Russia and Ukraine trade blame over fighting as locals report worst night of shelling in months

A woman holds bread at the entrance of her home that was damaged by shelling in the eastern city of Avdiivka on Thursday

Intense shelling in eastern Ukraine hit civilian areas on Thursday night as an escalating battle between government forces and Russian-backed separatists entered its sixth day.  

Several civilian apartment blocks in the Ukrainian-controlled town of Avdiivka suffered direct hits during what was described as the heaviest night of shelling since renewed fighting broke out nearly a week ago. 

Russian-backed separatist authorities said intense shelling had also hit civilian areas of separatist-held city Donetsk.  

Ukraine said on Friday morning that four soldiers had been killed in the previous 24 hours. Both sides have reported civilian casualties.

A neighborhood with buildings damaged in shelling in the Russian-backed separatist controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine.

At least 20 people, including soldiers from both sides and civilians, have been reported dead since fighting erupted near a contested area north of Donetsk on Sunday.

The escalating battle has seen both sides using multiple rocket launchers and heavy artillery that they promised to pull back from the front line under the 2015 Minsk peace agreement.

Reporters with the Associated Press heard Grad missiles being fired from both sides of the lines on Thursday.

The renewed violence has left thousands of civilians without electricity, gas, and in some cases water and central heating, as fighting knocks out key infrastructure that supplies towns on both sides of the front lines.

Pavel Zhebrivsky, the governor of the government-controlled part of Donetsk region, said on Friday that a ceasefire had been arranged via a joint Russian-Ukrainian ceasefire monitoring centre so repairs could be made to damaged power lines.

The arrangement would see both sides of the conflict send repair crews to fix the damage, he said.

The war in eastern Ukraine has been locked in an uneasy deadlock since Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian president, negotiated a ceasefire deal in February 2015.

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Tom Burridge @TomBurridgebbc

Last night felt like another major escalation in fighting here in east #Ukraine. We could hear shelling 1 hr from #Avdiivka.

9:20 PM - 2 Feb 2017 · Ukraine

 
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The latest fighting is some of the most serious since that agreement was signed, raising the risks of a return to the all-out warfare that tore up the region two years ago.

Russia and Ukraine traded blame for the escalation in violence at a session of the United Nations Security Council on Thursday night.

Ukraine's UN ambassador, Volodymr Yelchenko, who holds the presidency of the Security Council for February, said the strife around Avdiivka started with artillery shelling by the Russian army and Russian-backed fighters from the two suburbs they control near the town. 

Nikki Haley, the new US ambassador to the United Nations, condemned Russia's "aggressive actions" in eastern Ukraine on Thursday and warned Moscow that US sanctions imposed after its annexation of Crimea will remain until the peninsula is returned to Ukraine.

Russia, which covertly deployed troops to the conflict two years ago, on Friday accused Ukraine of “breaking the Geneva convention” and using weapons banned under the Minsk agreement.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said in Moscow that what she called Kiev's "barbarism" had no justification and that Ukrainian armed forces had heavily shelled areas where women and children lived overnight.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused Ukraine of starting the escalation to rally support from the new US administration and other Western powers.

BY Roland Oliphant 

Locals and aid agencies warn of 'humanitarian disaster' as Ukraine fighting sparks diplomatic crisis

Local residents examine the remains of their flat after it was hit by shelling in the government-held town of Avdiivka

International aid agencies warned of a "humanitarian disaster" on Friday as escalating fighting between government forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine threatened to spark a diplomatic crisis. 

Russia and Ukraine have blamed one another for starting an increasingly violent battle near the Ukrainian-held town of Avdiivka and the separatist-held city of Donetsk that has killed at least 20 soldiers and civilians on both sides since Sunday.

People walk past a crater left by an explosion after shelling in Donetsk on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017

Locals said at least three civilians were killed shells landed in a residential area of the government-held city of Avdiivka on Thursday night and early on Friday morning, in what was described as the heaviest in fighting for two years.

The town's chief of emergency services and a British photographer were among the wounded.  

Christopher Nunn, a documentary photographer from Huddersfield, was inside an apartment block that was struck by shelling late on Thursday night. He was reported to be in a stable condition. 

Russian-backed separatist authorities said Ukrainian shelling of civilian areas of Donetsk had killed at least one civilian and injured more on Friday morning.

