Nemtsov murder witness says blocked from leaving Russia

   Moscow (AFP) --- The chief witness to the murder of Russian protest leader Boris Nemtsov, a Ukrainian Moscow.

model by his side when he was shot dead, complained Monday of being kept under guard in

   Ganna Duritska, 23, said she had given all the information she could to investigators but that they were preventing her from leaving Russia "for her security".

   "For three days they have escorted me in police cars to the Investigative Committee," Duritska told the Dozhd television channel, referring to the agency in charge of the probe.

   "They don't explain when I will be let go or for what reason I am kept here."

   Nemtsov, 55, was gunned down close to midnight Friday in a heavily policed area on a bridge just metres from the Kremlin, with the assailants still at large despite a citywide manhunt.

   Speaking via a fuzzy Skype connection from a Moscow apartment, Duritska said she did not see where the assassin came from as the attack took place behind her.

   But she said she noticed a light-coloured car quickly drive off.

   She said there had been no earlier indication of any danger, or any sign of surveillance, adding that the first police car arrived 10 minutes after she had called.

   She said she was immediately taken in for questioning which lasted through the night, with data extracted from her phones by the investigators, adding that she is being questioned as a witness.

   "I've done everything I could," she said, but investigators have told her that it would be unsafe to leave Moscow. "They say it's for my security."

   "I don't understand why I am still on Russian territory, because I want to go to my mother who is ill and is in a difficult psychological state."

   Ganna's mother Inna Duritska, who lives in Kiev, told AFP that her daughter's virtual house arrest made her fear foul play on the part of investigators.

   "I am afraid that she will be accused of this murder because they need the Ukrainian trace. They can invent anything they want," she said.

   Moscow and Kiev have been arch foes since regime change in Ukraine last year which installed a pro-Western government that has been battling a pro-Russian insurgency in the east since April.

   "I'm afraid that my daughter will become a second Nadezhda Savchenko," Inna Duritska said, referring to the Ukrainian pilot who is on hunger strike in custody in Moscow, accused of involvement in the murder of Russian citizens during the Ukraine conflict.

   "She is under huge psychological pressure. They checked her telephone and are threatening to take her to a polygraph in handcuffs," she added, saying her daughter called her in tears.

   "They have no right to treat her that way!"

   Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis said the consul in Russia had been to see Duritska several times and that she has written a formal letter requesting her return home.

   "The Ukrainian embassy has issued a note asking to ensure the lawful return of Duritska to Ukraine," he told AFP.

N. Korea fires missiles in anger at South-US military drills

   Seoul (AFP) --- North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea and vowed "merciless" retaliation Monday as the US and South Korea kicked off joint military drills denounced by Pyongyang as recklessly confrontational.

   The annual exercises always trigger a surge in military tensions and warlike rhetoric on the divided peninsula, and analysts saw the North's missile tests as a prelude to a concerted campaign of sabre-rattling.

   "If there is a particularly sharp escalation, we could see the North orchestrating some kind of clash on the maritime border," said Jeung Young-Tae, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.

   The missile launches came with a stern warning from the nuclear-armed (North) Korean People's Army (KPA) that this year's military drills would bring the peninsula "towards the brink of war".

   The South's defence ministry said the Scud missiles were fired from the western port city of Nampo and fell into the sea off the east coast -- a distance of nearly 500 kilometres (310 miles).

   UN resolutions ban any ballistic missile test by North Korea, and Seoul defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said Pyongyang appeared intent on triggering a "security crisis".

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, seen giving a speech at 

an undisclosed location, in February 2015 (AFP Photo/)

   "We will respond sternly and strongly to any provocation," Kim said.

- 'Brink of war' -

   Japan said it had issued a strong protest to the North given the danger such missile launches posed to aviation and shipping, while China urged the two Koreas to exercise restraint.

   Missile tests have long been a preferred North Korean method of expressing anger and displeasure with what it views as confrontational behaviour by the South and its allies.

   "The situation on the Korean peninsula is again inching close to the brink of a war," a spokesman for the KPA General Staff was quoted as saying Monday by the North's official KCNA news agency.

A policeman (C, back) stands guard as anti-war activists rally 

against South Korea-US joint military exercises, 'Key 

Resolve'and 'Foal Eagle', in front of the US embassy in 

Seoul, on March 2, 2015 (AFP Photo/Jung Yeon-Je)

   "The only means to cope with the aggression and war by the US imperialists and their followers is neither dialogue nor peace. They should be dealt with only by merciless strikes."

   North Korea has threatened attacks, including nuclear strikes, on the US before, although it has never demonstrated a missile capability that would encompass the US mainland.

   The largest element of the two South Korea-US drills that began Monday is Foal Eagle, an eight-week exercise involving air, ground and naval field training, with around 200,000 Korean and 3,700 US troops.

   The other is a week-long, largely computer-simulated joint drill called Key Resolve.

