From our News Desk:
The chief executive of French oil giant Total has died after his corporate jet collided with a snow-removal machine at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport.
Officials said the collision occurred at midnight on October 20, killing Christophe de Margerie and three French crew members.
The Russian Investigative Committee said the operator of the snow-removal machine was “in a drunk state."
The jet, headed for France, collided with the snow removal- machine during takeoff in thick fog.
Margerie, 63, had been chief executive of the world’s fifth-largest oil and gas firm since 2007.
Earlier this year, Margerie argued Europe should maintain its energy relationship with Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine.
Total is one of the top foreign investors in Russia.
From Human Rights Watch:
Ukrainian government forces used cluster munitions in populated areas in Donetsk city in early October 2014, Human Rights Watch said. The use of cluster munitions in populated areas violates the laws of war due to the indiscriminate nature of the weapon and may amount to war crimes.
During a week-long investigation in eastern Ukraine, Human Rights Watch documented widespread use of cluster munitions in fighting between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in more than a dozen urban and rural locations.
While it was not possible to conclusively determine responsibility for many of the attacks, the evidence points to Ukrainian government forces’ responsibility for several cluster munition attacks on Donetsk.
An employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was killed on October 2 in an attack on Donetsk that included use of cluster munition rockets.
Read the full report here.
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
The European Union has called on Russia to implement its commitments under the Minsk agreement to resolve the Ukraine crisis, underscoring the Kremlin’s “responsibility” in the process.
The EU said in an October 20 declaration following a meeting of its foreign ministers that it expects "full engagement and swift implementation of all other commitments under the Minsk documents," calling for "the withdrawal of illegal armed groups, military equipment, fighters and mercenaries, as well as for the securing of the Ukrainian-Russian border."
The declaration came on the same day as a massive explosion near a munitions plant in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Pro-Russian rebels said Ukrainian forces struck the factory with a rocket. The Ukrainian military denied involvement.
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Monday, October 20. Check back here in the morning for more continuing coverage.
The arrival of the shockwave at the end of this video from Donetsk gives some indication of how powerful today's explosions were: