AFTERNOON NEWS ROUNDUP
Some items from RFE/RL's News Desk:
UKRAINE TO DOMINATE PUTIN'S TALKS WITH EU LEADERS
The Ukraine crisis is expected to be the focus of meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and European leaders this week.
An October 16-17 Europe-Asia summit in Milan is the first chance for Putin and European leaders to discuss Ukraine face-to-face since D-Day aniversary ceremonies in in France in June.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin will meet on October 16 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and attend a dinner involving other leaders.
Ushakov said the "accent " would be on Ukraine at an October 17 breakfast meeting that the leaders of Germany, France, Britain, Italy, and the European Union are expected to attend, along with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
A bilateral Putin-Poroshenko meeting is also possible, as is a four-way meeting with Poroshenko, Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.
The White House said U.S. President Brack Obama would discuss the Ukraine crisis, among other pressing issues, in a videoconference with Cameron, Hollande, Merkel and the Iralian leader later in the day.
The Kremlin said earlier on October 15 that Putin and Poroshenko had discussed possible measures restore peace to eastern Ukraine during a telephone call.
A brief Kremlin statement said the two leaders had also expressed readiness to meet on the sidelines of the Milan summit and discuss issues including natural gas.
State-controlled Russian exporter Gazprom cut gas supplies meant for internal consumption in Ukraine in June after Kyiv failed to pay its gas debts following acrimonious disputes and politically charged Russian price hikes.
The gas disputes and the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have caused concern about supplies to the European Union, which gets one-third of the gas it needs from Russia.
About half of that is pumped across Ukraine.
The Kremlin statement gave no details about the telephone talks.
A previous Putin-Poroshenko phone call preceded a September 5 cease-fire agreement between Kyiv and the separatists that has raised hopes for peace despite near-daily violations and the death of more than 330 people in eastern Ukraine during the truce.
Ukraine and NATO accuse Russia of sending troops and weapons into eastern Ukraine to support the rebels during the conflict, which has killed more than 3,660 people and driven Moscow's ties with the West to post-Cold War lows.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in remarks published on October 15 that a new "reset" in Russian-U.S. ties was "absolutely impossible" as long as sanctions the United States has imposed on Moscow over its role in the Ukraine crisis remain in place.
Medvedev said Putin's recent order to move troops that have been deployed near Russia's border with the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine was a purely domestic matter and should not be interpreted as a signal to Washington.
Analysts say Russia supported the Ukraine cease-fire because it followed after rebel gains that left the separatists in control over large portions of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions, giving Moscow a platform to influence Ukraine and keep it destabilized - and out of NATO - for years to come.
In an interview posted on the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda's website on October 15, Putin's chief of staff repeated the Kremlin's denials of involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, saying Russia provides only moral support to government opponents in eastern Ukraine.
Sergei Ivanov said it was up to Kyiv to ensure there is no "resumption of war" but that Russia could be a "guarantor" of a final peace deal.
"If final agreements are reached, Russia could be a guarantor in some form. There is such a practice in international affairs," Ivanov said.
(With reporting by Reuters, AP, TASS, Interfax, and RIA Novosti)
MEDVEDEV SAYS NEW RESET WITH U.S. IS 'ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE'
By RFE/RL
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has told an American television channel that a new "reset" in U.S.-Russian relations is "absolutely impossible" while sanctions against his country are in effect.
"Of course not. It is absolutely impossible," Medvedev said when asked during an interview with CNBC whether a reset was possible with U.S. sanctions in place.
In a transcript posted on the Russian government website on October 15, Medvedev said the U.S. sanctions were "destructive."
The United States has imposed several rounds of sanctions to punish Russia for its annexation of Crimea in March and its role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Kyiv and NATO says Moscow has sent troops and weapons to help pro-Russian separatists fight government forces.
Russia denies involvement in the conflict.
The original "reset" was U.S. President Barack Obama's first-term drive to improve relations with Russia, which had been badly strained by Moscow's war with ex-Soviet Georgia in 2008.
Obama and Medvedev, the Russian president at the time, signed a landmark nuclear arms control treaty in 2010, but the "reset" unraveled amid disputes about human rights, security and other issues once Putin made clear he would return to the presidency in 2012.
Ties have been driven to post-Cold War lows by the conflict in Ukraine.
