brilliant piece!@edwardlucas: The West skipped summer semester on geopolitics - EN.DELFI http://t.co/7Z5YXysMj3
— Kateryna_Kruk (@Kateryna_Kruk) August 25, 2014
Fascinating to go back & read William Safire's 2000 essay on "Putinism" just after he became prez. h/t @strobetalbott http://t.co/zGyZBXYJ90
— Kirit Radia (@KiritRadia) August 25, 2014
A powerful insight into the functioning of DNR by a Russian adventurist who came to help but became prisoner. (RUS) http://t.co/2mtTDvlOoy
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) August 25, 2014
Horrified to see parading of POWs in Donetsk. Appalling breach of Gen Conv. Surely Russia must stop supporting such uncivilised actions
— Paul Myler (@PosolAustralia) August 24, 2014
RFE/RL's news desk has just issued this update concerning the situation in southeastern Ukraine:
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has told European Union officials that he is "extremely concerned" about a deployment of Russian tanks into southeastern Ukraine and the Kremlin's threat to send another unmonitored military convoy into the country with what Moscow claims is "humanitarian aid."
Poroshenko made the complaint a day before he, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, and Russian President Vladimir Putin were due to meet in Minsk.
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko says Russian forces disguised as separatist fighters crossed into southeast Ukraine on August 25 with 10 tanks and two armored infantry vehicles.
Lysenko said Ukrainian border guards engaged in combat against the armored column and stopped it outside Novoazovsk on the Azov Sea.
Kyiv's allegations were dismissed by Moscow.
The Minsk talks on August 26 are meant to focus on a natural gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine.
The Kremlin has not ruled out a bilateral meeting between Poroshenko and Putin.
(Reuters, Interfax)
TT @mark_feygin Nadia #Savchenko was captured by Luhansk [separatists] before Russian journalists were killed.Totally innocent person jailed
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) August 25, 2014
Today Lithuanian honorary consul killed in Lugansk M. Zeleneca was awarded star of Lithuanian diplomacy.
— Linas Linkevicius (@LinkeviciusL) August 25, 2014
#Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko has dissolved the Verkhovna Rada, a step toward new parliamentary elections: http://t.co/sE71jRqRdo
— Matthew Kupfer (@Matthew_Kupfer) August 25, 2014
The wires and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service have just confirmed that last tweet:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree dissolving Ukraine’s parliament.
The move on August 25 paves the way for new elections in Ukraine, with a date scheduled for October 26.
Poroshenko announced the move on his official Twitter account, saying: “I have decided to prematurely end the authority of parliament.”
Under Ukrainian law, the election must be held within 60 days of the decree being officially published.
(RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service; Reuters; Interfax)
We are now closing the live blog for today. You can keep up with all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.