   Seoul and Washington insist the exercises are defence-based in nature, but they are regularly condemned by Pyongyang as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

South Korean honour guards perform drills outside the War
Memorial of Korea, in Seoul, in 2013 (AFP Photo/Kim
Jae-Hwan)

   In a statement later Monday the North Korean Foreign Ministry labelled the start of the drills an act of "intolerable aggression" and said the North was ready to wage "any form of war" that the US chooses.

   North Korea has carried out three nuclear tests -- in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

- Test moratorium offer -

   In January the North offered a moratorium on further tests if this year's joint drills were cancelled -- a proposal rejected by Washington as an "implicit threat" to carry out a fourth atomic detonation.

   Analyst Jeung said Pyongyang was unlikely to conduct a fourth test just to protest against the exercises.

   "Nuclear tests carry more significance than that," he said, noting that the North's testing schedule was mainly driven by technical development.

   "On the other hand, there is the chance of a mid- or long-range missile test," Jeung told AFP.

   "I would say that a demonstration that it could deliver a nuclear warhead would be more threatening to the world than an actual nuclear test," he added.

   A new research report by US experts published last week estimated that North Korea could be on track to have an arsenal of 100 nuclear weapons by 2020.

   In a further sign of rising tensions, the North Korean state-run website Uriminzokkiri warned Monday of a fierce response to any attempt by South Korean activists to float anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border by balloon.

   "The response might not just be a few shots of gunfire but cannons or missiles," the website said.

Ukraine War Update – 1 March 2015

Sunday, March 1, 2015  6:32 AM PST

Does this young model hold the key to the killers at the Kremlin? Ukrainian was with Russian opposition leader when he was gunned down in 'politically-motivated murder'

• Anna Duritskaya was with charismatic opposition leader when he was shot
• Ukrainian model, who was not injured, was questioned by police for hours
• Last night friends feared Russian authorities were pointing finger at her
• Mr Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times in drive-by in view of the Kremlin

   (Daily Mail) --- Key witness: Anna Duritskaya was with top Russian politician Boris Nemtsov when he

Anna Duritskaya

was shot dead

   A beautiful Ukrainian model may hold the key to identifying the assassins who gunned down top Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.

   Anna Duritskaya, 23, was with the charismatic pro-Western reformer when he was killed in a drive-by shooting in view of the Kremlin as they walked home from a restaurant in Red Square on Friday evening.

   Ms Duritskaya, who was not injured, was questioned by police for several hours and only released at 5am yesterday.

   Last night, friends of the couple said they feared the Russian authorities were trying to implicate Ms Duritskaya in what is believed to be a politically motivated murder. One said: ‘She is the victim of appalling innuendo as she grieves. It looks like a smear.’

   Even as world leaders, including Barack Obama and Angela Merkel, condemned the killing of one of President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics, pro-Kremlin media organisations were hinting darkly that Ms Duritskaya’s ‘role’ needed to be ‘clarified’.

   One Putin-supporting online newspaper, Life News, reported that she had recently had an abortion and suggested – with no evidence to back up the claim – that the couple might have had a row.

   It quoted a ‘high-ranking’ state investigator as saying: ‘The girl who accompanied Boris Nemtsov at the moment of his murder is a citizen of Ukraine.

   ‘We have found out that not long ago she flew from Moscow to Switzerland to abort a baby fathered by the politician. We do not exclude…a conflict in their private life.’

   Mr Nemtsov, 55, died hours after appealing for support for a march today in Moscow against the war in Ukraine. He had openly opposed Russia’s role in the conflict and the annexation of Crimea.

   Yesterday, flowers were laid at the spot where he died, and today’s rally is to be replaced by a mourning procession.

   Mr Nemtsov, a father of four, was hit in the back by four bullets fired from an unmarked car, which then sped away.

   Quizzed by authorities: Ms Duritskaya (right), who was not injured, was questioned by police for several hours following the death of Boris Nemtsov (left)  and only released at 5am yesterday

   His body lay in falling snow for an hour before it was placed in a black body bag and taken away. Mr Nemtsov’s lawyer, Vadim Prohorov, said he believed the motive for the shooting was Mr Nemtsov’s opposition to Mr Putin and the war in Ukraine. The lawyer said his client had suffered constant harassment.

   ‘A toilet was thrown at his car, ammonia was poured over it and eggs thrown at it,’ Mr Prohorov said.

GUNNED DOWN BY PUTIN'S GANGSTERS

By Ian Birrell 

   Boris Nemtsov knew he might one day be silenced. Now the shocking pictures of his body prostrate in the shadow of the Kremlin is a chilling symbol of Vladimir Putin’s gangster style of presidency.

   It is almost irrelevant whether Putin personally ordered the killing or merely created the circumstances in which critics of his rapacious regime and adventurism in Ukraine are gunned down in cold blood.

   For Nemtsov’s courageous and consistent criticism of Putin is underscored now in his own blood. I spent time with this charming and charismatic politician during the brief flickering of the ‘Russian Spring’ in 2011 and 2012, protests that rattled Putin.

