From our newsroom:
The mayor office in eastern Ukraine's rebel-held city of Donetsk says a cease-fire between pro-Russian separatists and government forces has been violated in the city, which is the pro-Russian militants' main stronghold.
The mayor's office reported two attacks, one late on September 23 and another in the early hours of September 24. In one of them, a mortar shell hit an apartment block.
The RIA Novosti news agency quoted the rebels as saying that two people died in the attack but the mayor's office had no information about casualties.
The cease-fire between the rebels and Ukrainian troops has largely held since both parties agreed to it on September 5.
At talks last weekend, both sides agreed to pull back heavy artillery, setting up a buffer zone. Rebels said September 24 they were implementing this agreement as well as the Ukrainians.
Based on reporting by AP and Interfax
BuzzFeed identifies a D.C. lobbying firm, BGR, that "multiple sources" say is "working with the new Ukrainian government." It is unclear whether the sides have a contract.
Individuals from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office and BGR did not respond to requests for comment, BuzzFeed says:
BGR would be the first Western firm to work with Poroshenko on his outreach in the West post-Maidan revolution and in the midst of the slow-motion Russian invasion. The Russians, on the other hand, have a robust lobbying presence in the West and have employed major firms like Ketchum and GPlus for some time. The Ukrainians need the help; they have been asking the West to help them fight the Russians for months, and have also been pushing for heavier sanctions. Poroshenko recently came to Washington and addressed Congress, where he gave a speech heavy on American-friendly themes like Israel, Abraham Lincoln, and JFK. Meanwhile, the Obama administration has resisted providing military support to the Ukrainians in favor of a series of sanctions that have not appeared to slow Russian advances.
The Ukrainians are being advised in a different way by the Open Society Foundations, billionaire George Soros’ worldwide grant-making organization. The organization runs a branch called the International Renaissance Foundation in Kiev, which was founded after the fall of the Soviet Union, and is planning to build three branch offices elsewhere in Ukraine, according to Leonard Benardo, the Open Society Foundations’ regional director for Eurasia.
This ends our live-blogging for September 23. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.