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Ten-year-old Sasha stands in a bomb shelter in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
Ten-year-old Sasha stands in a bomb shelter in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

Follow all of the latest developments as they happen.

Final News Summary For September 29

-- We have started a new Ukraine Live Blog. Find it here.

-- Ukraine is marking 75 years since the World War II massacre of 33,771 Jews on the outskirts of Nazi-occupied Kyiv.

-- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stabilize a fragile cease-fire in Ukraine and do all he could to improve what Merkel called a "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in Syria.

-- Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a decision by a Moscow-backed Crimean court to ban the Mejlis, the self-governing body of Crimean Tatars in the occupied Ukrainian territory.

* NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv (GMT/UTC +3)

11:00 20.2.2016

From overnight:

The United Nations children's agency says the conflict in Ukraine has "deeply affected" 580,000 children near the front lines and in areas of the east not under government control.

As a result, 200,000 youngsters — more than a third — need psycho-social support, UNICEF said on February 19.

"Two years of violence, shelling and fear have left an indelible mark on thousands of children in eastern Ukraine," said Giovanna Barberis, UNICEF's representative in Ukraine. "As the conflict continues, we need to reach these children urgently to meet their physical as well as psychological needs."

Barberis called on all parties to the conflict "to ensure safe movement and unhindered humanitarian access to help children in need."

UNICEF found that more than 200,000 children have been displaced and at least one in five schools in the conflict zone have been damaged.

Because of destroyed infrastructure and a disrupted healthcare system, Ukraine is facing a polio outbreak, it said.

The agency warned that freezing temperatures and fuel shortages are leaving children at risk of respiratory infections. Moreover, a lack of health services and shortage of medicines threatens to cause more disease outbreaks, it said.

11:00 20.2.2016

11:33 20.2.2016

Newsweek has more on the more than half a million children affected by Ukraine's conflict.

15:15 20.2.2016

17:29 20.2.2016

18:54 20.2.2016

18:55 20.2.2016

19:48 20.2.2016

From our news desk:

Kyiv Demonstrators Attack Russian Banks As Ukraine Marks ‘Euromaidan’ Anniversary

Nationalist demonstrators attacked two Russian banks in Kyiv as thousands attended ceremonies in the Ukrainian capital marking the second anniversary of the protests that brought down the Russia-friendly president.

Protesters threw rocks through the windows at the offices of Alfa Bank and Sberbank and ransacked furniture and equipment inside.

Police did not intervene.

February 20 marked the two-year anniversary of the bloodiest day of the months of protests, which had been sparked by then President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to spurn closer ties with the European Union.

More than 50 people died in sniper fire and fighting with police.

Ukraine now marks the occasion as the "Day of the Heavenly Hundred," which refers to those who died during the protests.

Yanukovych’s ouster resulted in Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and Russian-speaking separatists in eastern regions launching actions that escalated into a war that has killed more than 9,000 people.

20:00 20.2.2016

AP's story on the attacks on the banks:

21:02 20.2.2016

Barring any major developments, that ends the live blogging for today.

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