says the current status of the Åland Islands is clear from the Finnish perspective: in a crisis situation, the Ålands must be kept out of the conflict, in line with international agreements. But Russia's view is not consistent with this.

   "The Russian Consulate monitors the demilitarisation of the Åland Islands, but it has not accepted its neutral status," he says.

   Åland's politically neutral status guarantees that the autonomous island would remain untouched during a crisis situation.

   An area designated with a neutral status is meant to be left in peace in the event of a crisis, while a region that is denoted as demilitarised means it contains no military presence, artillery or materiel.

   Finland's Defence Minister says his comment should not be construed to mean that he feels the probability of a conflict has risen. He says that Sweden and Finland plan to enhance their cooperation, according to the new government programme. 

   "I don't exclude the possibility that Sweden and Finland would share a joint vision of matters associated with the Åland Islands in the future," says Niinistö.

Ukraine War Update - 30 July 2015

Thursday, July 30, 2015  6:48 AM PDT

Aerial images of railway junction in terrorist-occupied Debalseve show it has been restored.

   (Censor.NET) --- New images of the railway junction in Debaltseve went online.

   Volunteer Yurii Kasianov posted drone-made images of the railway station in Debaltseve, the Donetsk region, on his Facebook page, Censor.NET reports.

   "This is Debaltseve. Railway junction. Images were made yesterday by ARMIA SOS drone aviation group," he wrote.

Thursday, July 30, 2015  6:32 AM PDT

Latest Russian PSNR-8M portable ground reconnaissance station used by 'DPR' terrorists.

   (Censor.NET) --- OSINT-investigation conducted in the occupied Donbas reveals the latest Russian military equipment in arsenal of the "DPR" militants. These include, in particular, Russian complex of ground reconnaissance PSNR-8M.

   The InformNapalm.org team continues to detect and identify modern Russian weapons and equipment often seen on videos and photos of "Novorossiya" militants, Censor.NET reports.

   "A new observation of our friend Mikhail Net revealed a Russian PSNR-8M portable ground reconnaissance station in the arsenal of the Khan Battalion of the "Donetsk People's Republic" ("DPR"): "This is that awkward moment when [Russian] propagandists 'displayed' a modern Russian PSNR-8M station of the ground reconnaissance. This piece of equipment is used by the Khan Special Forces Battalion of the "DPR". A question to Russian "Military supply service": Have the 'miners' take it from Ukrainians again?" Mikhail wrote.

Thursday, July 30, 2015  4:44 AM PDT

Ukraine army to have uniforms invisible to night vision devices

   (Zik) --- Activists have developed a new cloth, called Varan (Dragon), which is invisible to night-vision devices. The uniform will be tested in the 79th Brigade. Mass production can be started by the defense ministry soon, ZIK reports July 30.

   The war with Russia has triggered off radical changes for the better in Ukraine army. Equipped with obsolete WWII helmets in 2014, it now has Kevlar ones, tactical goggles and balaclavas.

   Besides, the servicemen have level 4 or 5 bullet-proof jackets, first-aid kits, collimator sights for Kalashnikovs.

   All these changes have been made possible due to the cooperation of activists and the defense ministry.

   The defense ministry, however, makes optimistic declarations, saying there are no problems with equipment. This is not true, the activists counter, and many problems are still to be resolved.

Thursday, July 30, 2015  4:42 AM PDT

Four Ukrainian soldiers wounded in ATO area in past 24 hours

   KIEV, July 30 (Ukrinform). --- No Ukrainian servicemen were killed, but four soldiers were wounded in the area of the anti-terrorist operation in Donbas as a result of hostilities.

   Spokesman for the Presidential Administration on ATO, Colonel Andriy Lysenko said this at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "Fortunately, no Ukrainian servicemen were killed in past 24 hours, but four soldiers were wounded as a result of military clashes over past 24 hours," he said.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015  23:39 PDT

July 29, Donbas separatists opened fire 82 times

   (Zik) --- Violating the Minsk agreements by using heavy artillery, Donbas separatists opened fire against Ukrainian army positions 82 times on July 29, Ukraine army spokesman said.

   The enemy attacked the army outpost near Pisky using 120-mm mortars.

   Our positions near Leninske, Triokhizbenka, Krasnohorivka and Majorsk were shelled from tanks, and 120-mm mortars.

   Yasnobrodivka in the Donetsk oblast was shelled from 152-mm howitzers.

   The enemy shelling was the most intense near Artemivsk and Donetsk areas.

NATO intercepts squadron of 12 Russian military planes over Baltics

   Air Policing jets on 29 JUL in international airspace above the Baltic Sea near Latvian border identified Russian Air Force 3xAn-26, Il-76, 4xMiG-31, 4xSu-24

   Russian planes risking collision with civilian airliners, complain European countries

Latvia's Armed Forces have reported sightings of twelve Russian aircrafts in international airspace above the Baltic Sea close to the Latvian border.