A car next to a shell crater in a residential area of separatist-held Donetsk

"We have had many flare-ups before and yet somehow the sides have pulled back, reverting to an uneasy, often violent static confrontational stance," Alexander Hug, deputy head of the OSCE ceasefire monitoring mission in Ukraine, said on Friday.

"Now however the stakes are even higher, there is a potential humanitarian and ecological disaster about to unfold," he added. 

The International Committee of the Red Cross called on both sides to pull back forces and agree to "safe zones" around key infrastructure that thousands of civilians rely on for heating, electricity, and drinking water. 

The fighting has already damaged electricity cables and water, gas, and heating pipelines, leaving thousands of civilians in both Avdiivka and Donetsk without key utilities during a severe cold snap. 

Pavel Zhebrivsky, the governor of the government-controlled part of Donetsk region, said on Friday that a ceasefire would be arranged so maintenance crews from both sides could repair damaged power lines. 

We have received a lot of help, but if the war continues those efforts will mean nothing. I don’t want this town to become another Homs or AleppoMusa Magomedov, director of the Avdiivka Coking Plant

Musa Magomedov, the director of the Avdiivka Coking Plant, said power had not been restored in the town, where an estimated 16,000 people live, as of early evening, although his factory was trying to generate extra heat and electricity  to make up for shortfalls. 

“There has been no shelling this bad since the ceasefire was signed in 2015,” he told the Telegraph, adding that one of the factory's female staff was killed when a shell landed near her home on Thursday night. 

The Avdiivka coking plant is the largest in Europe, employs 4000 people, and has operated throughout the war despite losing 10 staff members to shelling

“We will keep the factory operating as long as humanely possible and we are doing our best to generate electricity and heat for the town, but without extra capacity and fuel we are struggling,” he said by telephone.

 “We have received a lot of help from volunteers, but if the war continues those efforts will mean nothing. I don’t want this town to become another Homs or Aleppo,” he added.

Ukrainian servicemen give free food to local residents at the humanitarian aid center in Avdiivka

The war in eastern Ukraine has been locked in an uneasy deadlock since Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian president, negotiated a ceasefire deal in February 2015.

The two men have blamed one another for the current escalation in violence. 

Mr Poroshenko said Russia and the separatists forces it supports were “fully responsible” for the deteriorating situation and the deaths of soldiers and civilians.

“I stress that it is completely wrong to say that Russia does not support the militants – every unit has Russian military personnel who perform orders of the Russian Federation,” he said in a statement on Friday. 

The Kremlin laid blame for the escalation of “aggressive” Ukrainian actions and expressed hope that the separatist forces had “enough ammunition” to respond.

 "The main thing is to persuade Kiev to drop such reckless actions which are capable of undermining the Minsk peace process," said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Mr Putin. 

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, told Jean-Marc Ayrault, his French counterpart, that the fighting could nullify the stalled Minsk peace-process, Russia's foreign ministry said on Friday.

Vladimir Putin, French president Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko at peace talks in Minsk in February 2015

Earlier the Russian foreign ministry accused Ukraine of “breaking the Geneva convention.”

The comments followed a heated exchanges at the United Nations Security Council in which Russia said Britain should  “clean its conscience” by “giving back” the Falklands and Gibraltar before it passes judgment on the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea.  

“I would like to advise: give back the Malvinas [Falkland] Islands, give back Gibraltar, return the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean, which you turned into a huge military base. Then perhaps your conscience will be a little cleaner and you can hold forth on other topics,” Vitaly Churkin said at the meeting on Thursday evening.

Matthew Rycroft, the British ambassador to the UN, had said Russia’s attempts to blame the Ukrainian government for the crisis were “an inversion of reality.”

Nikki Haley, who was appointed US ambassador to the United Nations by Donald Trump last month, warned the violence could scupper the new administration’s wish to improve ties with Russia.  

In a strongly worded statement, she condemned Russia's "aggressive actions" in eastern Ukraine and said U.S. sanctions imposed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea will remain until the peninsula is returned to Ukraine.

BY Roland Oliphant

Donald Trump says US will work with Kiev and Moscow to end Ukraine conflict

Petro Poroshenko

President Donald Trump said he was willing to work with both Kiev and Moscow to resolve a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, following a telephone call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Saturday.

The call was the first direct contact between the two leaders since the inauguration of Mr Trump, whose aim to improve relations with the Kremlin has alarmed Kiev while the nearly three-year-old conflict remains unresolved.

