Ukraine: Just a little historical perspective
Crises telescope time. They focus us on the urgency of the now and, as important as they are, sometimes they distract us from enduring truths and long-term strategies. The crisis over Ukraine is no exception. We worry about war and escalation; we despair about refugees and suffering; and we naturally focus on ceasefires and their violations. This...
Spot Report by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, 12 July 2015: Monitoring events in the wake of deadly shooting in Mukachevo
On 12 July, the SMM dispatched a patrol of the Ivano-Frankivsk-based team to monitor events in the wake of an armed incident that reportedly occurred the previous day in Mukachevo (Zakarpattia region, 605km south-west of Kyiv). According to media reports, at least two people were killed – reportedly members of the Right Sector (Pravyi Sektor) –...
OSCE Chief Monitor in Ukraine to address joint meeting of OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation and Permanent Council on Monday
VIENNA, 11 July 2015 – Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, will address the joint meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation and the Permanent Council on Monday 13 July 2015, at the Hofburg, Vienna. Ambassador Apakan will report on the current situation on the ground and activities...
OSCE participating States commemorate 40th anniversary of Helsinki Final Act
HELSINKI, 10 July 2015 – High-level representatives of governments from OSCE participating States and their Mediterranean and Asian Partners for Co-operation gathered today in Helsinki to mark the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. The commemorative event, followed by the high-level discussion, symbolically took place in the Finlandia...
Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 9 July 2015
This report is for the media and the general public. The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”. Its monitoring was restricted by third parties and security considerations*; persistent jamming of SMM UAVs over “DPR”-controlled areas was during the reporting period a major...
OSCE Troika meets in Helsinki on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act
HELSINKI, 10 July 2015 – Members of the OSCE Troika, represented by the current and previous Chairpersons-in-Office – Ivica Dačić, Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Didier Burkhalter, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, and the Special Representative of the incoming Chairmanship, Gernot Erler of...
A Black Eye for Croatia and Romania, Poland Legislators Debate IVF
Plus, a Serbian war-crimes suspect is extradited to Croatia and a Russian court date is set for Ukrainian filmmaker’s trial. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Pentagon Concludes America Not Safe Unless It Conquers The World
The Pentagon has released its “National Military Strategy of the United States of America 2015” in June, 2015. The document announces a shift in focus from terrorists to “state actors” that “are challenging international norms.” It is important to understand what these words mean. Governments that challenge international norms are sovereign...
Gas talks between Russia and Ukraine will continue in the format of the “Normandy four”
In the comment to the magazine Focus, Leading Expert of Energy Programmes of the Razumkov Centre Viktor Lohatskyi spoke of the new format of the negotiations with Russia on gas supply to Ukraine. The amount of gas we currently receive is not enough for Ukraine. However, I think that we will be able to diversify and increase supply as soon as the...
The fuss over the supposed Russian military base in Donbas is slightly overestimated
Ukraine’s volunteer Dnipro-1 Battalion released the footage on June 30 showing the separatist Russian base, which appears to have been constructed within the span of two weeks, and which has new roads, trenches, a parade square, and protective dugouts and constructions to hide the tanks and military vehicles shown there. The video was shot...