   Latvia has regularly reported sightings of Russian military naval and air units along the country's maritime borders.

   Last month five Russian military planes were spotted near the airspace of Latvia.

   In May Swedish fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea close to the Swedish border.

   Increased Russian military activity in the Baltic region and the North Atlantic has added to growing military tension in the region.

Tank army to be formed near Moscow by wintertime

Russia's first Tank Army and the newly-formed 20th 

Combined Arms Army will be the first to receive the 

newest Armata tanks and Kurganets infantry fighting 

vehicles, the source says

   MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. --- The Russian Defense Ministry plans to create a new tank army in the Western Military District by December 1 and another, combined army, will in fact be formed anew, a senior source at Russia’s General Staff has told TASS.

   "According to a directive of the chief of the General Staff, the 1st Guards Tank Army and 20th Guards Combined Army are to be formed within the western military district by December 1, 2015," the source said.

   Major-General Alexander Chaiko has been appointed commander of the 1st Tank Army. Before, he was in charge of the 20th Army. The latter’s new commander is Major-General Sergey Kuzovlyov (previously chief of staff of the 58th Combined Army).

   "The staffs of both armies have been formed. They are located in Bakovka, the Moscow Region, and in Voronezh respectively," the source said.

   He explained that the existing 20th army will in fact be formed anew. A large share of its units will be transferred to the yet-to-be formed tank army. New ones will be formed in their place.

   According to the source, the 1st Tank Army will incorporate the Tamanskaya Mechanized Infantry Division and the Kantemirovskaya Tank Division, as well as the 27th Sevastopolskaya Mechanized Infantry Brigade and the 6th Tank Brigade.

   "Reformatting the 20th Combined Army, which has been stripped of most of its combat units is a more complex task," the source said. "At the moment it has incorporated the 9th tank brigade in Nizhni Novgorod. Other tank and mechanized infantry brigades for that army are being formed."

   There will be no great difference in the make-up of the 1st and 20th armies. Each will have one reconnaissance and one air missile brigade, as well as a logistics brigade, missile and artillery units a helicopter regiment and other units, including reconnaissance and attack drone units. The tank army will have more tanks and the combined army, mechanized infantry combat vehicles.

Canada to purchase Iron Dome-like radar systems

A picture shows an Iron Dome defence system in the Golan

Heights on January 20, 2015 (AFP Photo/Jack Guez)

   Ottawa (AFP) --- Canada said Wednesday it will buy missile defense radars modeled after Israel's Iron Dome from German defense contractor Rheinmetall.

   The defense ministry put the cost of the 10 medium range radar systems at Cad$243.3 million ($187.2 million).

   Canada's National Defense Minister Jason Kenney hailed the deal, saying the technology had proved useful for Israel.

   "Much like Israel's successful Iron Dome radar technology, the Medium Range Radar system will be able to instantly track enemy fire aimed at Canadian armed forces personnel and help keep them safe during operations," Kenney said.

   The ministry said the radar systems are "capable of detecting hostile indirect fire, locating the position of the enemy weapon and calculating the point of impact of a projectile, as well as simultaneously tracking multiple airborne threats."

   They will be manufactured by Rheinmetall's Canadian branch, which will work alongside ELTA Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries.

   The delivery of the radar systems is expected to begin in 2017.

   Canada has become one of Israel's closest allies since the election of Canadian conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2006.

   Canada was one of the few countries to oppose Palestine's bid for an upgraded status at the United Nations in 2012.

   Rheinmetall also announced Wednesday a contract to provide the Canadian army with new communications and navigation technology, the modular Integrated Soldier System (ISS), which it said "greatly improves the situational awareness of the individual soldier."

   The ISS contract is for four years, and if the qualification phase is approved by the Canadian government, could amount to a second contract worth a total of $Cad250 million, according to a statement from Rheinmetall Canada. 

Ukraine War Update - 29 July 2015

Wednesday, July 29, 2015  9:34 AM PDT

Poroshenko: Special regime in Donbas is possible only after control over territory is reset

   (Censor.NET) --- President Poroshenko says the special order of local self-government in the Donbas is possible only after Ukraine regains control over its territory.

   As reported by Censor.NET citing Ukrainska Pravda, he announced this at a solemn academy on the 110th anniversary of Metropolitan Sheptytskyi in Lviv. "The special order of local self-government is possible only after the Russian troops are withdrawn beyond the Ukrainian-Russian border," the president's Twitter reads.
   He reminded the Verkhovna Rada had passed the law on the special order of local self-government in separate regions of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions twice with full set of conditions necessary for the law to take effect being listed. They include withdrawal of arms and military, as well as regaining of Ukraine's control over its border.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015  9:09 AM PDT

Rebel troops commanded by 2,000 Russian officers, captured major admits

   (Zik) --- Russian army Major Andrei Starkov, captured last week in Donbas, said during his interrogation shown by SBU on Wednesday that the activities of rebel army units are supervised by 2,000 Russian officers attached to them, Ukrayinska Pravda reports July 29.

