The mother of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, who is being held in Rostov by Russian authorities who accuse her of complicity in killing two Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine, has written an open letter (in English here) to Russian mothers. (h/t: @CoalsonR and @Jacques_More) The letter -- dated September 1 -- was published yesterday by lawyer Nikolai Polozov on the Ekho Moskvy website.
There are reports that Savchenko is included on a list of captive "prisoners of war" who should be included in prisoner swaps between Kyiv and separatist forces.
Amnesty International Secretary-General Salil Shetty speaking at a news conference in Moscow today, via Reuters:
"The evidence we've gathered has shown that Russia is directly and actively involved in the conflict [in Ukraine] and is a party to the conflict."
"Based on the unique and recent satellite imagery we've got and analyzed with experts both in-house and outside in great detail to establish that the level of build-up, systematic organized build-up, of mobile artillery and armored units in the Novoazovsk region was not possible for the separatist forces to do on their own without the support of the professional Russian military."
"The denial from the Russian government that they are not involved in the conflict in the east doesn't absolve them of their accountability and responsibility."
"The violations that the Russian government is committing, human rights violations inside the Russian Federation is not about adhering to Western standards. Russia itself is a signatory to most international conventions and human rights covenants. So it's not about what the West is doing, it's about Russia doing the right thing for its own people."
Your move, Russian state media!
The latest situation map from the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council.
Russia cuts gas deliveries to Poland, as our news desk reports:
Poland says its gas deliveries from Russia's state-controlled monopoly Gazprom have been cut by 24 percent amid heightened tensions over Ukraine.
Polish gas utility PGNiG said it had observed an initial reduction in supplies on September 8. It said it was trying to find out why volumes were down.
There was no immediate comment from Gazprom.
Ukraine's gas transport monopoly, Ukrtransgaz, said Russia had started limiting gas supplies to Poland in order to disrupt supplies of gas in the opposite direction, from Poland to Ukraine.
Kyiv depends on the "reverse flows" for its gas, as Gazprom has already halted supplies to Ukraine in a politically charged pricing dispute.
A senior Ukrtransgaz official, Ihor Prokopiv, said on September 10 that Poland had halted reverse flows to Ukraine.
Poland has been one of the staunchest supporters of the pro-Western government in Kyiv. (Reuters, AFP, and Interfax)
Russia's president tightens control of defense, slams NATO:
President Vladimir Putin on September 10 signed a decree taking direct charge of a committee that oversees Russia's defense sector.
Putin, addressing a meeting in Moscow on weapons modernization plans, said Russia has no intention to launch a new arms race, but will respond to all security challenges.
He accused NATO of using rhetoric over the conflict in Ukraine to "resuscitate itself."
Putin said Russia will focus on developing new strategic nuclear weapons, aerospace defenses, and high-precision conventional weapons.
Moscow is trying to reduce reliance on Western equipment following sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.
Putin said potential threats to Russia's security must be thoroughly analyzed, and an "adequate response" given to each of them.
The Russian president also said a draft of Russia's new military doctrine should be drawn up by December. (Reuters, AFP, and Interfax)