Russia-Ukraine border — In the early hours of Sunday morning Irina Alexandrovna made the decision to flee her native Donetsk in pro-Russian separatist-held Eastern Ukraine.  “We have no idea what’s going on in Donetsk,” said the sixty-something-year-old pensioner who gave only her name and patronymic when interviewed by The Moscow Times in a layby just short of the border on the road to the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don who with her husband Viktor now plans to join relatives in Voronezh a Russian city around 350 kilometers from the border “If it hadn’t been for all the noise Authorities in the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics ordered women children and the elderly to evacuate on Friday amid unsubstantiated claims that a Ukrainian onslaught was imminent Rostov regional authorities said that around 60,000 residents of the separatist Donbas republics had fled over the border into Russia Though far short of the 900,000 evacuees initially mooted by the separatist authorities the exodus from Donetsk and Luhansk has left its mark on Russia’s neighboring Rostov region All along the 95-kilometer route from the regional hub of Rostov to the Uspenka border crossing there were telltale signs of the drama unfolding across the frontier The thin strip of asphalt that cuts across the steppe was dotted with impromptu roadblocks set up by traffic police checking vehicles heading into Russia Around half of the cars on the road to Rostov bore either Ukrainian license plates or those emblazoned with the black-blue-red tricolor of the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic large convoys of dull-green military lorries and armored personnel carriers trundled along the highway At the Uspenka crossing itself — a shabby collection of low-slung cafes shops and motels strung out along a ridge that straddles the border — there was little sign of the hundreds of thousands of refugees reportedly being evacuated from the Donbas Though Russia’s Emergencies Ministry had set up around 30 disaster relief tents in the parking lot in front of the border post and massed dozens of buses for rapid evacuation emergency workers and taxi drivers touting for refugee clients outnumbered actual evacuees At the barred steel gate that marks the border uniformed activists from the All-Russian People’s Front were on hand to help the elderly with bags With men of military age barred from leaving the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics the evacuees — mostly the very young and the very old — trudged over the border in twos and threes many clutching holdalls and reusable plastic bags crammed with hastily gathered possessions before being loaded into buses by Russian emergency workers and driven to temporary accommodation in the nearby city of Taganrog Many were reportedly housed in a Taganrog sports hall before being placed on trains to other parts of Russia those with friends and family in Rostov or other nearby cities crowded in the muddy square outside the tiny run-down train station in Avilo-Uspenka village before beginning their grueling journeys onwards Some of the refugees interviewed by the Moscow Times at the border crossing appeared confused about why they had been evacuated in the first place I can’t say very much about what’s going on in the Donbas,” said seventeen-year-old Stanislav Vakarchuk a native of the mining town of Shakhtarsk in Donetsk region “They say the Ukrainian army started shelling but in our town everything was calm,” he said Others said they would wait at the checkpoint until given the all clear to return said that he and his wife were staying in a small motel at the border crossing hoping to go back to Donetsk at the first opportunity.  “I don’t know what the situation is in Donetsk but I don’t want to stay here,” he said “There’s nothing for us in Rostov.” evacuees were being housed in local children’s camps and sanatoriums.  police had sealed off the evacuees’ accommodation and expelled journalists from the scene a group of activists from the Young Guard of United Russia the pro-Kremlin ruling party’s youth wing “We were brought in to help with the evacuees,” said one activist decked out in a United Russia branded t-shirt baseball cap and scarf who said she had just flown in from the Moscow region but declined to give her name “But now we’re just waiting for someone to tell us what to do,” she shrugged Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression The area of fighting in the Kursk region continues to expand Almost a thousand square kilometers of Russian territory are under the control of Ukraine Analysts say that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are advancing despite recent Russian claims on stabilization of the frontline Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) say that the Ukrainian Armed Forces may have made new penetrations into the western part of the Kursk region near the settlements of Slobodka-Ivanovka (northwest of Sumy and 2 kilometers from the international border) Tyotkino (south of Slobodka-Ivanovka along the international border) Uspenka