Protests in Ukraine escalate

[Natalka]

Patriots in the East Ukrainian city of Kharkiv held a March of Heroes with a record number of around 5000 people attending. Members of the Azov battalion and Shidniy Korpus held speeches and candles spelling "Glory to the Heroes" were lit at the base of the demolished Lenin monument










I like the lanterns they use!

[Natalka]

Shelling near funeral procession in Mariupol

Kiev (AFP) - Seven civilians died and 17 were injured when shells exploded near a funeral procession in a suburb of the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Tuesday, city hall said.

"Several shells exploded on the territory of the village (of Sartana). Civilians participating in a funeral procession were hurt," it said in a statement, blaming the attack on pro-Russian rebels.

Seven people died and 17 were injured, a spokesman for the Mariupol city hall told AFP.

Mariupol, a large southern city in the eastern region of Donetsk, a hub of the pro-Russian insurgency, is controlled by Kiev and has been peaceful for many weeks.

But on Monday, local authorities said Ukrainian forces outside the city were attacked with artillery from the east.

Earlier Tuesday, the military said seven soldiers had died over the last 24 hours, the heaviest daily toll since a tenuous truce was struck between Kiev and the separatists on September 5.

http://news.yahoo.com/seven-killed-s...145511425.html

October 15 has been declared a day of mourning in Mariupol.

[Natalka]

In Luhansk more than 100 soldiers surrounded by militants, some killed, captured

Over one hundred Ukrainian soldiers have been surrounded by a group of militants in the area of Bakhmutka in Luhansk oblast, with the region’s governor describing the situation as “critical.”

Ukrainian armored vehicles have been destroyed, and soldiers killed, wounded and captured, Luhansk Region Governor Hennadiy Moskal wrote on his page on Facebook on Wednesday morning. "On Tuesday, October 14, constant clashes continued between the Ukrainian security forces and the terrorists in the area of ​​the Bakhmutka road in Luhansk,” Moskal said. “Our positions were attacked by militants of the so-called 32nd Separate Cossack District of the Don Cossacks, under the command of [Pavel] Dremov, who are dug in in a wooded area and who are armed with about 20 tanks and two dozen other armored vehicles," he said.

There is no firm information about the situation at Bakhmutka this morning. It is known that 112 soldiers of the Ukrainian army and National Guard have been surrounded. Several wounded and shell-shocked soldiers have been captured, including a battalion commander. The situation can be described as critical. It is impossible to obtain specific information about the number of dead and wounded and losses of armored vehicles, as constant bombardments from the militants’ heavy artillery, which is entrenched in nearby woodland, prevents access to the area. Attempts by Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe representatives to negotiate a ceasefire by phone with the leaders of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) were unsuccessful. The “Army of the Don” militants are not following the orders of the LPR and act at their own discretion, Moskal said.

http://www.unian.info/politics/99624...-captured.html

[Natalka]

Singing Trucker Hits Kremlin On All Cylinders

When Vadim Dubovsky hits the highway, his big rig transforms into a well-tuned, Putin-fighting machine.

The Donetsk-born trucker, who moved to the United States 10 years ago, has no love for the Kremlin's actions in his native Ukraine. And he is low on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

That becomes clear once you listen to his silky smooth baritone belting out operatic rants from behind the wheel.

In "Hell Continues To Burn," Dubovsky croons about Russia's return to its Cold War ways of blaming the West for all its problems and misfortunes.

He warns that Putin will be held accountable for the annexation of Crimea, the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and the Malaysian airliner brought down in the conflict zone.

"You will not be forgiven. Neither for the Boeing, nor for Crimea, nor Donbas."
Dubovsky's song warns Putin "not to expect mercy" for actions that "will not be forgiven."

His performances parody popular Soviet-era songs and even Russian national anthem. Dubovsky says he writes the lyrics and then "carefully chooses the music," adding that he does everything himself.

Once a professional musician -- he decided to stay in the United States for good while on his third traveling concert tour to the country -- Dubovsky took up his new profession as truck driver upon moving to Chicago.

http://www.rferl.org/content/feature/26578091.html

[Natalka]

The First Lady of Ukraine, Maryna Poroshenko, visiting with the Ukrainian troops on the line of fire and bringing 10 tons of aid for the soldiers and for their children

(comments on FB say she's the 'first' first lady of Ukraine to ever do anything....)







