Residents say shelling of Schastia and Volnovakha is revenge for standing up to ‘Russian aggression’ This small town – Schastia in Ukrainian – has been out of the headlines since Moscow took its brutal war against civilians to the country’s biggest cities that the illegal tactics of terrorising civilians for military aims honed in Syria and then brought back so close to home There have been terrible strikes on homes, schools and hospitals around Ukraine But residents of both towns say the barrage of shelling rocket assaults and airstrikes since the start of the war has damaged or destroyed nearly every building in their towns a comprehensive devastation as yet unmatched elsewhere Refugees evacuate Volnovakha in a school bus Photograph: Dmytro LubinetsThe Russian flag has now been raised over the ruins of Schastia the attack is still so intense that dead bodies lie uncollected Ukrainians still brave enough to run rescue missions are going back only for the living Thousands of them are trapped in basements sheltering from an apparently senseless attack on a town Lubinets says has no military defenders in its centre every five minutes there is a mortar landing or artillery shells some buildings have been hit by multiple rocket systems,” he said by phone “In the city there is not any building which has not suffered from direct or collateral damage some are completely destroyed to the ground.” On Friday morning, Ukrainian media claimed that a Russian war plane bombing “residential areas and civilian infrastructure” in the area was shot down. A Russian aircraft near Volnovakha which Ukrainian media said had been shot down Photograph: Joint Forces Operation/ReutersPavlo* a Schastia native who evacuated his family said 80% of the town was damaged in an intense bombardment that lasted days barely any buildings were entirely untouched “People started evacuation after three days when Russian forces stopped bombing the town and people could leave the shelters,” he said electricity for three or four days because of the bombing The devastation in larger cities such as Chernihiv and Kharkiv is deadly and terrible but has still affected only a relatively small portion of the towns even if the terror it instils casts a shadow over every civilian still trapped there But what Russian forces appear to show in these smaller towns is that they are willing to leave behind them a wasteland on a massive scale or – together with Syrian forces – in the ancient city of Aleppo Neither humanity nor heritage stopped them The “I love Volnovakha” sign in the centre of town, which has survived somehow, has a backdrop of ruined houses. It appears at the start of a video, filmed from a moving car, which captures crumpled shops, buildings blackened by fire, and a road strewn with debris. Lubinets says at least 3,000 people are trapped Requests for a humanitarian evacuation corridor have gone unanswered so the military and other volunteers are risking their lives to bring people out in small groups “We drive under fire to the places where people mostly concentrated because the shelling never stops at any second,” he said “Its impossible to use buses because they have low mobility Always when you go there you will get punctures so you just have to drive [the car] out for about 10 minutes to places where big buses can come.” their lives are as irreparably shattered as their homes Their suffering may be a terrible template for the damage Russia will inflict on others if Moscow tries to pound bigger towns and cities into submission “A friend [still in Schastia] told me: ‘I can’t even go to your place to try and collect some papers, or other things, everything there is totally smashed up,’” she said. “Ninety per cent of houses are damaged.” Read moreShe was just out of hospital after major surgery when the war began and her husband is serving on the frontline “For three days I was in such deep stress I couldn’t eat or drink even now they have been swept out of my memory I was so exhausted I had hallucinations that my husband was with me.” Shastia and Volnovakha were on the frontline for eight years of the smaller-scale war between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia separatists and Lubinets believes the carnage inflicted on the towns now is revenge for their resilience through those years “From the very first day of the war they started shelling us directly … They are trying to wipe out the town,” he said “I think someone in Russia is destroying [the town] as a reminder of what they can do to someone who doesn’t break in the face of Russian aggression.” * Name has been changed to protect family members in areas under Russian control 25 May 2016 – The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine opened a new forward patrol base (FPB) in the government-controlled town of Shchastia in Luhansk region today The FPB will increase the Mission’s ability to monitor the security situation in both government- and non-government-controlled areas “The newly-established FPB is located less than 500 metres from the contact line This will bring our monitors closer to the areas where most violations take place and will help them follow up on reports about incidents faster,” said Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug “The SMM permanent presence should also encourage the sides to adhere to the ceasefire and the Minsk agreements more eagerly.” The SMM informed the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) of the opening of a new FPB and secured support from both the Ukrainian and Russian Federation sides to the JCCC The FPB in Shchastia is the Mission’s ninth