Section: San Francisco Chronicle (USA)
Fighting outside key Ukrainian city kills 9 troops
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Nine troops were killed in overnight fighting in the streets of a town neighboring the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, a Ukrainian official said Wednesday, as the government battled to gain control of a major railroad and highway linking the area to Russia. The Kiev government also has pursued diplomatic efforts to resolve the...
Protesters plant Ukraine flag on Moscow skyscraper
Russian authorities were not amused by the prank in support of Ukraine, where government troops are battling pro-Russian separatists. The LifeNews media site posted a video it says shows one of the protesters parachuting off of the building and landing in an inner courtyard. …read more Source: San Francisco...
Ukraine’s rebel capital seeks ersatz normality
The regular rumble on the edge of this besieged city in eastern Ukraine is a constant reminder of the government’s effort to shell armed pro-Russian separatists out of their stronghold. Rebel leaders announced months ago that they would raise funds by levying taxes from local businesses, but almost all private enterprises have ceased to...
As Ukrainian forces advance, president plans to meet with Putin
Ukrainian forces pushed deeper into territory controlled by pro-Russian rebels Tuesday, fighting street battles in the besieged city of Luhansk and pressuring the outer defenses of Donetsk in a further blow to the separatists’ crumbling virtual state. While continuing its offensive, the Ukrainian government said it saw a real chance for a...
Germany’s Merkel to visit Ukraine on Saturday
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Kiev on Saturday and meet with top officials, making her first visit to Ukraine since the crisis there erupted. Merkel is making the visit at Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s invitation and also will meet with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Merkel spokesman Steffen...
Ukrainian govt troops inch closer to rebel city
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said in a Facebook post that one soldier was killed and four wounded when a volunteer battalion came under mortar fire before entering the town of Ilovaysk, 18 kilometers (11 miles) east of Donetsk. Among the wounded is the commander of the Donbass battalion, Semyon Semenchenko, who said government soldiers...
Ukraine says rebels kill dozens of civilians
The refugees were attacked with Grad rockets and other weapons imported from Russia as their convoy traveled between the towns of Khryashchuvate and Novosvitlivka, said Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security Council. The war zone in eastern Ukraine is effectively off limits for journalists and lacks power in many...
Grief, relief as ravaged Ukrainian town rebuilds
LYSYCHANSK, Ukraine (AP) — After months of rebel occupation and weeks of Ukrainian liberation, the residents of this shell-shocked border town say they hope simply to rebuild their former lives — but fear that war could return to their doorstep. Many homes and entire neighborhoods bear scars from the two-day fight for Lysychansk, a...
Ukraine: rebels fire on civilian convoy
Russia’s foreign minister earlier said he expects the extensive humanitarian aid mission for eastern Ukraine to enter the country in the near future. The humanitarian aid convoy from Russia has been watched with suspicion by Ukraine and Western countries, who suggest it could be used to spirit in weapons for the separatists, who are...
Ukraine reports army deep in rebel stronghold Luhansk
Ukraine’s national security council said government forces captured a district police station in Luhansk on Saturday after bitter clashes. Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksiy Dmitrashkovsky said Sunday that the separatists shot down a Ukrainian fighter plane over the Luhansk region after it launched an attack on rebels. A column of armored...
