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A woman carries a baby as she passes destroyed houses following what locals say was overnight shelling by Ukrainian forces in the eastern town of Slovyansk on June 9.
A woman carries a baby as she passes destroyed houses following what locals say was overnight shelling by Ukrainian forces in the eastern town of Slovyansk on June 9.
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Live Blog: Crisis In Ukraine (Archive)

Summary for June 9

-- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says that Moscow and Kyiv have reached a "mutual understanding" on key parts of a plan proposed by President Petro Poroshenko for ending violence in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine.

-- Reports say up to 20 armed gunmen were trying to seize property from a factory (Topaz) that makes communications and electronic-warfare equipment in the Donetsk region.

-- A deputy foreign minister says Russia will consider any expansion of NATO forces near its borders a "demonstration of hostile intentions" and "take the necessary political and military-technological measures to support our security."

-- A two-man crew for Russian Zvezda TV arrived in Moscow after being released from detention in Ukraine.

-- Serbian officials say their own work on the Russian-backed South Stream gas pipeline will have to be suspended after Bulgaria stopped construction of its portion based on EU and U.S. concerns.

-- Ukrainian security forces are reportedly still battling pro-Russian separatists in the east near Slovyansk and Donetsk.

*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv
11:32 28.5.2014
This latest development reported by our news desk will hardly allay Russian fears that Kyiv will ultimately join the NATO fold:
Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania could set up a joint military brigade as soon as next month.

Ukraine's government has tasked acting Defense Minister Mykhaylo Koval with signing an agreement to create the joint brigade.

Koval said yesterday that he expects an agreement to be signed next month.

He said that by working jointly with NATO members Poland and Lithuania, Ukraine's military could bring its performance up to NATO standards.

He said the Ukrainian part of the joint brigade will be based in the western city of Lviv. It will perform joint tasks and participate in peacekeeping missions.

The announcement comes amid tensions between Russia and the West over the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Poland and Lithuania have long pushed for closer military ties with Ukraine.

Russia has said Moscow's big concern is that Ukraine will eventually join NATO.
11:14 28.5.2014
11:13 28.5.2014
10:49 28.5.2014
Regular Power Vertical podcast participant Mark Galeotti has been blogging about Moscow's possible next move in east Ukraine:
This is the irony at work. Moscow’s strategy of chaos has worked too well, eating away not just at the cohesion of the rump Ukrainian state but also the emergent East Ukrainians, too. There appears to be increasing evidence of disputes between militias, and between the relatively professional defectors from the Ukrainian security forces, the opportunist thugs, and the “war tourists” from Russia. Thus, Moscow’s hopes to be able to cut a deal with Kyiv–regardless of whether Poroshenko can and will offer the Kremlin what it wants–depends now on bringing order to chaos. The Russians wished for chaos; now they know why so many folk tales warn of being careful what one wishes for…

Read the entire article here
10:43 28.5.2014
10:24 28.5.2014
10:18 28.5.2014
10:14 28.5.2014
According to our news desk, Ramzan Kadyrov claims he had nothing to do with the Chechen combatants who are reportedly fighting for the pro-Russian side in east Ukraine:
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov says he has not sent any troops to fight alongside pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine.

In a statement posted on his Instagram account today, Kadyrov said two-thirds of the 3 million Chechens live outside Russia's North Caucasus Republic, so he "can't and mustn't know where each of them goes."

"If the Ukrainian authorities want so much to see 'Chechen units' in Donetsk, why go to Donetsk if there is a good highway to Kyiv?" he also said.

CNN has broadcast footage from Donetsk in which rebel fighters admit they are from Kadyrov's security forces.

The Donetsk mayor has said he believes there were Chechens among fighters wounded in fighting at the city's airport on May 26.

Russian opposition leader Boris Nemstov has alleged that the Chechens were sent to Donetsk with the knowledge of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
10:04 28.5.2014
09:52 28.5.2014

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