   He told me he saw it as his patriotic duty to oppose a regime leading the nation to ruin.

   ‘People are tired of corruption, tired of criminals, tired of Putin’s brutality and stupid remarks,’ he said. But while impatient for change, he was scared of seeing street unrest turn into another explosive revolution.

   ‘Peaceful protest is the way to separate Putin from the people,’ he said.

   I watched as he grew frustrated in chaotic meetings of people leading the protests – then joined him in a television studio as he had to apologise for belittling supporters as ‘scared penguins’ in bugged phone calls leaked to the media.

   Yet Nemtsov’s own bravery could not be faulted. As other opposition leaders were jailed, exiled or placed under house arrest, he continued to campaign against the former KGB chief who runs his country like a mafia boss.

   His death came hours after a radio interview denouncing Putin’s ‘mad, aggressive’ policies and on the eve of a rally today against the war in Ukraine.

   Nemtsov was working on a report highlighting Russia’s involvement in the separatist revolt in eastern Ukraine.

   These were dangerous activities amid the ugly mood of nationalism inflamed by Putin.

   Smear lists of ‘traitors’ and ‘fifth columnists’ are bandied around by broadcasters and on the internet, Nemtsov’s name always among them.

   Few doubt killings such as this bear the hallmarks of the old KGB – just as the mysterious bombings of residential buildings that began three weeks after Putin became prime minister, sparking his savage onslaught in Chechnya, also did.

   Many admirers of Nemtsov’s articulacy, good looks and liberal reforms expected him to get the top job after Boris Yeltsin appointed him deputy prime minister in 1997.

   How different Russia might be today if Nemtsov had won the keys to the Kremlin.

   Instead he is dead, testament to the darkness that has descended on his great nation under Putin.

   ‘A few months ago, threats started coming in on social media, which prompted us to contact the law

enforcement authorities. But I think it’s unlikely that those who did this would have given any warnings.’

   Last night, Ms Duritskaya’s mother Inna told how the model called her from the scene.

   ‘She was crying and saying that Boris had been killed. I was shocked. I think I told her to wait for the police and to answer their questions.’

   She confirmed that the model had had an abortion, saying: ‘Yes, I knew about it. But I did not argue with her or with Boris about this.’

   Ms Duritskaya was pregnant in December 2013 and Mr Nemtsov paid for her to go to Switzerland for the termination.

   In 1998, when Mr Putin headed the Russian security service the FSB, Mr Nemtsov was assaulted by a group of leather-jacketed thugs in a Moscow restaurant while dining with his wife Raisa and a Western correspondent. He told his guests that the men were ‘provocateurs’ – but when police arrived, they ejected Mr Nemtsov and his wife from the restaurant and let the attackers go free.

   As a young man, Mr Nemtsov was praised as a free-market reformer by Margaret Thatcher when she visited Nizhny Novgorod, an industrial town 260 miles from Moscow, where he was regional governor in the 1990s.

   He had been in a relationship with Ms Duritskaya for several years and the couple divided their time between Moscow and the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. A friend called Yulia said: ‘They met three years ago and fell in love. They began living together almost immediately.’

   It is believed that Mr Nemtsov remained married to Raisa, 56.

   Last night, police claimed to have found the car used in the attack, amid reports that Ms Duritskaya had given them a clear description of the vehicle. It is thought to be a white Ford Focus or Mondeo.

   The Kremlin said the Russian state had no reason to kill a figure who had lost much of his political influence.

   ‘With all respect to Boris Nemtsov, he did not pose any threat in the political sphere… for the Russian authorities or for Vladimir Putin,’ said a spokesman. ‘If we compare his popularity ratings with the government’s… Nemtsov was quite an average citizen.’ Yet, the Kremlin condemned the murder as a ‘provocation’ and said Mr Putin had expressed condolences to Mr Nemtsov’s family and friends.

   Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko drew a link between the killing and the conflict in the east of his country between his government troops and pro-Russian separatists. He claimed Mr Nemtsov had been killed because of his role as a ‘bridge’ between Moscow and Kiev.

   Unlike many prominent Russian politicians, Mr Nemtsov did not employ bodyguards, even though he had predicted his own death.

   Earlier this month he said: ‘I’m afraid Putin will kill me. I believe he was the one who unleashed the war in Ukraine.

   ‘I couldn’t dislike him more.’

   Hours before he was gunned down he said in a radio interview: ‘The country needs political reform. When power is concentrated in the hands of one person and this person rules for ever, this will lead to absolute catastrophe.’

   Mr Nemtsov had four children with Raisa and two other partners, one of whom is Ekaterina Odintsova, 42, a former TV presenter and now editor-in-chief of OK! magazine in Russia. She said: ‘We loved him – he was an example for us. I cannot express my grief.’

Sunday, March 1, 2015  5:59 AM PST

Boris Nemtsov's Murder. surveillance camera VIDEO

   (Censor.NET) --- Russian TVC channel has published online a video from the all-weather surveillance camera which films Moskvoretskiy bridge around the clock.

