Protests in Ukraine escalate

[Natalka]

#Odesa residents paid tribute to victims of #Chernobyl nuclear disaster - 29 years ago





More info about Chernobyl

http://khpg.org/index.php?id=1429997022

[Natalka]

Paris, France today - Run for Peace Ukraine arrives in the capital of France. 12 runners left Kyiv on March 21, running for PEACE in Ukraine and Europe

[Natalka]

EU-Ukraine summit to deepen ties as shelling worsens

EU leaders are in talks with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko covering trade and peace efforts, as heavy shelling intensifies in the east.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk are at the Kiev talks.


International observers report intense shelling near the city of Mariupol.
On Sunday tank and mortar rounds pounded Shyrokyne, a village held by government forces near Mariupol, a strategic government-held port city.
The OSCE observers said it was the most intense shelling since fighting began in the area in mid-February.
Heavy weapons including tanks were spotted in rebel-held areas nearby, the OSCE said. Such weapons were supposed to have been pulled back under the truce agreed in February.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32478933

[Natalka]

Well, what they did with this song is amazing - not only is it good in Ukrainian, but the translation to English is fabulous.

[Anna Michele]

That was very well done

[Natalka]

Euromaidan PR @Euro maidanPR · 2h 2 hours ago




Last goodbyes to Donbas battalion serviceman Konstyantyn Maluhin killed in action in #Shyrokyne

[Natalka]

Lenin in Cherkasy received the Kozak treatment

[Natalka]

Social videos on victory over Nazism unite generations in Ukraine

We Remember. We admire. We will prevail.

These videos tell a story of love for Ukraine and the connection between different generations and memory of the victory over Nazi occupiers.

According to Dmytro Tymchuk, a Ukrainian MP and coordinator of Information Resistance, this project is designed to combat the tide of Russian propaganda and speculation regarding Victory Day celebration as well as veterans and awards of the Second World War:

“These social videos tell a story of two generations, who despite a raging conflict can find common ground. In the center of the story are World War II veterans who receive a telephone call from their grandchildren: one is a nurse in the military hospital , the other – a soldier in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Their dialogues better than any political rhetoric show the true feelings of “modern Banderites” (as Russian propaganda calls us) regarding the memory of our grandfathers who fought and stopped fascism. We value their heroism and sacrifice and will never forget it.”


In early April, Ukrainian MPs adopted a legislative initiative regarding the establishment of May 8th as the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation in honor of all victims of the Second World War. It was also decided to leave May 9th as a Victory Day over Nazism. At same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to build its own ideology based on the myth of Russian people’s exclusive role in the victory of the “Great Patriotic War,” using it as a weapon in Russia’s war against Ukraine and its expansionist policy overall.




http://euromaidanpress.com/2015/04/2...ed-in-ukraine/

[Natalka]

[Natalka]

Euromaidan PR @Euro maidanPR · 1h 1 hour ago




2 #Ukrainian servicemen - from 93rd and 51st brigades were released from militant captivity after 8 months

[Natalka]

Ukraine says rebels firing rocket launchers again


KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian military officials said Tuesday that separatist rebels in the east have resumed the use of rocket launchers that should have been withdrawn under a February peace deal.
The army said in a statement that rebels fired Grad rockets Monday evening at the government-held town of Avdiivka, which lies on the fringes of the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk.
There has been a recent uptick in clashes along the front separating government and rebel forces. Speaking at an investor conference in Kiev, President Petro Poroshenko warned that the resumption of full-blown war is a perennial threat.
"War could start at any moment, but we are ready to do everything possible to dispel any room for doubts or retreats," he said.

Responsibility for checking whether the deal is being implemented lies with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. But the OSCE's special monitoring mission said late Monday that its monitors have been prevented by rebels from visiting a location where heavy arms have allegedly been deployed.
For the third time in four days, the rebels have prevented the mission "from freely accessing the eastern part of Shyrokyne," the OSCE said in statement.

