Not sure about veracity of this report. FWIW: @AlanaBowker Putin’s daughter flees Dutch home as fury grows over #MH17 http://t.co/vHZ9t32bWV
— Nina Ivanovna (@ninaivanovna) July 25, 2014
#Yatsenyuk resigns as parliament elections likely to be held in fall http://t.co/9JHtY90Um9 #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/SM4lxpKL5z
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) July 25, 2014
Good morning. We'll start today with this item from RFE/RL's news desk about how a major rights watchdog has expressed concerns about Kyiv's use of Grad rockets:
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Ukraine to stop using unguided rockets which it said have killed at least 16 civilians in several recent attacks.
The rights watchdog said that both Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists have used Grads -- unguided rockets fired in salvos and sprayed across a wide area -- in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
HRW warned that using such weapons in populated areas could amount to war crimes.
Kyiv has denied using Grads around major cities.
But HRW said investigations into four attacks between July 12 and 21 in insurgent-held Donetsk "strongly indicates that Ukrainian government forces were responsible for" firing the Grads.
It also accused insurgent forces of having recently used such rockets.
HRW's statement came after the Red Cross declared that Ukraine is in a civil war -- an official distinction that would allow warring parties to be prosecuted for war crimes.
(With additional reporting by AFP)
We are now closing the live blog for today. Don't forget that you can follow all our latest Ukraine coverage here.
We have new evidence Russians intend to deliver heavier & more powerful multiple rocket launchers to separatist forces in Ukraine @marieharf
— Geoffrey Pyatt (@GeoffPyatt) July 24, 2014
Crying man in the bus:"how much vodka do I need to drink to forget my son was killed today in the East?" Reality of war. #Ukraine
— Kateryna_Kruk (@Kateryna_Kruk) July 24, 2014
Here is another Ukraine-related update from RFE/RL's news desk:
The United States says it has evidence that Russia is firing artillery to attack the Ukrainian military and that Moscow intends to provide more heavy weaponry to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
"We have new evidence that the Russians intend to deliver heavier and more powerful multiple rocket launchers to the separatist forces in Ukraine, and have evidence that Russia is firing artillery from within Russia to attack Ukrainian military positions," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told a press briefing today in Washington.
Harf said the assessment is based on "intelligence information" but that she could not discuss the "sources and methods behind it."
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels is continuing in eastern Ukraine. Washington has previously accused Russia of arming and training the separatists.
CPJ called on #Ukraine “not to fight propaganda with censorship” but only part of our statement made #Russia's press: http://t.co/uWoD3mz2Yt
— Elana Beiser (@ElanaBeiser) July 24, 2014
RFE/RL's Rikard Jozwiak has sent our news desk this update on the possibilty of further EU sanctions against Russia:
Reports today have indicated that the European Union ambassadors discussing fresh sanctions against Russia are likely to place wide-ranging restrictions on the activities of Russian banks.
"The Financial Times" reported that new EU sanctions on Russia for its role in unrest in eastern Ukraine seem set to include banning Russian banks from selling shares on European markets.
The EU sanctions would go further than those the United States imposed on two Russian banks -- Gazprombank and VEB -- on July 16, with the EU sanctions targeting all banks with more than 50 percent state ownership.
It is also expected 15 individuals and 18 organizations will be added to the EU's sanctions list for undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity.
The names of the individuals and organizations are due to be released tomorrow.
(With reporting by AFP and Reuters)
Reuters: Investigators find no evidence either #MH17 black box tampered with http://t.co/TWeTveLqoS
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) July 24, 2014