Medvedev, who had warm ties with Obama during his presidency, criticized the U.S. president in the CNBC interview over his address at the UN General Assembly last month.
According to Medvedev, Obama placed Russia second on a list of three major threats or challenges to humanity, after the Ebola virus and before the Islamic State militant group.
However, he said that Russia was not "closing the door" on anyone, suggesting that ties could improve but that the onus was opn the United States to make it happen.
In his September 24 speech, Obama said Russia’s annexation of Crimea recalled an era "when large nations trampled small ones in pursuit of territorial ambition,” and vowed that the United States would "impose a cost on Russia for aggression."
Obama also expressed hope the cease-fire could lead to a lasting peace and said the United States would lift its sanctions if Russia changed its behavior.
Medvedev said in the interview that Putin's recent order to move troops that have been deployed near Russia's border with the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine was a purely domestic matter and should not be interpreted as a signal to Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on October 14, said that Russian "troops are pulling back" but that "heavy (military) equipment still has to be pulled back and the border is yet to be properly monitored and secured."
(With reporting by AFP)
PUTIN SIGNS LEGISLATION CURBING FOREIGN MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill into law that limits foreign ownership in Russian media to 20 percent.
Media reports in Russia on October 15 said the law signed by Putin also prohibits media outlets from being funded or run by foreign groups or individuals, including Russians with dual nationality.
The law requires owners of media companies with foreign-owned stakes of more than 20 percent to lower these stakes by February 2017.
Duma deputy Vadim Dengin, one of the authors of the bill, said last month that some 30 media outlets operating in Russia, including "Vedomosti," "Kommersant," and "Forbes," will be affected by the law.
Some media investors have criticized the bill as the Kremlin's latest attempt to stifle media freedom.
(Based on reporting by rapsinews.ru and Interfax)
KREMLIN SAYS PUTIN AND POROSHENKO DISCUSS PEACE MEASURES
The Kremlin says that the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko, have discussed possible measures to restore peace to eastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin said in a statement that the two leaders had also expressed readiness to meet on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe summit in Milan on October 16-17 and discuss issues including natural gas.
State-controlled Russian exporter Gazprom cut gas supplies meant for internal consumption in Ukraine in June after Kyiv failed to pay its gas debts following acrimonious disputes and politically charged Russian price hikes.
The gas disputes and the conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have caused concern about supplies to the European Union, which gets one-third of the gas it needs from Russia.
About half of that is pumped across Ukraine.
The Kremlin statement gave no details about the telephone talks.
A previous Putin-Poroshenko phone call preceded a September 5 cease-fire agreement between Kyiv and the separatists that has raised hopes for peace despite near-daily violations and the death of more than 330 people in eastern Ukraine during the truce.
Ukraine and NATO accuse Russia of sending troops and weapons into eastern Ukraine to support the rebels during the conflict, which has killed more than 3,660 people and driven Moscow's ties with the West to post-Cold War lows.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in remarks published on October 15 that a new "reset" in Russian-U.S. ties was "absolutely impossible" as long as sanctions the United States has imposed on Moscow over its role in the Ukraine crisis remain in place.
Medvedev said Putin's recent order to move troops that have been deployed near Russia's border with the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine was a purely domestic matter and should not be interpreted as a signal to Washington.
Analysts say Russia supported the Ukraine cease-fire because it followed after rebel gains that left the separatists in control over large portions of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions, giving Moscow a platform to influence Ukraine and keep it destabilized - and out of NATO - for years to come.
In an interview posted on the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda's website on October 15, Putin's chief of staff repeated the Kremlin's denials of involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, saying Russia provides only moral support to government opponents in eastern Ukraine.
Sergei Ivanov said it was up to Kyiv to ensure there is no "resumption of war" but that Russia could be a "guarantor" of a final peace deal.
"If final agreements are reached, Russia could be a guarantor in some form. There is such a practice in international affairs," Ivanov said.
(With reporting by Reuters and RIA Novosti)
BUREAUCRAT-LAND!
Russia has 102 bureaucrats for every 10,000 citizens - making Russia the 5th most bureaucrat-heavy countries in the world. And their salaries are increasing at a much higher rate than for those in the private sector - a trend that has accelerated since Vladimir Putin returned to the Kremlin in 2012. And guess which state employees have seen the largest salary increases? That would be the security services, of course.
Check out RBK's excellent analysis here.