   The channel of the Moscow government ТVC has published online a video from the all-weather surveillance camera, which filmed the moment of Boris Nemtsov's murder.
   "The crime was recorded precisely. The footage is of low quality, but the cars and people's silhouettes can be seen," the description reads.

   The video recorded Nemtsov walking over the bridge with a lady. Then a truck passed by. On 23.31 p.m. the truck concealed the people from the camera. Nemtsov was supposedly killed in that moment.
   On 23.42 p.m. police officers arrived to the crime scene.

   Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead from a passing car late Friday night on Moskvoretskiy Bridge in downtown Moscow.

Sunday, March 1, 2015  3:37 AM PST

Eight Ukrainian soldiers wounded. No one killed

   (Censor.NET) --- Ukrainian soldiers suffered no losses in the ATO area over the last 24 hours.

Andrii Lysenko, speaker of the NSDC, announced today at a briefing, Censor.NET reports.
"Eight Ukrainian soldiers were wounded and no one was killed over the past 24 hours," Lysenko said

Sunday, March 1, 2015  2:43 AM PST

OSCE reports about withdrawal of six 'DPR' and 'LPR' convoys of heavy weapons

   (Censor.NET) --- The observers of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission reported on withdrawal of six convoys of heavy weapons belonging to the 'DPR' and 'LPR' militants.

   Censor.NET reports citing the SMM's report.

   "The SMM monitored four separate 'Donetsk People's Republic' convoys. In each instance, the SMM was escorted by 'DPR' to meet a pre-assembled convoy", the mission's report reads.

   The first meeting spot was 5km east of Donetsk city; this convoy consisted of five Grad Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), one BTR-80 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) and military-style trucks and vans. The second meeting spot was in Karlo-Marksove ('DPR'-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk); this convoy consisted of four Grad MLRS and one Ural truck.

   The SMM also saw other military vehicles in 'DPR'-controlled areas. This included one unmarked T-64 tank, proceeding east along the main road from Donetsk city towards Makiivka ('DPR'-controlled, 12km east of Donetsk). The SMM saw one unmarked T-72 tank loaded on a parked trailer, 11km south-east of Donetsk city. In Ilovaisk ('DPR'-controlled, 30km south-east of Donetsk), the SMM saw eight unmarked military-style trucks and three busses, all carrying people in military uniforms, driving south.

   Separately, also near Ilovaisk, the SMM saw 60 white trucks bearing 'Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation' signs.

   According to the report, the SMM was asked by the 'LPR' to monitor two convoys. "The first was met in Brianka (45km west of Luhansk, "LPR"-controlled), where the SMM saw one APC, four 122mm self-propelled howitzers, five Grad MLRS, and one military-style truck. The second convoy consisted of four towed 152mm howitzers and one truck, met by the SMM 7km south of the center of Luhansk", the SMM writes. The SMM followed these convoys away from the contact line. However, the 'LPR' prohibited the SMM from following either of these convoys to their end-points.

Sunday, March 1, 2015  2:04 AM PST

Walk in memory of Nemtsov to be held downtown Moscow today

   (Censor.NET) --- Walk commemorating Russian opposition leader Nemtsov, shot dead on Friday, will be held today in Moscow

   Censor.NET reports referring to Echo Moskvy.

   50 000 march from Kitaigorodskii Proezd St. trough Moskvoretskaya Embankment to Bolshoy and Malyi Moskvoretsky Bridges was agreed with the authorities.
   The march will start at Gathering of participants will start at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. Kyiv time). Oppositional meeting in Maryino District, organized among others by Nemtsov, has been canceled.

Sunday, March 1, 2015  12:01 AM PST

Terrorists fired at Avdiivka from tank and grenade launcher

   (Censor.NET) --- There were no militants’ attacks registered in the ATO zone during the night.

   At the same time, the militants fired at Ukrainian army's positions from small arms for about five times, from 6 p.m. till 12 a.m. on Feb.28.

   Censor.NET reports citing the ATO press center.
   According to the report, the terrorists attacked Shyrokine village in the Mariupol sector at 6.20 p.m. The village of Luhanske near Debaltseve town was attacked twice, at 7.30p.m and 9.45 p.m.
   Avdiivka town in the Donetsk sector was fired from tank and grenade launcher about midnight.

Saturday, February 28, 2015  15:58 PST

Militants intensified shelling in Donetsk sector

   (Censor.NET) --- Despite the general decrease of enemy fire at ATO forces positions in the Luhansk, Mariupol and Debaltseve sectors, the separatists intensified shelling in the Donetsk sector.

This was announced by the ATO press center, Censor.NET reports.
"The terrorists periodically fired at the ATO forces positions during the day. In particular, Avdiivka town was shelled by the criminals with artillery and tanks around 11 a.m. Opytne village was also shelled four times from mortars and grenade launchers. Enemy fire was reported near the villages of Berezove, Pisky, and Vodiane," the statement reads.