forward patrol base established in eastern Ukraine and the fourth in Luhansk region The SMM has previously opened five FPBs in Donetsk region: in government-controlled Volnovakha and non-government-controlled Horlivka and Debaltseve; and three in Luhansk region: in government-controlled Novoaidar and Stanytsia Luhanska and non-government-controlled Kadiivka (formerly Stakhanov) Together with offices in Donetsk and Luhansk cities the addition of the new FPB brings the total number of locations where the SMM has permanent presence in the east to 14 The Mission is looking to open more such bases on both sides of the contact line to enhance its monitoring and reporting Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker This website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Read our WAMU Privacy Notice This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again 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 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 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 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has directly threatened the operation and future of the country’s energy industry the ongoing challenges faced by the sector and opportunities that opened up may make it more resilient and adaptable in the long run Several days before Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine the country’s energy system took one of the first blows of the rapidly impending war On February 22nd, the Luhansk Thermal Power Plant (TPP) came under massive fire from militants of the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People’s Republic” This facility is located in the town of Shchastia close to the line of contact demarcation with the separatist controlled areas of Donbas the Luhansk plant had stopped its operations As a result of the occupation of the town of Shchastia control over the station has been completely lost Soon after the start of full-scale hostilities on the territory of Ukraine as well as energy infrastructure facilities began to be systematically attacked by the Russian occupation forces As a result of the hostilities, a railway bridge was also blown up in Vasylivka not far from Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia region This provided the only route to supply coal to the large Zaporizhzhia TPP owned by DTEK Energy This facility later switched to using natural gas Recent attempts by the Russian occupation military forces to advance further from the South towards Kryvyi Rih have led to the shelling of another important energy facility – the DTEK Energy-owned Kryvorizka TPP in the town of Zelenodolsk the transformer unit was hit which caused a fire This left part of the city of Okhtyrka without electricity have been systematically shelled and destroyed since the very first days of the war Electricity grids near the main advances of the occupying Russian troops were among the first to be damaged Sumy and Kharkiv regions in the north and north-east of Ukraine as well as in the south and in the Donbas region have been especially targeted by Moscow’s forces The renewable energy sector has also faced serious challenges. Until recently, this industry was developing quite dynamically in Ukraine. As of mid-2021, it had reached a total capacity of about nine gigawatts This amounted to about 15 per cent of the total balance of the United Energy System (UES) of Ukraine According to some estimates, around 30 to 40 per cent of Ukraine’s industrial solar generation facilities (1120 to 1500 megawatts) were affected by the Russian invasion the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association claims that more than two-thirds of all the country’s wind farms (1673 megawatts) have been shut down These are mainly located in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia the energy companies operating these facilities many of which have substantial loan obligations now could find themselves on the brink of bankruptcy The total amount of losses to the Ukrainian energy sector as a result of the war is already estimated today in billions of US dollars. At the end of March alone, the Ukrainian energy minister estimated this figure to be more than two billion and this figure is steadily growing Opportunities and the future of the Ukrainian energy sector Despite all the challenges and losses that the Ukrainian energy sector has already incurred and continues to bear because of the war There are at least a few reasons to be cautiously optimistic in this regard It is also worth remembering that we are now experiencing the end of the autumn and winter period of increased energy consumption a number of generating facilities currently under occupation were not severely damaged or destroyed (such as the Luhansk TPP or wind farms in the south of Ukraine) but only shut down There is therefore at least a chance that these facilities will one day be returned to Ukraine and Ukrainian companies and owners following the restoration of Kyiv’s sovereignty over the respective territories at this moment it is hard to predict their future given still substantial Russia’s military presence in the South of Ukraine and in the Donbas respectively Thirdly, Europe’s Energy Community has recently decided to set up the legal framework for a Ukraine Energy Support Fund which aims to provide emergency financial support to the Ukrainian energy sector Donors are expected to include EU member states as well as international financial institutions The Ukrainian energy ministry that the collected funds “will be used to restore the energy infrastructure that was damaged or