Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A rally of the Ata Meken party in Jalal-Abad province It was shortly after 8 o’clock when the polling station chairman ushered us into a side room Inside was a table laden with food and drink from sparkling water to wine and chilled vodka a mining town in the Donetsk province of eastern Ukraine where I was on an election observation mission although even there not so normal in a working environment and our working day that hot Sunday in September 2007 had begun just an hour and a half earlier My Russian diplomat partner tucked in and took a shot of vodka with his cold meat I had a more modest snack and demurely declined the booze the mission chiefs from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had told us to be on our guard for Ukraine’s “legendary hospitality.” I had been a British Council exchange student for a year in Kiev before being posted to Moscow by Reuters in 1971 I have now been a short-term observer on seven missions six times in the former Soviet Union and once in the Balkans spending between five weeks and three months on the ground The long-term missions took me back to Ukraine as well as to Armenia divided since 2014 after pro-Russian rebels took over parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces monitoring ensures supervision of the technical processes and helps build local populations’ trust in new institutions as well as head off or expose fraud “Credible election observation is important for the transparency of democracy,” said Alexander Shlyk a Belarus national who stepped down in January at the end of 10 years at the OSCE’s election department “Observers’ reports help keep elected leaders in check not only based on their deeds but also in terms of how they come to power Recommendations made by observers also help improve future elections.” If election observation is largely perceived as aimed at countries where democracy is young or fragile The OSCE carries out an assessment whenever an OSCE state plans an election and then decides on the level of monitoring needed including last year’s contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump I first took an interest when I was a reporter covering Ukraine’s Orange Revolution in 2004 Crowds filled the streets after the second round of the presidential election — confounding all the polls — handed victory to the incumbent pro-Russian prime minister a former prime minister and central bank chief seen as a pro-Western reformer driving thousands to set up a tent city in central Kiev was the preliminary report on the elections from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluding that there had been widespread electoral violations The report was made public at a news conference the day after the vote The uproar led Ukraine’s Supreme Court to annul the results and order a new second round — which Yushchenko won comfortably — five weeks after the earlier vote and I was one of the first to report on its beginnings Their foreign minister was in town and wanted to see someone from Reuters I was in the embassy garden with the minister who was later to become Luxembourg’s prime minister and then president of the European Commission in Brussels recounted a conversation he had just had with Alexei Kosygin Kosygin said the Soviet Union wanted a “conference on security and cooperation in Europe,” principally to enshrine the post-World War Two frontiers on the continent and this led to the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 turning into the OSCE in the 1990s when its most high-profile role was to monitor and mediate during the violent breakup of the former Yugoslavia the OSCE numbers 57 “Participating States,” including the 15 post-Soviet republics the OSCE covers “Vancouver to Vladivostok.” After the Soviet Union and communism collapsed in 1991 the OSCE turned its attention to helping new democracies in Eastern Europe draw up electoral codes and run elections It joined other bodies that were already providing election assistance and monitors: the European Union the Middle East and Latin America; the Organization of American States which concentrates on the Americas; and civil society groups such as the Carter Center in Atlanta founded by former President Jimmy Carter are deployed to a specific region several weeks before a vote to make initial contacts with local authorities particularly election officials — all districts have their own election commissions that report to the Central Election Commission in the capital — NGOs as well as regional officials from the governor and chief of police down They also have to make logistical arrangements for their team of short-term observers and decide where to deploy them and then brief and debrief them STOs arrive in the country a few days before election day then do the actual rounds of 10-12 polling stations After a day or two of familiarization with their area to start with the last-minute preparations and opening of a polling station Election-day work ends with a closing and a vote count before accompanying the chair and other officials of the final station to the district commission to watch tabulation of the results for the whole constituency The working day often lasts about 24 hours with special forms for any suspicious incidents grouping analysts with various skills from election law or politics to statistics start their assessment as the forms roll in we took forms several times a day to a post office to fax them to Kiev we use an “electronic pen” on forms on special paper and the contents are transmitted instantly to OSCE computers who must be of different nationalities and chosen by their home countries They are assisted by a local interpreter/assistant even when both observers speak the