Ukraine War Update - 28 February 2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015  6:37 AM PST

Nemtsov was willing to disclose evidence of Russian military presence in Ukraine – Poroshenko

   (Interfax) --- Ukrainian President Poroshenko said that the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was going to disclose evidence of the involvement of Russian troops in the military actions in Ukraine.

   "A few weeks ago I talked to him [Nemtsov] on how to build relations between Ukraine and Russia in the way we would like them be. Boris declared that he intended to make public conclusive strong proof of the participation of Russian armed forces in Ukraine. Someone was very afraid of this. Boris wasn't afraid, and the executioners were afraid. They killed him," the president said in Vinnytsia on Saturday.

   According to Poroshenko, Boris Nemtsov was a great friend of Ukraine, Russian patriot, who was like a bridge connecting two states. He was building the most desirable for Ukrainians relations between Ukraine and Russia.

   "On March 1, he supposed to lead a many thousand meeting to demonstrate that there is another Russian who loves Ukraine, respects human rights, for which freedom is not an empty phrase. And for the sake of freedom and democracy, he was ready to sacrifice his life," said Poroshenko.

   Nemtsov was killed on Saturday night in Moscow downtown.

Saturday, February 28, 2015  4:42 AM PST

Three Ukrainian soldiers wounded. No one killed

   (Censor.NET) --- Ukrainian soldiers suffered no losses over the last 24 hours.

   Three soldiers were injured. Andrii Lysenko, speaker of the NSDC, announced today at a briefing, Censor.NET reports referring to Interfax-Ukraina.
   "Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded and no one was killed over the past 24 hours," Lysenko said at a briefing on Saturday.

Saturday, February 28, 2015  3:32 AM PST

After dark terrorists return heavy weapons to previous positions – Tymchuk

   (Censor.NET) --- Russian-terrorist troops continue to regroup their forces and military equipment, simultaneously restoring combat capability of a number of groups who have suffered losses in previous battles.

   The terrorists are most active in the Alchevsk and Stakhanovsk areas, as well as Donetsk and Mariupol sector, MP Dmytro Tymchuk wrote on Facebook citing situation report of the InfoResist group, Censor.NET informs.
   In particular, 28 vehicles with personnel and ammunition, accompanied by six armored vehicles were spotted near the town of Perevalsk (Alchevsk area).
   In Donetsk, the gangs operating in the Petrovskyi and Kuibyshev districts of the city received reinforcement (up to 20 vehicles with manpower) from Snizhne village. A total of 18 mortars were also transferred to Pisky village and Avdiivka town.
   "The terrorists camouflage movement of armored vehicles and artillery. Maneuvers of a group of armored vehicles (eight units, in particular, four tanks) are reported near Olenivka and Pisky villages. In particular, the militants demonstratively withdraw the equipment from positions during the day and return them to positions after dark," Tymchuk added.

Saturday, February 28, 2015  3:24 AM PST

Poland, Denmark foreign ministers to visit Kiev on Monday

   KIEV, February 28 (Ukrinform). --- Foreign minister of Poland Grzegorz Schetyna and foreign minister of Denmark Martin Lidegaard are to pay visit to Kiev on Monday. They will discuss with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatseniuk the situation in Ukraine, as well as the preparation for the May summit of the Eastern Partnership in Riga.

   This has been announced by Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Marcin Wojciechowski, PAP informs.

   "The purpose of the visit is to send a strong signal from the two EU countries, which share a view on situation in the region, in the issue of support for the pro-European reforms. Situation in eastern Ukraine and progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements will be among the talking points in Kiev," Wojciechowski said.

Saturday, February 28, 2015  2:55 AM PST

Situation in Ukraine's eastern regions.

   KIEV, February 28 (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 February 28 has been released by the information and analytical center of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council.

Saturday, February 28, 2015  2:33 AM PST

Donbas rebels use heavy artillery against Ukraine army

   (Zik) --- Feb. 27 at 20.30, Donbas rebels shelled Avdijivka, Tonenke, and Opytne in the Donetsk oblast using Grad missile batteries, Ukraine army says.

   In some sectors in Luhansk and Mariupol, there was no shelling, Ukraine army admits.

   However, the terrorists used heavy artillery to shell Ukraine army troops defending Kamenka, Donetsk area.

   “By using heavy artillery, Donetsk rebels provoke the return fire from the Ukraine troops and try to torpedo the shaky cease-fire in Donbas, the army spokesman said, Ukrayinska Pravda reports Feb. 28.

Saturday, February 28, 2015  2:04 AM PST

Ex-MP Chechetov found dead

   KIEV, February 28 (Ukrinform). --- Former deputy chairman of the Party of Regions faction in the

Verkhovna Rada Mykhailo Chechetov committed suicide late on February 28, Espresso TV journalist Artem Shevchenko has posted on Facebook, citing his own sources.

   "My reliable forensic source reports that ex-MP Mykhailo Chechetov was found dead in Kiev, 2 Myshuhy Street. He fell out from his apartment on the 17th floor, where lived with his wife," the journalist has posted.