destroyed as a result of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine” the war in Ukraine has finally encouraged a meaningful process in terms of Ukraine’s integration with the European energy space the country’s UES had to undergo a three-day test of its operations fully disconnected from the common system with Russia and Belarus This testing was meant to prepare the Ukrainian energy system for synchronisation with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity’s (ENTSO-E) power system Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine began just hours after the start of the isolated test regime for the Ukrainian energy system This made it virtually impossible to return to the common power grid with the aggressor country after the test period had been completed This extraordinary situation has contributed to the accelerated integration of the Ukrainian energy system with ENTSO-E ahead of schedule. As early as March 16th, operations were carried out to physically connect the synchronised power systems of Ukraine and Moldova with the common grid of continental Europe It is hard to overstate the importance of integration with ENTSO-E this is a crucial step in completing the protracted post-Soviet transition of Ukraine’s energy sector the Ukrainian energy system can receive emergency supplies of electricity from a large group of EU countries These states have a large reserve capacity and are much more reliable in many respects than emergency supplies from the common power grid with Russia and Belarus It is well known that the issue of electricity supplies from these two countries has often been associated with speculation and energy blackmail This factor has also caused internal political tension in Ukraine itself As a result, the Ukrainian energy industry is dealing with its ongoing wartime tests and probably has every chance not only to survive but even become stronger and more stable. This will prove true if it manages to fully utilise the potential of the opportunities that are opening up to it now. Please support New Eastern Europe's crowdfunding campaign. Donate by clicking on the button below. The consequences of Russia’s invasion are visible not only in Ukraine. The Kremlin has set off or exploited a series of crises that face most European countries. New thinking is needed in policies towards Russia, in whatever form it will take after the war. Ukraine’s suffering goes well beyond the front line. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine we now see our western values under siege, whether we consciously recognise it or not. The invasion by Russian forces of Ukraine from the north, south and east – with the initial aim to take the capital Kyiv – has changed our region, and indeed our world, forever. The situation with Russian threats towards Ukraine once again illustrates the high level of instability in our region. Only a year ago we witnessed the second Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It took at least 5,000 lives and significantly shifted the geopolitics in the South Caucuses. This special issue aims to honour the plight of Belarusians whose democratic choice made in August 2020 was shamelessly snubbed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. From the social, economic and political points of view, a lot of work still remains for this country. And this is why Ukraine’s story is incomplete. 30 years after the fall of the Soviet Union Our societies are more polarised than ever before, which makes them more susceptible to disinformation, untruth and conspiracy theories. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed limitations and weaknesses in nearly all countries around the world. Its costs, challenges and the commitment to peace. Uncertainty, volatility and the relationship between Russia and the West. The Black Sea region is quickly becoming a geopolitical battleground which is gaining the interest of major powers, regional players and smaller countries – and the stakes are only getting higher. This issue is dedicated to the 10 year anniversary of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership as well as the 30 years since the 1989 revolutions in Central Europe. The consequences of the emerging multipolar world. This issue takes a special look at the role and responsibility of the public intellectual in Central and Eastern Europe today. In the eastern parts of the European continent, 1918 is remembered not only as the end of the First World War, but also saw the emergence of newly-independent states and the rise of geopolitical struggles which are felt until this day. It often seems, at least from the outside, that Belarus remains isolated from the West and very static in its transformation. Yet, despite its relative isolation, Belarus is indeed changing. The Summer 2018 issue of New Eastern Europe tackles the complexity of para-states in the post-Soviet space. President Biden prepares to confer with other world leaders and Ukrainians brace for war Politics Russia pressed ahead with its assault on neighboring Ukraine on Thursday, with explosions resounding in cities across the country, airstrikes crippling its defenses and reports of troops crossing the border by land and sea. The move was a stunning — if expected — play from a leader who for weeks has massed troops on Ukraine’s borders while brandishing threatening rhetoric and snubbing world leaders. The latest incursion shatters decades of relative peace in Europe and is certain to elicit a forceful response from the U.S. and NATO. Both Washington and its transatlantic allies have promised to impose even harsher