We are now closing down the live blog for today. Don't forget that you can keep abreast of all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with more details concerning the sanctions announced by the United States and some EU countries last night (From RFE/RL's news desk):
The European Union is planning to add five more people and Russia's Sberbank and VTB Bank on its sanctions list of Russian companies and individuals, "The Wall Street Journal" reports.
The report on wsj.com late last night was based on diplomatic sources and said the EU sanctions would limit the operational ability of major Russian banks, including Sberbank and VTB Bank.
The newspaper did not give the names of the people who the diplomatic sources said would be added to the sanctions blacklist, but they were reported to be Russian oligarchs who have supported pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The report said the measures are part of a plan to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who the United States and the EU accuse of providing training, personnel, and weapons to the separatists.
(wsj.com, ITAR-TASS)
MH17 changed nothing. The war goes on. @maxseddon from Donetsk http://t.co/i8QL8TF5x0
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) July 29, 2014
Over 60% of Russians aren't concerned over latest round if sanctions against Russia http://t.co/0xzSVraQiH
— Ryskeldi Satke (@RyskeldiSatke) July 29, 2014
While the EU and the United States ratchet up sanctions on Moscow, Russia is ratcheting up the pressure on Kyiv by banning imports of Ukrainian fruit, vegetables, and fish (from RFE/RL's news desk):
Russia's ban on imports of canned fruits, vegetables, and fish from Ukraine has gone into effect.
The ban was introduced by Russia's consumer rights agency Rospotrebnadzor because it says those Ukrainian products violate Russian laws on labeling and have inaccurate ingredient listings.
Rospotrebnadzor cited violations by Ukrainian canned-food companies in Odesa, Nezhin, and Vinnytsia.
Russia most recently banned Ukrainian dairy products and has also prohibited chocolate made by Roshen, the company owned by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Critics claim the Russian bans have no real basis and are politically motivated because of Kyiv's signing of Association Agreements with the European Union.
Russia's Federal Customs Service said Ukrainian imports of agricultural products into Russia totaled some $495 million in the first six months of this year.
(ITAR-TASS, Ukrainian News Agency)
Here Putin's advisor Glazyev argues that EU bureaucrats are true Hitler's heirs. Not him, no no no. (RUS) http://t.co/qfyk2pgVQl
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) July 29, 2014
Donetsk authorities report overnight shelling of city http://t.co/L7n8QTWv6s
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) July 29, 2014
First Mistral helicopter carrier will be transferred to Russian Navy in 2015 http://t.co/BJxMXH1gCi
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) July 29, 2014
In what looks a direct response to sanctions against Russia, State Duma deputies want to introduce a new legal term: “aggressor countries,” Izvestia reports. Companies registered in these countries can be barred from Russia. These amendments are going to be introduced by United Russia deputies. You can read about the story in English here.
Meanwhile at the MH17 crash site (from RFE/RL's news desk):
Fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists has again prevented international investigators from going to the MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine.
The Dutch Justice Ministry said July 29 that fighting "on and around the road to the crash site" was keeping a group of Dutch and Australian experts from leaving their base in Donetsk.
Kyiv said on July 28 that its troops entered a string of towns around the scene of the Malaysian airliner disaster, including Shakhtarsk which lies 10 kilometers away.
The fighting and explosions has already forced the unarmed mission of Dutch and Australian police to give up their plans to visit the site during the previous two days.
Fighting is also reported to be continuing around the city of Donetsk, with train service suspended due to damage to tracks.
(AFP, Interfax)