Shyrokyne lies directly on the front line and is a short distance east of the key industrial port city of Mariupol, which is in government hands.
Fighting there has never entirely subsided despite the Minsk agreement, but clashes appear to have intensified in recent days.
The OSCE has said the clashes it saw Sunday in Shyrokyne were the worst it had seen since fighting began in the area in mid-February.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/w...hers/26497113/

[Natalka]

Representatives of Canadian military police on a visit in Ukraine



Wednesday, April 29. KYIV – In the framework of bilateral agreements between Main Directorate of Military Service of Law and Order of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Attaché for Defence of the Canadian Embassy in Ukraine, two-day working meeting of delegation of both countries was held in the Central Officers’ House of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Representatives of military law enforcement structures discussed prospects of cooperation, problems existing in Ukrainian law and order units and issues of possible Canadian assistance.

In the beginning, the Ukrainian delegation led by Col. Volodymyr Hutsol, Deputy Chief of Main Directorate of Military Service of Law and Order of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Canadian delegation led by Lt. Col. Martin Laflamme held official talks.

The parties discussed and agreed the implementation plan of the Military Service of Law and Order for 2015-2016.

http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2015/0...it-in-ukraine/

[Natalka]

Another Transfer of Non-Lethal Equipment to Ukraine

April 28, 2015 a new batch of non-lethal equipment was transferred to the Ukrainian National Guard during a media event in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Honourable Chris Alexander, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, attended the event on behalf of Canada, in the presence of Lieutenant-General Mykola Balan, Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine.

The shipment of night-vision goggles is part of an $11‑million Canadian assistance package announced in November 2014.


Canada’s assistance is aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces in their fight to defend their country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“We are grateful to friendly Canada for its understanding of the real situation in our country and the role of the National Guard. Today’s ceremony is very important for us, as we face a real threat to the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and we thank Canada for its support and readiness to assist the National Guard in equipping its personnel.”
- Lieutenant-General Mykola Balan, Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine



http://www.international.gc.ca/media....aspx?lang=eng

[Natalka]

VIRA SAVCHENKO VISITS CANADA TO RAISE AWARENESS
OF ILLEGAL IMPRISONMENT OF HER SISTER BY RUSSIA


29 April, 2015 – Toronto/Ottawa – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) welcomed Vira Savchenko, sister of illegally imprisoned Ukrainian military pilot Nadiya Savchenko, to Canada.

Vira Savchenko was in Canada to raise awareness of the illegal arrest and imprisonment of her sister Nadiya by Russian authorities. While in Canada, she participated in the International Roundtable discussion “Reforms, Security and the European Ukraine” on Saturday April 25 in Toronto, and a banquet on Sunday April 26, hosted by Dopomoha Ukraini, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, Canada Ukraine Chamber of Commerce and the UCC. On April 27-28, Ms. Savchenko met with political leaders, the Ukrainian community and the media in Ottawa.

Lt. Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian air force pilot, was abducted by Kremlin-backed terrorists in Luhansk oblast in eastern Ukraine in June 2014. She was illegally removed from Ukrainian territory to the Russian Federation, where she continues to be illegally imprisoned.

While in Ottawa, Vira raised awareness of the grave situation concerning Nadiya and met with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Consular, David Anderson, M.P.; the Honourable Senator Raynell Andreychuk, Chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee; Opposition Members of Parliament Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar, M.P. (NDP) and, Members of Parliament the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Chrystia Freeland (Liberal), as well as with the media. On the evening of April 27, Ms. Savchenko addressed over 100 members of the Ukrainian community assembled at Ottawa’s Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral’s hall, and responded to questions from the audience. Vira also met with representatives of the Embassy of Ukraine to Canada.


(centre is Vira; right is MP from Regina, Ralph Goodale)


w/ Senator Raynell Andreychuk

(sorry, they didn't have people in photos IDed, those are just the two I know by sight - there are other pics on the link)

http://www.ucc.ca/2015/04/29/vira-sa...ter-by-russia/

[Natalka]

Euromaidan Press


6 hrs · Edited ·

Volunteers in town of Khmelnytskyi in ‪#‎Ukraine‬, this week repaired armoured personnel carrier BTR-70, naming it in honour of Nadiya Savchenko, "our invincible hope - a symbol of resistance to Russian aggression."