sanctions than those enacted just days ago. But Putin, who vowed to liberate and protect the Russia-backed separatist eastern region of Ukraine, was unbowed and belligerent, warning other countries to stay out of the conflict: “Whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people, must know that the Russian response will be immediate and lead to the consequences you have never seen in history.” President Biden swiftly condemned Russia’s attack and said he would meet with other world leaders on Thursday to discuss a response. “The prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces,” Biden said. “President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.” “Unfortunately, while we’ve been meeting in the Security Council tonight, it appears that President Putin has ordered that last step,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “At the exact time as we are gathered in the council seeking peace, Putin delivered a message of war, in total disdain for the responsibility of this council.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba vowed his nation would defend itself. “Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” he tweeted. “Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. This is a war of aggression.” World & Nation Three organizations with operations in California are helping people in eastern Ukraine, and so is the Red Cross. Here’s how you can contribute. The attack rattled Europe and stirred memories not only of the Cold War but also of World War II. It symbolized Putin’s long mistrust of NATO and the West and his ambition to stitch back together remnants of the former Soviet Union. And it raised the specter of how the West — let alone Ukraine — would handle a possible humanitarian and refugee crisis while countering a powerful Russian army that possesses an arsenal of conventional hardware and nuclear weapons. Putin had announced that the attack was intended to disarm Ukraine, not take it over. But what was unfolding through the early morning hours was a much larger operation. Traffic in Kyiv was clogged as many tried to flee; commercial airspace over Ukraine was shut down. Zelensky, who hours earlier had pleaded with the Russian leader in a bid to prevent war, said in a video posted online that “President Putin announced a special military operation in Donbas. Russia performed strikes on our military infrastructure and our border guard units. In many cities of Ukraine people heard the blasts.... Today we need each of you to stay calm. If you can, stay at home. We are working. The army is working. The whole security and defense sector of Ukraine is working.” Earlier Wednesday the Biden administration stiffened economic sanctions targeting Moscow, and the Ukrainian president made a televised appeal for peace in a dramatic last-minute effort to avert war in Eastern Europe. “The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace,” Zelensky said — in Russian — during an emotional overnight address. “But if we come under attack, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and lives of our children, we will defend ourselves. When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs.” A full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine appears imminent, but the two countries have for years been locked in cyber combat. Ukraine — taunted for weeks by threats of an incursion — shifted to a war footing, summoning its reservists and declaring a state of national emergency amid reports throughout the day that Russian forces were tightening their grip on the borders. The government called on its citizens to return from Russia, even as Russian diplomats lowered the flag on their embassy in Kyiv and abandoned their consulate in the coastal city of Odessa. Zelensky said he had tried to reach Putin to no avail. Lines formed at the town’s sole working ATM as well as a nearby pharmacy. In the background, the thump-thump of artillery and machine guns echoed across the countryside. In Washington, Biden announced he would allow previously blocked sanctions to take effect against the company behind the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The U.S. “will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate,” he said in a statement. The new sanctions, following the initial package announced Tuesday, came as Putin was escalating his invasion of Ukraine. The Russian leader on Monday formally recognized the independence of two separatist territories in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, Donetsk and Luhansk, and the upper house of Russia’s parliament on Tuesday approved the deployment of troops. U.S. officials warned Wednesday that a “full-scale” invasion was “imminent.” A woman reacts as she stands in front of a house burning after being shelled in the city of Irpin officials were still confirming Russian troop movements those forces were said to be “as ready as they can be” to launch a full invasion “They are dang near 100%,” said the official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krisjanis Karins cited information that “Putin is moving additional forces and tanks into the occupied Donbas territories.” the Kremlin claimed Wednesday that separatists in the areas it recognized on Monday were calling for Russian help to defend against Ukrainian attack Most journalists on the scene say the majority of attacks were coming from the Russian-occupied region against Ukraine and there were suggestions this was the kind of “false-flag” scenario that U.S officials have been predicting Moscow would launch as a pretext to invade The Biden administration’s addition