I wish my Ukrainian was better, but I think the blue sticker says To Warm Your Heart.

[Natalka]

New October 14 ‘Day of Defender of Ukraine’ holiday marks break with Soviet past


Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko proclaimed October 14, the day of celebrating Pokrova, or Intercession, of the Virgin Mary, a new state holiday – the Day of Defender of Ukraine.

- explanation of the change
http://euromaidanpress.com/2014/10/1...oviet-embrace/

[Natalka]

No proof of Russian withdrawal near Ukraine, NATO leader says


THESSALONIKI, GREECE (CBS) - NATO's top military commander said on Wednesday that the alliance would welcome the withdrawal of Russian troops from a Russian region bordering Ukraine, but that it had seen no "major movement" so far.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told The Associated Press in Thessaloniki that a withdrawal of all Russian troops was an "important part of bringing normalcy" to the area.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered about 17,600 Russian troops to return to their bases from Rostov.

The region in Russia borders east Ukraine, where pro-Russian insurgents have been battling government troops since April.

The Kremlin has said troops stationed there were participating in drills, but Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of fueling the insurgency with arms, expertise and fighters.

"First and foremost, we would welcome withdrawal of troops on that border and so we are anxiously watching what is happening. We have not seen major movements yet, and so we again welcome the announcement, but now we will watch to see if there is deliveries on the promise. We have long said that this is an important part of bringing normalcy - and to be able to find a lasting way ahead in Ukraine - is first and foremost for all Russian troops to be out of Ukraine, which we have not seen yet, and the Russian troops on the border to return to garrison,” Breedlove said.

He added that despite denials, Russia has had a presence in Crimea and parts of Ukraine. And that the war on the ground is not the only conflict taking place.

"Clearly Russia has been involved in the Crimea. Clearly Russia has been involved in eastern Ukraine. But we do have to deal with their information campaign which tries to make it look otherwise. It's a very sophisticated campaign, which I think we can learn from, quite frankly, because they have done it very, very well. Their use of the media, social media, Internet and other things, to carry these false narratives, and now what we need to do is refute the false narrative,” he added.

http://raycomcbs.worldnow.com/story/...to-leader-says

[Natalka]

Patriotic flash mob in Vinnytsia today

[Natalka]

Ukraine builds a ‘European bulwark’ to separate itself from aggressive Russia



Ukraine needs to set up the border with Russia with defensive engineering structures to be granted a visa-free regime with the European Union, stated Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatseniuk during his examination of the ‘Wall’ project, whose samples have already been set up near the checkpoint ‘Hoptivka’ in Kharkiv oblast. According to the Prime Minister, the government is announcing a tender to involve Ukrainian companies which will take up the production and construction of reinforcements at the border with the eastern neighbor.



Ukrainian PM Arseniy Yatseniuk Арсеній Яценюк inspects the Wall project on the border between Ukraine and Russia.

"Ukraine during the years of independence had no border security with Russia. That is why the Government began the "Wall" project. If you don't like the word "Wall," you can call it the "European rampart" This is basically a construction of the Eastern border of the EU.

What is our goal? First - to stop illegal migration. Second - to stop saboteur groups. Third - to stop smuggling. Fourth - to stop transportation of weapons. Fifth - to stop the movement of radioactive substances. And the sixth, main, goal: if we don't have a border, nobody will give us visa-free travel to the EU. If there is no border, we can't become part of NATO. Finally, an equipped border is our line of defense that will allow the Ukrainian Defense forces to hold the first line of attack against the aggressor, that is the Russian Federation.

Now we are announcing a public tender to involve Ukrainian enterprises in the construction, and also to provide employment to Ukrainians. Now more than 1100 people have signed up for the project.

------------
info on how the wall may be constructed

http://euromaidanpress.com/2014/10/1...essive-russia/

[Natalka]

Jordan shows its consideration for Ukraine

A Street in Jordan, where the Ukrainian embassy is located, was renamed after the most famous Ukrainian poet, according to the Minister for Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin.

[Natalka]

Where is Ukraine?

The teacher calls a young boy to the world map and asks him to point to France, Brazil... and Ukraine. See what he does at the end of this short but moving video

- "Show me France on the map, please.
- Here it is.
- And where is Brazil?
- Over here.
- And where is Ukraine?
- In here..."





Ukraine Always in My Heart

[Natalka]

Donetsk airport - has seen so much fighting - but a soldier raises the Ukrainian flag

[Natalka]

Promo for Ukrainian Armed Forces

[Natalka]

‘Open history lesson: East and West together’

The national youth organization Student Brotherhood recently held an ‘Open history lesson: East and West together’ at the Shukhevych Memorial Museum on Bilohorshcha Street in Lviv. The meeting was attended by student activists and volunteers from Sloviansk and Kramatorsk helping ATO personnel within the framework of the project ‘Volunteering and Social Activism’.

Uliana Kovalchuk, a board member of the Student Brotherhood, told ZAXID.NET that, in the past month, project participants have been conducting educational classes and action events in Donetsk oblast to debunk Soviet myths. She said that more than one thousand high school students from the liberated cities of Donbas have created their own civic centers in schools, and have begun distributing educational materials and organizing street events to eliminate the ‘DNR legacy’.

On October 14, the Day of Defender of Ukraine, activists arrived in Lviv to meet witnesses of the fight for independence. They got acquainted with Daria Husiak and Olha Ilkiv, couriers for the UPA Commander-in-Chief, Roman Shukhevych. Uliana points out that these two women are shining examples of the struggle for civil dignity.
The two elderly ladies guided the students through Shukhevych’s headquarters and shared their memories.



http://euromaidanpress.com/2014/10/1...r-their-roots/

[Natalka]

(I just can't imagine how hard it is for Poroshenko to even be in the same room as Putin... let alone to shake hands...)

Meeting in Milan:


(Poroshenko and Putin, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, the host of the summit Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and EU representatives José Manuel Barrosso, Herman Van Rompuy and Federica Mogerini.)

A high-stakes meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and Russia ended Friday with few outward signs of progress in ending a months-long pro-Russian separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters at a summit in Milan that a deal had been reached - "at least for the winter" - to restart the flow into Ukraine of Russian natural gas. He did not elaborate.

Putin repeatedly referred to the embattled Ukraine region near the Russian border as Novorossiya, or New Russia, while again rejecting Western charges that the Kremlin has fueled the six-month rebellion with troops and weapons.

Officials close to the talks reported some progress on monitoring a porous demarcation line that was agreed on last month to separate pro-Russian rebels from Ukrainian forces. The leaders of Italy, France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia agreed on the use of surveillance drones to monitor the line.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said envoys from Russia, Ukraine and the European Union will meet next week in Brussels for new talks aimed at finding an end to the crisis.

Earlier Friday, after a sideline meeting between the Russian president and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the German leader said she "can not see a breakthrough here at all so far." She said talks will continue, but said the "main issue" of "continued violations of the territorial integrity of Ukraine" remains unresolved.

http://www.voanews.com/content/putin...n/2486789.html


“Vladimir Putin said very clearly that he does not want a frozen conflict, he does not want a divided Ukraine. But if this is the case, then Russia should employ means to execute what has been agreed before: remove the Russian army from Ukraine, remove heavy weaponry from Ukraine, and respect all the agreements,” said British Prime Minister David Cameron.
As to the execution of the Minsk agreements, the main point is de-escalation and a ceasefire, as even on the day of the Milan meetings, the mercenaries attacked Donetsk airport twice.

There is also talk of the necessity to create a buffer 30-kilometer zone; remove heavy weaponry; exchange hostages; free the Ukrainian citizens who are being held illegally in Russia, as well as ensure full-fledged work for the OSCE observer mission in the East of Ukraine, by including 500 people in it at this stage, providing it with drones to control the Ukraine-Russia border, in particular.

http://euromaidanpress.com/2014/10/1...onbas-and-gas/