Here's another item from our news desk:
Three Ukrainian Soldiers Killed In Donbas Fighting
The Ukrainian military says three Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 10 others injured in fighting against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in the past day.
The military said in a statement on February 17 that some 66 mortar attacks by separatists against Ukrainian Army positions were recorded in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with the heaviest fighting near Avdiyivka and Marinka.
Dozens of people have been killed in recent weeks in an escalation of fighting that has been condemned by Western countries and international organizations.
Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) say fighting in the past week had lessened from the beginning of February.
The Ukrainian, German, French, and Russian foreign ministers are due to meet on February 18 at the Munich Security Conference to discuss the crisis.
More than 9,750 people have been killed since fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine in March 2014.
Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander and Chief of Staff Viktor Muzhenko said on February 17 that a total of 2,197 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and more than 8,000 wounded in the fighting with separatists.
Based on reporting by dpa and Interfax
Kyiv acts to protect energy security amid coal shortage:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree to prevent threats to the country's energy security amid a shortage of coal from eastern regions controlled by separatist fighters.
Volunteer Ukrainian fighting battalions have been blocking railway connections with districts in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by Russia-backed separatists, which has led to a lack of traditional anthracite coal across the country and led to power shortages.
Poroshenko's decree on February 16 said the measure -- based on a decision by the National Security and Defense Council -- was undertaken to foster protection of key infrastructure.
The decree obliges Ukrainian authorities to find ways to switch from traditional anthracite coal to other types of coal used at thermal power stations.
Other alternatives for coal will be sought and additional coal reserves will be created, as per the decree.
All exports of anthracite coal from Ukraine have been halted for the time being and all deliveries of goods from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are now strictly controlled by law enforcement and security units. (UNIAN, Interfax)