to its sanctions package came a day after Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany which controls the Nord Stream 2 pipeline built to transport natural gas from Russia directly to the country announced he was halting certification of the project President Putin has provided the world with an overwhelming incentive to move away from Russian gas and to other forms of energy,” Biden said in the statement which also thanked Scholz “for his close partnership and continued dedication to holding Russia accountable for its actions.” It was more evidence of the coordination among allies as they shift from an assiduous effort to deter Putin to one aimed at containing his ongoing attack on Ukraine. And it follows the Biden administration’s vow to impose additional measures against Moscow as the invasion proceeds. Many people in Europe are on edge as Russia mobilizes against Ukraine. Some fear a return to East-West divisions. The pipeline project has been especially problematic. Germany and other parts of Europe badly need the gas, but U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that becoming overly reliant on Russian fuel would allow Moscow to “weaponize” energy supplies. Germany’s decision on Tuesday to suspend the project showed self-sacrifice that U.S. officials appear eager to endorse, and mirrors Washington’s own willingness to absorb any effects on consumers from rising gas prices and the political price the administration could pay. Until now, Biden had been resigned to the project — which was nearing completion when he took office. The White House, in fact, had issued a waiver to block the congressionally mandated sanctions it is now preparing to impose. Republicans, many of whom have criticized Biden’s first tranche of sanctions against Russia as too measured, have called for months for the administration to lift its waiver on the Nord Stream 2 sanctions, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blocking votes on the White House’s diplomatic nominees in protest. Cruz was among the first to give rare praise to the administration Wednesday; he said he was lifting the holds on nominees and urged steps to “lock in” the sanctions as a permanent deterrent. “President Biden made the right decision today,” Cruz said in a statement. “...Our Ukrainian allies are on the front lines this very moment bravely facing down Russian forces.” Most Republicans simply criticized President Biden’s handling of Russia’s aggression toward and invasion of Ukraine Congress first approved in 2019 the sanctions against the project’s parent company a Swiss firm whose parent is the Russian gas conglomerate Gazprom Matthias Warnig; a broader sanctions package followed in 2020 citing national security issues related to both Russia and Germany sanctions comes amid a wide global reproach of Russia’s actions Nearly every major country — with the exception of China — condemned Putin’s claims on Ukraine and in many cases exacted their own sanctions Britain went after several Russian billionaires close to Putin and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government would expand financial sanctions to punish “thugs and bullies.” despite belonging to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said Putin’s new moves were “unacceptable.” for stoking the “threat of war” and categorized sanctions as unlawful measures that punish ordinary Russians The presence of Russia and China as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council means any sort of action or resolution from the world body is next to impossible warned at the Security Council meeting late Wednesday that the world is in a “perilous moment... the Ukrainian people and the world to the brink of a conflict that will produce an untold amount of human suffering.” Russia has been under some form of international sanctions since another invasion of Ukraine its 2014 occupation and annexation of Crimea Elite business and banking officials in the country have found numerous ways to inoculate themselves from the sting are “qualitatively” harsher than earlier measures Stokols and Wilkinson reported from Washington and Bulos from Shchastia McCaskill in Washington and the Associated Press contributed to this report Ukraine won its independence in 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin contends it was never a state A no-fly zone, many officials say, would draw the U.S. and its NATO allies into direct combat with Russia — an escalation many liken to a world war Air combat missions would have to be supported by ground-based operations and the U.S and its NATO allies would have to be prepared to go in over land making it “a slippery slope from there to a shooting war.” There are set definitions and processes for determining who’s a war criminal and how they should be punished. The investigations into Putin’s actions already have begun and 44 other countries are working together to investigate possible violations and abuses and there’s another inquiry by the International Criminal Court Several organizations in California, as well as international aid groups, are helping refugees, wounded soldiers and others in and around Ukraine. Here’s how you can contribute. Eli Stokols is a former White House reporter based in the Los Angeles Times’ Washington, D.C., bureau. Nabih Bulos is the Middle East bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times. Since 2012, he has covered the aftermath of the “Arab Spring” revolution as well as the Islamic State’s resurgence and the campaign to defeat it. His work has taken him to Syria, Iraq, Libya, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen as well as on the migrant trail through the Balkans and northern Europe. A Fulbright scholar, Bulos is also a concert violinist who has performed with Daniel Barenboim, Valeri Gergyev and Bono. Former staff writer Tracy Wilkinson covered foreign affairs from the Los Angeles Times’ Washington, D.C., bureau. California Hollywood Inc. Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a message to the nation during which he announced the beginning of a special military operation aimed at defending the people of Donbas against ‘genocide’ and at achieving the “demilitarisation and de-Nazification of Ukraine” he referred to the request from the ​​separatist ‘republics’ for help which “has been a victim of genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years” He announced that those who have committed “bloody crimes” the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched an attack from the territories of Russia and Belarus on military infrastructure facilities throughout Ukrainian territory as well as on border infrastructure facilities These activities began with a series of precision air and missile attacks (from both land and sea) with the participation of sabotage and reconnaissance groups on the Ukrainian defence forces’ air defence systems (radar stations and rocket launchers) its main airports (including the military and strategically important Boryspol) and military bases (mainly brigade ammunition depots) offensive actions were launched from the occupied part of the Donbas on the Ukrainian part of Luhansk oblast (Russian troops have allegedly taken over Stanitsa Luhanska and are storming the town of Shchastia) land formations of the Russian army crossed the border of Ukraine and entered Kharkiv as well as from Crimea into Kherson oblast there are no signs that they have launched an offensive any deeper into Ukrainian territory Reports of Russian landings near Odesa and Mykolayiv turned out to be disinformation the Russian command reported that the Ukrainian air defence had been neutralised while the Ukrainian command said that five planes and a helicopter of the Russian army had been shot down Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej 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. Eliza Gorham Shaw, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said Red Cross teams have witnessed how the violence has affected people daily — on personal, psychological and emotional levels. “It also hits every aspect of efforts to keep going with the most basic Damage to essential infrastructure such as water with huge knock-on effect for communities far beyond the immediate area of fighting,” she said Meanwhile, Ukrainians in California are newly concerned about the safety of their loved ones, many of whom have adapted to living with conflict, said Dmytro Kushneruk, the consul general of Ukraine in San Francisco. “In no way are we downplaying the situation, but when you’re in a country that’s in a state of war, psychologically, it’s part of daily life,” Kushneruk said. If you wish to help, Kushneruk pointed to three organizations in California that continue to help Ukrainians. The Red Cross and UNICEF are also active in Ukraine. Here’s who they are and what they need. Russian tanks and troops crossed into Ukraine on Thursday after a night of shelling What it does: This organization funds medication and medical supplies for field and army hospitals at the front lines of eastern Ukraine. Revived Soldiers Ukraine was founded in 2016 and has since brought 50 wounded Ukrainian soldiers to U.S How you can help: The organization’s president, Iryna Vashchuk Discipio, said they urgently need monetary donations to buy medication and to repair a car used to rush injured soldiers away from the front lines What it does: The Los Angeles-based organization provides emergency relief to those struck by conflict the organization shifts its response to long-term medical support and training The organization has been operating in eastern Ukraine since 2014 delivering primary healthcare and mental health services to communities affected by the ongoing conflict How you can help: A monetary donation will help International Medical Corps as it prepares to deploy mobile medical teams to provide emergency and primary health services mental health and psychosocial support and COVID-19 awareness and prevention services What it does: The Santa Barbara-based organization distributes donated medicine and medical supplies. Direct Relief has supplied Ukrainian healthcare providers with more than $27 million in medical aid It recently sent a large shipment of diabetes supplies and is offering its Ukrainian partners IV fluids How you can help: A monetary donation will support Direct Relief’s efforts to send medical supplies to Ukrainian healthcare providers. Climate & Environment Russia’s invasion is yet another reason to switch from fossil fuels to clean energy What it does: Nova Ukraine has several humanitarian efforts which assembles and delivers aid packages to Ukraine baby food (with an expiration date of not less than six months from date of purchase) Heart2Heart is specifically in need of shoes and clothing for children anti-decubitus pillows and personal hygiene items for wounded soldiers volunteers with trucks or vans are needed to take care packages to a delivery company What it does: This San Francisco-based organization runs a charity, the Anhelyk Foundation that supports the children of families whose parents died in the fighting in eastern Ukraine the foundation has supported these families by sending them $50 per child How you can