NATO, Russia hold talks on risk reduction:
By RFE/RL
NATO and Russia officials have held talks on "ways to increase transparency and risk reduction," the military alliance says.
A statement says NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow discussed these issues on September 15 with Russia's NATO ambassador, Aleksandr Grushko.
The statement said Vershbow told Grushko that NATO was ready to continue the dialogue, but that there was "no change" in policy toward Russia.
"Our practical cooperation remains suspended following Russia's aggressive actions against Ukraine," it said. "At the same time, we decided to keep channels of political dialogue open."
The statement added that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg "looks forward to discussing these issues and next steps" with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "in the near future."
The meeting could come next week, when Stoltenberg and Lavrov are scheduled to be in New York for the annual session of the UN General Assembly.
Relations between NATO and Russia have reached their lowest point since the Cold War over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and its role in the military conflict in eastern Ukraine. (w/AFP, AP)
Kyiv To Host 2018 Champions League Soccer Final
The 2018 Champions League soccer final will be held in Kyiv, Europe's soccer governing body has announced, despite concerns over the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
"Ukraine will host the UEFA Champions League final on May 26, 2018," said UEFA's executive committee in a statement on September 15.
Ukraine, which was co-host of the 2012 Euros with Poland, submitted its official bid to stage the final at Kyiv's 70,000-seat Olympic Stadium earlier this year.
The final will be held only a few weeks before Russia stages the World Cup.
There are concerns over security, with Ukrainian government forces locked in a deadly conflict with pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Another worry is Ukraine's track record on racism, with UEFA having fined and imposed a three-match stadium ban on Dynamo Kyiv after racist behavior by their fans.
Estonia's capital, Tallinn, will host the UEFA Super Cup final on August 18, 2018.
Based on reporting by AFP and dpa
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council (CLICK TO ENLARGE):
UN: Death Toll From Ukraine Conflict Tops 9,600
By RFE/RL
The United Nations says the death toll from the conflict in eastern Ukraine has reached more than 9,600 as the situation in the region deteriorates.
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said that by September 15 it had documented 9,640 conflict-related deaths and 22,431 injuries among Ukrainian armed forces, civilians, and members of the armed groups since the conflict began in mid-April 2014.
The report by the OHCHR, which covers the period from mid-May to mid-August, shows a 66 percent increase in the number of conflict-related civilian casualties in the east, compared to the previous three-month period.
In total, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine documented 188 civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine, including 28 dead and 160 injured, during the three months covered by the report.
“While the situation has improved since the cease-fire was restored on September 1, the situation along the contact line remains deeply unstable, as demonstrated by the incidents which took place last weekend. In fact, there is a real risk that a new outbreak of violence could happen at any time,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.