local language Because the electoral process is recent in many emerging democracies they have modern electoral codes based on an OSCE blueprint and often the latest technology voters were for the first time identified by biometrics using a fingerprint — their photo flashed up on a screen in polling stations if they were correctly registered to vote there One aim of this Japanese-funded procedure is to make it impossible for the same person to vote more than once South Korean-built ballot boxes included a scanner that counted votes as they were cast the push of a button brought up preliminary results for each polling station which were then confirmed by an old-fashioned hand count I am often asked how useful observation really is I repeat the points about transparency and building trust local officials and politicians have been almost invariably welcoming and helpful They plainly now see observers as part of the process at the end of a mission for the spring 2014 presidential election The author is second from right at the back Julian Nundy joined Reuters in 1970 and was posted to Moscow with stints in the Middle East reporting on the Lebanese civil war and the Iranian Islamic Revolution he covered the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon conflict in Bosnia and the Ukrainian Orange Revolution Nundy has a long association with Ukraine going back to 1968 when he arrived on a one-year British Council studentship at Kyiv University he has been an election observer for nine Ukrainian elections four of them in the Donbass since conflict broke out there in 2014 and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" What We DoWho We AreNews Decoder UpdatesContact Us © News Decoder 2025. All rights reserved. | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Editorial Policy News Decoder is the educational services unit of Nouvelles-Découvertes Webmaster Joy Matéo – Digit’all Communication Russia has launched more than 4,500 missiles says Zelenskiy; Ukraine says it has shot down more than 300 Iranian drones The war in Ukraine has seen Russia launch more than 8,000 airstrikes and fire 4,500 missiles Standing beside the wreckage of a downed Iranian drone he vowed that Putin’s attacks on power plants would not break Ukrainian spirits Russia had aimed dozens of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at Ukraine’s electricity network causing widespread power cuts over the last two weeks with Ukraine shooting down 23 drones in the past two days alone Ukraine has shot down more than 300 Iranian Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drones so far The drones have become a key weapon in Russia’s arsenal during its war in Ukraine and have often been used in the past month to target crucial energy infrastructure Iran has denied Ukrainian and western accusations that it is supplying drones to Russia The US has dismissed Russian accusations it is helping Ukraine engage with banned biological weapons It claims Russia is attempting to “distract from the atrocities” being carried out in Ukraine calling the allegations “pure fabrications brought forth without a shred of evidence” Russia has bolstered its troops with “mobilised reservists” west of the Dnieper River its ground forces have transitioned to a “defensive posture” on the frontline likely due to being “severely undermanned” and “poorly trained” The EU has appointed the Polish general Piotr Trytek to lead a new training operation with Ukrainian troops was chosen by the bloc as part of its pledge to step up military support for Ukraine President Vladimir Putin’s first deputy chief of staff visited the Russian-held Ukrainian city of Kherson Sergei Kiriyenko stopped at the ferry port where hundreds of people were being removed after a warning from authorities A Russian official’s threat to “strike” western satellites aiding Ukraine has raised concerns among space lawyers and industry executives about the safety of objects in orbit No country has carried out a missile strike against an enemy’s satellite UN nuclear inspectors are expected to reach conclusion on “dirty bomb” Investigators are being sent to two locations in Ukraine where Russia alleged the activities were taking place and are expected to reach a conclusion “in days” Russia claims only 3% of food exported under the UN-brokered Black Sea export deal has gone to the poorest countries Several tonnes of grain have left blockaded Ukrainian ports since the contract was signed Russia says Ukraine has failed to deliver humanitarian food assistance The US is sceptical of Putin’s claim to have no intention of using nuclear weapons insisting Russia had not threatened to use nuclear weapons and had only responded to nuclear “blackmail” from western leaders Putin has said the war in Ukraine is part of Russia’s wider struggle against western domination “We are standing at a historical frontier: Ahead is probably the most dangerous important decade since the end of World War Two,” he said he said in a speech addressed to the Valdai Discussion Club He added the war was simply part of the “tectonic shifts of the entire world order” and that “the historical period of the west’s undivided dominance over world affairs is coming to an end” You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London He also covers other areas of geopolitics including China Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and well as English You can get in touch with Brendan by emailing b.cole@newsweek.com or follow on him on his X account @brendanmarkcole John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung He has covered foreign policy and defense matters especially in relation to U.S.