   SBU chief’s adviser, Yury Tandit, said Russia is sending officers to Donbas by first summoning them to Rostov and then moving to Ukraine.

   At the end of the video footage, the Russian officer admitted the rampant corruption of rebel army higher command. “If I had known about the true situation in Ukraine, I would have never come here,” he admitted. 

Wednesday, July 29, 2015  8:50 AM PDT

Savchenko to be tried tomorrow morning

   KIEV, July 29 (Ukrinform). --- The Donetsk city court (Rostov region, Russia) informed the lawyers of Ukrainian pilot and MP Nadiya Savchenko that preliminary hearings would start at 11:00, July 30.

   Savchenko's lawyer Mark Feygin has posted this information on Twitter.

   “I've received a call from the Donetsk city court. Preliminary hearings on Savchenko start at 11:00 tomorrow. Judge Stepanenko," Feygin wrote.

   As a reminder, the lawyers of Nadiya Savchenko have not communicated with her for two weeks and do not have the accurate data about her whereabouts.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015  8:35 AM PDT

Moscow orders proxies in Donbas to capture Ukrainian officers for swap – SBU

   (UNIAN) --- The Russian authorities ordered the leaders of DPR and LPR terrorist organizations to capture Ukrainian officers in order to swap them for Vladimir Starkov, officer of the Russian Armed Forces, detained by Ukrainian border guards in Donbas on July 25, according to the head of SBU.

   “According to reliable sources, after border guards detained the officer of Russia’s Armed Forces, Russian commanders have instructed the leaders of terrorist organizations, the so-called "DPR" and "LPR" to do everything possible to capture Ukrainian officers to further exchange them for Starkov," said Chairman of the State Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Grytsak during his joint press conference with Chairman of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Viktor Nazarenko today, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

   Also, according to the head of the SBU, attempts were made to bribe Ukrainian border guards so that they released Major Starkov immediately after his arrest, but the officers did not succumb to provocations.

   UNIAN earlier reported that the accounts of Starkov’s relatives on social networks have been “cleansed” by the Russian authorities following the officer’s arrest in Ukrainian Donbas.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015  8:11 AM PDT

Klimkin invites OSCE to observe local elections

   KIEV, July 29 (Ukrinform). --- Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin has invited the OSCE to observe the local elections in Ukraine scheduled for October 25.

   This was announced by spokesperson for the Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Mariana Betsa at the briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"July 23 this year, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin sent a letter to director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Michael Link, in which invited the ODIHR to observe the local elections in Ukraine scheduled for October 25 this year," Betsa said.

   According to her, the Minister noted the readiness of the Ukrainian side to apply all efforts to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in accordance with the national legislation and the internationally accepted standards for democratic elections.

   "The ODIHR plans to carry out an assessment mission to Ukraine on August 5-7 this year within the framework of preparations for election observing," Betsa said.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015  3:52 AM PDT

No one killed, two Ukrainian soldiers received injuries over past day, - ATO speaker

   (Censor.NET) --- Two Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in the course of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) on July 28.

   This was announced by the Presidential Administration speaker on ATO matters Oleksandr Motuzianyk at a briefing, Censor.NETreports.

   "Over the past day, no Ukrainian soldiers were killed in combat activities, two of our servicemen were wounded. It took place near Marinka," he said.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015  1:18 AM PDT

Ukraine needs just 1,240 Javelin missiles to deter further Russian aggression, Poroshenko says

   (Censor.NET) --- President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko says that 1,240 was the number of nuclear warheads Ukraine gave up under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, jointly signed by the U.S., Britain and Russia.

   He said this in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Censor.NET reports.
   "We're looking for just 1,240 Javelin missiles, and this is absolutely fair," he said when asked about the kind of weapons his armed forces would need to deter further aggression by Russia and its separatist proxies in eastern Ukraine.
   The number 1,240 has special significance for Mr. Poroshenko. He says that was the number of nuclear warheads Ukraine gave up under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, jointly signed by the U.S., Britain and Russia. "Ukraine voluntarily gave up its nuclear arsenal," Mr. Poroshenko says, "and in exchange for that the United States of America and Great Britain... promised to guarantee our sovereignty and territorial integrity."
   At the same time Poroshenko stressed: "We aren't demanding that British, American or French soldiers come here and fight for us. We're doing this ourselves, paying the most difficult price - the lives of my soldiers. We need just solidarity."
   The president said that the West would ultimately pay the price for appeasement and myopia. "If we do not stop the aggressor, that means global security doesn't exist. Anytime, any plane or submarine can make a missile attack, including against the U.S."
   That's a lesson the West should have learned from the July 2014 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 tragedy, in which putative separatists armed by Moscow shot down a passenger jet en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam.
   Poroshenko also drew attention to the constant shelling by the terrorists. On Sunday there were 70 instances of shelling from separatist positions. The daily average during the past two months was 100. The numbers are lower compared with the height of the conflict, but the suffering "is still tremendous. Altogether the number of civilians and military personnel [dead] is now close to 9,000. Nobody can imagine that this can happen in the center of Europe in the 21st century."

