Tag: Donetsk

Kyiv Fortifies Eastern Front Amid Claims of Russian Breakthroughs in Donetsk Region

Kyiv is reportedly rushing reinforcements to the eastern Donetsk region amid unconfirmed reports of Russian gains in and around the flashpoint towns of Bakhmut and Soledar. “Our troops in Soledar have been allocated additional forces,” Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military’s Eastern Command, said on Jan. 9. “Everything is being done to improve…


Following Deadly New Year’s Barrage, Russia Takes Aim at US-Made Mobile Missile Systems

Russian forces this week appeared to redouble their efforts to neutralize Ukraine’s United States-made HIMAR (High Mobility Artillery Rocket) systems. The latest moves come in the wake of a massive New Year’s Eve artillery strike that killed scores of Russian soldiers in the Donetsk region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, within the past 24…


Republicans, Democrats Hold ‘Same Position’ on Russia, Senior Diplomat Says

Both political parties in the United States hold identical positions vis-a-vis Russia, Sergey Ryabkov, Moscow’s deputy foreign minister, has said. He made the claim on Dec. 9 following a meeting between U.S. and Russian officials in Istanbul, where the two sides reportedly discussed issues affecting bilateral relations. Ryabkov, who did not attend the Istanbul meeting,…


EC Backtracks After Putting Ukraine’s War Dead at ‘More than 100,000’

The European Commission (EC) appears to have backtracked on claims that the Ukrainian military has sustained upward of 100,000 dead since the conflict with Russia began more than nine months ago. The 27-member commission is the executive body of the European Union, a staunch supporter of the Ukrainian war effort. In a statement issued on…


Russia Claims Major Gains as Fighting in Donetsk Continues to Rage

Russian forces have made significant territorial gains in and around the strategic town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, pro-Moscow sources have claimed. Located roughly 55 miles north of Donetsk city, Bakhmut (Artyomovsk in Russian) and its surroundings have remained the scene of fierce fighting for the past several months. Russian forces deployed in…


Russian Forces Pound Ukraine’s Donetsk Region

KYIV—Ukrainian forces reported heavy Russian strikes and attempts to advance on several towns in the eastern region of Donetsk that has become a key focus of the near six-month war, but claimed they had repelled many of the attacks. The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces also reported Russian shelling of more than a dozen…


Ukraine Shelling Triggers Fire at Donetsk Oil Depot: Officials

A fire broke out overnight at an oil depot in Russian-controlled territory of eastern Ukraine after Ukrainian forces shelled the city of Donetsk, the head of the city administration said on Tuesday. “As a result of overnight shelling in the Budennovsky district, there was a fire at a fuel storage warehouse,” Donetsk mayor Alexey Kulemzin…


Is There an Emerging New World Order?

Commentary A previous opinion piece discussed how the world had treated the Republic of Kosovo differently to the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. This different treatment reveals the existence of a double standard with regard to secession and self-determination of ethnic groups under international law. While the West welcomed the secession of Kosovo from…


Ethnic Tensions Mar the Tragedy of MH17

Commentary One really wonders how many people still remember that on July 17, 2014, a scheduled Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by pro-Russian Donetsk separatists in Ukraine. All 289 passengers and crew died in the tragedy, including 80 children. The President of Russia Vladimir Putin, denied the…


Russian Advance on Ukraine’s Donetsk Region Thwarted so Far, Kyiv Says

KYIV—Ukraine has so far thwarted an attempted Russian advance into the north of its Donetsk region but the city of Sloviansk and other civilian areas are being heavily shelled, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. Russia has increased its focus on Donetsk, the southern part of which it and its proxies already control, after completing its…