"The prosecutor general of Russian-occupied Crimea has said that anyone who does not recognize the annexation will be deported."
Ten more Ukrainian soldiers, including an officer, have been freed after negotiations with their separatist captors, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More follow-up from the Minsk protocol. Sorry, these releases came based on negotiations "outside" the Minsk agreement, according to a Dnipropetrovsk official.
Interfax:
There have been no talks yet over withdrawal of foreign mercenaries from Ukraine in accordance with the Contact Group's September 19 memorandum, said Andrei Kelin, Russia's Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
"Apparently, there has been no talk or talks on the subject of foreign mercenaries," he told Interfax on Wednesday.
Write-up of NATO's Russian-troop assessment via our newsroom:
A NATO spokesman says the alliance has observed a significant withdrawal of Russian forces from inside Ukraine, but many Russian troops remain stationed near the border.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jay Janzen said in an e-mailed message, "There has been a significant pullback of Russian conventional forces from inside Ukraine, but many thousands are still deployed in the vicinity of the border."
Lanzen said that some Russian troops are still inside Ukraine, but added that it is "difficult to determine the number."
He said pro-Russian separatists control several border crossings, which allows the routine back-and-forth movement of troops across the border.
Lanzen added tha Russian special forces are operating inside Ukraine, "and they are difficult to detect."
Meanwhile, pro-Russian officials in eastern Ukraine's rebel-held city of Donetsk said a cease-fire between pro-Russian separatists and government forces has been violated twice overnight in the city.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and Interfax
Today's situation map from the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council:
From RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Dmitry Volchek and Claire Bigg:
'I Won't Sing For Occupiers' -- A Ukrainian Singer Falls Out With Russia