Tuesday, July 28, 2015  21:47 PDT

Crimean Tatar Leaders Blocked From World Congress In Turkey

   KIEV(RFE/RL) --- Russian officials have blocked Crimean Tatar leaders from leaving Crimea on the eve of a major world congress scheduled in Ankara this weekend.

   The chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Crimean Tatar Assembly (Qurultay), Zair Smedlyaev, told RFE/RL that he and Nariman Celal, the first deputy of the Crimean Tatars' self-governing body, the Mejlis, were handed subpoenas by the Russian investigative committee's directorate in Crimea on July 28. 

   According to the subpoenas, Smedlyaev and Celal must report to the investigative committee on August 1 for questioning about clashes in February 2014 that pitted Crimean Tatars and pro-Ukrainian activists against pro-Russian activists near the regional parliament.

   The World Congress of Crimean Tatars is scheduled for August 1-2. Some 200 Crimean Tatar groups from several countries are expected to attend the gathering.

   Smedlyaev says the subpoenas were handed to prevent his and other Crimean Tatar leaders' participation at the international event in Turkey.

Ukraine War Update - 28 July 2015

Tuesday, July 28, 2015  5:56 AM PDT

OSCE ready to observe removal of weapons with caliber under 100 mm in Donbas - mission

   (Interfax) --- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) representatives in Donbas will observe the removal of military hardware with a caliber of less than 100 millimeters, provided an agreement has been signed to that effect, OSCE Special Monitoring Mission deputy chief Alexander Hug said.

   If the relevant agreement is signed, the OSCE will be on the spot to observe progress, Hug told Interfax on Tuesday.

   It is important to distinguish between the movement of weapons and the removal of weapons, he said. The removal requires us to make sure that the removal will not be redeployed and re-used, he said.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015  5:13 AM PDT

Militant attack on Schastia power plant blacks out most of Luhansk region

   (UNIAN) --- The power supply in most areas of Luhansk region has been disrupted after Russian-backed militants shelled a thermal power plant (TPP) in the town of Schastia, Luhansk Regional Military and Civil Administration's press service reported.

   "In the morning today, July 28, DTEK Luhanska TPP was under mortar fire, as a result of which power unit No. 13 was disconnected, and one power unit is still in operation. A power failure has blacked out a larger territory in Luhansk region," the press service said.

   Power engineering personnel are now trying to put an additional power unit into operation, according to the source.

   "The militants continue fierce attacks on Luhansk region. After yesterday's defeat in the fight, the terrorists have decided to take revenge by shelling Luhanska TPP. Repair crews are doing their utmost to restore the power supply as soon as possible," Chairman of Luhansk Regional Military and Civil Administration Heorhiy Tuka said.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015  4:39 AM PDT

Ukraine to create 30-km buffer zone in Donbas

   (Zik) --- On Pres Poroshenko’s orders, a 30-km buffer zone along the touchline is to be created in Donbas. Ukraine army will control the zone, army spokesman said July 28, UNIAN reports.

   “Ukraine troops, armed with small arms and machine guns, will control the zone.

   OSCE will set up its observation post in Shyrokine,” he said.

   Shyrokine, a town near Mariupol, will be defended by Ukraine Marines,” he said.

   Poroshenko said the zone will be a real step forward to ensure a ceasefire, pull out heavy artillery and tanks as well as create the groundwork for the economic and political reintegration of rebel-held territories in Ukraine.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015  4:37 AM PDT

One soldier killed, 12 wounded over past day, - ATO speaker

   (Censor.NET) --- Over the past day of July 27, one Ukrainian soldier was killed, 12 were wounded in combat activities in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area in the east of Ukraine.

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

   "Over the past day, one Ukrainian soldier was killed, 12 more were wounded in combat activities," Lysenko informed.
   He stressed that representatives of the illegal armed gangs continue to cynically violate the Minsk agreements.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015  4:28 AM PDT

Ukraine insists on high-profile trial of captured Russian officers

   (Zik) --- The trial of two Russia’s GRU military intelligence captured in Donbas in May is to be held on-line in English, German and French to attract international attention, interior minister’s adviser and Rada lawmaker Anton Herashchenko writes in Facebook July 28.

   “The trial won’t look like a show like the on-going trial in Russia of Nadia Savchenko. It will be a mini Nurnberg tribunal to expose Russian servicemen fighting in Ukraine,” he said.

   After the trial is over, both Russians can be exchanged for Nadiya Savchenko and journalist Oleh Sentsov who are both detained on trumped-up charges in Russia, Herashchenko proposed.

   Russian authorities have washed their hands of both GRU servicemen, saying they do not belong to its forces and went to Donbas on their own initiative.