help: Monetary donations are accepted through Paypal What it does: The Los Angeles-based international disaster relief and development agency helps communities at home and abroad to overcome the effects of disasters, disease, violence and endemic poverty. Operation USA is in touch with the Assn of Community Foundations in Poland to assess any and all opportunities to provide aid to Ukrainian refugees How you can help: The organization is sending bulk shipments of material aid, and it also hopes to make cash grants and provide additional support to small but effective community-based partners aiding vulnerable families. To support this effort, select “Support Ukrainian Refugees” or leave a comment on what project your donation should fund online What it does: Through its partners in Ukraine this Culver City-based organization has moved more than 100 children over the last three years out of orphanages in Mykolaiv and Kherson back to their biological families or into new homes What it does: From UC Davis, Article 26 Backpack is a free and confidential service that enables students refugees and other displaced people to virtually store and share personal records essential to protecting them and reestablishing their lives Users can upload and store documents in the password-protected The online tool is available in Dari/Farsi How you can help: Use social media or other means to spread awareness of this service with friends and relatives in or fleeing Ukraine What it does: Shaw said the Red Cross’ humanitarian work aims to help people rebuild their lives and cope with the wider consequences of conflict we helped repair thousands of homes damaged in the conflict hospitals and primary healthcare facilities We provided income-generating and food-producing initiatives and improved learning and safety conditions of schools close to the line of contact,” she said How you can help: A monetary donation can help repair homes or infrastructure such as water pumping stations and provide mental health and educational services The Red Cross also provides education about avoiding land mines and unexploded ordnance hygiene and emergency education supplies as close as possible to communities near the front lines Funding also supports UNICEF’s mobile teams What is does: CARE is an international organization that fights global poverty with emergency response and long-term development projects How you can help: A monetary donation will support CARE’s efforts to raise at least $20 million for direct aid and recovery to Ukrainians in need It’s aiming to assist at least 4 million Ukrainians with food What it does: The organization responds to help restore health, safety, education, economic well-being and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. The International Rescue Committee is in Poland assessing humanitarian needs How you can help: A monetary donation will help the organization provide food medical care and emergency supplies to refugee families from Ukraine Karen Garcia is a reporter on the Fast Break Desk, the team that has a pulse on breaking news at the Los Angeles Times. She was previously a reporter on the Utility Journalism Team, which focused on service journalism. Her previous stints include reporting for the San Luis Obispo New Times and KCBX Central Coast Public Radio. Ukrainian MP posts video purporting to show a Russian special forces sergeant lying in a hospital bed admitting to operating in the area Two Russian soldiers captured while fighting in war-torn eastern Ukraine are being transported to the capital The Russians were wounded and taken prisoner near the frontline town of Shchastia in the Luhansk region on Sunday Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have been fighting government troops for a year, and Moscow has vehemently denied it is supplying them either with weaponry or troops When several Russian soldiers were captured on Ukrainian territory last summer Putin’s spokesman again denied any Russian involvement “We have said repeatedly that there are no Russian troops in Donbass,” Dmitry Peskov said The separatist mouthpiece Luhansk Information Center said on Sunday the men identified by Ukraine as Russian officers were in fact two policemen from Luhansk who had been taken prisoner near Shchastia said on Monday the two men were being questioned by the Ukrainian security service and were on their way to Kiev where they would face the media told a televised briefing on Monday that the capture of the men would no longer allow Russia to deny its military presence in Ukraine “They were there on a mission and they were killing our people,” he said has hinted that Ukraine would not seek to exchange the men for any Ukrainians that the separatists or Russia may be holding He was quoted on Sunday by the Interfax agency as saying that the men were facing criminal responsibility A video posted by a member of parliament on Sunday showed one man who said he was a Russian army sergeant The man shown lying in a hospital bed introduced himself as Sgt Alexander Alexandrov of the Russian special forces from the Volga river city of Togliatti He said he was operating in the area in a group consisting of 14 men and had been based in the rebel stronghold Luhansk since 6 March He and his comrades had been rotating in and out of the area around Shchastia every four to five days More than 6,100 people have been killed in the conflict which has left large parts of Ukraine’s industrial heartlands in ruins A ceasefire brokered by Russia and western nations in February has made the fighting less intense and deadly but the skirmishes between the separatists