-China ties and cross-strait relations between China and Taiwan John joined Newsweek in 2020 after reporting in Central Europe and the United Kingdom He is a graduate of National Chengchi University in Taipei and SOAS You can get in touch with John by emailing j.feng@newsweek.com either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Russian forces are making gains southeast of the logistics hub of Pokrovsk and maps show the latest state of play on the Donetsk front Geolocated footage showed that Russian troops had raised a Russian flag over a city municipal building in Selydove, which is around 11 miles from Pokrovsk where Moscow troops continue to make advances. Pokrovsk has been a focus for the Kremlin's goals to totally capture the Donbas region which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts There have been reports of steady Moscow gains in that part of the front particularly since Ukraine's August incursion into Russia's Kursk region Russian military bloggers said that Moscow's forces had seized and are clearing the entirety of Selydove, although Washington-based research group the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said it has not yet seen confirmation of Russian forces operating in the west of the town "The cleansing of the city is nearing completion!" posted Telegram channel Voenkori as it said that Russian troops "stormed" the city and that Ukrainian troops "fled across the river and to Grigorovka." you just need to share the joy of liberation with the guys who are working there," posted Paratrooper's Diary The ISW's latest map on Sunday highlighted some of these reported Russian gains These included in and around Selydove as well as Russian claims that Moscow had captured Oleksandropil and Hirnyk on Saturday Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment The Ukrainian General Staff said Russian forces attacked east and southeast of Pokrovsk over the weekend although it insisted that Kyiv's troops "are holding down the pressure and have so far repelled ten attacks of the opponent." Updated map showing Russian advances. Russia has captured most of Selydove and advanced west of the town, occupied Hirnyk, captured most of Bohoyavlivka, and occupied the area between Novoukrainka and Shakhtars'ke. Russian advances have accelerated over the past week on the… https://t.co/iDY41zB1rB pic.twitter.com/0wzq9qWoCm "The situation on the front line remains tense," the Ukrainian military said on Facebook on Sunday despite the significant losses inflicted to him by our defenders continues to try to break through Ukrainian defenses." the Ukrainian open-source intelligence X account DeepState posted a map which showed that Russia has captured most of Selydove and advanced west of the town and occupied the area between Novoukrainka and Shakhtarsk "Russian advances have accelerated over the past week on the Selydove, Kurakhivka, and Vuhledar fronts," wrote military analyst Rob Lee on X, formerly Twitter Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all The international delegation of police and forensic experts were forced to stop in Shakhtarsk a town around 20 miles (30km) from the fields where the aircraft came down Sounds of regular shelling could be heard from Shakhtarsk with roads filled with cars carrying fleeing residents Associated Press reported seeing a high-rise apartment block in the town being hit by at least two rounds of artillery The mandate of the police team is to secure the rebel-controlled area so that comprehensive investigations can begin and any remaining bodies be recovered Analysis of the black box flight recorders from the plane showed it was brought down by "massive explosive decompression" caused by shrapnel from a rocket blast Andriy Lysenko told a news conference in Kiev that the information came from experts who have analysed the recorders Amid international recriminations over the chaos on the ground blocking access to the site both sides in Ukraine's war blamed each other with Kiev accusing the rebels of destroying evidence and the insurgents saying Ukraine's army was targeting civilians Authorities in Luhansk said on Monday that five people were killed and 15 injured in overnight artillery strikes Three were killed in Donetsk as a result of clashes Washington released new photographs to bolster its claim that Russia – blamed by the west for stoking the insurgency by supplying arms including the missile that allegedly shot down MH17 – was taking a direct role in the conflict by firing into Ukraine Russia demanded that the US "stop hindering" the work of monitors trying to check the situation on the ground The only point both sides appeared to agree on was the need for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine After days of preparing a joint armed force with Australia to secure the crash site, the Netherlands on Sunday dropped plans to deploy the officers over fears of being dragged into the conflict "Getting the military upper hand for an international mission in this area is … not realistic," said the Dutch prime minister The country lost 193 citizens in the disaster "We concluded with our international partners that there's a real risk of such an international military mission becoming directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine," Rutte said An unarmed team of Dutch and Australian officers was forced to drop its plans to visit the site on Sunday as heavy bombardments rocked towns close to the site where the remains of some of the victims still lie arrived in Kiev on Sunday to secure the agreement of the Ukrainian parliament over the police deployment investigators have visited the site only sporadically because of security concerns even though both Kiev forces and pro-Russian separatists had earlier called a truce in the immediate area around the site "Both sides have made assurances for the past 24 