   The servicemen, however, has repeatedly admitted they are Russia’s regulars.

   They were captured during the attack on Ukraine army positions in which they killed one and wounded another Ukrainian serviceman.

Monday, July 27, 2015  23:03 PDT

Rebels destroy critical Donbas infrastructure

   (Zik) --- Ukraine’s foreign ministry has condemned the shelling on July 27 of the electricity plant in Vuhlehirsk, UNN reports.

   “The shelling of the Vuhlehirsk plant which incapacitated it completely is similar to the shelling of the power plant in Shchastya, gas pipeline in Yasynuvata and water pipeline in Stanytsya Luhanska. 

   The victims of these shellings are also civilians working and living near these infrastructure facilities, not to mention hundreds of thousands of those who need electricity, water and gas,” the statement runs.  

   “We demand that the Russian troops and their rebel mercenaries stop the destruction of vital industrial facilities in Donbas in order to bring about a humanitarian disaster in the area,” the statement runs.

Monday, July 27, 2015  22:06 PDT

Crimean Tatar Leaders Cite Pressure On Eve Of World Congress

   KIEV(RFE/RL) --- Russian investigators have summoned Crimean Tatar leaders ahead of a major world congress scheduled for Ankara this weekend in a move that has sparked concern that the authorities are trying to pressure the group.

   The chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Crimean Tatar Assembly (Qurultay), Zair Smedlyaev, wrote on Facebook that he and Nariman Celal, the first deputy of the Crimean Tatars' self-governing body, the Mejlis, were summoned for questioning by the Russian investigative committee on July 28.

   Smedlyaev suggested the questioning might be related to clashes in February 2014 that pitted Crimean Tatars and pro-Ukrainian activists against pro-Russian activists near the regional parliament.

   Russian special forces wrested Crimea from Ukraine in the months ahead of its unrecognized annexation of the peninsula in March 2014, a move that has left Tatars and critics of the move vulnerable to abuses under Russian control.

   Several Crimean Tatar activists, including the deputy chairman of the Mejlis, Ahtem Ciygoz, were arrested earlier this year and charged with organizing "mass disorder" in connection with the violence outside the regional legislature.

   Armed men in unmarked uniforms -- later acknowledged to be led by Russian forces -- seized the parliament building the following day.

A UN resolution subsequently asserted Crimea's continued status as part of Ukraine.

   Smedlyaev said this week's questioning might be an attempt to prevent Crimean Tatar leaders and activists from taking part in the World Congress of Crimean Tatars, slated to be held in the Turkish capital on August 1-2.

   The Ankara congress is expected to attract some 200 Crimean Tatar groups from several countries.

   Meanwhile, the leader of the pro-Russian Crimean Tatar organization Qirim (Crimea), Remzi Ilyasov, who is also deputy speaker of Crimea's Moscow-backed parliament, has publicly condemned the idea of holding the world congress in Ankara. Ilyasov has called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to boycott the gathering.

   Activists say Crimean Tatars have faced discrimination, pressure, and abuse over their opposition to Russia's land grab.

   Several Crimean Tatars have turned up dead since the annexation, and more Crimean Tatar activists have been arrested. The veteran leader of Crimean Tatars Mustafa Dzhemilev and Mejlis Chairman Refat Chubarov have been barred from entering Crimea by the peninsula's Russian-installed leaders. 

   In April, Crimea's Moscow-backed authorities shut down the only Crimean Tatar television channel and its affiliated media outlets.

   Most Crimean Tatars appeared to oppose Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, while others, like Ilyasov, accepted it and have cooperated with Russian officials.

Ukraine War Update - 27 July 2015

Monday, July 27, 2015  8:26 AM PDT

12 terrorists’ large-caliber artillery shells impacted Avdiivka Coke Plant.

   (Censor.NET) --- 12 122-mm caliber rounds hit Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant during the terrorists' shelling committed yesterday.

   Censor.NET reports citing the ATO press-center.

   The report stresses that the terrorists keep destroying the infrastructure facilities of the Donbas and shelling peaceful towns and villages using weapons banned by the Minsk deal thereby violating it.

   The pro-Russian terrorists' artillery strike impacted Avdiivka Coke Plant yesterday. 12 122-mm caliber rounds hit the facility. The shelling damaged railroad section designated for the transport of coal, coke-oven battery №1, and gas pipeline. Five points of outbreak of fire have been recorded just over the past day as a consequence of these attacks.

   The terrorists employed 122-mm artillery to shell residential neighborhoods of Avdiivka from the directions of Yakovlivka and Spartak villages from 8.27 to 8.49 p.m. July 26. A total of 118 rounds were recorded.

   The shelling impacted the area near the railway station and adjacent residential buildings. The fire was later redirected at production facilities of the Avdiivka Steel Plant and Mobile Mechanical Department. Civilians have been injured as a result of the shelling. 