It followed fresh artillery attacks in Ukraine's Donbass region, which broke a lull in shelling at a front line hot-spot that had raised hopes the conflict's worst escalation in months was waning.

"We will work with Ukraine, Russia, and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border," Mr Trump said in a White House statement after talking to Mr Poroshenko.

Trump's open admiration for Russia's President Vladimir Putin and campaign pledge to mend ties with Moscow have raised questions over his administration's commitment to maintaining sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the fighting and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Mr Poroshenko's office said the conversation with Mr Trump paid particular attention to "settlement of the situation in the Donbass and achieving peace via political and diplomatic means".

"The two sides discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States," it said in a statement.

Earlier the Ukrainian military and Russia-backed separatists accused each other of launching a new wave of shelling. The past week has seen a flare-up in hostilities in which more than 40 people have been killed in both government- and rebel-held areas.

The escalation near the town of Avdiivka has left thousands on both sides of the front line with little or no access to power or water amid freezing winter temperatures, prompting aid agencies to warn of a possible humanitarian crisis.

The US and EU sanctions against Russia are linked to accusations from Kiev and Nato that the Kremlin has driven the conflict by supporting separatists with troops and weapons - a charge it denies.

Russia says Ukraine instigated the latest surge to firm up Western support, while Kiev accuses the Kremlin of stirring up the violence to test the new US administration's will to involve itself in the crisis.

Mr Trump said his respect for Mr Putin would not affect his foreign policy.

"I respect a lot of people, but that doesn't mean I'm going to get along with him. He's a leader of his country. I say it's better to get along with Russia than not," Mr Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Bill O'Reilly on Saturday.

BY REUTERS

18,5% українців бракує грошей навіть на їжу

18,5% українців заявляють, що їм не вистачає грошей навіть на їжу, а дозволити собі купити все можуть лише 0,1% громадян. 

Про це свідчать результати дослідження, проведеного Київським міжнародним інститутом соціології.

При цьому 51,3% опитаних сказали, що їм вистачає грошей на їжу, але купувати одяг вже важко. Ще 26,5% заявили, що їм вистачає грошей на їжу, одяг і навіть можуть дещо відкладати; 2,6% сказали, що можуть дозволити собі купувати деякі дорогі речі, а 0,1% – що сім’я може дозволити собі купити все, що захоче. Не змогли визначитися 1% опитаних.

При цьому вірять у те, що через рік їхня сім’я житиме краще, трохи більше 20% опитаних. Так, вважають, що будуть жити набагато краще – 1,9%, дещо краще – 19,7%.

Разом з тим 20,2% українців вважають, що через рік їхня сім’я буде жити трохи гірше, а ще 6,9% – набагато гірше.

Відповідь «так само, як зараз» дали 36,4%. Не змогли відповісти на запитання 14,8%, а 0,1% відмовилися відповідати. Крім того, 22,9% українців вважають себе щасливими людьми, ще 31,1% – сказали: «скоріше так, ніж ні».

Також 25,2% українців на запитання, чи вважають вони себе зараз щасливими, відповіли: «І так, і ні»; 11,1% – «скоріше ні, ніж так», не вважають себе щасливими – 7,6%. Не змогли відповісти на запитання 2% опитаних.

Russia-linked DNC hackers 'targeted Ukrainian army'

Ukrainian national guard troops with a D-30 122mm Howitzer

The Russian hackers who attacked the Democratic National Convention used a variant of the same malware to target Ukrainian troops fighting Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, US security experts have said.  

Crowd Strike, the California-based cyber security firm that investigated the DNC hack, said on Thursday that it had found malware associated with the Fancy Bear hacking group infecting a targeting app used by Ukrainian artillery officers. 

Fancy Bear, or APT 28, is one of two Russian-linked groups that penetrated the DNC computers. Crowdstrike concluded following its investigation that the group is run by the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency.

Adam Meyers, the company's vice president of intelligence, said on Thursday that the company had found a previously unknown Android variant of X-agent or Sofacy, the software Fancy Bear used used to remotely access the DNC’s computers, infecting an app used by Ukrainian soldiers to speed up artillery targeting.

Information gathered by the program, which is used exclusively by Fancy Bear, could have been used by the Russian military to locate and destroy Ukrainian forces, he said.  

 “The ability of this malware to retrieve communications and gross locational data from an infected device makes it an attractive way to identify the general location of Ukrainian artillery forces and engage them,” Mr Meyers wrote in a blog post. 

