A letter from Nadia Savchenko…

March 11 – Russia continues to arm and train separatists in eastern Ukraine, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (reports Reuters), while answering questions about the information on Russian tanks arriving in Ukraine over the last few days.

March 11 – Leonid Kuzmin, the organizer of events commemorating the birthday of Taras Shevchenko in Simferopol on March 9, has been threatened with being fired if he doesn't resign "voluntarily". For those of you who are English-speaking and French-speaking – it's like firing someone for being Shakespeare's admirer.

March 11 – Security Service of Ukraine has said that Russian Major General Alexei Zavizion (aka Alagir) is the head of operations of the militants in Donbas. Although there are no Russian troops in Donbas, according to Putin.

March 11 – The US has introduced new sanctions against former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, his Deputy Serhiy Arbuzov, former minister Raisa Bogatyryova, some pro-Russian militants and their Russian supporters, – according to the website of the US Treasury.

March 11 – The threat to Russian oil industry as a result of sanctions and their implications for companies to attract funds are more serious than the risks associated with falling oil prices, – states the review by international rating agency Fitch Ratings "Russian Oil and Gas Under Sanctions: Technology, Funding More of a Threat Than Weak Oil".

March 11 – The US has decided to supply Ukraine with remotely piloted aircraft and armoured military vehicles Humvee, – informed US Vice President Joe Biden in his telephone conversation with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.

March 11 – Russian soldiers are participating in the war in Eastern Ukraine beginning with July 14, 2014.

This is stated in the report of the British Kingdom United Institute of Defense Research (https://www.rusi.org/)

According to the document, on that day six reconnaissance detachments, namely: 2nd Brigade of special forces, 10th Brigade of special forces, a group of the 45th Division of Guards special forces of the air assault troops, 173rd Separate Division of Guards Reconnaissance Company, the Reconnaissance Battalion of the 9th Infantry Brigade, the Reconnaissance Battalion of the 18th Infantry Brigade.

Since August 11th, according to the data of the Institute, in the war in Ukraine, there were already ten tactical groups which were fully involved: 17th Infantry Brigade; 18th Infantry Brigade; 21st Infantry Brigade; 33rd a (mountain) Infantry Brigade; 247th Guard Division Landing-Storming Regiment; 104th Guard Division Landing-Storming Regiment; 331st Guard Division of the air assault troops; 137th Guard Division of the air assault troops; 31st Guard Division Landing-Storming Regiment; 2nd Brigade of special forces.

The number of pro-Russian fighters, state the analysts, numbers a half of the number of resource of Russian regular army. The main strategic task of the Russian Army units in the the document is named the support of the self-pronounced "republics" in Eastern Ukraine. Also the researchers supposse that that Russia very soon will undertake a new a new attack on Ukrainian positions. The most probable direction is considered Mariupol.

Anders Aslund: What Putin Can Learn from Stalin's Winter War

Leonid Bershidsky: Russia is hacking your social media news feed

Edward Lucas: Answering the critics of a tough Russia policy

Human Rights Abuses in Russia Occupied Crimea [23 pgs]

by Andrii Klymenko, Atlantic Council (Washington, D.C.), Freedom House (Washington, D.C.)

March 2015

Putin and politics of isolation

Russia-Ukraine (in caricatures-photogallery)

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January 21 – Ukrainian army retreated from Donetsk Airport.

January 21 – 1 Ukrainian military was killed in the ATO area in the last 24 hours, – informed NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko.

January 21 – A large number of Russian soldiers in unmarked uniform was spotted near the city of Luhansk. Approximately 60 tanks, over 50 armored infantry carriers and 100 "Tigr" all-terrain infantry mobility vehicles have appeared in the city of Krasnodon. In the of Horlivka, militants of a terrorist group "People's Republic of Donetsk" are being replaced with military of regular Russian Armed Forces. Approximately 100 Russian tanks are located near the cities of Shakhtarsk and Torez, – informed NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko.

January 21 – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has spoken about two thousand Russian soldiers crossing Ukrainian border. In addition, he said, more military equipment, including 20 tanks, were relocated to Ukraine from Russia.

January 21 – A bridge over Sieverskyi Donets river in the village of Stanytsya Luhanska was blown up at approximately noon on Wednesday, – informed the Head of Luhansk Oblast State Administration Gennadiy Moskal.

January 21 – Ukraine has requested an explanation from the Russian Federation on the reasons behind stationing over 50 thousand Russian soldiers near the border with Ukraine, informed the spokesman of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Yevhen Perebyinis.

January 21 – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has called upon the civilized world to support Ukraine in its fight against terrorism and Russia's aggression when speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. The President noted that according to Ukrainian intelligence, 9000 Russian soldiers, 500 tanks, heavy artillery and armored vehicles are currently located in Ukraine. "If this is not aggression then what is?", – asked Poroshenko.

January 21 – 8 Ukrainian soldiers were captured by terrorists at Donetsk airport, – informed the Advisor to the President of Ukraine and Assistant to the Minister of Defense Yuriy Biryukov.

January 21 – Broadcasting via TV station "Luhansk 24", the terrorists of "People's Republic of Luhansk" have called upon the residents of the city of Shchastya and the village of Stanytsya Luhanska to rally and demand that Armed Forces of Ukraine leave the abovementioned municipalities, otherwise they will shell them with artillery, – informed the Head of Luhansk Oblast State Administration Gennadiy Moskal. Stanytsya Luhanska and Shchastya are under control of Ukrainian Armed Forces.

January 21 – President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Ann Brasser asked the Speaker of the State Council of the Russian Federation, Serhiy Naryshkin to help free the Ukrainian air pilot and deputy Nadiya Savchenko from Russian Prison. This is the content of the letter to the Head of the Russian Council, informs the PACE site. In her letter Brasser asked that Savchenko be released "in a timely fashion, so that she can be present at the opening of the January session of the Assembly that will take place on January 26th." In her letter, Basser noted that the state of Savchenko's health is critical as a result of the hunger strike and reminded that the Minsk protocol, approved by Russia and Ukraine, foresees the immediate of all prisoners and illegally detained people. "Therefore I ask you to pursue all avenues together with your managers in order to guarantee her immedia framework of the Minsk protocol either on humanitarian or other grounds," states the letter. She noted that Savchenko was elected to the Ukrainain Parliament, while additionally also being a member of the Ukrainian delegation in PACE.

Russia's hybrid war as international corporate raiding

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