Section: Cyprus Mail (Cyprus)
Nine Ukrainian soldiers killed in ‘tense’ eastern conflict
By Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets Nine Ukrainian servicemen have been killed in fighting Russian-backed separatists in the past 24 hours, the Kiev military said on Tuesday, as rebels fought to encircle a key town straddling transport routes between their two strongholds. Violence in eastern Ukraine is at by far its worst since a ceasefire was...
Seven Ukrainian soldiers killed in intensified rebel attacks
Seven Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in intensified clashes with pro-Russian rebels in the eastern conflict zone in the past 24 hours, the Kiev military said on Monday, reporting fierce fighting at the strategic small town of Debaltseve. Violence in eastern Ukraine is at its worst level since a ceasefire was agreed last September and...
Russia blames Ukraine for violence, urges West not to support Kiev
Russia blamed the Ukrainian authorities on Monday for a surge in violence in southeastern Ukraine and urged the West not to show its support for Kiev with actions such as imposing new sanctions on Moscow. “We see attempts to derail the peace process and attempts again and again by the Kiev leadership to solve the problem by using force to...
Pro-Russian rebels attack key port, Ukraine says at least 30 dead
By Alessandra Prentice and Pavel Polityuk Pro-Russian rebels launched an offensive against the strategic port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, prompting the European Union’s foreign policy chief to warn of a further “grave deterioration” in EU-Russian relations. Mariupol’s city administration said the rebels had killed at...
Stylianides to visit Ukraine as EU steps up humanitarian aid
The European Union is preparing to step up its humanitarian aid to the people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, especially the displaced and those who need help to weather the severe cold which has gripped the country. Cypriot EU Commissioner Christos Stylianides, responsible for humanitarian aid and crisis management, will be in Ukraine on...
Merkel says “not there yet” on lifting of Russia sanctions
German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused Russia on Thursday of violating Europe’s peaceful post-war order with its interventions in Ukraine and said Europe could not consider lifting economic sanctions against Moscow until it changed course. “The annexation of Crimea is not just any annexation. It is a violation of the values that created a...
At least six civilians killed in shelling attack in Donetsk
At least six civilians were killed on Thursday when a shell or a mortar hit a trolleybus stop in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a Reuters witness said. The Reuters cameraman said he saw six bodies on the ground near, and inside, a trolleybus in a southern district of the city. Windows of shops nearby had been blown out...
Ukraine says its forces attacked by Russian troops, Lavrov seeks immediate ceasefire
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was cutting short a foreign trip on Wednesday after Kiev accused Russian regular forces of attacking its troops in the country’s east. The accusation against Moscow on Tuesday was one of the boldest assertions yet by Ukraine of direct Russian military involvement since the conflict between pro-Russian...
Fighting rages near airport as Russia and Ukraine bicker
By Richard Balmforth Pro-Russian separatists renewed attacks on Ukrainian forces at an airport complex in the east on Monday after Kiev launched a mass operation to reclaim lost ground there that Russia called a “strategic mistake”. Ukrainian officials said three soldiers had been killed and 66 wounded over the past 24 hours, during which they...
Ukrainian troops retake most of Donetsk airport from rebels
By Natalia Zinets and Lina Kushch Ukrainian troops have recaptured almost all the territory of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine they had lost to separatists in recent weeks and thousands gathered in Kiev for a state-sponsored peace march. Sunday’s offensive brought fighting close to the industrial city of Donetsk, centre of a pro-Russian...
