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A portrait of slain separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko hangs outside the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theatre on September 2.
A portrait of slain separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko hangs outside the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theatre on September 2.
Ukraine Live Blog

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

-- EDITOR'S NOTE: We have started a new Ukraine Live Blog as of September 3, 2018. You can find it here.

-- Tens of thousands of people gathered on September 2 in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine to mourn a top rebel leader who was recently killed in a bomb attack.

-- Prominent Ukrainian historian Mykola Shityuk has been found dead in his home city of Mykolaiv, police said on September 2.​

-- Ukraine says it has imprisoned the man it accused of being recruited by Russia’s secret services to organize a murder plot against self-exiled Russian reporter and Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko.

-- Ukraine and Russia are trading blame for the killing of a top separatist leader in eastern Ukraine.

-- Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the head of the head of the breakaway separatist entity known as the Donetsk People’s Republic, was killed in an explosion at a cafe in Donetsk on August 31.

-- The United States is ready to widen arms supplies to Ukraine to help build up the country's naval and air defense forces in the face of continuing Russian support for eastern separatists, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine told The Guardian.

-- The spiritual head of the worldwide Orthodox Church in Istanbul has hosted Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill for talks on Ukraine's bid to split from the Russian church, a move strongly opposed by Moscow.

*Time stamps on the blog refer to local time in Ukraine

12:05 10.12.2017

12:02 10.12.2017

12:01 10.12.2017

11:58 10.12.2017

09:42 10.12.2017

09:41 10.12.2017

09:40 10.12.2017

09:36 10.12.2017

09:35 10.12.2017

09:16 10.12.2017

PHOTO GALLERY: Life In The Trenches On The Outskirts Of Donetsk

Two villages near the city of Donetsk, Avdiyivka and Pisky, are the scene of ongoing fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists. Both towns have been heavily damaged, and the fighters are suffering the impact of months or years of combat. RFE/RL journalists visited the front-line positions of the Ukrainian government forces in both locations.

Life In The Trenches On The Outskirts Of Donetsk

A Ukrainian soldier points toward the zone of combat in an industrial area near Avdiyivka, just north of Donetsk. 
1/20 A Ukrainian soldier points toward the zone of combat in an industrial area near Avdiyivka, just north of Donetsk. 
Ukrainian soldiers have dug trenches and tunnels in the Promka industrial zone. The Russia-backed separatists have also dug in to their positions on the other side of the front lines.&nbsp;<br /> &nbsp;
2/20 Ukrainian soldiers have dug trenches and tunnels in the Promka industrial zone. The Russia-backed separatists have also dug in to their positions on the other side of the front lines. 
 
Journalists run for cover with Ukrainian government forces, anticipating the start of shelling.&nbsp;
3/20 Journalists run for cover with Ukrainian government forces, anticipating the start of shelling. 
Ukrainian soldiers taking a break
4/20 Ukrainian soldiers taking a break
Dmytro, a 21-year-old soldier
5/20 Dmytro, a 21-year-old soldier
A soldier stands with a machine gun some 100 meters from enemy positions.
6/20 A soldier stands with a machine gun some 100 meters from enemy positions.
Grenades are kept close at hand.
7/20 Grenades are kept close at hand.
The inside of one of the Ukrainian troops&#39; shelters
8/20 The inside of one of the Ukrainian troops' shelters
9/20
Ukrainian soldiers make their way past damaged buildings in Avdiyivka.&nbsp;
10/20 Ukrainian soldiers make their way past damaged buildings in Avdiyivka. 
Just a few kilometers from Avdiyivka is the village of Pisky, largely destroyed by ongoing fighting.&nbsp;
11/20 Just a few kilometers from Avdiyivka is the village of Pisky, largely destroyed by ongoing fighting. 
A 22-year-old fighter nicknamed Pixel chops firewood -- the only available source of heating. The forces rely on generators for electricity.&nbsp;
12/20 A 22-year-old fighter nicknamed Pixel chops firewood -- the only available source of heating. The forces rely on generators for electricity. 
Nearly every house in Pisky has been damaged or destroyed in the fighting.&nbsp;
13/20 Nearly every house in Pisky has been damaged or destroyed in the fighting. 
Ukrainian soldiers nicknamed Сoyote and Bek talk in an underground shelter.&nbsp;
14/20 Ukrainian soldiers nicknamed Сoyote and Bek talk in an underground shelter. 
Painted hand grenades are used as decoration.
15/20 Painted hand grenades are used as decoration.
Daryna, 23, has been fighting since 2014 -- first as a volunteer, then as a soldier in the Ukrainian Army. Her 6-year-old daughter is waiting for her at home.
16/20 Daryna, 23, has been fighting since 2014 -- first as a volunteer, then as a soldier in the Ukrainian Army. Her 6-year-old daughter is waiting for her at home.
A wood-fired stove provides hot water in this bathroom used by the soldiers.
17/20 A wood-fired stove provides hot water in this bathroom used by the soldiers.
Coyote reads an inscription on the body armor belonging to a soldier called Pharaoh:&nbsp;&quot;I live in my God-given land. Everything will be 4.5.0.&quot; The military slang means &quot;Everything will be fine.&quot;
18/20 Coyote reads an inscription on the body armor belonging to a soldier called Pharaoh: "I live in my God-given land. Everything will be 4.5.0." The military slang means "Everything will be fine."
Spent munitions litter the ground throughout Pisky.&nbsp;
19/20 Spent munitions litter the ground throughout Pisky. 
A Ukrainian flag hangs on the bell tower of a church in the middle of Pisky.
20/20 A Ukrainian flag hangs on the bell tower of a church in the middle of Pisky.
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