NEWS FLASH! NATIONALISTS DON'T REALLY LOVE PUTIN
Over at Global Voices, the always insightful Kevin Rothrock (a regular guest on the Power Vertical Podcast), has an interesting piece about the flagship nationalist website "Sputnik & Pogram" and its editor Yegor Prosvirnin. And guess what, despit the Crimea annexation, they're no fans of Vladimir Putin.
Prosvirnin’s animosity toward the Kremlin might strike many outside Russia as mysterious. Wouldn’t a self-avowed Russian nationalist revere Putin for sacrificing Moscow’s reputation with the West to deliver Crimea and rescue the Donbas? Isn’t Putin a nationalist?
“Putin is no nationalist—he’s just a spectator,” Prosvirnin told RuNet Echo. “He was put there [in the Kremlin] by the ruling corporation to manage the political process, while the noble members of the secret police buy villas and mansions in Cote d'-Azur.”
MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP
Some items from RFE/RL's News Desk:
KREMLIN SAYS PUTIN, POROSHENKO DISCUSS UKRAINE PEACE MEASURES
The Kremlin says that the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko, have discussed possible measures to restore peace to eastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin said in a statement that the two leaders had also agreed to discuss gas supplies during a summit in Milan on October 16-17.
Russia's Gazprom cut gas supplies to Ukraine in June after Kyiv failed to pay its gas debts.
Europe gets one-third of its gas needs from Russia, with around half of that being pumped via Ukraine.
(Based on reporting by Reuters and RIA Novosti)
U.S. AND RUSSIA VOW INTEL SHARING ON ISLAMIC STATE
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said October 14 that he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have agreed to step up intelligence-sharing over the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The two held a three-hour meeting in Paris during which they mainly discussed the situation in Ukraine.
But Kerry said after the meeting that he and Lavrov had also discussed "whether Russia could do more to support Iraqi security forces" fighting IS.
The militant group has seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Kerry said Lavrov "indeed acknowledged their preparedness to help with respect to arms, weapons, they are doing that now, they already have provided some, and also potentially with the training and advising aspects."
He said he and Lavrov recognised "that (Islamic State) has absolutely no place in the 21st century."
(Based on reporting by AFP and AP)
CRIMEAN MUSLIMS ORDERED TO GET RID OF 'BANNED ISLAMIC LITERATURE'
By the Crimean Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
The pro-Russia leadership in Crimea is urging Muslim residents of the annexed territory to get rid of "banned Islamic literature" by January 1, 2015.
The Moscow-backed leader of the region, Sergei Aksyonov, told reporters in Simferopol on October 14 that the authorities "will not confiscate for three months Islamic literature that was allowed by Ukrainian authorities and is banned by Russian legislation."
Aksyonov added that the list of Islamic literature banned by Russian law will be made public by the local media.
Aksyonov initially said authorities would stop confiscating banned printed materials from Muslims at his meeting with Crimean Muslims on October 13.
Muslims in Crimea are mainly Crimean Tatars, the majority of whom opposed Russia's annexation of the peninsula in March.
Leading members of the Crimean Tatar community have been targeted by police for possessing so-called "banned Islamic books" in recent weeks.
PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA AND CHINA ARE NATURAL ALLIES
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang for high-profile talks in Moscow.
Putin told Li at the Kremlin on October 14 that "we are natural partners, natural allies, we are neighbors."
The Russian president praised growing economic ties with China, expressing confidence that bilateral trade will reach $100 billion next year.
Li praised the "inexhaustible" potential for cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.
The two leaders spoke a day after Russian and Chinese officials signed more than 30 deals ranging from energy to banking.
Li's three-day visit to Russia comes amid a row between the Kremlin and the West over the crisis in Ukraine.
China and Russia have close economic and diplomatic links, and Beijing has said it won’t take sides with the West or Russia over Ukraine.
(Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Interfax)
PUTIN'S TIGER SUSPECTED IN CHINA HENHOUSE ATTACK
Chinese authorities have yet to track down Vladimir Putin's tiger, but they have run across what they suspect are the results of its actions: five chickens killed in a henhouse attack.
A Siberian tiger nicknamed Kuzya, one of three the Russian president released into the wild in May, was reportedly seen across the border in a Chinese nature reserve last week.
On October 14, TASS said Chinese border guards responding to villagers' reports of an attack on chickens "spotted a big animal's tracks, feathers and blood near the broken henhouse fence."
