Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
Pentagon Reportedly Recommends Lethal Aid Package For Ukraine
The U.S. Defense Department has recommended sending a package of lethal military aid to Ukraine worth about $50 million, the U.S. NBC television network has reported.
NBC published the report on August 4, citing three unnamed officials who said the recommendation has been forwarded to the White House for consideration.
A Pentagon spokesperson refused to confirm the report, but told NBC that "we haven't ruled anything out."
The reported weapons package purportedly would include Javelin shoulder-launched antitank missiles.
Russia annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea in early 2014 and has provided extensive military, economic, and political to separatist militants in eastern Ukraine.
During a visit to Kyiv last month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg asserted that Russia has "thousands" of troops on Ukrainian soil.
Although Russia denies military involvement in the conflict, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2016 determined the conflict to be "an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation."
Based on reporting by NBC, The Wall Street Journal, and Stars And Stripes
Ukraine Taking Legal Action Against German Band Over Crimea Concert
Ukrainian prosecutors have begun legal proceedings against the German techno band Scooter, and it faces significant legal consequences for performing at a festival in Crimea on August 4, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany said.
Ukrainian envoy Andriy Melnyk said on Facebook and in an interview with the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper chain that the band's decision to enter Crimea, which Russia annexed illegally in 2014, was "not only a scandal, but also a crime with serious legal consequences."
The band appeared at the ZBFest rock festival in Balaklava.
"This isn't some minor infraction, but a serious crime that will be punished," Melnyk told the newspaper chain.
Ukrainian prosecutors said the band's members were warned against going to Crimea and could face up to eight years in prison.
"Such illegal actions committed by foreign citizens and world celebrities, who can...influence the opinion of their fans, impede Ukraine's efforts towards restoring its territorial integrity," the prosecutor's office said.
Scooter front man H.P. Baxxte said last month the band was going to Crimea to perform music for its fans there, not to engage in politics.
No comment was immediately available from the band on the prosecutor's charges.