and Viktorovka (all north of Sumy along the international border and south of Korenevo) Russian sources claim that they no longer control Slobodka-Ivanovka fighting continues near Snagost (south of Korenevo) and Kremyanoe (east of Snagost) and Ukrainian forces are attacking north and south of Korenevo in an attempt to bypass the settlement Photo: The district center of Sudzha is probably under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (understandingwar.org) ISW analysts point to the Ukrainian Armed Forces advancing within the village of Kremyanoe and east of the village of Zhuravli (northeast of Korenevo) Pro-Russian military reporters say that Ukrainian forces have also advanced north of Zhuravli towards the village of Obshchy Kolodez (northeast of Korenevo and 30 kilometers from the international border) Ukrainian forces also recently advanced in the forested area north and east of Semenovka (south of Lgov and approximately 24 kilometers from the international border) in a battalion-sized mechanized assault toward the village of Kauchuk (south of Lgov and 27 kilometers from the international border) Analysts note the exact contours of Ukraine's advance are unclear Photo: The area of fighting in the Kursk region has exceeded 1,000 sq Geolocation footage may also indicate that Ukrainian troops have recently operated in Sudzha (although Russian military propagandists claim that Ukrainian troops captured this town as well as the village of Spalnoe) and in the village of Zaoleshenka Ukrainian equipment could also have been operating in the northern part of Giri (southeast of Sudzha and 13 kilometers from the international border) at least temporarily moving into the village The Russian ministry of defense reported attacks near the village of Borki (southeast of Sudzha) Videos from the web indicate that Ukrainian forces have begun to move into Darino (northwest of Sudzha and three kilometers from the international border) Photo: Approximate battle zones as of August 12 from the interactive map of Radio Liberty (svoboda.org) The Russian media outlet Agentstvo calls the village of Kromskiye Byki (30 kilometers from the border) the farthest point from the border where the fighting is taking place They say that the Ukrainian military is trying to gain a foothold on the outskirts of this village The westernmost point of hostilities is the village of Snagost (11 km from the border) There was fighting near the village in the evening The Russians claim that the village of Viktorovka is allegedly under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces the easternmost point of fighting in the Kursk region is the village of Giri The fighting has recently expanded beyond the Kursk region as Russian military reporters claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces “invaded across the border” with the support of armored vehicles from the Sumy region in the Belgorod region The fighting in the Kursk region has been going on since August 6, 2024. Yesterday, Ukraine officially confirmed its participation in the operation. Armed Forces chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported to president Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukrainian troops already control approximately 1,000 square kilometers The Ukrainian authorities did not specify which settlements were under the control of the Armed Forces Local authorities in Russia say they do not currently control 28 settlements in the region Analysts of the DeepState project say the number is almost twice as high the Kursk offensive is a key moment in the war that could change its trajectory Analysts believe that the Ukrainian Armed Forces can take advantage of the fact that the Russian armed forces have been attacking almost the entire front line for months rather than building large fortifications in the rear The US senators who visited Kyiv praised Ukraine for the operation in the Russian region, calling the breakthrough towards Kursk historic. RBC-Ukraine collected videos of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the Kursk region. We also wrote about possible response Russia may be preparing. Sources: the report and maps of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) Border regions appear unprepared for hundreds of people arriving from separatist-controlled areas in Ukraine The first stop for Ella Fyodorova after she fled her home in eastern Ukraine was a windblown tent camp just across the Russian border part of a mass evacuation effort that observers fear may become the pretext for Russia to launch a formal intervention in Ukraine we’re going,’” she said as she wrestled her two-year-old son into a blue snowsuit to walk to the public toilets nearby The recent escalation in fighting had not touched her home city of Starobesheve but warnings from the Russian-backed separatist government of an imminent attack by Ukraine had driven many families to gather their children and flee Now she sat in the dim light of a medical tent alongside other mothers holding their children all waiting for the next bus to take them further into Russia Many