Your daily dose of Dali from the Ukraine conflict.
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.
Based on reporting by AFP and lugansk-news.com
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?"
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.
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.
That concludes our live blogging for Sunday, April 19. Follow our continuing coverage of events in Ukraine, Russia, and throughout our broadcast region here.