According to our news desk, it seems Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott might have a chance to "shirtfront" Vladimir Putin pretty soon:
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said today that he will have a "robust" conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin about downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 when they meet at a Beijing summit.
The Kremlin confirmed yesterday that Putin has agreed to meet with Abbott, who has been promising since last month to confront the Russian leader about the deaths of Australians in the tragedy.
The meeting is expected on November 11 at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Putin's foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov says "it will be short."
Abbott said he will demand that Russia "be as good as its word, that it will fully cooperate with the investigations that are under way, and that it will do what it can to ensure that justice is done."
The plane was flying from Amsterdam to Malaysia when it was shot down over territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatist fighters.
(AFP, Interfax, TASS)
The AP news agency is reporting a potentially big development:
SNIZHNE, Ukraine (AP) — Associated Press reporters have seen more than 80 unmarked military vehicles on the move in rebel-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, indicating that intensified hostilities may lie ahead.
Three separate columns were seen Saturday morning, one near the main separatist stronghold of Donetsk and two outside the town of Snizhne, 80 kilometers (50 miles) further east. The vehicles were mainly transportation trucks, some of them carrying small and large caliber artillery systems, and at least one armored personnel carrier.
Ukrainian officials said this week that they believe rebel forces have received substantial consignments of weaponry and manpower from Russia. Moscow denies such claims.
Despite a cease-fire being reached in September, Ukrainian and rebel troops engage on a regular basis, with some of the heaviest fighting focused on Donetsk airport.
Here is a map of today's military situation in eastern Ukraine according to Kyiv's National Security and Defense Council (click to enlarge):