left carrying just the basics: clothing A woman sleeps in a car on the Russian side of the border checkpoint at Avilo-Uspenka Photograph: Andrey Borodulin/AFP/Getty“I don’t know where we’re going,” she said Tomorrow we need to start searching for a place to live.” Other evacuees who spoke with the Guardian during a recent trip to the Rostov border region said they left because of the resumption of heavy artillery fire that reminded them of the most dangerous phase of the war in 2014 “It’s dangerous – I live by the airport so I heard salvoes all night… until four in the morning I couldn’t fall asleep,” said Natalia Klimchuk who was there with her three-year-old daughter There is evidence suggesting that the sudden evacuations of the Russian-controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were planned and likely to have been designed to set the stage for a formal Russian intervention in the country’s east The leaders of the Russian proxy states in eastern Ukraine filmed their announcements of the evacuations days before they were made public the result is undeniably real and traumatic as they arrive by the hundreds in a neighbouring region that appears unprepared for the tide of evacuees some said they felt like pawns in a larger game “Maybe they’ll shoot and then it will quiet down,” said Viktoria from Donetsk, who was also at the tent camp on the border Like when there’s a fuss and then that’s all … a staged event.” More than 300 evacuees were sent to the Krasny Desant sanatorium just 20 miles from the border children ran through the hallways as their parents filled out intake forms and received small handouts such as sim cards including at least one officer with an automatic rifle (they forced a Guardian correspondent to leave the sanatorium) Evacuees from Donetsk at a children’s health centre in Krasny Desant Photograph: Maxim Grigoryev/TassIn a nearby church said the seaside camp had housed evacuees in 2014 when the war began in eastern Ukraine and had even hosted refugees in 2008 after the Georgian war Some said they were happy to be placed so close to the border and were thankful for the stipend of 10,000 roubles (£95) that the Russian government has promised to give to evacuees where she was staying with her daughter and granddaughter Lyudmila Barskaya showed off the spartan but liveable conditions with an air of resign Organisation has been a problem. A day earlier, 150 evacuees from Donetsk arrived at a nearby sanatorium only to be told there was no space for them. “We made a mistake when we chose to leave,” one told a reporter for Meduza. A similar scene unfolded at the Congress hotel in nearby Taganrog where buses full of stressed and tired evacuees arrived only to be turned away Other residents in the Russian-controlled territories have decided to ignore the evacuation order and stay at home “We have been hearing about Ukrainian attacks for years – I don’t think it is different this time,” said Tamara Fomina Almost half of the prewar population of 3.8 million left the separatist-controlled Donbas areas after the unrest in 2014 and those who stayed appeared to be numb to the separatist warnings of a Ukrainian invasion “This is my home; we have been through a lot But I am not leaving this house to go to live in some tent in Rostov,” Fomina said in a telephone interview A bus carrying evacuees arriving in Krasny Desant on Friday Photograph: Erik Romanenko/TassBut many are taking steps to prepare for an uncertain future photographs showed people standing in long lines to use a cash machine in Donetsk the central bank of the self-proclaimed Donetsk republic announced a maximum withdrawal limit of 10,000 roubles a day from ATMs People are worried shops won’t buy new supplies,” said Donetsk local Vlada Vologina Vologina also claimed that public transport in Donetsk was paralysed because authorities used the city’s buses as part of the mass evacuation operation Some men in Donetsk expressed worry after receiving call-up papers ordering them to report to the headquarters of the local militia on Sunday who asked for his last name to be withheld Elena Kravchenko Photograph: Andrew Roth/The Guardian“I don’t know who is at fault for all of this My wife is pregnant and fighting a war was never in my plans,” he added saying he was still undecided whether he would go to the militia headquarters there are signs that Russia is ramping up the evacuation efforts: a local sporting facility has been converted into a makeshift centre for more than 300 evacuees and buses are taking more to a local train station where they were put on a train destined for Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday Some of those arriving at the station did not realise they were being sent hundreds of miles north Some said they believe the latest events will force Russia to step in and officially recognise or even annex the territories that it has run as proxies since 2014 “All of us who left are thinking and hoping that this is the last time,” said Elena Kravchenko a post office worker from the Starobesheve district “That [Russia] will come in and clean them out.” the United States welcomes you back to the Permanent Council In the face of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine the work that you and your team are performing – under extraordinarily difficult circumstances – is among the most vital and important this organization is currently undertaking anywhere in the OSCE region we believe all participating States around this table should prioritize and support the cross-dimensional work of the OSCE in Ukraine “put your money where your mouth is.”  