Contents tagged with Donbas

  • Ukraine insists on withdrawal of forces in four areas of Donbas

    Ukraine has proposed to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) four new areas of the Donbas where withdrawal of forces should take place.

    Citing a source in the TCG in Minsk, Hromadske reports that Ukraine is insisting on disengagement near the railway bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska, near Avdiivka, Novoselytsia Vtora and near the Hnutovo checkpoint.

    Russia, in turn, is pushing for disengagement near the settlements of Schastia, Veselohorivka, Rozsadka, Hnutovo and Shyrokyne, as well as near …

  • Putin demands that Donbas special status be included in the constitution of Ukraine

    At a press conference after the talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Kyiv should include the "special status of the Donbas" in the Constitution of Ukraine.

    According to the Russian president, this is part of the Minsk agreements.

    "The extension of the law on the special status of Donbas is a good step in the right direction, but the law should become indefinite, as stipulated in the Minsk agreements. It is necessary to consolidate …

  • Kyiv names ideal time for Donbas elections

    The ideal time to hold elections in the Donbas would be in parallel with local elections in the rest of Ukraine in autumn, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko told Bild in an interview, a translation of which was published on the Foreign Ministry website.

    He pointed out that Ukraine has already agreed to enshrine the so-called Steinmeier Formula in its legislation, but this does not mean that the elections will be held under any and all circumstances.

    “Ideally, these elections should …

  • Swiss company accused of supplying Ukraine with coal from Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics

    The largest Swiss coal trader, Adelon AG, has been accused of buying coal from the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LDPR) and reselling it to Ukraine, the Ukrainian news outlet Delo.ua reports. The Swiss company denied the allegations. The company specializes in supplying coal from the Kuzbass (Russia’s Kemerovo and Novosibirsk provinces) to a number of European and Asian countries, but it does not work with Ukraine.

    Adelon AG does not accept Donbas coal, and this applies not only to …

  • Merkel and Macron welcome exchange of prisoners in Donbas

    German government deputy spokesperson Martina Fitz wrote on her Twitter that Berlin and Paris welcome the exchange of prisoners between the parties involved in the military conflict in the Donbas.

    As Fitz noted, the exchange should help restore trust between the parties and establish a ceasefire. "Amid the celebration of the New Year and Orthodox Christmas, today's exchange has become a humanitarian gesture that everyone was expecting for a long time," said Fitz.

    The exchange is the proof of …

  • Kyiv carries out prisoner exchange with DPR and LPR

    The mutual exchange of prisoners by Ukraine and the separatists in the Donbas, agreed on within the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), took place on Sunday, December 29, near the Mayorsk checkpoint on the demarcation line in the Donetsk region. The Office of the President of Ukraine announced that the swap had been completed successfully. According to the report, 76 people were given back to Kyiv, and 124 people were returned to the self-proclaimed separatist republics of the Donbas.

    The press …

  • Kyiv eases citizenship requirements for foreigners who fought on Ukraine's side in Donbas

    Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk wrote on his Twitter that the Ukrainian government has simplified the procedure for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship for foreign citizens who fought in the Donbas on the side of Ukrainian Armed Forces.

    According to Honcharuk, the Ukrainian government approved the mechanism for foreign citizens to obtain a residence permit in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Prime Minister stressed that this would be the first step for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship.

    Earlier, …

  • Kyiv prepares for complete ceasefire in Donbas from January 1

    Ukraine is preparing for a complete ceasefire in the Donbas, starting on January 1, said Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodniuk in a press conference, as cited by Interfax-Ukraine.

    “We are preparing for a full ceasefire from January 1. That is, we are currently preparing for it, and will be working on it,” he said.

    The minister also said that Ukraine and the militants have identified new sections for the disengagement of armed forces and heavy weaponry.

    “Yes, we have identified our …

  • Belarusian President Lukashenko: Ukraine provoked war in Donbas

    Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview with the Echo of Moscow radio that Ukraine provoked the beginning of the conflict in the Donbas.

    "Ukraine framed itself to some extent. Ukraine started to strangle its Russian population through language issues and other things. They started to speak about issues that shouldn't have been raised in Ukraine! Anyway, I'm not justifying Russia now. I do not blame Ukraine. But anyway, Ukraine, provoked this clash, even though giving …

  • Putin: Donbas militants obtain weapons from countries that 'sympathize with them'

    Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his press conference, said that military equipment to the separatist-held territories of Ukraine could be supplied by countries "that sympathize with the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics."

    Commenting on the presence of tanks and heavy artillery in the Donbas, Putin said that there are various kinds of conflicts and hostilities with the use of artillery and other weapons in many "hot spots" of the world.

    "Where do they get it from? Probably, from …