hours. There's been very intensive planning," said Michael Bociurkiw, spokesman for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission in Ukraine before the team was due to set off for the crash site "We're aware that our time on the ground may be limited," he added Fighting continued overnight close to the crash site with shelling heard in separatist bastion Donetsk a city of 1 million people 40 miles (60km) away which has been serving as a base for international monitors and journalists who are travelling regularly to the crash site An AFP reporter said bursts of gunfire also rang out in the centre of the city on Monday morning the EU is drafting tougher measures against Russia Sanctions targeting economic sectors including an arms embargo are being considered the EU is expected to unveil more names of individuals and entities sanctioned Moscow has blasted the move as "irresponsible" and warned that it jeopardised cooperation on security issues About 1,000 people have been killed during the conflict and the United Nations estimates that 230,000 have fled their homes The Red Cross said the country was in a state of civil war – a classification that would make parties in the conflict liable to prosecution for war crimes KIEV (Reuters) - International experts started recovery work at the wreckage site of a downed Malaysian airliner in east Ukraine on Friday despite clashes nearby between government forces and pro-Russian rebels The group was the largest to reach the site since flight MH17 was shot down over rebel-held territory on July 17 Roads had for days been too dangerous to use because of heavy fighting frustrating efforts to recover all the victims' remains and push ahead with an investigation the rebels killed at least 10 Ukrainian paratroopers in an ambush after midnight near Shakhtarsk one of the closest towns to the wreckage site The rebels said they had pushed back government forces around Shakhtarsk A Ukrainian military official said a further 13 troops were wounded and 11 unaccounted for The recovery mission included 70 experts from Australia and the Netherlands whose countries suffered a big loss of life in the shoot-down as well as representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) "Recovery work starts immediately," the OSCE said on Twitter An advance team drove to the site from the nearest big city on Thursday but only stayed only for about an hour after the sides halted fighting along the route Agreement was later reached to extend the limited ceasefire around the route Kiev has accused the rebels of planting mines in the region near the site suggesting they want to hamper the investigation and hide evidence but an OSCE official said no evidence had been found to back up the allegations Ukrainian officials say about 80 bodies have not been recovered from the wreckage of the Boeing 777 The 298 victims included 193 Dutch and 27 Australians The United States says the separatists probably shot down the plane by mistake with a Russian-made missile but the rebels and Moscow deny the accusation and blame the downing on Kiev's military campaign to quell the uprising city authorities said five civilians had been killed and nine wounded in the past 24 hours in Luhansk Government forces have intensified their offensive in mainly Russian-speaking east Ukraine since the airliner came down The separatists have been pushed out of other towns they held in the rebellion mounted against rule by Kiev's pro-Western leaders and inspired by Russia's annexation of Crimea after a pro-Moscow president was ousted in Kiev in February the smaller of the two main rebel strongholds is now almost completely surrounded by government troops It has been cut of from food supplies and left with no electricity or running water Rebel commander Igor Girkin declared a state of siege in the rebel-held territory in and around Donetsk saying this allowed his fighters to confiscate cars More than 1,100 people had been killed and nearly 3,500 wounded between mid-April and July 26 Attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to regain lost positions in the areas of Bahatyr, Odradne and Vil’ne Pole have failed. Five counterattacks were repelled in one day, including actions by Ukrainian elite units. The Russian Vostok group continues to strengthen its lines, methodically advancing deep into the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces In the direction of Shakhtarsk: east of Bahatyr the assault group of the 425th separate regiment “Skala” (8 people) on the armored fighting vehicle “Kozak” counterattacked the positions of the Russian troops A Ukrainian armored vehicle and 8 soldiers were destroyed by FPV drones in a forest area two Skala groups (10 and 8 people) on board MaxPro armored fighting vehicles counterattacked from the north Both vehicles were attacked by artillery and drones the Russians stopped an attack by an M-113 armored personnel carrier In the direction of Vremivka: In Vil’ne Pole two infantry groups of the 2nd special forces detachment of the 71st Ukrainian separate brigade retreated after losses The following were reportedly lost in the clashes: an M-113 armored personnel carrier three armored fighting vehicles (Kozak and two MaxPro) several losses among the Ukrainian servicemen Russian Vostok group advancement in the Shakhtarsk direction: In the area of ​​the Bahatyr settlement Russian forces occupied two heights and controlled an area of ​​1×1.5 km Two forest strips were cleared to the south of the village (front 1×0.4 km) In the area of ​​Rozdol’ne – Bogatyr Russian assault groups clashed with Ukrainian ones Russian forces took a stronghold located on the south-eastern approaches to Bogatyr (a breakthrough of 0.5 x 1.5 km) Vremivka direction: In the central part of A Vil’ne