The integrity and effectiveness of this organization is at stake as we face the biggest security and humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War This is not a question of whether we can adapt; we simply must act now I would like to first express our appreciation for the concern you have underscored for the safety of your staff both international and especially national in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine Members of the Special Monitoring Mission have been detained and some have gone missing in eastern Ukraine No one should be a target because of their unbiased and loyal service to this Organization This applies to local staff members of both the SMM and PCU missions and we call for the immediate release of those staff currently in detention The Project Coordinator in Ukraine (PCU) has done valuable work on behalf of the people of Ukraine for some 23 years; however this work has been especially urgent and essential since February 24 Your dedication and commitment to getting back into Ukraine in the service of sustaining existing programs and projects and helping to address the enormous humanitarian needs is to be commended Your office quickly recognized the vulnerability to human trafficking faced by the millions of refugees and displaced persons forced to flee their homes by Russia’s war of aggression including through the activation of the National Referral Mechanism have provided an important tool to support Ukrainian citizens seeking safety and relief from the war that has been imposed on their country We also appreciate the continued work of the PCU on areas including war-related challenges to constitutional justice; cybersecurity; and the work of – and risks to – journalists in wartime We agree that your office must remain flexible and adaptable in order to best help the victims of this war This includes contributing to addressing the massive need for humanitarian assistance and I’d like to commend those participating States who joined us in answering this call – Slovakia We all recognize that the OSCE is not a humanitarian organization per se but neither should it stand idly by in the face of the biggest humanitarian crisis in decades We look forward to hearing more about the contributions the PCU could make in tandem with international partners to address the exigent need to build capacity for humanitarian demining and to address the illicit trafficking of small arms By | 26 May, 2022 | Topics: Statements, Ukraine Crisis | Tags: , We use cookies to make our website work better and improve your experience Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Women and children arriving in Avilo-Uspenka from the Donetsk region Svetlana doesn’t know if she’ll soon be able to return to Donetsk The officials at the border reassured her that it would soon be possible But who knows what the truth is – especially now She has just arrived in Avilo-Uspenka with her 14-year-old daughter Paulina She pulls the fur-lined hood of her down jacket low over her face to protect from the wind blowing across the parking lot at the Russian-Ukrainian border It is located just a kilometer away from where the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic begins – the region under the control of pro-Moscow separatists "The most important thing is that I am bringing my child to relatives where she’ll be safe,” she says Particularly given the rapid pace of developments on Monday People from the Donbas boarding a bus near the Taganrog train station Svetlana wants to hear as little about it as possible Russian television reported that a Russian border post was allegedly destroyed by Ukraine The Russian military claimed that it had destroyed two armored personnel carriers and killed five Ukrainians who were trying to cross the border into Russia State-owned broadcasters repeatedly reported shots fired from the Ukrainian side in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions seems to have quickly ramped up to full speed the media proclaimed that it had been an "important The reports have been accompanied by myriad images of women who are arriving in Russia with their children They pull their suitcases across the parking lot past Svetlana and her daughter and into the tents that have been set up nearby or to the waiting buses Russian officials claim that tens of thousands of people have already fled – from the allegedly looming "genocide,” as Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed The leaders of the two so-called "people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk ordered the "evacuation” of