"We decided collectively that we cannot stand by, while Pres Putin tramples over...rights of a sovereign neighbour." https://t.co/bmCLANyBhR
— Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) September 12, 2014
Kremlin trolls hate these guys so #ff & watch the fun. @CoalsonR @edwardlucas @HarrietSalem & @EServettaz
— Vladimir Putin (@DarthPutinKGB) September 12, 2014
'Kyiv Post" correspondent Ian Bateson has been writing about the daily situation maps issued daily by Ukraine's Security and Defense Council:
The maps are clean and simple, and as a result are popular on television and social media, though, in journalist circles they are not known for their accuracy.
For most of the summer the maps showed the image Ukrainian authorities wanted to present of the east: one a of a daily shrinking area controlled by separatist as Ukrainian forces moved towards encircling the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.
In July and August Ukrainian forces did make gains against separatists, but what the maps often failed to capture was the give and take of cities and towns, and situations where “control” was anything but absolute.
What the maps did present was a soothing image of daily progress with the hope that things would soon return to normal.
On August 27 that hope came crashing down. Forces witnesses said were not Ukrainian separatists or Russian soldiers on “vacation,” but Russian regulars, pushed across the border seizing the town of Novoazovsk and surrounding villages.
Read the entire article here
Interfax: Putin on sanctions: Welcome this EU decision; the less officials travel
abroad, the better
DUSHANBE. Sept 12 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he welcomes the sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russian officials and State Duma members.
"With regard to the lists. I welcome this EU decision: the less our officials and corporate executives travel abroad and deal with current affairs instead, the better. The same applies to State Duma deputies who should speak to their voters more often," Putin told reporters after a SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) summit in Dushanbe on Friday.
Outgoing European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso speaking at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv today:
"The cease-fire agreed last week in Minsk within the framework of the contact group is certainly a positive step, which needs to be upheld and respected. However, it is still insufficient to guarantee sustainable peace."
"While we are committed to reach out and seek negotiated solutions, we also do not hesitate to respond decisively to Russia's unacceptable behavior."
"According to the UN, the number of displaced people in eastern Ukraine has more than doubled during the past three weeks -- 260,000 people. Approximately nine percent of the overall Ukrainian population is in conflict zones. Just yesterday the European Commission has decided to mobilize an additional 22 million euros to meet the most urgent needs of the population."