Pole 7 buildings were occupied by Russian forces (section 200×100 m) two forest strips were cleared and two strongpoints were captured (breakthrough 0.3×1.5 km) 7 reinforcement groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit near Bogatyr Rotation near Chervon and engineering works near Zagorne were disrupted by Russian strikes The Ukrainian Armed Forces rely on counterattacks by elite units which results in a reduction in personnel and equipment The Vostok group continues to improve its tactical position advancing towards the borders of the Dnipropetrovsk region Videos circulating on social media show a huge blaze engulfing a railway station in the town of Shakhtarsk in eastern Ukraine The Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic say 12 tankers were on fire following shelling The cause of the fire has not been verified Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to restore positions northwest of Rozlyv have failed Two assault groups of up to 20 militants aboard a Kozak armored fighting vehicle attacked from the direction of Bahatyr The first armored fighting vehicle was blown up by mines during the retreat: 8 men lost their lives The second vehicle was destroyed by kamikaze drones at the crossroads south of Bahatyr: 7 people were killed in the area of ​​the Bahatyr settlement according to pro-Russian social sources the Russian army cleared three forest strips and took the highest position the advance east of Bahatyr: +1.1 km depth with a front of 0.7 km; south-east: +0.6 km depth More than 15 militants were killed in the Ukrainian attack operations In the area of ​​the settlement of Odradne two forest areas were cleared and a hill was occupied Russian control of the areas was established: Right flank: 1×1 km square; Left flank: +0.4 km depth with a front of 1.7 km At least 10 Ukrainian servicemen were killed in this direction The AFU defense line in six forest strips was broken through An area of ​​1.2×3.5 kilometers was occupied The total losses of the AFU in this direction amounted to more than 55 men During exposure to fire a preventive strike by the Russian Armed Forces on the southern outskirts of Malynivka a reinforcement group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was destroyed (1 vehicle The rotation of the Ukrainians was interrupted Two Ukrainian mortar teams were neutralized by counter-battery fire the Vostok Group continues to methodically penetrate the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of Shakhtarsk The capture of key heights and forest strips near Bahatyr and Odradne creates an operational “pincer”: the Ukrainian units risk being semi-encircled Logistics routes for supplying reserves have already been blocked and control of dominant points allows blocking the escape routes of Ukrainian servicemen the clearing of the stronghold near Myrnohrad and the creation of a buffer zone deprive the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the ability to carry out flank attacks This simplifies the further advance of units into the Russian Ukrainian territory The tactical advantage remains: the Ukrainian Armed Forces are forced to defend themselves on extended positions The encirclement of Bahatyr and Odradne becomes only a matter of time Investigators work at a crash site of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo) DONETSK, Ukraine - Ukrainian armed forces mounted a major onslaught against pro-Russian separatist fighters Sunday in an attempt to gain control over the area where a Malaysia Airlines plane was downed earlier this month Reports of the intensifying unrest prompted a postponement of a trip to the site by a team of Dutch and Australian police officers that had planned to start searching for evidence and the remaining bodies the State Department released satellite images which it says show that Russia has fired rockets more than seven miles (11 kilometers) into eastern Ukraine from the US Director of National Intelligence show blast marks from where rockets were launched and craters where they landed They are said to show strikes between July 21 and July 26 Ukraine's National Security Council said that government troops have encircled Horlivka and that there had been fighting in other cities in the east Horlivka lies around 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of the main rebel-held city of Donetsk The armed forces "have increased assaults on territory held by pro-Russian mercenaries destroyed checkpoints and positions and moved very close to Horlivka," the council said in a statement A representative of the separatist military command in Donetsk confirmed that there had been fighting in Horlivka but said that rebel fighters were holding their positions Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Sunday that a column of Ukrainian armored personnel carriers trucks and tanks had entered the town of Shakhtarsk 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of the site of the Boeing 777 crash Shakhtarsk is a strategic town in the area the Ukrainian army would cut off vital rebel supply lines Local media reported fighting also taking place in the towns of Snizhne and Torez the two nearest mid-sized towns to the crash site The government accused rebel forces of firing rockets Sunday on residential apartment blocks in Horlivka in what they said was an attempt to discredit the army and whip up anti-government sentiment The separatist self-declared "Donetsk People's Republic" has accused the army of being responsible for that and other rocket attacks in nearby cities The Donetsk regional government - which is loyal to Kiev and based elsewhere since rebels took over the area - said Sunday in a statement that at least 13 people It said another five people were killed as a result of clashes in