One killed, 4 wounded in latest Ukraine clashes
Kiev, May 5, 2015 (AFP) -- A Ukrainian army volunteer was killed and three soldiers were wounded in fighting in the country's east, Kiev said Tuesday, while pro-Russian rebels said one of their fighters was injured.
A volunteer died from his wounds on Monday after being hit by 120mm mortars fired by rebels at Ukrainian fighters who are stationed near the ruined airport of rebel hub Donetsk, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said.
A volunteer battalion that formally joined the Ukrainian armed forces in March claimed the man killed was one of their fighters.
However, the Ukrainian army said he was a volunteer with the army, but denied he had a combat role.
Ukraine military's spokesman Andriy Lysenko said that three soldiers were wounded in fighting.
"Yesterday the situation stabilised somewhat... The enemy reduced the number of its provocations," he said, while adding that the hostilities were continuing in breach of the terms a peace deal reached in Minsk in February.
"The village of Shyrokine remains the main hot point in fighting between our forces and the rebels," Lysenko said, referring to a village on the outskirts of Mariuopol, the largest city in the conflict zone still in government hands.
"The fighting went on almost all day yesterday," he said.
The separatist leaders also said one of their fighters was wounded, their official agency reported.
The Ukrainian army has been fighting pro-Russian militants for more than a year in the country's east in a conflict in which more than 6,100 have been killed.
In February, a peace deal reached in Minsk with mediation from France and Germany called for the withdrawal of heavy arms of more than 100mm calibre from the frontline.
In recent days, fighting has intensified, however.
NATO To Briefly Move Command HQ To Romania From Naples
A top NATO commander says the alliance will briefly move a joint force command headquarter to Romania.
The Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) based in Naples, Italy, will relocate to Cincu, in central Romania, for 12 days next month to support a NATO exercise involving 1,000 troops from 21 NATO states, said its commander, U.S. Admiral Mark Ferguson.
Speaking during a two-day visit to Bucharest, Ferguson said the move, which had been planned for one year, "will be the first time a NATO Joint Force Command headquarters has deployed to Romania."
Some 350 JFC staff members will test their ability to command and control a multinational exercise from a forward position.
Ferguson said the deployment had been planned for one year.
"We are concerned with the deployment of advanced missile systems into Crimea by the Russians and the deployment of advanced fighter aircraft and the increase of forces there, which we think threaten the security of the Black Sea," he told the media.
He said the U.S.-led missile defense shield in southern Romania, which has been criticized by Russia, is intended to defend NATO from attacks from the south.
Based on reporting by AP
Russia: EU Does Not Want Ukraine Truce To Hold
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused "someone in the European Union" of trying to ensure that a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine fails.
Officials from Russia, Ukraine, and the OSCE are expected to convene for an emergency meeting in Minsk on May 6 to discuss the implementation of the cease-fire agreed in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on February 12.
Lavrov, at a news conference in Moscow, accused the EU of turning a blind eye to attacks which have killed civilians in rebel-held areas.
"Judging by certain signs, someone in the European Union wants the EU to allow the Ukrainian government not to implement the Minsk agreements," he said after talks with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz.
He also described what he called increased military activity by Ukrainian forces in recent weeks as an attempt to tear up the cease-fire accord.
The EU did not immediately respond to Lavrov's remarks.
In Kyiv, Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the separatists were building up military equipment for more attacks.
Based on reporting by Reuters and Interfax
U.S. Concerned Over 'Callous' Treatment Of Savchenko
By RFE/RL
The United States said it is concerned over the “callous and outrageous” treatment by Russia of detained Ukrainian pilot and parliament member Nadia Savchenko.
Speaking at a May 5 news briefing in Washington, State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke called on Russia to release Savchenko and all other “hostages” immediately.
“We reiterate our serious concerns over her treatment in detention and reports that she is gravely ill while she remains a hostage to Russian authorities," Rathke said.
Earlier on May 5, Savchenko's lawyer said on Twitter that Russian authorities have extended the preliminary inquiry into Savchenko's case until November 13. A decision on the expected extension of her detention is due to be taken May 6.
Savchenko has been jailed in Russia since July, when she says she was illegally brought into the country after being abducted by separatists in Ukraine. She is charged with complicity in the killing of two Russian journalists who died in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as well as illegal border crossing.
She denies guilt and conducted a hunger strike for more than 80 days to protest her incarceration.