24/01/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - 30 people has been killed as a result of the shelling of Mariupol by pro-Russian militants.

24/01/2015 Daily Highlights by "Digests and Analytics - Ukraine" News Agency

Topics of the day

30 people has been killed as a result of the shelling of Mariupol by  pro-Russian militants.

Key Events In Ukraine

• President Poroshenko called the shelling of residential areas of Mariupol as a crime against humanity which falls under the jurisdiction of the Hague tribunal and announced an emergency meeting of the National Security Council on Sunday, January 25th.
• Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Groisman instructed to convene an extraordinary parliamentary session on Monday, 26 of January.
• Interior Minister Avakov informed about the transition to the tactics of preventive strikes against militants gangs at the meeting of the operations headquarter of the Interior Ministry.

Kyiv Life

• About a 1500 police, the National Guard and private guards will be patrolling the streets of Kyiv in enhanced mode.

Ukraine at war

• As a result of the shelling of residential areas of Mariupil by pro-Russian militants 30 people were killed and more than 100 wounded. Some of the attackers were wiped out by retaliatory fire. Interior Ministry announced the arrest of fire pointer. Memorial meeting for victims of the shelling was held on the central city square. Defense Minister stated that the position of the army in the Mariupil area were strengthened and the situation in the city is under control.
  DNR leader Zakharchenko admitted that the shelling of Mariupil was carried out according to his order.
  OSCE monitoring mission after a preliminary investigation indicated that the shelling of the town was carried out from the territory controlled by the rebels.
• Situation along the whole front line in the Donbass has deteriorated, large forces of the militants and the Russian army are trying to attack Ukrainian military positions. Serious fighting taking place near Debaltseve, Peski, Avdiyivka, Marinka, Uglegirsk, Gorlivka on Bakhmutka highway, in the Stanitsa Luhans’ka and Schastya.

Ukraine and the World

• EU Parliament Chairmen Shultz, Secretary General of NATO Stoltenberg, Head of the OSCE Mission Apakan strongly condemned the attacks on Mariupol, called on Russia to use its influence with militants who ignore the Minsk Agreement, and sit down at the negotiating table.
  According to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Mogherini, escalation of the conflict in the Donbass will inevitably lead to further deterioration of relations between Europe and Russia.
  US Secretary of State Kerry blamed gangs controlled by the Russian Federation for the attacks on Mariupol, and stressed that the international pressure on Russia will increase if it will not stop supporting militants in the Donbass.
  Ukraine called on the EU Council to hold an emergency meeting because of the events in Mariupol.
  Russia has used the veto to the publication of the UN Security Council joint statement condemning the shelling of Mariupol by militants.
• According to the press service of the President Poroshenko, it was agreed to hold the peace talks on the Donbas between Ukraine, Russia, the EU and the US.
• Austria is ready to finance the construction of temporary housing for 500 displaced persons and to participate in other programs of assistance.

Trends

• President Poroshenko appeals to the international community to recognize the DNR and LNR as a terrorist organizations thou not doing anything for such recognition by Ukraine.
• The "Dzerkalo tyzhnya" newspaper published a document confirming that Donetsk airport had to be transfered under the control of insurgents according to the Minsk Agreement.