a suburb north of Donetsk New York-based Human Rights Watch last week condemned what it said was the Ukrainian government forces' practice of using unguided rockets in populated urban areas It said that use of the rockets was a violation of international humanitarian law that "may amount to war crimes." Old hands trade war stories of covering China over the years Remembering WTC: unavoidable annual event Asian-Americans need to be at the table when laws are made Labor Day a time for China and US to reflect PECC paves way for APEC summit President Xi attends SCO summit, visits four nations Video Series on War against Japan's Aggression This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Ingabo za Ukraine zagabye igitero simusiga ku inyeshyamba zibogamiye k'Uburusiya mu burasirazuba bw'igihugu ahaguye indege za Malaysia Airlines. Umuvugizi wa leta ya Ukraine yavuze ko igisirikare cyari kigamije gufata aho hantu kugirango impuguke z'amahanga zizashobora kujya gukora iperereza ku cyateye ihanurwa ry'iyo ndege. Indege yaririmo abantu bagera kuri 300 yahanuwe mu minsi 10 ishize igeze mu karere kagenzurwa n'inyeshyamba. Abagenzuzi mpuzamahanga baravuga ko iyo mirwano ubwayo ishobora kuburizamo amaperereza. Imirwano ikaze yabereye mu nkengero z'umujyi wa Horlivka na Shakhtarsk, imijyi igenzurwa n'inyeshyamba. A Donetsk People’s Republic APC travels in the city of Donetsk You must be logged in to post a comment Ukraine said yesterday its troops had wrested more territory from pro-Russian rebels advancing towards the site where Malaysian flight MH17 was brought down which international investigators said they could not reach because of the fighting Troops recaptured two rebel-held towns near the crash site and were trying to take the village of Snezhnoye near where Kiev and Washington say rebels fired the surface-to-air missile that shot down the airliner with loss of all 298 on board One pro-government militia said 23 of its men had been killed in fighting in the past 24 hours while a rebel commander said he had lost 30 soldiers Black box recorders show plane was destroyed by shrapnel from missile blast Analysis of black box flight recorders from the airliner showed it was destroyed by shrapnel from a missile blast which caused a “massive explosive decompression” They said they had passed information to the international crash investigation led by the Netherlands whose nationals accounted for two-thirds of the victims In a report on three months of fighting between government forces and separatist rebels who have set up pro-Russian “republics” in the east the United Nations said more than 1,100 people had been killed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said increasingly intense fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions was extremely alarming and the shooting down of the Malaysian airliner on July 17 may amount to a war crime Western leaders say rebels almost certainly shot the airliner down by mistake with a Russian-supplied surface-to-air missile The separatists are still in control of the area where the plane was shot down but fighting in the surrounding countryside has been heavy as government forces try to drive them out at least three civilians were reported killed in overnight fighting and Kiev said its troops recaptured Savur Mogila a strategic piece of high ground about 30 km from where the Malaysia Airlines Boeing hit the ground A spokesman for Ukraine’s Security Council said Kiev was trying to close in on the crash site and force the rebels out of the area but was not conducting military operations in the immediate vicinity He said Ukrainian troops were now in the towns of Torez and Shakhtarsk while fighting was in progress for Snezhnoye and Pervomaisk The towns are all located in rolling countryside near the wheat and sunflower fields filled with debris from the downed airliner Government troops were also readying an assault on Gorlovka a rebel stronghold north of the provincial capital Donetsk please register for free or log in to your account International experts found the remains of more victims of the downed Malaysian airliner in east Ukraine yesterday but fighting nearby between government forces and pro-Russian rebels renewed security concerns around the wreckage which Ukrainian authorities said numbered 101 people was the largest to access the wreckage since Flight MH17 crashed in rebel-held territory on July 17 They will be brought back to the Netherlands for identification frustrating efforts to recover all the victims’ remains and push ahead with an investigation “The team has finished its work for today They will be brought back to the Netherlands for identification,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in the Netherlands “The security situation at the site is unstable and unpredictable.” separatist forces killed at least 10 Ukrainian paratroopers in an ambush after midnight near Shakhtarsk Members of a group of international experts inspect wreckage at the site where the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed near the village of Hrabove in Donetsk region yesterday The recovery mission included experts from Australia and the Netherlands as well as representatives of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday but stayed only for about an hour and said sides resumed fighting immediately after they left In a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko promised to stick to the ceasefire a statement on the president’s website said Kiev has accused the rebels of planting mines in the region near the crash site suggesting they want to hamper the investigation and hide evidence but an OSCE official said no evidence had been found to back up the allegations please register for free or log in to your account.