women and children from the area on Friday – paving the way for Putin’s announcement late on Monday that he was officially recognizing the breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and sending Russian troops into the Donbas Those troops can already be seen everywhere in the area during the day on Monday: A long column of howitzers transport vehicles and tanker trucks drive along a dirt track some 15 kilometers from the border The vehicles bear license plates from an area located 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) away around 50 armored trucks and tanks are lined up on a field Soldiers are sitting on top of them watching the cars and trucks drive past children and the elderly from the border region to Taganrog and the health resorts also don’t have any free beds left The regional government seems poorly prepared for the current situation with several men and women telling DER SPIEGEL that they were sent from one accommodation to the next over the weekend are nevertheless grateful for the assistance they have received and praise the helpfulness of officials and volunteers Trains are now bringing people hundreds of kilometers further north to Voronezh But not everyone is prepared to go quite that far a 39-year-old from Horlivka in eastern Ukraine comes out of a gymnasium in Taganrog that is now serving as a reception center for refugees as the people from Donbas are being called She has applied for the 10,000 rubles (around 115 euros) that Putin has promised the people of Donbas She says that no matter where she looked for shelter in the area for herself "We want to get back home as quickly as possible,” she says a 42-year-old from Yenakiieve near Donetsk looks tired as she emerges from the gymnasium She slept for a bit on a cot inside the building with her husband They then were able to shower and have a bite to eat "They’re fighting with one another and we’ve been stuck in the middle for years,” she says Marina hopes that things will quiet down in 10 days that the Ukrainians and the pro-Russian fighters – she calls them "hooligans” – can reach an agreement the sound of artillery impacts was constant The family would have liked to bring along their car "We saved up for a long time to buy it.” When asked whether she sees Putin as her president Marina grimaces and says: "He gave me a bed at least.” She is now looking for an apartment where she and her family can stay being used for those who have fled eastern Ukraine Other refugees have nothing but effusive praise for Putin Many have had Russian citizenship for quite some time Some 800,000 Russian passports have been issued to residents of Donbas DER SPIEGEL is not allowed into the gymnasium on this Monday due to "anti-terror measures,” a police officer says Journalists from state-controlled media outlets The health resorts in the area are also off limits to DER SPIEGEL due to the "sanitary situation,” as the press office of the regional government says but there are no restrictions for Russian journalists Fewer people are pouring into Russia now than in recent days says that all those wanting to leave have already departed But many people in the Donbas have ignored the calls to "evacuate.” According to estimates some 2 million people still live in the areas belonging to the self-proclaimed "people’s republics,” with half of the pre-conflict population of 3.8 million having left since the trouble began in 2014 a resident of the Luhansk-area town of Antrazyt in her mid-60s says over the phone that she plans to stay for the time being "This is my home and I don’t want to leave Where should I go in Russia?” She says she wants to wait and see how the situation develops Svetlana says it’s hard to understand what is happening head of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk made a video announcement ordering the "evacuation” of women and children and announcing a "general mobilization.” Men able to bear arms were ordered to report to the authorities and would not be allowed to leave the region the sirens went off and everybody received text messages ordering them to leave the area who declined to give her family name out of concern – shared by many – that doing so could create difficulties There are a number of indications that the video announcement which immediately preceded Russia’s official recognition of the separatist areas According to the metadata associated with the videos they were filmed several days prior to broadcast "None of the men want to fight.” They’re all just sitting at home in Donetsk waiting to see what happens Our relatives?” Svetlana doesn’t just have family in the nearby southern Russian town of Rostov-on-Don but also in areas still under the control of the Ukrainian government Will Russia’s recognition of the "people’s republics” will change anything but adds that the people can’t change anything anyway "But we want to finally have peace in our homeland.” the Palace of International Forums hosted a concert of Lola Astanova a world-renowned pianist originally from Tashkent and a graduate of Uspenka (State specialized music school named