The infected Android app was originally developed by a Ukrainian artillery officer called Yaroslov Sherstuk to streamline the processing of targeting data for the D30 122mm howitzer, a Soviet-designed artillery piece widely used in the war in Donbas. 

Ukrainian press reports in Autumn 2014 reported that Mr Sherstuk’s application reduced the targeting time for the D30 from minutes to seconds – a potentially life-saving advantage in the artillery duels that have defined the war in east Ukraine. It has reportedly been used by up to 9,000 soldiers. 

The funeral of Volodymyr Andreshkiv, a Ukrainian soldier killed during a surge of fighting near the town of Debaltseve in east Ukraine.  CREDIT: SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA

Mr Meyers told the Telegraph that he believes Russian hackers set up a fake social networking site where they tricked Ukrainian servicemen into downloading a contaminated version of the software. 

He said that the malware would have allowed attackers to monitor Ukrainian units' rough position on the battlefield "in real time" using GPS. 

"We believe it was very likely used in that way," he said, adding that drones may have been used to clarify a unit's position once the app had located their approximate whereabouts.  

It is unclear how many servicemen were using a contaminated version, rather than genuine, version of the program.

Mr Sherstuk was dismissive of the Crowdstrike report, writing on Facebook that the article was "delusional and written for amateurs." 

"So it is clear to everyone, distribution of the software is still under my control and is not in the public domain, and the activation is controlled personally by me," he wrote.  "Without any doubts you can continue to download from me personally," he added.

In a later post he advised users to delete older versions of the app. 

The revelation came a day after a report documenting the extent of Russian shelling of Ukrainian territory during the height of the war in the summer of 2014.

Russian artillery fired thousands of shells across the border at targets in Ukraine in at least 149 separate attacks during the summer of 2014, Bellingcat, the citizen journalism and open source intelligence group, said in a report on Wednesday.

At least 9,758 people have died in eastern Ukraine since hostilities broke out between Russian-backed separatists and government forces in April 2014, according to the United Nations.  

Russia publically denies intervening in the war in Ukraine.

Fighting and shelling continues on a near daily basis  despite a nominal ceasefire agreed by Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian president, in February 2015. 

Ukraine said at least five of its soldiers were killed during an upsurge of fighting near the town of Debaltseve earlier this week.

 by   Roland Oliphant 

Ukraine is climbing towards true democracy – but we need the West's help

The democratic gains of the Ukrainian Revolution must be defended 

Three years ago, Ukraine was still wavering between a creeping authoritarian rule and a fading democracy. Many, including myself, looked with enthusiasm towards a groundbreaking association agreement with the EU being inked in late November 2013. Failing to meet those expectations came as a humiliation for millions of Ukrainians, who aspired for welfare, respect, and above all a definitive break with the past.

Quickly, mass protests spiraled into what we now call the Revolution of Dignity, an unrelenting display of our people’s will, that ultimately forced the bankrupt regime from power and breathed new hope into a future Ukraine that would be part of Europe.

The three years since then have not been an easy journey. One could hardly find another country in Europe, or beyond, which, whilst facing a foreign occupation, would undertake ambitious reforms from the ground up. Equally unique is our achievement of addressing both challenges simultaneously. Starting the reform process from scratch, we have gradually stopped the bleeding, especially in regards to the economic situation, thus strengthening our resilience. 

Ukraine’s army is no longer weak and unprepared as it was back in 2014. Thanks to the expertise and assistance of our partners, including the US and the EU, and the bravery of the Ukrainian people, our military is now able to firmly stand its ground. Isn’t that what makes Russia’s forces in Donbass and their mercenaries nervous to the extent that they continue testing us by shelling along the contact line? Despite Ukraine’s numerous initiatives on a long-lasting ceasefire – something our military has always respected – the other side has displayed little restraint, deliberately breaking the peace and bringing more destruction and loss of life to my country. 

But Russia shoots itself in the foot every time it fires a shot in Ukraine. Having started with Crimea in 2014, the Kremlin went on to target the Donbass to divert attention from its blatant violations of international law. Concealing the truth may work for a short while, but not forever. This November in New York, the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee decided against Russia’s lies in a draft resolution on human rights in Crimea. Upholding international law is not easy, but it is a solid and legitimate path. With this resolution to recognize Russia as an occupying power and Crimea as Ukraine’s territory under temporary occupation (not annexation!), we are preparing the ground for an imminent de-occupation of the peninsula. As stated back in 2014, we will bring Crimea back into Ukraine not by means of war, but by peace. And, most importantly, by example.