Chechetov left a suicide note.

   "I'm leaving. I think it would be better for everyone. Many thanks to all for your support. Forgive me and do not misunderstand me," Chechetov wrote.

   January 20, Mykhailo Chechetov was served a notice of suspicion of committing crimes under the articles on abuse of authority or office and forgery in office of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Friday, February 27, 2015  12:52 PST

Terrorists deescalate attacks. Shelling recorded at Donetsk direction only - ATO press center

   (Censor.NET) --- Significant decrease in enemy attacks on Ukrainian forces’ positions has been observed for several days in a row in the ATO area.

   Censor.NET reports citing the ATO press center.

   The report reads: "The terrorists concentrated fire at the Donetsk direction today. The cease-fire was violated by the criminals 16 times near the Donetsk airport starting from 9 a.m.

   "The villages of Pisky and Berezove were thrice shelled from mortars; Krasnohorivka village was attacked once. The gangs fired at Opytne village from small arms. In addition, the skirmish between Ukrainian troops and the enemy took place near Opytne at about 2 p.m. There are no casualties among the Ukrainian military.

   "Our troops' positions in Maiorsk village near Debaltseve were attacked using small arms.

   "There have been no assaults recorded at the Luhansk and Mariupol directions. According to the operational data, the positions of the Ukrainian troops were attacked by the gangs that are beyond anyone's control," the summary reads. 

N. Korea vows 'merciless' war against US

   (AFP) ---  North Korea vowed to wage a "merciless, sacred war" against the United States on Thursday, Pyongyang.

This handout photo released by South Korea Joint Chiefs

 of Staff on February 4, 2013 shows South Korean and 

US warships during a joint naval exercise in the East Sea

(AFP Photo/)

days before the launch of annual joint South Korea-US military exercises that have incensed

   "Nuclear weapons are not a monopoly of the US," the ruling party's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, warned in an editorial carried by the state KCNA news agency.

   "The US is seriously mistaken if it thinks its mainland is safe," the editorial added.

   North Korea "will wage a merciless sacred war against the US now that the latter has chosen confrontation", the Rodong Sinmun said.

   North Korea regularly ramps up the bellicose rhetoric before the start of the annual joint military exercises that always see a sharp surge in tensions on the divided peninsula.

   Seoul and Washington insist they are defensive in nature, but they are condemned by Pyongyang as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

   North Korea had offered a moratorium on nuclear testing if this year's joint drills were cancelled -- a proposal rejected by Washington as an "implicit threat" to carry out a fourth nuclear test.

   The editorial came as South Korea and the United States conducted a joint naval drill Friday, involving 10 South Korean warships and a US Aegis destroyer.

   The drill was a prelude to the eight-week Foal Eagle exercise which kicks off Monday and involves air, ground and naval field training, with around 200,000 Korean and 3,700 US troops.

   A week-long, largely computer-simulated joint drill, Key Resolve, also gets underway Monday.

   North Korea has made threats against the US mainland before, although it has never demonstrated a missile strike capability of that range.

   Although its nuclear program remains shrouded in uncertainty, Pyongyang is currently believed to have a stockpile of some 10 to 16 nuclear weapons fashioned from either plutonium or weapons-grade uranium.

   A new research report by US experts published this week estimated that North Korea could be on track to have an arsenal of 100 nuclear weapons by 2020.

Russian Opposition Politician Boris Nemtsov Killed In Moscow

   (RFE/RL) --- Boris Nemtsov, a prominent Russian opposition politician and former deputy prime minister, Moscow on February 27.

has been shot dead in

   The Interfax news agency said Russia's Interior Ministry press center has confirmed that Nemtsov was killed on Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge in central
Moscow on the evening of February 27.

   "We confirm that a man has been killed in the center of Moscow, on whom documents in the name of Boris Yefimovich Nemtsov have been found,"
the Interior Ministry press center said.
   It said the man was killed by four shots in the back. The ministry said a special operation has been launched in Moscow to find the killers.

   Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee, said investigators were questioning witnesses and examining the crime scene.

   Interfax said Anatoly Yakunin, the head of the Interior Ministry department for Moscow has rushed to the scene. Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev has been informed of the incident.
   Nemtsov’s fellow Kremlin critic Ilya Yashin confirmed on Twitter that Nemtsov was shot and is “dead.” Nemtsov was 55.

   Once considered a potential successor to Russia’s first post-Soviet president, Boris Yeltsin, Nemstov became an opposition politician and fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

   He rose to prominence as the governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and became a vice premier in the late 1990s, during the last years of Yeltsin’s presidency.

   Nemtsov left the Duma, Russia’s Parliament, in 2003, and founded and led several opposition parties and groups, the latest being the Republican Party of Russia -- People’s Freedom Party.