after V She has been living and building her musical career in the United States for over 20 years Astanova successfully runs pages on social networks with 1.3 million followers on Instagram and nearly 100 million total views on her YouTube videos the impact of strict teachers and her upcoming concert scheduled for February in Tashkent are among the topics Lola Astanova discussed in an exclusive interview with Gazeta.uz after her performance — Emotions are overflowing due to that magical New Year mood still impressed by the audience and the hospitality — We had a good collaboration with the orchestra I believe this orchestra has an impressive level of skill The concert turned out even better than during rehearsals Sometimes there’s no instrument in the dressing room or backstage hands should be warmed-up before going on stage because the quality of the performance really depends on it It’s not guaranteed that even on the largest and most prestigious stages like in Carnegie Hall (concert hall in New York — ed.) So I must give credit to this hall — it has one of the best instruments in the world — Social media is an integral part of our lives I believe positives outweigh the negatives it allows direct communication with the audience There’s no need for critics and opinion-givers listen and share whether they like it or not whether they will go to a concert or buy a ticket Social networks have their share of controversies there’s a need to slightly exaggerate things for shares Many people get fixated on the number of likes if you approach it normally and don’t focus on it my career developed in a classical way: symphonies Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky concerts with symphony orchestras Though I must admit that I’m now less drawn to that in terms of academic music creating my own aesthetics is more interesting for me now Though when it comes to my career and development I love the massive sound and I’m full of creative ideas for presentation and arrangements and that’s crucial for me right now because creating something that hasn’t been there before is very different from playing the compositions of other artists - Each viewer takes something different for themselves while for others a concert is just about going out Certain people pay more attention to the image By presenting both the audio and visual components the audience can choose where to direct their attention Though the main thing is that everything should meet the high standards — both the performance and the visuals — Being on social networks alone is not enough Being popular on social media won’t be of any help if you give a live concert without having the skill And neither can money compensate for the lack of skill No one will come to that concert a second time since people somehow feel when an artist has something interesting to share when they have the skill Many pop artists who have achieved remarkable success without an academic musical background having a diverse skill set provides more options I believe Uzbekistan has a lot of talented people and musicians We had a robust educational system with strong teachers who brought up this generation of incredible artists emerging from here You have to support and take pride in that because getting on the world stage in any business is no joke I attribute (success) to the system that was established before my teachers were individuals of the highest caliber Now I can hardly imagine where (else) you can find at least a similar system I believe that’s the reason for these artists' success demanding that children work towards results It seems to me that Western schools lack a little bit of this strictness you can’t say anything critical to children at all even if they haven’t prepared for their lessons We had another extreme where children could get beaten on the hands They need a person to spark a burning desire to have some kind of dream and will to achieve something We really had it in us since people aspired to reach another level I believe it is very important for children And not just in terms of musical education but also in terms of character and to achieve your goal — that’s part of character These teachers worked hard to build that kind of character and I think it was 100% justified I followed the traditional path: countless competitions I always liked more unique projects in terms of scale I always saw myself a little differently and wanted a different kind of popularity for myself Winning a contest involves adhering to some academic rules and I’ve always had a different mode of self-expression a person who wasn’t born there… It’s a classic story of coming with nothing having absolutely no money and starting your whole life from scratch eventually reaching such heights as getting invited to play the national anthem at the White House It’s one of the most memorable concerts and days of my life it depends on what kind of classical music People enjoy listening to well-known melodies like the “Moonlight Sonata” or favorite soundtracks from movies Ligeti etudes are referred to as classical music it’s more challenging as