Monday, July 27, 2015  8:16 AM PDT

Ukrainian border guards say didn't shoot at Russian citizens near border checkpoint

   (Interfax) --- The Ukrainian State Border Service said that Ukrainian border guards did not open fire at Russian citizens from the Ukrainian territory near the Krasna Talivka border checkpoint, calling this incident a provocative act.

   "Russia media are actively spreading the information that two Russian citizens, who were staying near the state border on the Russian territory, allegedly came under automatic fire from the Ukrainian territory in an area near the Krasna Talivka border checkpoint. As a result a Russian man received a chest gunshot wound. The Ukrainian State Border Service said officially that this information is absolutely untrue and exclusively provocative," the Ukrainian State Border Service said in a statement released on Monday.

   The border service said that Ukrainian legislation primarily banned the border guards from opening the fire in the direction of the neighboring country. However, to check this information the Ukrainian State Border Service initiated an internal investigation during which all border patrols being on duty in the mentioned direction at the time of the incident were checked. "As a result it was found that servicemen have all ammunition unused and the weapons do not have any traces of use," the Ukrainian State Border Service said.

   Previously Russian border guards said they gave the necessary aid to the wounded Russian man who was taking a selfie at the background of the Ukrainian border checkpoint, the press service of the Federal Security Service (FSB) border department in southern Russia's Rostov Region said overnight.

   "Three Russians were relaxing at an artificial lake situated on the Russian territory near village Novorussky in the Millerovo district of the Rostov Region and decided to take pictures at the background of the Ukrainian checkpoint Krasna Talivka," the FSB border department said.

   A serviceman at the checkpoint ordered them to stop and opened gunfire at them, wounding one of the two holidaymakers, the FSB border department said.

   A car moving in the same direction too the unfortunate selfie enthusiasts to a border patrol which was on duty at the Russian motor crossing station Voloshino.

   During the medical examination the car passenger was found to sustain a penetrating gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to the nearby medical institution, where he received the medical aid.

Monday, July 27, 2015  6:42 AM PDT

Probability of full-scale invasion of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation remains high, - General Staff

   (Censor.NET) --- There is lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements due to the fact that the terrorists are constantly shelling the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine thereby violating the truce.

   This was stated by Deputy Chief of General Staff General Hennadii Vorobiov during a meeting with US Air Forces Europe Commander General Frank Gorenc on Monday, Censor.NET informs citing the press service of the General Staff.

   "We are forced to fire in return occasionally to save lives and health of the Ukrainian military and civilians but we never open fire on towns and villages even under such circumstances because peaceful Ukrainians may be there. We have full control of the situation at the moment while the forces in the ATO area provide possibility of adequate response to its changes. At the same time, according to the available information, there is a high probability of a full-scale invasion of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," Vorobiov said.

   In the course of the conversation, the Ukrainian side has also thanked the United States for constructive engagement, particularly in the training of various detachments.

Monday, July 27, 2015  5:10 AM PDT

"Buffer zone" does not include Mariupol; no units, only heavy weapons will be withdrawn, Poroshenko says

   (Censor.NET) --- No "buffer zone" will be created around the Mariupol, the Donetsk region. City residents shall not panic.

   This was announced by President Petro Poroshenko while communicating with volunteers in the Defense Ministry on Monday, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrainska Pravda.

   "Look at what was going on during weekend - Shchastia [town in the Luhansk region - ed.] assault was immediately followed by "we have been betrayed," "we have been surrounded," and "we retreat" shouts. Friends, please do not intervene with the Armed Forces in their fighting," the president noted.
   According to Poroshenko, Mariupol approach routes are being reinforced with the best units of the Ukrainian army, including marine infantry and artillery.
   "The "buffer zone" does not include Mariupol. Each unit remains at its location. Only heavy artillery and MLRSes are withdrawn, which will be returned upon conflict escalation," Poroshenko said.
   "So here is a separate message for Mariupol residents: the president is with you, the Army is with you, do not listen to those who panic and get rid of them," he said.

Monday, July 27, 2015  3:45 AM PDT

No one killed, five soldiers wounded yesterday

   (Censor.NET) --- No one was killed among the Ukrainian servicemen on July 25.

   This was announced by the Presidential Administration representative on ATO matters Oleksandr Motuzianyk at a briefing, Censor.NET reports.
   According to him, five soldiers were wounded.

Monday, July 27, 2015  2:21 AM PDT

Russian consul discarded RF Major Starkov, detained by Ukrainian border guards, - volunteer

   (Censor.NET) --- Consul of the Russian Federation discarded Russian Major Vladimir Starkov, who had been detained by Ukrainian border guards with a KamAZ truck full of ammunition at Berezove control point in the Donetsk region.

   As reported by Censor.NET, this was announced by volunteer Kateryna Yaresko on her Facebook page.

