Ukraine Plots New ‘Silk Road’ to Kazakhstan Skirting Russia
In response to Moscow’s trade restrictions, Kyiv will bypass Russia when shipping goods to Kazakhstan, announces counter-sanctions. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Escalation in Donbas indicates that the Kremlin wants to destabilise the entire Ukraine
On Christmas Eve, pro-Russian separatists dramatically increased the number of attacks in Donbas, including using tanks and mortars, admit both the Presidential Administration of Ukraine and the CTO Staff. We are talking about over 50 attacks on that day, and their intensity dropped only after the warning by the Ukrainian armed forces that “in...
Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30hrs, 12 January 2016
This report is for media and the general public. The SMM observed a calm situation in most parts of Donbas, including at and around Donetsk airport, but recorded numerous ceasefire violations close to Horlivka. The Mission found a number of previously-observed weapons missing from a Ukrainian Armed Forces heavy weapons holding area. It...
Weekly Update from the OSCE Observer Mission at Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk based on information as of 12 January 2016
Please note that this report is for media and the general public. SUMMARY Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCP). The overall cross-border traffic increased at both BCPs. DETAIL OM’s staff composition The OM is currently operating with 20 permanent...
Weekly Update from the OSCE Observer Mission at Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk based on information as of 5 January 2016
Please note that this report is for media and the general public. SUMMARY KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCP). The overall cross-border traffic decreased at both BCPs. DETAIL OM’s staff composition The OM is currently operating with 20 permanent...
Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, based on information received as of 19:30hrs, 11 January 2016
This report is for media and the general public. The SMM observed over 20 ceasefire violations involving the use of mortar, all in the wider area of Kominternove, but no ceasefire violations in the area of Donetsk airport. All ceasefire violations in Luhansk region were assessed as live-fire exercises. The Mission saw armed men in Kominternove...
Poland Wants U.S. Troops as Part of EU Deal with Britain: America the Big Loser
Doug Bandow Immigration is a hot issue in Europe. But it really doesn’t concern the U.S. Whether British citizens should have to provide welfare benefits for Polish visitors isn’t something most Americans think about. Yet that question might determine whether U.S. troops end up stationed in Poland to face down the Russian menace, as...
Russia Could Grant Syria’s Assad Asylum, Says Putin
If Syria’s president is forced to leave his country, he could find a new home in Russia, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on 12 January with the German newspaper Bild. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Local Forces for Change: Can Odessa Provide Impetus for Reform in Ukraine?
Thu21JanInvitation OnlyResearch EventLocal Forces for Change: Can Odessa Provide Impetus for Reform in Ukraine?21 Jan 2016 – 15:30 to 17:00Add to CalendariCalendar Outlook Google Yahoo Chatham House, London Russia and Eurasia Programme, Ukraine ForumParticipantsOlga Onuch, Assistant Professor in Politics, The University of Manchester;...
Ukraine’s challenges for 2016
Ukraine faces another difficult year as it grapples with two daunting challenges: Russia’s continuing effort to use the unsettled conflict in the Donbas to destabilize Kiev, and the need to implement critical economic reforms. In order to put the country on a path to becoming a successful European state, Ukraine’s leadership has to...
