Here's an interesting piece of diplomatic to-ing and fro-ing, as reported by our news desk:
Poland's air navigation authority has confirmed that it has denied permission for a plane carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to fly through Polish airspace while attempting to return to Moscow from a visit to Slovakia.
The agency said it denied permission for the flight because the plane had, for unknown reasons, changed its status from a civilian flight to a military flight.
It said Shoiugu's plane was cleared to fly through Polish airspace after its status was changed back to that of a civilian flight.
Russian media reports said the minister’s plane turned around and landed back in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava, where it refueled.
Russia's First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov called the brief ban a "crude violation of the norms and ethics" of conduct between states.
The move comes amid strong criticism from Poland of Russia's military role in support of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, which have prompted increased deployments by NATO of air and armored forces in Poland and the Baltic States.
(Reuters, AP, AFP, RIA-Novosti)
State of emergencies declared in many Russ regions, "bc of Ukr refugees". Often scaremongering - regions like Kirov only have couple hundred
— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) August 29, 2014
Glenn Kates piece on the reaction in Russia to Moscow's incursion in Ukraine has been reprinted by "The Guardian" and is now their most-viewed article:
In early spring, Vladimir Putin deployed soldiers without insignia into the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea to ensure a quick annexation of the territory.
After a month of denying their very existence, the Russian president nonchalantly acknowledged that the thousands of well-armed fighters, who had previously been cheekily referred to as "little green men," were in fact Russian troops.
Decried in the West, Russians gave the move near unanimous support. A territory was won through military might -- and an overwhelming referendum vote that has not been recognized in the West -- but without a fight.
But now, as Moscow reinvigorates a flailing pro-Russian separatist insurgency with a barely concealed incursion into southeastern Ukraine, indications are that Russian military men are dying. And as captured Russian paratroopers are paraded on Ukrainian television and servicemen are buried in secrecy, some Russians are asking a seemingly simple question:
"Are we at war?"
Read the entire article here
Luhansk rebel commander Mozgovoy speaks at a conference in Yalta, Crimea: "We'll listen to Putin's advice, but we'll act as we please".
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) August 29, 2014
2 more #Russia soldiers captured in #Ukraine, say were told were going on exercises, crossed into Ukraine near Rostov http://t.co/U5hIoSWJRS
— Olexiy Solohubenko (@OS1954) August 29, 2014
Ukraine Liveblog: Reports Suggest Russian Claims Of Mariupol Encirclement Exaggerated http://t.co/aSak3LIh6r
— James Miller (@MillerMENA) August 29, 2014
Link to my full remarks from today's @UN Security Council session on #Ukraine: http://t.co/Dyumvx4hUT
— Samantha Power (@AmbassadorPower) August 29, 2014
Over 100 Russian soldiers killed in single Ukraine battle, Russian rights activists say http://t.co/Oc9U2kAyqf
— Maxim Eristavi (@MaximEristavi) August 29, 2014
Got our hands on leaked draft conclusions for Saturday's #EU summit. Language on #Ukraine very much work in progress http://t.co/4MYuo2Cvb2
— Peter Spiegel (@SpiegelPeter) August 29, 2014