As Interfax reports, Ukraine is working on getting the Donetsk and Luhansk "people's republics" declared terrorist organizations:
Ukrainian diplomats are working on the recognition of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk "people's republics" as terrorist organizations by international organizations and foreign states.
"Ukraine is currently holding an active diplomatic work with international organizations, countries, all the more so as after terrorists shot down the Malaysia Airlines plane killing 298 civilians, it is obvious that this act of terrorism must be punished," Deputy Head of Ukraine's Presidential Administration Valeriy Chaly said at a briefing on Wednesday.
According to him, at present foreign states and international organizations are considering this matter.
The situational map distributed by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council for today:
Paul Goble observes how "Russian commentators are scrambling to explain why the Russian-speaking population in that region have not flocked to the banners of the secessionists in Donetsk and Luhansk." Read more here.
The lines between "pro-Russian" and "Russian" keep fading:
The latest round of EU and U.S. sanctions over Ukraine will restrict Moscow's access to what Russia needs most: Western financing and new technology. Here are five things to know about the sanctions and their impact. Read more.
It's a small (pro-Russian) world after all...
The EU has released its new sanctions list:
The European Union late on July 30 released the list of the individuals and entities targeted in its latest round of sanctions against Russia.
The list includes three longtime acquaintances of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first deputy chief of staff of the Russian presidential administration, two officials in the self-declared governments of separatist-held territories of eastern Ukraine, a pro-Kremlin official in the Crimea area, illegally annexed by Russian in March, and a person linked to separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Three business entities were also on the sanctions list -- the joint stock concern Almaz-Antey Defense Corporation; Dobrolet, a subsidiary of a Russian state-owned airline; and the Russian National Commercial Bank.
The Russian National Commercial Bank was the first Russian bank to enter Crimea after the region's annexation earlier this year.