Citing Xinhua, it reported that forestry officials said that the tracks belonged to a Siberian tiger, most likely Kuzya.
More than 60 cameras have been set up in the nature reserve.
The Siberian tiger is a threatened species, with some 450 left in the world.
Russia launched a plan in 2010 to protect Siberian tigers.
(Based on reporting by TASS and Xinhua)
MISSING CRIMEAN TATAR REPORTEDLY FOUND DEAD
By the Crimean Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
SIMFEROPOL, Crimea -- Media reports in Crimea say the body of a missing Crimean Tatar was found in the annexed region's capital, Simferopol, on October 14.
Reports cite the Kryminform website as reporting that Belyal Belyalov, who was university student, died after smoking an unspecified substance.
According to the Moscow-backed Kryminform, the second missing young Crimean Tatar, Artyom Dayrabekov, who also reportedly smoked the substance, was saved by doctors.
Dayrabekov's relatives, who had reported the two young men's disappearance, refused to comment on Kryminform's report.
Crimea's pro-Russia Interior Ministry also refused to comment on the situation.
Crimean Tatar Edem Asanov, 25, was also found dead last week after being reported missing.
Most Crimean Tatars -- a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority native to Crimea -- opposed Russia's annexation of the peninsula.
PUTIN'S PEOPLE'S COMMISARS
Ove the past 18 months, Vladimir Putin has been quietly bringing a a new cadre of officials to Moscow, historian Vladimir Pastukhov wrote in a recent article in Polit.ru. (A big h/t to Paul Goble at Window on Eurasia for flagging.)
According to Pastukhov, this new nomenklatura is young, from 25-35 years-old, from the regions, and relatively poor. They are "people without deep roots" who are "ready for anything." They are also "directly or indirectly connected to the security services."
And they are being selected on the basis of their loyalty to the regime and for being "psychologically closer to Putin" than their predecessors.
This all suggests that Putin intends to leave a legacy that will linger long after he leaves the scene. And taken together with the formation of the youth group "Set," or "Network," it illustrates the Kremlin's emerging youth strategy in the post-Bolotnaya era.
AFTERNOON NEWS ROUNDUP
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
PUTIN LAMENTS 'ESTRANGEMENT' OF RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN PEOPLE
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the "main tragedy" of the Ukraine crisis is the "estrangement of the Ukrainian and Russian people".
Putin spoke about Ukraine at a Kremlin meeting of his advisory council on human rights and civil society on October 14.
He said that "the main tragedy unfolding before our eyes is the estrangement of the Ukrainian and Russian people."
Putin said that "it is necessary to seek a way to overcome this situation."
Many Ukrainians blame Russia and Putin himself for the crisis and the animosity it has generated.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March, and Kyiv and the West accuse Moscow of sending troops and arms into eastern Ukraine to help pro-Russian separatists fighting government forces in a conflict that has killed more than 3,660 people.
Russia denies involvement.
Fighting has lessened since a September 5 cease-fire, but more than 330 people have been killed during the truce.
(Based on reporting by Interfax)
PROTEST ERUPTS OUTSIDE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT
By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Demonstrators clashed with police outside the Ukrainian parliament during a raucous protest that prompted the legislature to go into recess.
Some of the protesters tried to push past police and enter parliament during the demonstration on October 14.
The approximately 500 protesters were demanding the Verkhovna Rada include on its agenda a draft law recognizing controversial World War II-era guerrilla resistance groups -- the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) -- as national heroes.
Ukrainian news agency UNIAN reported some of the protesters were armed with sticks or clubs and fireworks were thrown at the parliament building and at police who were present in large numbers.
Some of the protesters were reportedly from the nationalist Svoboda party but party leader Oleh Tyahnybok denied Svoboda was involved.
Another nationalist group, Right Sector, posted a message on Twitter denying its members were involved.
Parliament was able to confirm a new defense minister before adjourning.
Deputies endorsed Stepan Poltorak, who is currently chief of the National Guard, in a 245-1 vote.
Poltorak replaces Valeriy Heletey, who was criticized over the Ukrainian military's performance in combating pro-Russian separatists who continue to hold large portions of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions after fighting that has killed more than 3,660 people since April.
Heletey handed in resignation on October 12 after only three months on the job.