Ukraine War Update - 27 February 2015

Friday, February 27, 2015  8:51 AM PST

The US may shut Russian banks out of the Western financial system entirely - Bloomberg

   (Censor.NET) --- The U.S. government is considering whether to shut one or more Russian banks out of the world financial system if rebels backed by Russia continue to violate the cease-fire in Ukraine. At the same time, the White House pointed to other intermediate steps that could be imposed before any outright block is considered. Such measures could include restricting additional banking operations in dollars by Russian banks.

   Censor.NET reports citing Bloomberg
   Two officials who discussed the sanctions deliberations said that blocking additional Russian banks would be a significant escalation and could create large repercussions, particularly in European economies.

   The most extreme measure under consideration by President Barack Obama's administration is shutting banks out of the Western financial system entirely, two other U.S. officials, who requested anonymity because the policy discussion aren't public, said. They pointed to other intermediate steps that could be imposed before any outright block is considered. Such measures could include restricting additional banking operations in dollars by Russian banks. A more modest move also could help the U.S. stay in step with its European allies, whose economies would bear the brunt of any Russian reaction.
   Putting a Russian bank on the U.S. Treasury's "specially designated national" list would be a major escalation of the economic pressure the U.S. is exerting on Russia to stop supporting the separatist rebels who've seized parts of eastern Ukraine. The action would bar U.S. citizens, residents and companies from dealing with the sanctioned banks and allow the U.S government to freeze any assets in American jurisdiction.

   The impact, however, would be global. Foreign banks with significant business in U.S. dollars would be reluctant to risk running afoul of the restrictions, just as they were after the U.S. fined France's BNP Paribas SA nearly $9 billion last year for violating sanctions against Iran, Cuba and Sudan.

Friday, February 27, 2015  8:13 AM PST

Russia concentrates 63,500 troops near Ukraine border

   (Zik) --- The largest contingent of the Russian troops is in Crimea – 30,000, Information Resistance NGO says Feb. 27.

   There are 3,350 Russian troops near the border with Chernihiv oblast, 5,150 near the border with the Kharkiv oblast.

   Near Donbas there are 21,800 Russian regular troops.

   In addition, the Russians have 3,200 troops deployed in TransNistria, Ukrayinska Pravda reports.

Friday, February 27, 2015  8:06 AM PST

Polish army to train Ukraine servicemen

   (Zik) --- The Polish defense ministry will send a group of officers to train Ukrainian servicemen in modern combat, Poland’s DM adviser Gen. Boguslaw Pacek announced Feb. 27, ZIK reports.

   The general has just returned from a trip to Ukraine where he studied the training program. 

   In mid-March Gen. Pacek will again visit Ukraine to discuss the details of the program.

   The training is most probably be conducted at the Yavoriv training field in the Lviv oblast. 

Friday, February 27, 2015  7:00 AM PST

Three Ukrainian soldiers killed, seven wounded in Donbas in past 24 hours

   KIEV, February 27 (Ukrinform). --- Three Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and another seven have been injured in the area of anti-terrorist operation over the last 24 hours.

   Spokesman for the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine Andriy Lysenko said this at a briefing in Kiev on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

   "Over the last day, we have lost three Ukrainian soldiers, and another seven were injured as a result of military clashes," Lysenko said.

   He added that the enemy fired at the positions of Ukrainian troops near the settlements of Opytne, Vodiane and Avdiyivka, and conducted assaults. All attacks were repelled, he said.

Friday, February 27, 2015  6:42 AM PST

Terrorists shelled Ukrainian positions near Avdiivka, Opytne and Vodiane and attempted several assaults – ATO speaker.

   (Censor.NET) --- The situation in the anti-terrorist operation area is stabilizing. Over the past day intense fighting was recorded only at the Donetsk direction.

   This was stated by the ATO speaker Andrii Lysenko, Censor.NET reports.

   "Over the past day intense fighting took place only at the Donetsk direction. The militants used artillery, mortars and tanks to shell and assault the ATO forces' positions near Opytne, Vodiane and Avdiivka. All attacks were repulsed," Lysenko added.

Friday, February 27, 2015  6:00 AM PST

Terrorists shell Shyrokyne with artillery killing a civilian – Interior Ministry

   (Censor.NET) --- On Feb. 26 the Mariupol police department received a report that a corpse of a Shyrokyne resident was brought to the city morgue.

   The body was that of a male, born in 1966, with multiple shrapnel wounds. The man died as a result of shelling of the village carried out by the militants.

   It is reported by Censor.NET citing the press service of the Donetsk region police.

   Currently, the date of death is being established.

   Criminal proceedings were initiated under Pt. 1 Art. 115 "Murder" of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The offense is punishable by up to 15 years of imprisonment.

Friday, February 27, 2015  5:51 AM PST

Lightly armed Ukrainian soldiers keep positions in Donbas - Kiev

   (Interfax) --- The withdrawal of Ukrainian heavy armaments continues on Friday, while lightly armed soldiers stay in their positions, the staff of the anti-terrorist operation in Donbas reports.

