Tag: Ukrainian Separatists
The Daily Vertical: Putin Smells Blood
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – February 9, 2016) As the shaky Minsk cease-fire agreement nears its first anniversary, Russia clearly smells blood in Ukraine. Pro-Moscow separatists have increased their attacks in Donbas in recent weeks. Kyiv officials are reporting 71 attacks a day in the vicinity of Donetsk, Horlivka, and Mariupol. Yesterday, Vladimir Putin ordered snap military drills […]
» Read moreInterfax: Russians support humanitarian aid to Donbas, relative majority sees no change there – poll
MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) – Russians say that the Donbas situation has been unaltered, and support humanitarian aid to people in that region, yet, there is no unanimity regarding further policy towards the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, the Russian Public Opinion Study Center said. According to the poll, a relative majority of Russians (45%) ‘do not see any […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “UKRAINE AND THE LETHAL HAND OF HISTORY. Whatever the ambitions of Putin, his interference in Ukraine would have come to little without the country’s charged history of internal division.” – The Wilson Quarterly/Robert Thurston
NEWSLINK: “Ukraine Struggles to Recruit Soldiers for War in East” – Reuters
NEWSLINK: “HOW THE WEST MISJUDGED RUSSIA. What Do the Normativists Stand For?” – The American Interest/Lilia Shevtsova
NEWSLINK New York Times: Maxim Trudolyubov, More Than a War of Words.
RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-25 :: Thursday, 4 February 2016
Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#25 Thursday 4 February 2016 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist – JRL on Twitter: @JohnsonRussiaLi Support for JRL is provided in part […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Putin must be stopped. And sometimes only guns can stop guns. The time for diplomacy will come again, but it is not now: Ukraine urgently needs military support, and a counter to Russian propaganda.” – The Guardian/Timothy Garton Ash
52% of Russians favor open borders with Ukraine, without visas or customs
(Interfax – February 3, 2016) Half of Russians (52 percent) believe that Russia and Ukraine should be independent countries but friends, with open borders and without visas or customs, Levada Center told Interfax. The opinion was held by 52 percent of respondents in 2015, and 59 percent in 2014, the sociologists said. A third argue that Russia-Ukraine relations should be […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Ukraine’s Poroshenko sees increased risk of open war with Russia” – Reuters
NEWSLINK Interfax-Ukraine: “Ukraine won’t give up Donbas – Poroshenko”
NEWSLINK: “Ukraine’s police must not collaborate with Azov xenophobes” – Human Rights in Ukraine (Kharkiv, Ukraine)/Halya Coynash
NEWSLINK: “Ways out of a blind alley in Ukraine. Almost one year after the Minsk agreement to resolve the Ukraine crisis, diplomats are working frantically behind the scenes but the two sides are still entrenched. Frank Hofmann reports from Kyiv.” – Deutsche Welle
NEWSLINK UA Wire: “Russian Propaganda Film about Ukraine to be Shown on French Television”
Interfax: DPR militiamen accuse Kyiv of over 100 shellings over past day
DONETSK. Feb 2 (Interfax) – The Defense Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said that the Ukrainian military have breached the ceasefire 28 times over the past day; two people were wounded. “The situation on the contact line has not changed over the past day. The Ukrainian army has shelled the territory of the republic 109 times as […]
» Read moreRussia Sanctions Can Be Lifted If Minsk Implemented – U.S. Ambassador
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 29, 2016) Sanctions against Moscow can be lifted after it implements the Minsk peace agreement with Ukraine, including restoration of Kiev control over separatist eastern regions, the U.S. Ambassador in Moscow John Tefft said in an interview published on the U.S. Embassy’s website Thursday. Washington has the full backing of its European allies in […]
» Read morePutin’s Departure Alone Won’t Necessarily Solve Ukraine’s Problems, Popovich Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 28, 2016) Like many in the West, Ukrainians view Vladimir Putin as the main source of their problems; but if he dies or otherwise leaves the scene, a Kyiv commentator says, he could be followed by leaders who would be even worse, a reminder that the problem is not Putin alone […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Security Before Politics in Eastern Ukraine There can be no free elections in the region so long as Russia’s tanks still roam free.” -Wall Street Journal/Wall Street Journal/Linas Linkevicius