When announcing his candidate to replace Heletey on October 13, Poroshenko praised Poltorak for his "professionalism and patriotism" and said Poltorak had turned the National Guard into a formidable fighting force in a short time.
Before the confirmation vote, Poroishenko said Poltorak and forces under his command had driven pro-Russian separatists from the regional administration building in Kharkiv, a major eastern city that has remained under government control along with the surrounding province.
During his swearing-in after the vote, Poltorak pledged "to strengthen the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."
Parliament also passed a bill to create a National Anticorruption Bureau, an attempt by the new Ukrainian government to fight a problem that has long plagued the country.
Poroshenko signed a lustration law on October 9.
Under that law, up to 1 million public servants, including cabinet ministers, are to be screened for loyalty to root out the corrupt practices of previous pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych's administration.
(With additional reporting by UNIAN and AP)
KAZAKH PRESIDENT SIGNS RATIFICATION OF EURASIAN UNION TREATY
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has signed a law on the ratification of the treaty creating the Eurasian Economic Union (EES), his office said on October 14.
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed a similar law last week, and Russian President Vladimir Putin did so on October 3.
Under the treaty, the EES will begin functioning as of January 1, 2015.
The project builds on the existing Customs Union linking Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
Moscow, which is facing Western sanctions over its role in the Ukraine crisis, has been pressuring former Soviet republics to join the EES.
Armenia's president signed an agreement to join the EES during a summit in Minsk on October 10.
Kyrgyzstan's president expressed hope that his country would join by year's end.
(Based on reporting by KazTAG and Kazinform)
LAVROV SAYS SANCTIONS NOT BRINGING PEACE TO UKRAINE
Russia's foreign minister has told European businesspeople that Western sanctions imposed on Moscow are not helping to resolve the Ukraine crisis.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a meeting of the Association of European Businesses (AEB) that the sanctions "do not contribute to de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine."
Lavrov told the October 14 meeting in Moscow that the sanctions are "harmful" and "unlawful" and would end up costing Europe some 40 billion euros this year and some 50 billion euros next year.
He did not explain the basis for these figures.
Lavrov said Russia laments the disruption in ties with the European Union that have accompanied the sanctions.
He assure the delegates Russia was interested in building energy cooperation with the EU, saying it would be beneficial to both sides.
(Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax)
TWO MORE CRIMEAN TATARS REPORTED MISSING
By the Crimean Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
SIMFEROPOL, Crimea -- Two young Crimean Tatars have been reported missing in the capital of the annexed region, Simferopol.
Relatives of university student Artyom Dayrabekov told RFE/RL on October 14 that he and his friend Belyal Bilyalov had been missing for more than 24 hours.
They said they have asked police for help and visited the city's hospitals and morgues.
Human Rights Watch said earlier this month that at least five people, including three Crimean Tatars, remained missing after “hostile encounters” and that other Crimean Tatars have been found dead, with signs of torture, since the peninsula's annexation by Russia in March.
A 25-year-old Crimean Tatar man, Edem Asanov, was found dead last week after going missing.
Most Crimean Tatars - a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority native to Crimea - opposed the annexation.
IT'S A WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD WORLD
Christopher Miller is at it again with a great piece of reportage from the "Donetsk People's Republic": Welcome to the Bizarre World of the Ukrainian Rebels
A few passages:
"On city squares, entertainment is often provided by kids — one child poet, carrying a toy gun and wearing a camouflage bandana around her head, jumped on a stage recently, giving a live mic performance in which she damned the Ukrainian “Nazi morons." On another day, a group of school children performed a play in which they depicted Ukrainians as Nazis while black-and-white footage of World War II fascists played on big screen behind them.
Propaganda like this is ubiquitous. The city resembles the pages of a certain George Orwell novel, with gunmen roaming the streets reminding people to “speak the truth,” and billboards portraying the current fight to that of the Second World War.
The message is working. Many here believe they are fighting a continuation of their grandfathers’ war against the fascists. Question firing squad executions, extrajudicial detentions or the parade of prisoners of war through Donetsk and you’re likely to be called a fascist yourself and thrown into the makeshift prison called “Isolation” — an art center before rebels seized it and turned it into a dungeon.
Against this surreal backdrop, the rebel leadership wants to project normalcy and give the impression that life is returning to routine."
Read the whole surreal and beautifully written piece here.
MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP
Some items from RFE/RL's News Desk:
RUSSIAN RUBLE HITS ANOTHER RECORD LOW
The Russian ruble hit new all-time lows against the euro and dollar on October 13 despite recent government intervention.
The ruble dropped to 51.33 to the euro -- breaking the previous low from March -- and fell to 40.49 to the dollar.
The record lows came after Russian Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina said the bank had pumped some $6 billion into propping up the currency since October 3.
International sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and Moscow's support for pro-Russian rebels have cut several major Russian firms off from key international debt markets.
Russia's oil-dependent economy is also hurt by low oil prices, dropping to $88 per barrel on October 13.
The International Monetary Fund said capital flight from Russia will reach some $100 billion this year and inflation is more than 8 percent.
(Based on reporting by AFP and Interfax)
UKRAINE SAYS FEWER RUSSIAN TROOPS IN CONFLICT ZONE
Ukrainian military officials say they have noticed a reduction in Russian soldiers fighting with pro-Russian separatists against government troops in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said on October 13 in Kyiv that Russian personnel who had been in Ukraine have been returning to bases inside Russia.
Russia denies that it has any troops in Ukraine or that it supports the rebel forces in the areas the insurgents control in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
But Lysenko said volunteer fighters from Russia are still entering Ukraine from through border crossings controlled by separatists.
Lysenko's statement comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered thousands of troops posted near Ukraine to return to permanent bases.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Germany welcomes the news "but unfortunately we know from experience [with Russia that]...action alone [is] what counts."
(Based on reporting by AP and Reuters)
LITHUANIA BRACES FOR RUSSIAN 'HYBRID WARFARE'
Lithuania is creating a rapid reaction force to counter unconventional threats highlighted by the crisis in Ukraine.
The Baltic nation's top general said on October 13 that 2,500 troops will be on high alert and ready to respond to "hybrid warfare" involving unconventional attacks by unmarked combatants, like those in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.
Major General Jonas Vytautas Zukas told reporters: "We must immediately increase our readiness for unplanned military actions during peacetime."
He said new threats include "manipulating national minorities, provocations, attacks by non-state armed groups, illegal border crossing, (and) breach of military transit procedures."
Kyiv and NATO accuse Russia of using those tactics to annex Crimea in March and aid pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Russia denies involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
NATO member Lithuania's new force is to begin operating on November 1.
(Based on reporting by AFP and Xinhua)
UKRAINE RECOVERS BELONGINGS OF MH17 VICTIMS
The Dutch government says Ukrainian searchers have recovered belongings including passports, luggage, jewelry and children's toys from the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
The Security and Justice Ministry said in a statement that 40 members of the Ukrainian disaster response agency participated in a new round of searching at the wreckage site in Eastern Ukraine on october 13. Four Dutch officials and an OSCE team were also present.
Eight forensic experts will fly to Ukraine to examine the belongings before they are returned to the Netherlands.
The jet crashed on July 17 in an area in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, apparently shot down by a missile.
All 298 people on board were killed. Two-thirds of the victims were Dutch.
Kyiv blames the incident on the rebels and accuses Moscow of arming them. The rebels and Moscow deny the accusations.
(Based on reporting by Reuters and AP)
SO WHAT DOES 'SHIRTFRONT' MEAN, ANYWAY?
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott raised some eyebrows when he said he was planning to "shirtfront" Vladimir Putin over the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 at the upcoming G20 summit.
Now, thanks to news.com.au, we know what exactly that might mean.
Mr Abbott was speaking figuratively of course about his actions. He won’t actually lay a violent hand on the macho Russian.
But definitions are important. We have to know how serious was his figurative threat to understand how serious he will be with the Russian leader.
In AFL states, to shirtfront means to charge a rival player full pelt and hit them so hard they drop to the ground heavily. Apparently if a football is involved in this encounter it is only incidental and certainly not necessary.
In rugby territory – league and union, Mr Abbott’s game – to shirtfront means to grab by the coat lapels, or indeed the front of a shirt, and vigorously challenge.
So, if the Prime Minister threatening to metaphorically slam the Russian President into the ground? Or simply to muss up his shirt? In terminology Mr Abbott is most familiar with, probably the latter.
I guess we'll all find out on November 15-16 when the G20 summit is held in Brisbane, Queensland.
MORE DARTH VADER FUN IN UKRAINE
One of the many Darth Vaders vying for seats in the Verhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has released a campaign ad: