31.08.2014 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Several hundreds of Ukrainian military from volunteer battalions and regular army broke through the encirclement near Ilovays’k - The EU sanctions against Russia were not introduced during the EU summit on August 30 due to positions of some countries

31.08.2014 Daily Highlights by “Digests & Analytics Ukraine” News Agency

Ukraine

• Citizens of Kherson broke up a pro-Russian rally. Participants detained by police confessed, that they’ve came from Zaporizhya and have been paid for participation. Border guards and Armed forces are strengthening the border line between Crimea and continental Ukraine

Kyiv

• As situation in the east of Ukraine have recently worsened, block posts have been introduced around the capital, with traffic police and special battalion «Kyiv-1» being on duty twenty-four hours a day.

War in Ukraine

• Near Novoazovs’k, Ukrainian border patrol ships have been shelled, presumably by Russian helicopters, leading to casualties from the border guards.
• Several hundreds of Ukrainian military from volunteer battalions and regular army led by the Commander-in-chief of the South Operative Command Chomchak, broke through the encirclement near Ilovays’k
• Donets’k and Luhans’k airports being constantly shelled with artillery and attacked by terrorists. Terrorists are trying to attack on all fronts with support of Russian army. Minister of Defense Geletey, stressed that large numbers of Russian military and armored vehicles have recently appeared in the cities of Donbass.
• Donets’k and Luhans’k are being intensively shelled with artillery, cities infrastructure have been destroyed, civilians being killed.
• Ukraine has significantly reduced electricity supply to Crimea. Sevastopil’ faced sectoral black-outs.

International

• German Chancellor Merkel and French President Hollande claimed, that there is no intention to supply Ukraine with weapons and military equipment, as this move might create an impression that the conflict could be resolved with military means, but other EU member states could have a different opinion. The EU sanctions against Russia were not introduced during the EU summit on August 30 due to positions of Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Cyprus, as decision should have been approved by all EU member states.
• Russian President Putin urged Ukrainian authorities to start negotiations on political and state structure of the south-east of Ukraine, “taking into account interests of inhabitants of the area”.
• Poland, Baltic States and Canada urge NATO to abandon the Fundamental Agreement between Russia and NATO, which limits number of military personnel on the territory of the former Warsaw Pact. This will enable to put 5 military bases in the Eastern Europe - in Poland, Romania and in Baltics.

Trends

• De-conservation of the military equipment, formerly kept in warehouses in Ukraine, is heavily time and resource intensive, as it’s regular maintenance hadn’t been performed over time of Ukrainian Independence.