NEWSLINK: “Making Sense of Minsk: Decentralization, Special Status, and Federalism” – Atlantic Council/Paul Niland
NEWSLINK AP: “Putin Aide: Kiev Refuses to Honor Minsk Deal”
NEWSLINK: “In Ukraine, Putin Tries to Cash in Before Luck Runs Out” – Atlantic Council/Stephen Blank
Russian Entente Nears as Allies Give Ukraine Sanctions Hint
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – January 26, 2016) After almost two years on the outside, signs are growing that Russia may soon be invited in from the cold. The worsening of crises from Syria to Libya are forcing the international community to reconsider sanctions slapped on President Vladimir Putin’s government over Ukraine as a way of getting a key diplomatic power […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK UNIAN (Kyiv): “Ukraine gets $266 mln from U.S. over two years – Pyatt”
NEWSLINK Reuters/Lucian Kim: “A dangerous moment for Ukraine’s fragile ceasefire”
NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine to reclaim Donbas this year – Poroshenko” – Interfax-Ukraine
Interfax-Ukraine reports on comments attributed to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko regarding conflict-ridden eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has said … ‘At my press conference on January 14 I clearly proclaimed: my objective – and I firmly believe in this – is to restore Ukrainian sovereignty in Donbas already in 2016. And yesterday speakers in Davos also reaffirmed this position: […]
» Read moreUS Appears to Have Accepted ‘Donbas Model’ Not Only for Ukraine but for Other Conflicts, Russian Analyst Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 20, 2016) Petr Iskenderov, a researcher at the Moscow Institute of Slavic Studies and a commentator for Russia Today, says that it now appears the US has accepted what he calls “the Donbas Model” for the resolution not only of the conflict in Ukraine but for similar conflicts elsewhere. That model, […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK David Marples: “Decentralization: Pros, Cons, and Prospects”
NEWSLINK The Ukrainian Weekly (New Jersey): “2015: U.S.-Ukraine relations: support at a time of war.”
NEWSLINK The Guardian/Shaun Walker: “Caught between Russia and the US? The curious case of Ukraine’s Dmytro Firtash. Critics say the oligarch now living in exile pushed Putin’s agenda during Maidan revolution while a US arrest warrant appeared politically motivated.”
Russia Pushing for An Endgame in Ukraine
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – January 21, 2016) The appearance of one of President Vladimir Putin’s most enigmatic associates, Vladislav Surkov, at a meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland last Friday has sparked speculation that Moscow and Washington are approaching an endgame in Ukraine after two years of conflict. “That is was Surkov, and […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Sputnik: “Maidan’s Tragic Aftermath: Ukraine Slides Into ‘Staggering’ Poverty”
NEWSLINK Russia Insider/Ricky Twisdale: “‘Impossible’ Kerch Strait Bridge Is Metaphor for Ukraine’s Fantasies About Russia. Russia doesn’t build anything – except state-of-the-art 19 km long bridges”
NEWSLINK: “In Ukraine, an Opportunity for Progress Between Russia and the West” – Stratfor
Peskov: Surkov, Nuland hold expert dialogue on settlement in Ukraine
(Interfax – January 20, 2016) The negotiations held between Russian Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov and Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State, in Kaliningrad with regard to the settlement in Ukraine were an expert exchange of opinions between Moscow and Washington, which is not a member of the ‘Normandy […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Can Russia handle the flood of Ukrainian immigrants?” – Inter Press Service
Gorbachev: Russian-U.S. summit needed for settling crisis in Ukraine
(Interfax – January 20, 2016) The Russian and U.S. presidents should meet to speed up the settlement of the crisis in eastern Ukraine, says former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Negotiations between Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland in Kaliningrad last week could mark the beginning of preparations for a bilateral summit dealing with […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH: “Months without pay at Donetsk mine leads to strike, firings” – Kyiv Post – Josh Kovensky – January 19, 2016
The Kiev Post covers labor unrest amidst the conflict in eastern Ukraine. After months without pay, workers in one of Ukraine’s largest coal mines had enough. Workers at the Kholodna Balka mine in Donetsk Oblast’s Makeevka decided to strike on Jan. 13, bringing work to a halt …. miners said that they decided to go on strike after nearly a […]