it seems to me that the audience wants something lighter and more accessible I am announced everywhere as an Uzbek-American pianist my first musical and artistic successes are connected with Uzbekistan I can perform on different stages and my life is already evolving abroad But Uzbekistan is a very special place for me and this will never change Now I am very drawn to our national rhythms I even want to experiment a bit with folk instruments and singing I appreciate it more now than when I was a child I have prepared some special performances for this concert Maybe there was not enough time for some elements I would like to invite everyone to the Palace of International Forums on February 25 There will be very interesting performances coming as a surprise and I think everyone will enjoy it We have received your message and will fix the mistake soon Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias congratulated everyone involved in the evacuation operation The convoy which began its journey three days ago in Ukraine transporting personnel from the Greek Consulate General in Mariupol a number of journalists and some Greek citizens safely crossed the border into Moldova on Friday the operation to partially evacuate the consulate general in Mariupol was spearheaded by the Greek Ambassador to Ukraine Fragkiskos Kostellenos the motorcade comprised 21 cars carrying 82 people Η αυτοκινητοπομπή υπό τον συντονισμό του Πρέσβη Φραγκίσκου Κωστελλένου πέρασε τα σύνορα Ουκρανίας-Μολδαβίας όπου τους περίμενε κλιμάκιο της Πρεσβείας μας στο Βουκουρέστι. Η επιχείρηση #Νόστος3 ολοκληρώθηκε επιτυχώς Συγχαρητήρια σε όσους συνέβαλαν στην αίσια έκβαση — Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) March 4, 2022 Mariupol’s and Odessa’s respective Consuls General Manolis Androulakis and Dimitris Dochtsis remain at their posts A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 with nearly 300 people aboard crashed in the Ukraine about 20 miles from the Russian border on Thursday American officials have concluded that the plane was shot down by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile launched from rebel-held territory Protests in Kiev Turn Deadly as Tensions Persist in Eastern Ukraine Source: Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council; Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Ukrainian Forces Withdraw From Strategic Town The main supply road was controlled by rebels Ukrainian soldiers who were trapped in Debaltseve escaped through farm fields Rebels Advance on Last Major City in Eastern Ukraine Sources: Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council; East View Geospatial; The WorldPop Project Source: Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Photo composite based on video from Army SOS Source: Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council; Donetsk Regional State Administration; Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Approximate firing position within government-held territory for the cluster munitions that hit Donetsk Percentage of population that are native speakers of Russian: The Ukrainian government has demanded that the rebels surrender and that any Russians fighting with them leave the country Poroshenko has said that he would consider some measure of decentralized power for the regions of Ukraine The rebels have previously demanded a withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions independence from Ukraine and even Russian annexation Putin proposed a cease-fire for both sides He has suggested that the Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain part of Ukraine Putin wants a frozen conflict in the region as leverage against Kiev Source: Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council; DigitalGlobe the pro-Russian separatists gained control of a long stretch at the Russian border NATO Releases Images Showing Russian Forces in Ukraine Pro-Ukraine volunteer fighters surrounded by rebels Source: Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council; Donetsk City Council Ukrainian military attacked rebels in the city from the northwest Military Base Buildup at the Russian Border Sources: Intelligence Community; DigitalGlobe Fierce Battles Continue in Region During Crash Recovery Presidential Election Is Bookended by Violence Sources: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe; Tim Ripley Cities most aligned with pro-Russian rebels Base for Ukrainian military operations in the Donetsk region Ukrainian military set up several checkpoints in areas around Slovyansk Pro-Russian rebels were seen using a World War II tank that they removed from a monument Pro-Russian rebels control at least seven public buildings Rebels have been unable to establish a strong foothold here in Ukraine’s second largest city The mayor is recovering from an assassination attempt in late April The most lethal clashes between government forces and rebels have been in Slovyansk a city of about 120,000 that has been controlled by insurgents since mid-April Pro-Russian separatists have occupied Donetsk and Luhansk for weeks who seem to enjoy the