   "We have pulled back some of our armaments, and the process is ongoing. Yet we will bring these armaments back to protect our soldiers on the frontline unless the militants behave adequately. Let me emphasize that we are pulling back only heavy armaments. Our units carrying light and small weapons are staying on their positions," army operation spokesman Andriy Lysenko said at a press briefing in Kiev on Friday.

   "The Minsk agreements give a week for the withdrawal of heavy weapons in the case the first provision [of the ceasefire] is observed. Not a single day has passed without gunfire, but a step forward was taken yesterday and the Ukrainian authorities, the national administration, decided to begin the exemplary pullout of our heavy weapons. We are expecting the enemy to do the same," Lysenko said.

Friday, February 27, 2015  4:39 AM PST

Two organizers of Kharkiv terrorist attack hiding in Russia – SBU

   (Interfax) --- Two organizers of the February 22 terrorist attack in Kharkiv are now hiding in Russia and catching them is a priority for Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and the security service, Security Service of Ukraine Chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko has said.

   "To this day two organizers are in Russian territory…Their surnames and the search for them is a priority task…So as to make the 'Kharkiv Partisans' not exist any more," he said at a briefing in Kiev on Friday.

   As reported, a bomb exploded outside the Sports Palace in Kharkiv on February 22 at the beginning of a march to commemorate the first anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity. Two people were killed immediately and another two later died in hospital.

Friday, February 27, 2015  4:18 AM PST

Kharkiv terrorists received weapons and funding from Russia GRU

   (Zik) --- Speaking at his Friday press conference, Ukraine Security Service chief Valentyn Nalyvajchenko said the terrorists who killed 4 and wounded many peaceful demonstrators in Kharkiv on Feb. 22 received $10,000 and explosives from Russia’s general staff GRU intelligence.

   The terrorists were caught by SBU and are being interrogated, Nalyvajchenko said.

   Their head was a Kharkiv resident, born 1978, and member of the radical pro-Russian Oplot organization. Two of the detained terrorists are Russians.

   In all, SBU detained 11 suspects, Ukrayinska Pravda reports Feb. 28.

Friday, February 27, 2015  4:13 AM PST

Spain Arrests Eight Combatants For Fighting In Ukraine

   (RFE/RL) --- Spain has arrested eight Spanish citizens for fighting along pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions.

   Spanish police officials say the eight Spaniards, whose names were not disclosed, were detained on February 27 in six regions across Spain: Asturias, Catalonia, Extremadura, Murcia, Navarra and Madrid. 

   A police statement says the eight were accused of several offenses but gave no details.

   Media in Spain cites sources close to the investigation as saying that the charges could include possession of weapons of war, complicity in homicide and violating Spain's neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.

   Pro-Russian forces in the eastern Donbass region are battling those of the pro-European Ukrainian government. The conflict has killed at least 5,800 people since April.

   The conflict has raised tensions between the West and Moscow to heights reminiscent of the Cold War.

Friday, February 27, 2015  2:48 AM PST

Ukrainian Pilot Jailed In Russia Could 'Die Within Days'

   (RFE/RL) --- A member of the Kremlin's human rights council has said that jailed Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko "could die within days."

   Yelena Masyuk said on February 27 that she had visited Savchenko in jail the previous evening and the captive pilot's health had seriously deteriorated.

   Savchenko has been on a hunger strike for nearly 80 days protesting what she calls her illegal detention and false charges brought against her.

   Savchenko was captured by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine in June and taken to Russia, where she was charged with involvement in a mortar attack that killed two Russian journalists. 

   Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service issued a statement later on February 27 rejecting the claims by "journalist" Masyuk and claiming that Savchenko was being constantly monitored and was in no danger of dying. 

   The penitentiary service also questioned whether Masyuk had medical training that would allow her to comment on health issues.

Friday, February 27, 2015  2:47 AM PST

LPR fully switches to Russian power supply

   (Interfax) --- The self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) has disconnected from power supply from Ukraine and has fully switched to power supply from Russia, the administration of the Luhansk region of Ukraine has reported.

   "The self-proclaimed republic is taking all electrical power from the Russian Federation," Hennadiy Moskal, the head of the Luhansk region's administration, said.

   Moskal reiterated that the LPR "had fully disconnected from power supply from Ukraine" as of Friday.

   "That is, the thermal electrical power plant in Schastia and the thermal electrical power plant in Severodonetsk are not supplying a single kilowatt to the occupied territories," Moskal said on the official page of the Luhansk region's state administration on Facebook on Friday morning.

Friday, February 27, 2015  12:11 AM PST

Militants opened fire on 29th checkpoint on Bakhmutka highway and Ukrainian positions near Krymske using heavy weapons – Luhansk governor

   (Censor.NET) --- About 10 p.m. the militants opened mortar fire on the 29th checkpoint on Bakhmutka highway near Novotoshkivka. There is no information regarding casualties.

   In the vicinity of Krymske (Novoaidar district, near the former 31st checkpoint) there were shootouts between the militants and the Ukrainian military with the use of small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars