11/14/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The situation in the conflict area in Donbas tends to deteriorate

The situation in the conflict area in Donbas tends to deteriorate

11.14.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• The situation in the conflict area in Donbas tends to deteriorate.
• Poroshenko paid tribute to victims of terrorist attacks in France.
• Conference on the Syrian crisis settlement was held in Vienna.

Key Events in Ukraine

• President Poroshenko signed the law on elections in Mariupol and Krasnoarmiysk to be held on  November, 29.
• Staff of the candidates for mayoral elections in Dnipropetrovsk reported attempts to disrupt elections.

Ukraine at War

• The situation in the conflict area in Donbas is deteriorating with each coming day. Militants are reportedly using portable MLRS "Grad-P". Militants continue attacks and shellings of the villages near Donetsk airport and Mayorsk. Fighting takes place in Volnovakha and Mariupol directions; the pedestrian crossing in Stanytsya Luhanska came under fire. During the clashes along the demarcation line, six Ukrainian soldiers were killed and ten were wounded. Тwo civilians were blown up by a land mine in Maryinka. According to observers, the Russian command in the occupied territory is refueling vehicles located on the front line and drawing ammunition and manpower to the front line. Chairman of the Luhansk military and civil administration Tuka believes the Minsk peace process to have been sabotaged. At the same time, Western leaders followed Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, claiming the need to extend the Minsk agreements for 2016 despite the "provocations", to continue the withdrawal of weapons and to restore infrastructure.

Ukraine and the World

• Many countries around the world participated in the flash mob in support of France. Most politicians support the version of the involvement of the Islamic State in the terrorist attacks. EU special services detained those involved in the attack on Paris. European countries take urgent measures to prevent the terrorist threat, with some of them closing their borders for migrants. Poland refused to comply with the EU's decision on the adoption of migrants accoring to the agreed quota. French Prime Minister requires the expulsion from France of radical imams. A video was published on the Internet on behalf of ISIS with the threat to continue terrorist attacks in France.
• In Vienna, a meeting of foreign ministers to resolve the Syrian crisis was held. Its participants resolved to continue the process of the political settlement of the conflict and to hold within the next year and a half the elections in Syria with the participation of the government and the opposition that are currently fiercely fighting with each other. Russia supports the actions of President Assad, the West supports the opposition forces. Besides, the conflict involves the rebels of the Islamic State and the Kurdish groups. The government controls a quarter of the country’s territory, including the ports with the Russian military bases.

The Trends

• Less than a day after the terrorist attack in France, Russian political scientist Markov said the world had to unite in the fight against the Islamic State. At the same time, the West should recognize that the events in Ukraine are insignificant compared to the threat of terrorism, and should not interfere with the events in Ukraine. Otherwise, the reconciliation between Russia and the West is impossible. In unison with Markov, the same requirements to the Western countries were put forward by the leader of Donetsk "republic" Zakharchenko. Russian politicians consider as victory the joint statement made by the foreign ministers of Russia and the United States and the UN special envoy on Syria calling for joint efforts in solving the Syrian crisis and the joint fight against terrorism. The meeting participants did not mention Russia’s involvement in the events in Ukraine and its support for the Islamic State, although many Western politicians directly linked the attacks to the Russian support for the IS.
• Ukrainian society is divided over the actions of the Ukrainian government. Some public figures point to the policy of double standards pursued by President Poroshenko, who did not declare national mourning after the tragedies in Luhansk, Ilovaisk, Savur-Mohyla, Debaltseve, or Donetsk airport. He pays more attention to the victims of terrorist attacks in France, instead of focusing the world's attention on daily casualties among Ukrainian military and civilians during military operations in Donbas. Besides, Poroshenko did not announce mourning after the terrorist attacks in Beirut, Ankara, or Nigeria. Analysts link his support for France with its participation in financing Ukraine.