18:14
16.6.2014
Via AFP:
The United Nations said Monday 34,000 Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes as a violent pro-Russian insurgency rages in the east of the country.
The UN said it had identified 19,000 displaced people in Ukraine, while estimates from local authorities indicated another 15,000 had been forced from their homes in areas it does not monitor.
There are "credible reports of movements inside Donetsk and Lugansk provinces... including an estimated 15,000 people from Slavyansk," said UN humanitarian affairs chief Valerie Amos.
Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine are at the epicentre of a pro-Russia insurgency that began in March and triggered a military operation that has killed more than 300 people.
The UN said it had identified 19,000 displaced people in Ukraine, while estimates from local authorities indicated another 15,000 had been forced from their homes in areas it does not monitor.
There are "credible reports of movements inside Donetsk and Lugansk provinces... including an estimated 15,000 people from Slavyansk," said UN humanitarian affairs chief Valerie Amos.
Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine are at the epicentre of a pro-Russia insurgency that began in March and triggered a military operation that has killed more than 300 people.
18:01
16.6.2014
On the likelihood of Ukraine and EU signing the economic portion of an association agreement:
Speaking at a roundtable organized by the U.S-Ukraine Business Council in Kyiv on June 16, the Ukrainian government’s Commissioner for European Integration Valeriy Pyatnytskiy confirmed there is a “very high probability” that the deal will be signed on June 27.
17:29
16.6.2014
Hromadske TV reports a growing threat of disease in Slovyansk from "mass graves."
17:27
16.6.2014
17:15
16.6.2014
Our Ukrainian Service quotes the Donetsk city council as saying "negotiations" with the "Donetsk People's Republic" will allow for a reopening tomorrow of the Ukrainian National Bank and Treasury offices in Donetsk, which were raided by gunmen earlier today.
AFP meanwhile quoted "a senior rebel commander distinguished by his camouflage jacket and a crossed hammers tattoo on his neck," Oleksandr Matyushyn, as saying the talks were over granting control of the local treasury and tax collections to separatists and adding: "We are gradually taking control of the banking system."
AFP meanwhile quoted "a senior rebel commander distinguished by his camouflage jacket and a crossed hammers tattoo on his neck," Oleksandr Matyushyn, as saying the talks were over granting control of the local treasury and tax collections to separatists and adding: "We are gradually taking control of the banking system."
17:01
16.6.2014
The Russian Foreign Ministry says “[p]rovocative actions are taking place outside the Russian consulate generals in Odessa and Kharkov on June 16" and repeats its call for Ukrainian authorities to "take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the embassy and the consulate-generals in Odessa, Kharkov and Lvov in order to ensure their normal operation."
16:51
16.6.2014
We're treating such reports with caution, but the signals do appear to be mounting:
16:49
16.6.2014
16:48
16.6.2014
Chechnya's Kremlin-backed strongman assails Ukraine's acting foreign minister, Andriy Deshchytsia, on Instagram over the latter's decision to appear at the unruly protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Kyiv and his profanity directed toward Russian President Putin.
Among other things, he says the incident involving the "so-called foreign minister of Ukraine...shows that the people who came into power in Kyiv have no clue about policy, diplomacy, internationally recognized ethics, or principles of mutual respect between politicians from different countries." He adds that Deshchytsia "should resign immediately."
Among other things, he says the incident involving the "so-called foreign minister of Ukraine...shows that the people who came into power in Kyiv have no clue about policy, diplomacy, internationally recognized ethics, or principles of mutual respect between politicians from different countries." He adds that Deshchytsia "should resign immediately."
16:36
16.6.2014
From Kramatorsk. Says it's a warehouse on fire.