.@FT's @courtneymoscow scores an interview w/ Russian oligarch Malofeev, who once employed DNR's Borodai, Strelkov http://t.co/PzZqaaMlTl…
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) July 25, 2014
Zyuganov says is not afraid of prosecution in Ukraine http://t.co/bNigR2029o
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) July 25, 2014
See TIME’s new cover on MH17: Cold War II—Can anything stop Vladimir Putin? http://t.co/0b1aVpC4bd pic.twitter.com/VHMZWjdWg9
— TIME.com (@TIME) July 24, 2014
There's just been a splurge of updates from our news desk, which we'll post all at once:
Dutch, Australians Seek Access To Ukraine Crash Site
The Dutch and Australian foreign ministers, Frans Timmermans and Julie Bishop, are in Ukraine seeking permission for the deployment of an international police force to the crash site of a Malaysian airliner.
The talks come as Ukraine prepares to fly more bodies from Kharkiv to the Netherlands today.
All 298 people on board -- most of them Dutch -- were killed when the Malaysian airliner was shot down, allegedly by Russia-backed separatists.
The first remains were flown to the Netherlands on July 23.
Ukrainian officials say some 200 bodies have been recovered and transferred to Kharkiv.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he would send 40 police to Ukraine to help recover the remaining victims.
Some 90 Australian police are in Europe awaiting permission to deploy to Ukraine, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he would send another 100.
(Reuters, BBC, UNIAN)
Ukraine Says 325 Troops Killed Fighting Rebels In East
The Ukrainian military says 325 soldiers and officers have been killed since the "antiterrorist" operation was launched in the country's eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk more than two months ago.
Ukrainian National Security Council's spokesman Andriy Lysenko told reporters today that additionally, 1,232 soldiers and officers have been injured in the fighting against pro-Russian separatists, which officially began on April 15.
The figures include 13 troops killed and 19 injured in the past 24 hours.
Hundreds of rebel fighters and dozens of civilians are believed to have been killed in the clashes, though there is no reliable information on exact numbers.
Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency said today that some 230,000 people have fled their homes in eastern Ukraine because of the fighting.
The UNHCR said some 100,000 moved to other Ukrainian regions, while some 130,000 gone to Russia.
Ukrainian troops are currently involved in intense fighting outside of Donetsk and Luhansk.
In the past two weeks, Ukrainian troops have nearly cut the amount of territory held by the insurgents in half.
(UNIAN, pravda.com.ua)
Russia Bans All Ukrainian Dairy Imports
Russia has banned all dairy imports from Ukraine, citing a lack of quality control.
The move is the latest sign of worsening trade relations between the two countries after Ukraine signed a free-trade pact with the European Union.
A spokesman for Russia's food and agricultural inspection service, Rosselkhoznadzor, said the ban was imposed after high levels of antibiotics and bacteria were detected in Ukrainian dairy products.
The ban comes into effect on July 28.
Russia has previously imposed import bans on countries seeking to move closer to the European Union and away from Moscow.
Earlier this month, Russia banned meat and fruit imports from Moldova, which also signed an EU Association Agreement in June.
(Reuters, AFP, Interfax)
Poroshenko orders transfer of satellite images of Boeing crash site to police in Netherlands and other countries http://t.co/zWtsMjJnNE
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) July 25, 2014
Another update from RFE/RL's news desk:
Ukraine's Interior Ministry has launched investigations against Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov and Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
Zoryan Shkiryak, an adviser to Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, said today that the Russian politicians are suspected of "financing activities aimed at changing Ukraine's territory and its state borders."
On July 22, Avakov announced a probe against Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev on suspicion of organizing illegal armed military formations on Ukrainian territory.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities announced earlier this month that investigations had been launched against Avakov and the governor of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, Ihor Kolomoyskiy, on charges of using illegal warfare during military operations, kidnapping, and obstruction of journalism.
(pravda.com.ua, Interfax)
list of 15 people & 18 entities in #Russia, #Ukraine & #Crimea blacklisted by the EU will be published after 18 CET in the official journal
— Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) July 25, 2014
NSDC spox Lysenko: 13 servicemen killed yesterday in the East. 325 killed since the beginning of war, 1322 wounded.
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) July 25, 2014
Russia to ban milk, dairy product imports from Ukraine effective July 28 http://t.co/qcZI59Yh3p
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) July 25, 2014
Here's the link to that @hrw report about the use of Grad rockets in and around Donetsk: http://t.co/cXUrDD4EzY
— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) July 25, 2014