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A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard in the city of Schastye in the Luhansk region late last month.
A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard in the city of Schastye in the Luhansk region late last month.

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

Final News Summary For September 1, 2017

-- EDITOR'S NOTE: We have started a new Ukraine Live Blog as of September 2, 2017. Find it here.

-- Ukraine says it will introduce new border-crossing rules from next year, affecting citizens of “countries that pose risks for Ukraine.”

-- The Association Agreement strengthening ties between Ukraine and the European Union entered into force on September 1, marking an end to four years of political drama surrounding the accord.

-- The trial of Crimean journalist Mykola Semena will resume later this month after the first hearing in weeks produced little progress toward a resolution of the politically charged case.

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

22:07 5.6.2017

We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning to follow all the latest developments. Until then, you can catch up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.

22:02 5.6.2017

21:37 5.6.2017

Former Head Of Greek Catholic Church In Ukraine Buried

The former head of the Greek Catholic church in Ukraine was buried after a funeral mass in Kyiv. Cardinal Lubomyr Husar served as head of the church, the Major Archbishop of Kyiv, from 2005 to 2011. He was responsible for the move of the church's headquarters from Lviv to Kyiv in 2005. His funeral on June 5 was held at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection, which was constructed as the main church of the faith in Ukraine after the move from Lviv. (RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, natural sound, no subtitles)

Former Head Of Greek Catholic Church In Ukraine Buried
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20:44 5.6.2017

20:41 5.6.2017

19:20 5.6.2017

17:03 5.6.2017

Another item from our news desk:

Crimean Journalist's Trial Resumes, Adjourned Until June

Crimean journalist Mykola Semena outside a court in Simferopol last month.
Crimean journalist Mykola Semena outside a court in Simferopol last month.

The trial of RFE/RL contributor Mykola Semena, a Crimean journalist who is fighting what he says is a politically motivated separatism charge on the Russian-controlled peninsula, resumed on June 5 in the Crimean capital, Simferopol.

Semena's lawyer, Aleksei Popkov, told RFE/RL that materials linked to the prosecution were read out at the session on June 5. The judge then postponed the trial until June 14.

Semena faces up to five years in prison if convicted by Russia, which has jailed several people from Crimea who have opposed or criticized Moscow’s 2014 seizure of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine.

Semena's trial has been adjourned several times for different reasons since it started on March 20.

The charge against 66-year-old Semena stems from an article he wrote for RFE/RL's Krym.Realii (Crimea Realities) website in 2015.

The Kremlin-installed authorities in Crimea have charged that the article called for the violation of Russia's territorial integrity.

Semena maintains he is innocent. He has said that Crimea's status was and remains in dispute, and that he has the right to openly express his opinions.

The United States, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and international media watchdogs have expressed concern about Semena’s prosecution.

Activists say his trial is part of a persistent Russian clampdown on independent media and dissent in Crimea since Moscow’s takeover.

RFE/RL President Thomas Kent has described the case against Semena as "part of a concerted effort by Russian and Russian-backed authorities to obstruct RFE/RL's journalistic mission to provide an independent press to residents of Crimea."

After a Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president fled in the face of pro-European protests in February 2014, Russia seized control of Crimea after sending in troops and staging a referendum considered illegitimate by Kyiv, the United States, and a total of 100 UN member states.

The United States, European Union, and other countries imposed sanctions on Russia over the takeover of Crimea and say they will not be lifted until it is returned to Kyiv's control.

16:27 5.6.2017

16:27 5.6.2017

16:24 5.6.2017

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