 Ukrainian soldiers during a ceasefire outside Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine

Ukraine has everything necessary for the latter, because our journey to European-style democracy has now passed a point of no return. We have held free and fair national and local elections. We have stabilised our economy against the double shock created by instability and war. We have cleaned up our banking system to bring back macro-economic stability. We have uprooted energy dependence on Russia. Indeed, for the first time in history, we have not bought a single cubic meter of gas from Russia in over a year. We have also established a new police and done away with the previous force, which for years has been notorious for corruption. We have made public procurement transparent under a new innovative system. 

With millions of dollars saved, we are even starting to win Ukraine’s fight against corruption. For years, fed by Russia’s example and resources, this corruption became a weapon against Ukraine’s interests. In my opinion, there is nothing more effective than a resilient, transparent and vibrant political system. This is why we established our new anti-corruption e-declarations system in October. As a result of this mandatory process – the most advanced in the world – more than 103.000 officials, including myself, submitted their declarations of assets for full public scrutiny. By 2017, the number of e-declarations will multiply to more than 300.000 officials, removing every avenue to concealing corrupt activities. 

Nationalist activists burn tires in Kiev on the third anniversary of the Euromaidan protests

As we commemorate the third anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity, we are committed to continue on this path – however challenging it might be. After all, Ukrainians are the most euro-optimistic people. That is why a Ukrainian success story will also be a success story for the EU and beyond. In this effort, the continued backing of our partners is critical, be it for the swift ratification of the association agreement, visa free travel with the EU, political and financial assistance to Ukraine, or maintaining the sanctions policy against Russia.

Doing proper justice to the principles and sprit of the Revolution of Dignity, our partnership and solidarity with our Western partners needs to endure. Nothing would advance Ukraine’s reform efforts more successfully – and nothing would be more effective in deterring those who try to undermine us.

Petro Poroshenko is the President of Ukraine

Ukraine detains two Russian soldiers near Crimean border

Masked men acting in the name of Russia take over an administrative building in Crimea's capital, Simferopol, in 2014

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine flared on Tuesday after Moscow accused the Ukrainian security service of abducting two of its soldiers near the de facto border with Crimea, annexed by the Kremlin in 2014.

“We consider this to be an unlawful provocation carried out by Ukraine’s security service on Russian territory,” said Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister.

Ukraine said the men, named as Ensign Maxim Odintsov and Junior Sergeant Alexander Baranov by the Russian defense ministry, served in the Ukrainian army before deserting to Russia following Moscow’s seizure of Crimea in March 2014.

It said they were detained on Sunday after crossing the Chongar checkpoint into Ukrainian-controlled territory.

"We did not abduct anyone - we arrested two deserters who had crossed the border,” said SBU spokeswoman Yelena Gitlyanskaya.

She said the men could face criminal charges.

“We consider the actions of the Ukraine security service another crude provocation and demand their immediate return,” Russia’s defence ministry said.

It also warned Ukraine could use “psychological and physical” pressure to force the men into confessing to plotting “crimes against Ukraine”.

Ukraine has charged all military personnel who remained in Russian-controlled Crimea after its annexation with desertion. There were some 20,000 Ukrainian servicemen stationed in Crimea when it was seized by Russia.

Ukraine's chief military prosecutor, Anatoliy Matios, said earlier this year that only around 6,000 had returned to mainland Ukraine.

A Russian Black Sea Fleet official told Russian media that the two servicemen had been “lured” into Ukraine with the promise of higher education certificates.

The incident comes after a number of Ukrainian citizens were arrested by Russian forces in Crimea earlier this month and accused of plotting terrorist acts. Russian state media broadcast footage of several people confessing to the allegations.

In July, Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, convened his security council after alleged incursions by Ukrainian forces into Crimea.

Mr Putin said a Russian intelligence officer and a soldier had been killed and vowed that Russia would respond.

Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, called the accusations “cynical and insane”, and said they were a pretext for military threats against Ukraine.

Relations between Russia and Ukraine plummeted after Ukraine’s pro-Moscow president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted by pro-European demonstrators in February 2014.

Some 10,000 people have been killed in fighting between forces loyal to the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed separatists in east Ukraine since fighting broke out there in April 2014.

• BY  Marc Bennetts, moscow