» Read moreTensions escalate in conflict zone in eastern Ukraine after New Year holidays – OSCE SMM
DONETSK. Jan 19 (Interfax) – Members from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) have observed an escalation of tensions along the Donbas contact line in January after a relative lull in the period before the New Year holidays. Things calmed down before New Year’s Eve, and tensions escalated after the holidays, OSCE Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH Vladimir Suchan: “Nuland-Surkov Talks”
(Vladimir Suchan – Facebook post – January 17, 2016) Alexander Chalenko, who belongs to the ex-Ukrainian circle of Surkov’s and the Kremlin’s PR horns, published an article… Posted by Vladimir Suchan on Saturday, January 16, 2016
» Read moreUkrainian military disrupt repair works in Zaitseve by opening fire – Russian representative in JCCC
DONETSK. Jan 18 (Interfax) – The Ukrainian Armed Forces have disrupted the restoration works in the area of Zaitseve by opening fire, a representative of the Russian Armed Forces in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) told reporters. “Today, on January 18, the works, which were determined as priority in Minsk on January 13, 2016, began in four […]
» Read moreHidden Sting Raises Costs for Ukraine in Russian Trade War
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Daryna Krasnolutska – January 14, 2016) [Charts here bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/hidden-sting-drives-up-costs-for-ukraine-in-russian-trade-war] With the conflict in Ukraine already having ravaged bilateral trade, Russia canceling a free-trade pact with its former ally wasn’t seen as a big danger. But there was a twist. On top of annulling the accord, a response to Ukraine’s trade agreement with the European Union, Russia […]
» Read moreTerritorial battalions uncontrolled by Kyiv breaking truce in Donbas – Pushilin
DONETSK. Jan 15 (Interfax) – Self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) negotiator, Denis Pushilin, has blamed territorial battalions uncontrolled by Kyiv for the increased number of shelling incidents in Donbas, after a ceasefire deal was signed at the latest Minsk meeting. “The reason is that provocations are being staged by territorial battalions which are not fully controlled by Kyiv. There are […]
» Read moreHow ‘eastern Ukraine’ was lost
Nearly two years after the outbreak of fighting, nearly 9,000 people have died in eastern Ukraine. To understand how this war ends, we need to understand how it began. (opendemocracy.net – Andrii Portnov – January 14, 2016) Andrii Portnov is director of the Berlin-Brandenburg Ukrainian Initiative at the Forum Transregionale Studien, as well as visiting professor at Humboldt University, Berlin. […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Christian Science Monitor: “Could 2016 see Ukraine crisis resolved? Russian moves hint yes. The halting Minsk process, meant to peaceably reunite Ukraine with its restive eastern regions, got a big boost in recent weeks with the assignment of two top Putin officials to key positions in the Russian team.”
NEWSLINK AFP: “U.S., Kremlin officials meet at Russian border for Ukraine talks”
NEWSLINK AP: “Ukraine Expects to Restore Control Over Rebel East This Year”
Video cameras mounted near Shyrokyne for OSCE round-the-clock monitoring in conflict area
KYIV. Jan 12 (Interfax) – Modern video surveillance cameras, which will help Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors conduct round-the-clock monitoring and record shellings in the populated area of Shyrokyne in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, have been installed, the press service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said. “On January 12, modern video monitoring cameras, which will […]
» Read moreInterfax: Moscow dismisses Ukrainian official’s idea for new format for talks
(Interfax – Moscow, January 11, 2016) The statements by a representative of Ukraine in the political sub-group of the Tripartite Contact Group, Roman Bezsmertnyy, regarding the launch of a new Minsk 3 process from 1 January appears incompetent, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova announced. “The statement by a representative of Ukraine in the political subgroup about the launch from […]
» Read morePutin: Constitutional reform should underlie peace process in Ukraine
(Interfax – January 11, 2016) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Holland, who are part of the Normandy Quartet, should pay more attention to implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. Speaking in an interview with the German Bild newspaper, Putin said that the constitutional reform in Ukraine should underlie the political […]
» Read more