Some details from our Georgian Service about the Georgian casualty we reported here over the weekend:
Azov Volunteer Is Fourth Georgian National Killed In Ukraine Unrest
Giorgi Janelidze, who was fighting for the right-wing Azov battalion, became the third Georgian national to have been killed fighting pro-Russian forces in Ukraine when he died during mine-clearance work near Shyrokyne, in the Donetsk region, on April 18. Other fighters came under fire from separatist forces as they were trying to recover the body, and it took a full day to retrieve it, with the support of OSCE personnel.
Another Georgian national was killed in Ukraine more than a year ago, during the Maidan unrest that targeted Ukrainian government forces under then-President Viktor Yanukovych.
More than 60 Georgians, mostly former military officers, are currently estimated to be fighting on the side of various pro-Kyiv groups.
About a dozen Georgians are reportedly fighting on the side of pro-Russian separatists.
That concludes our live blogging for Sunday, April 19. Follow our continuing coverage of events in Ukraine, Russia, and throughout our broadcast region here.
From AFP:
French President Francois Hollande said Sunday that negotiations with Moscow were under way to find a solution to a dispute over the sale of two Mistral warships, frozen over the Ukraine crisis.
"We are busy negotiating a solution to the crisis," over the 1.2 billion euro ($1.5 billion) sale, Hollande said on French television.
The delivery of the first warship has been suspended for six months over Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict, straining ties between Paris and Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week dismissed the refusal to deliver the ship, but said he expects France to repay the money paid.
From the BarentsObserver piece:
Norway will now consider reinforced measures regarding entry to Svalbard.
“From the Norwegian side we will consider reinforced measures concerning entry, also including Svalbard,” Frode Andersen says to BarentsObserver.
Rogozin’s appearance on Svalbard was unkown to Norwegian authorities before being contacted by BarentsObserver.
In case you haven't seen it, a very good dispatch from Shyrokyne by Vice's Simon Ostrovsky and his team. The elderly woman who challenges the pro-Russian troop after the 5-minute mark and just wants to be left in peace in Ukraine is priceless: "How can you be open if you don't understand that Ukraine is Ukraine and Russia is Russia?"
Re-upping this from our newsroom overnight:
Kyiv Lists Russian Military Units Allegedly In Ukraine
Ukraine's army chief of staff has listed for the first time some of the specific Russian military units alleged to be fighting against Kyiv alongside pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Viktor Muzhenko, in an interview published by Ukraine's Defense Ministry on April 18, said, "Regular Russian army troops are still in Ukraine" despite a cease-fire agreement signed in February which ordered the withdrawal of foreign fighters from the front line.
Russia has repeatedly denied claims by Kyiv and the West that it is arming and sending troops to help separatists who have gained control of parts of the east.
Muzhenko named the Russian army's 15th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the 8th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the 331st Airborne Regiment, and the 98th Airborne Division.
He said he had "proof" that Russian regular troops had fought in three clashes in the east in February, including a fierce battle for the rail hub of Debaltseve, which is now controlled by the separatists.