   "The detained Russian Major was discarded by consul today. We had no doubts! Maybe someone could spread the information to his wife, relatives, and friends, since the state has abandoned him," she wrote.
   The volunteer also published details of the detained Major.
   "Vladimir Alexandrovich Starkov. Born in 1979 in the Kirov region, village of Zuevka. His most recent unit is in Novocherkassk, the Rostov region. Married, has a child," she specified.
   It was reported earlier that officers of the State Border Service detained a KamAZ truck with a Russian serviceman and ammunition at Berezove checkpoint. It was announced later that the detainee is Russian Army Major.

Monday, July 27, 2015  2:12 AM PDT

Russia gives rebels its newest reconnaissance system

   (Zik) --- According to journalists and activists, Russia has deployed various communications, radio electronic reconnaissance, drones and jamming systems in Donbas, informnapalm.org, writes July 26.

   Activist Mikhail Netu has detected another land reconnaissance system, PSNR-8M supplied to the Khan unit operating in the Donetsk republic.

   The system was photographed and posted on the Netu’s blog.

   Activist Mikhail Netu has detected another land re4connaissance system, PSNR-8M supplied to the Khan unit operating in the Donetsk republic.

   The system was photographed and posted on the Netu’s blog.

Monday, July 27, 2015  12:12 AM PDT

Highest number of Minsk accords violations recorded yesterday, - ATO press center

   (Censor.NET) --- Situation at the east of Ukraine has got tenser.

   As reported by Censor.NET, this was announced by the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) situation report.

   Over the past day, July 26, Russian terrorist troops conducted shelling of the ATO forces' positions and residential areas 86 times. More than 50 of them occurred after 6 p.m. till midnight.
   As reported, Avdiivka residential blocks were shelled by 152-mm artillery after 8 p.m. At the same time, 152-mm howitzers were used to fire at the ATO forces' positions near the town.
   Near Mykolaivka, Ukrainian army's positions were shelled with 152-mm artillery, 120-mm mortars, tanks, and small arms from three directions at once after 9 p.m. till midnight. Near Vodiane, 122-mm howitzers were used to shell ATO positions. Russian terrorists fired with 152-mm artillery and 120-mm mortars from Horlivka at the Ukrainian army positions near Maiorsk and Pershe Travnia.
   More cases of shelling were recorded near Marinka, Shyrokyne, Avdiivka, Luhanske, Maiorsk, Kirove, Pershe Travnia, Stanytsia Luhanska, Pisky, Opytne, Shchastia.

   The press center stated that on July 27, between midnight and 6 a.m., the highest number of the Minsk agreements violations by mercenaries was recorded. Besides, Russian terrorists continue to knowingly shell residential areas where civilians reside.

   After midnight, the following villages and towns were shelled: Svitlodars with 152-mm artillery, Shchastia with a tank, Opytne with Grads, 120-mm mortars, and tanks, and Vodiane with Grads, the press center reports.
   "Despite the shelling, Ukrainian soldiers repulse all enemy's attacks and hold defensive lines," the ATO press center stressed.

Sunday, July 26, 2015  21:26 PDT

Azov Battalion Commander Found Dead

   (RFE/RL) --- A high-ranking commander of Ukraine's Azov battalion has been found dead in his apartment in the town of Bucha, outside Kiev.

   The press service of the Azov regiment, formerly a volunteer militia unit, said on Twitter on July 27 that Yaroslav Babych, a deputy chief of Azov's civil staff, was found hanged in the morning of July 26.

   No further details were immediately available. 

   Investigations have been launched into the death.

   The Azov Battalion was formed in 2014 to fight Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

   Azov is now part of the Interior Ministry's National Guard.

Sunday, July 26, 2015  2:35 AM PDT

Terrorists opened provocative fire in Shyrokyne

   (Censor.NET) --- The terrorists opened fire to provoke Ukrainian troops in the village of Shyrokyne on the morning of July 26.

   As reported by Censor.NET, this was announced by the M sector press officer Yaroslav Chepurnyi to 0629 website.
   According to him, the terrorists have fired with small arms at the ATO forces' positions in Shyrokyne at 6.44 a.m. today.

   There are no casualties among the personnel.
   "The positions of Ukrainian law enforcers were attacked three times over the last 24 hours. After the night shelling of Starohnativka with a 122mm self-propelled gun, the militants fired with small arms at Shyrokyne. They also fired from firearms in the vicinity of Chermalyk," the report reads.
   A drone of the 'DPR' reconnaissance was recorded near the village of Volodarske. 

Flare-up in tensions as Armenian troops kill Azerbaijani soldier.

Armenian military scouts

   Baku (AFP) --- Azerbaijan on Saturday accused arch-foe Armenia's troops of killing its soldier in a new clash amid a Western-mediated push to cauterise the protracted conflict in the South Caucasus.

   Friday's skirmish violating the brittle truce comes a day after the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that the presidents of the two feuding nations were ready to "meet each other later this year" in an effort to end years of hostility.

   Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a dispute over the separatist Nagorny Karabakh region since a bloody war in the early 1990s following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

   "On July 24, Armenian army units shelled Azerbaijani positions" at the Karabakh frontline and the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, the defence ministry in Baku said in a statement.

   One Azeri serviceman was killed in crossfire, said the defence ministry, claiming that at least five Armenian troops were killed in the clash.

   Armenia denied that it had sustained any casualties and accused Azerbaijan of violating a 1994 ceasefire.

   "Some 160 violations have been registered over the past night," Armenian defence ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovannisyan told AFP. "Armenia's armed forces returned fire."

   On Thursday, the OSCE Minsk Group, which is involved in the efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict, said Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and his counterpart from Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev were ready to meet each other later this year.

   The statement was released after the group's Russian, US and French co-chairs travelled to Yerevan and Baku for meetings with the warring countries' leaders.

   "They instructed their foreign ministers to continue their work with the co-chairs on an agenda for the presidential summit," the OSCE Minsk Group said.

   Officials in Armenia and Azerbaijan did not confirm the statement, however.

   Yerevan-backed ethnic Armenian separatists seized control of Karabakh and several other regions of Azerbaijan during the conflict that left some 30,000 dead.

   The predominantly Armenian-populated region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

   Despite years of negotiations, the two countries have not signed a final peace deal to cement the 1994 ceasefire.

   Clashes have intensified in the past year along the Karabakh frontline and across the two ex-Soviet republics' shared border.

   There was relative calm ahead of and during the inaugural edition of the European Games hosted by Azerbaijan last month.

Hungary to finish Serbia border fence by August 31: PM Orban.

   Budapest (AFP) --- Hungary will finish building its anti-migrant fence on its southern border with Serbia by August 31, ahead of a previous November deadline, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Saturday.

   "The fence will be built by August 31, any schedules different from that are invalid," Orban told an audience at a Hungarian-language summer university in Baile Tusnad in Romania, according to Hungarian state news agency MTI.

   Work began last week on a short test section of the four-metre-high (12 feet) fence, a bid to stem a surge in 2015 in the number of migrants and asylum-seekers crossing into Hungary from Serbia.

   Last week, Hungary's defence and interior ministers said the wire-mesh barrier would be completed along the entire 175-kilometre (110 mile) length of the border by November.

   So far this year, Hungary has registered more than 80,000 asylum-seekers, up from 43,000 last year and just over 2,000 asylum applications in 2012.

   Most come from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and African countries, and hope to cross into Austria and Germany or further west.

   Unlike its neighbour to the south, Hungary is an EU member and is also in the bloc's passport-free Schengen zone which means that once migrants are inside the country, they can easily travel elsewhere.

   The fence plan, one of a series of hardline anti-migration measures launched by Orban, has caused alarm in Serbia, although Belgrade has conceded that Hungary has the right to protect its own borders as it sees fit.

   The Hungarian parliament recently toughened asylum application rules, and allowing for the detention of migrants in temporary camps.

   Last week, Hungary also declared Serbia a "safe country" which can allow it to quickly deport asylum-seekers.

   Orban said Saturday that illegal immigration is linked to terrorism, and also leads to increases in crime, including rape, and unemployment.

   "Europe should remain for Europeans," he said.

Russian military serviceman from 10th special forces brigade of Russia identified in Luhansk.

   (Censor.NET) --- Yet another Russian “serviceman on vacation” from the 10th spetsnaz GRU RF brigade (10th special forces brigade of Ministry of Defense, military unit 51532, Address – 353211, Krasnoyarskiy Krai, Goryachiy Klyuch, village of Mol’kino) was found fighting in the occupied part of Ukraine.

   Censor.NET reports citing InformNapalm.

   "We again can observe temptation of "Russian-world defenders" to make a selfie or a picture against some destruction or trophies. This time it's "war trophies" - innocent exhibits of Aviation and technical museum in Luhansk.

   "Exhibit showpieces of Aviation and technical museum seen on the picture above:

   "Well-known attack jet Su-25 with the flag of the Russian terrorist forces of "Novorossiya", which was repainted and presented to media as "LPR air force."

   "MiG-29 jet with the "Ukrainian falcons" sign. A picture in panoramio.

   "Ka-25 helicopter. Or rather a tail part of it with the Ukrainian trident over recklessly erased star. A picture in panoramio.

   "RSR-2 cruise missile, which was conquered by "Russian-world defenders". A picture in panoramio.

   "The fact that Roman Miloshevich is an active serviceman of the10th spetsnaz GRU RF brigade is proven by his pictures containing a geo-tag made on spetsnaz GRU RF shooting range (village of Mol'kino).

   "Here are some more pictures of this spetsnaz GRU soldier were Ukrainian signs can be clearly seen: "Smoke kills" (in Ukrainian), "Chernigivske" (Ukrainian beer brand, in Ukrainian), "Natural Italian coffee" (in Ukrainian).

   "Either we all have missed something or Russia is