support of the primarily Russian-speaking population In what appeared to be a major escalation in the government’s fight with the rebels Ukrainian forces on Friday attacked militants or mutinous police in the police headquarters of this industrial city of about half a million people Though this city is mostly Russian speaking the streets are largely controlled by government supporters Clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian groups on May 2 ended with 46 people dying organized a referendum in March in which an overwhelming majority of the residents chose to come under the control of Moscow Ukrainian Forces Gain Ground Near Rebel City Source: Map data from East View Geospatial Sources: Map data from East View Geospatial; news reports Ukraine Threatens to Blockade Eastern City Putin Refers to Swath of Southeastern Ukraine as ‘New Russia’ Sources: Rural Revolutions in Southern Ukraine by Leonard G Friesen; Ukraine: A Historical Atlas by Paul R Ukrainian Operation to Retake Control Falters Satellite Images Show Russian Military Buildup Pro-Russian Demonstrations in Eastern Ukraine Ukraine Concedes Crimea as Border Tensions Rise Sevastopol Local militiamen backed by Russian forces seized the headquarters of the Ukrainian Navy on Wednesday Kuzminka 1,500 Russian paratroopers parachuted onto a base here Ukrainian tanks and other vehicles were patrolling this area less than seven miles from a Russian regiment in Lopan Donetsk A video showed Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles on patrol Russian forces raid a missile base on March 10 scaling its outer walls and outmatching the sailors inside without firing a shot Russian-backed Crimean officials demand that Ukrainian soldiers hand over an air defense base by 10 p.m Russian troops take over a military hospital on March 10 pro-Russian regional officials appear to cancel flights coming from Kiev Russian forces surround the Southern Naval Base cutting off the troops inside and blocking an amphibious tank landing ship docked there Russian forces infiltrate an air base on March 10 and take up positions along a runway Russian soldiers penetrate a Ukrainian base after firing in the air according to a Ukrainian military spokesman defense analyst; IHS Jane's; Nirav Nikunj Patel Sources: IHS Jane’s; International Institute of Strategic Studies Source: Ukraine: A Historical Atlas by Paul R Percentage of population that are native speakers of: Sources: State Statistics Service of Ukraine Wreckage Offers Clues on Why Flight 17 Went Down and A.: What Happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Maps of the Crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 A projectile fired from Ukraine has destroyed a building used by Russia’s border force near the frontier with separatist-held eastern Ukraine, Moscow said Monday — the latest in a series of claims of escalating incidents on both sides of the border.  an unidentified projectile fired from Ukraine completely destroyed a border facility used by the FSB border guard service in the Rostov region around 150 meters from the Russian-Ukrainian border,” Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement published by state news agencies.  Viideo published by the FSB showed what appeared to be a destroyed small cabin next to a dirt road in the village of Scherbakovo The cabin is described as a facility for border patrols The FSB’s announcement follows a series of claims by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine of increased shelling by Ukrainian forces.  Kyiv has denied taking offensive actions and says its soldiers are under strict orders not to escalate tensions in the region The Ukrainian military on Monday denied shelling the Russian border facility "We couldn't stop them producing this fake news but we always emphasize that we do not shoot at civilian infrastructure or into some territory in the Rostov region or whatever," Ukrainian military spokesman Pavlo Kovalchuk told reporters Ukraine and its Western allies have voiced concerns that Russia could use alleged Ukrainian attacks as a pretext to mount an invasion into Ukraine.  Kyiv has also reported increased shelling by Russian-backed forces including the shelling of a kindergarten last week which left two injured.  The so-called line of contact between Ukrainian forces and separatist-held territory has seen a dramatic increase in ceasefire violations since last Thursday the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has reported Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fighting Saturday Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelenskiy told the Munich Security Conference that day.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday that tensions around eastern Ukraine are at their “maximum” point since the standoff began warning that “any spark or provocation could have irreversible consequences.”  Ukrainian officials said Monday that Russia has amassed almost 150,000 troops near the border with troops and equipment potentially poised to strike from three sides should President Vladimir Putin give the order to invade