and Ukrainian troops are still a daily occurrence a medic of the pro-Kiev volunteer Aidar battalion said he attended to the men when they were delivered late on Saturday to his hospital in Shchastia a town less than 12 miles north of Luhansk and home to a strategic power station One man had been wounded in the shoulder and the other in the leg The men were caught by Ukrainian troops while on a reconnaissance mission around the power station The men introduced themselves as Russian soldiers and were worried that the battalion’s doctors wanted to take their organs for sale “They asked not to be sedated because they were afraid we would take their organs,” Maksimets said adding that their Russian commanders had warned them about this Ukraine's armed forces are heavily outnumbered and outgunned by Russia's but as Russia begins what may be a large-scale invasion military experts say they would be capable of mounting significant resistance and inflicting heavy casualties Ukraine's army is also better trained and equipped than in 2014 when Russia captured the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine without a fight and is widely seen as highly motivated to defend the country's heartland Here are some details of Ukraine's military: Most military experts' estimates put the number of Russian troops near Russia's border with Ukraine at more than 100,000 Russia has also moved some troops to Belarus Russia's army has about 280,000 personnel and its combined armed forces total about 900,000 while its 2840 battle tanks outnumber Ukraine's by more than three to one according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Ukraine's prime minister said a decree recently signed by Zelenskiy - on priority measures to strengthen the state's defence capabilities increase the attractiveness of military service and the gradual transition to a professional army - would eventually bring Ukraine's armed forces to 361,000 personnel Although Ukraine trebled its defence budget in real terms from 2010 to 2020 its total defence expenditure in 2020 amounted to only $4.3 billion Military analysts say Ukraine's anti-aircraft and anti-missile defences are weak, leaving it highly vulnerable to Russian strikes on its critical infrastructure. They say Russia would also seek to use its superiority in electronic warfare to paralyse its adversary's command and control and cut off communications with units in the field Ukraine's forces have gained combat experience in the Donbass region in the east of the country where they have been fighting Russia-backed separatists since 2014 They also have short-range air defences and anti-tank weaponry which would help to slow any Russian advance Ukraine has volunteer territorial defence units and about 900,000 reservists Most adult males have at least basic military training so Russia could find itself facing stubborn and protracted resistance if it tried to capture and hold onto territory The military challenge would be incomparably higher than in previous wars Russia has fought since the Soviet Union's collapse including in breakaway Chechnya in the 1990s and against Georgia in 2008 Western countries have stepped up arms deliveries to Ukraine The United States has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine to fight The United States has provided more than $2.5 billion in military aid since 2014 Further supplies could include Stinger anti-aircraft missiles Turkey has sold Kyiv several batches of Bayraktar TB2 drones which it deployed against Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine Britain supplied Ukraine with a reported 2000 short-range anti-tank missiles in January and sent British specialists to deliver training It has also provided Saxon armoured vehicles Estonia said it was sending Javelin anti-armour missiles and Latvia and Lithuania are providing Stinger missiles The Czech Republic has said it plans to donate 152mm artillery ammunition Germany has ruled out arms deliveries to Ukraine but is co-financing a $6m field hospital and providing training Many military analysts say this would be unlikely because it would involve a long and messy war with unavoidably heavy casualties They expect Russia to opt for crushing air strikes and/or limited land grabs rather than all-out war including battles for major cities One option would be for Russia to push south and west from the Donbass region of east Ukraine to link up with annexed Crimea and the Black Sea There is also a possibility that troops in Belarus could cross Ukraine's northern border as part of an attack Putin would be likely to face qualms from his own public about waging war on a fellow Slav nation as well as intense anti-Russian sentiment within Ukraine Russia has already been sanctioned over moving troops into separatist-controlled regions of Ukraine and will most likely face much harsher ones for a full invasion Russia says it feels a 'constant threat from the territory of modern Ukraine' as it sent missiles and troops into the country sending shockwaves around the world New Zealand's Foreign Minister has strongly condemned Russia for its "special military operation" into Ukraine which it announced on Thursday Analysis - International analyst Geoffrey Miller considers options for New Zealand's response to Russia's incursion into Ukraine Ukraine's president says his attempts to speak to Vladimir Putin were rejected A newly discovered piece of destructive software found circulating in Ukraine has hit hundreds of computers according to researchers at a cybersecurity firm World RSS Follow RNZ News Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.