Ukraine War Update - 14 April 2015

Tuesday, April 14, 2015  6:28 AM PDT

Six soldiers killed and 12 wounded over the past day - ATO speaker

   (Censor.NET) --- Six Ukrainian soldiers were killed on April 13 in the area of the anti-terrorist operation in Eastern Ukraine, and 12 servicemen were injured.

   This was announced today during a daily briefing of the ATO speaker Andrii Lysenko, Censor.NET reports.

   "Over the past day, six Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 12 were wounded as a result of provocative actions ," Lysenko said.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015  4:50 AM PDT

Poroshenko urges Serbia to raise criminal liability for Serb mercenaries in Donbas

   (Interfax) --- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has had a phone conversation with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and urged Serbia to increase criminal liability for Serbian citizens who join illegal armed groups in Donbas.

   According to the presidential press service, Vucic said that Serbia would do its best to meet Poroshenko's request.

   Poroshenko said that Ukraine has always supported the territorial integrity of Serbia.

   In turn, Vucic said he recognizes Ukraine's territorial integrity.

   Poroshenko discussed the recent events in Donbas with Vucic and said he hoped that Serbia, which currently presides over the OSCE, would use every opportunity to achieve the full implementation of the Minsk agreements.

   Both leaders agreed to coordinate their efforts in improving the efficiency of the OSCE SMM, in particular by increasing the number of inspectors and improving their technical support.

   Poroshenko and Vucic also invited each other to make a state visit to their respective nations.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015  2:50 AM PDT

SBU detained 11 terrorists in Kharkiv and seized lots of weapons and explosives - Lubkivskyi.

   (Censor.NET) --- The Security Service and Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine detained a group of saboteurs consisting of 11 persons in Kharkiv April 12-13.

   Adviser to the SBU Chairman Markiian Lubkivskyi wrote on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.

   "Along with mopping up of criminals in Odesa, the Security Service of Ukraine was keeping peace in Kharkiv during the Easter holidays as well! Security Service Chairman Valentyn Nalyvaichenko reported to the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko that a large terrorist group of 11 (!) people, who were involved in terrorist acts in the Kharkiv region, was neutralized April 12-13 during a special operation of the SBU in conjunction with the Prosecutor's Office of the Kharkiv region," he wrote.

   "The militants are suspected of firing at the head office of a commercial bank in July and Kharkiv regional military recruiting office last August, as well as of the explosion at the office of the volunteer organization in February and blowing up the railway tank in April. Thus it enabled not only to solve a number of committed terrorist and subversive acts, but also prevent new ones that were prepared by this group in Kharkiv city and the Kharkiv region," Lubkivskyi wrote.

   "All the detainees are citizens of Ukraine born in 1968-1983. The group was well-organized, with clear roles and responsibilities.

   "Coordinator of the terrorists was the head of the Kharkiv organization "Oplot" Yevhen Zhylin. A large arsenal of weapons and means to carry out subversive acts, including RPG-7 rocket launchers, RPO-A rocket launchers, Kalashnikov assault rifles, under-barrel grenade launchers, Dragunov sniper rifle, handguns, including suppressed ones, time-controlled sticky bombs, sabotage mine for blowing up and ignition of fuel in tanks or to inflict damage to surface pipelines, grenades, a large quantity of plastic explosives and cartridges of various calibers for small arms, initiators, different tools and edged weapons were seized from the members of the group. All of this was delivered to Ukraine illegally," adviser to the head of the SBU wrote.

   The SBU special operation in the Kharkiv region is under way.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015  1:36 AM PDT

Operational situation analysis as of April 14 by Butusov

   (Censor.NET) --- The enemy conducts offensive reconnaissance on important directions.

   Censor.NET Chief Editor Yurii Butusov wrote on Facebook.

   "The enemy keeps accumulating military equipment and ammunition, conducting intensive combat training, creating both mechanized and artillery strike forces. At the same time offensive reconnaissance on important directions is conducted.

   "The Russian mercenaries do not currently have forces capable to attack at the operational depth. However, a series of tactical offensives is a quite possible scenario.

   "Pisky and Avdiivka villages are important locations for the enemy. Those positions are very close to Donetsk. That makes the city, which has become an important logistics base for the Russian troops, very vulnerable. Those are the strategic positions for the enemy that he will never let alone.

   "The threat to Mariupol will become real only if the enemy launches offensive on Volnovakha and concentrates more troops near Shyrokyne in the vicinity of Mariupol. The threat for the distant approaches will arise first of all.

   "But there are other directions. And the engagements will be increasingly fierce with the approach of summer.

   "In general, everything that I wrote in March remains relevant to this day. The developments are in line with expectations so far," Butusov wrote.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015  12:45 AM PDT

Russian mercenaries fire at Ukrainian soldiers in Shyrokyne with automatic grenade launcher.

   (Censor.NET) --- A group of terrorists is shelling Ukrainian positions in Shyrokyne with an automatic grenade launcher and small arms.

   As reported by Censor.NET, the terrorists have equipped their position in a private yard. Right after shelling, the terrorists hide from a return fire of Ukrainian soldiers in the house's basement.

Monday, April 13, 2015 22:07 PDT

Russian Court Starts Hearings Against Dzhemilev's Son

   KRASNODAR, Russia(RFE/RL's Russian Service) --- A court in the Russian city of Krasnodar has started hearings into the case against a son of veteran Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev.

   Khaiser Dzhemilev was arrested in May 2013 by Ukrainian authorities after allegedly shooting a friend dead. Khaiser has claimed he shot his friend accidentally. 

   After Crimea's annexation by Russia in March last year, the Moscow-backed authorities took over Khaiser's case and transferred him to Russia's Krasnodar region. 

   They said Khaiser Dzhemilev was being held on three charges under the Russian Criminal Code, including murder and the illegal possession of weapons.

   The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Russia must release Khaiser from detention, but Moscow ignored the ruling.

   Khaiser Dzhemilev's lawyer, Nikolai Polozov, told RFE/RL on April 14 that Russia violates his client’s rights and international regulations by ignoring the ECHR ruling.

   Longtime Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev, who strongly protested the annexation and is currently living in Ukraine, was barred in May from entering the peninsula. 

   Mustafa Dzhemilev says the Kremlin is holding Khaiser hostage because of his father's rejection of the annexation.