Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this item that our news desk posted overnight:
Separatists Say Dozhd Journalists 'Deported' From Eastern Ukraine
Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region say they have expelled two journalists with Russia's independent TV channel Dozhd from territory they control, accusing the men of "biased and provocative" coverage of the conflict there.
Separatist authorities in Donetsk said in a November 25 statement that they had "deported" Dozhd journalists Sergei Yerzhenkov and Vasily Polonsky. The announcement came after the TV channel said it had lost contact with the two men.
The statement accused the journalists of conducting "illegal journalistic activity" in areas of Donetsk controlled by the separatists, who have been fighting a bloody war with Ukrainian forces that has killed more than 9,600 since April 2014.
Dozhd is known for its critical coverage of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has denied accusations by Kyiv, NATO, and the EU that the Kremlin is backing the separatists despite substantial evidence of such support.
The channel also provides a regular platform for opponents of the Russian government.
Dozhd said it lost contact with the journalists on November 25 after Polonsky reported that he had been detained by separatist authorities.
It added that the two men had received permission to report from the region both from the separatists and the Ukrainian government.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service, Dozhd, and AP
This ends our live blogging for November 25. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
"Normandy" foreign ministers to meet in Minsk:
The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine will meet in Belarus next week to discuss the implementation of a cease-fire agreement in eastern Ukraine.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandre Giorgini made the announcement on November 25, saying the meeting on November 29 would "allow us to go over what has been done and what has not been done since the October meeting in Berlin."
In October, the four countries agreed to draw up a road map in November on how to implement the Minsk cease-fire deal agreed in 2015.
At the Berlin meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President said they were aiming to resolve an impasse on the conflict by the end of November.
The Ukrainian government and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have failed to fully implement the Minsk agreement.
Fighting has continued in eastern Ukraine, where the conflict has killed more than 9,600 people. (AFP, Reuters)
WATCH: Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said there should be an investigation into the death of police officers during the 2014 Euromaidan revolution. He made the comments at a press conference on November 25 in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don where he now lives in exile.
