Welcome, @Ukraine! The country’s official Twitter account comes online

February 12 – "Normandy Four" negotiations concluded in Minsk with a disappointing result for Ukraine. Putin did not give in on a single point – there will be no withdrawal of Russian troops (they are, of course, nowhere close to Ukraine), no immediate resumption of control over the border, no reinstatement of sovereignty over occupied Crimea or Donbas. There are, however, the obligations on behalf of Ukraine to service social needs of separatists, legalize their armed gangs and hold fake elections under their watchful eye. The situation looks a lot like the surrender of Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia) to Hitler.

February 12 – Total financial assistance to Ukraine from the IMF and other organizations could amount to 40 billion dollars over 4 years, – said IMF's Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

February 12 – Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations has announced the preparations for the 14th so-called humanitarian aid convoy destined for Donbas – more weapons will be transported, no doubt.

February 12 – Russia has transferred another lot of military equipment and artillery to the territory of Ukraine, controlled by militants – approximately 50 tanks, 40 "Grad", "Uragan" and "Smerch" multiple rocket launch systems and 40 armored vehicles crossed Russian-Ukrainian border at border crossing point Izvaryne, – said NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko.

February 12 – The transfer of the amphibious assault ship "Vladivostok" (Mistral-class) to Russia could begin as early as next week.

February 12 – EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini does not expect sanctions against Russia to be discussed during the summit of EU member-states leaders to be held on Thursday.

February 12 – Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Lamberto Zannier hassaid that at present it is impossible to determine whether the militants in Donbas are also soldiers of the regular Russian army. OSCE has completely exhausted itself as a security-oriented organization.

February 12 – Agreements reached in Minsk during the meeting of the leaders of the countries of the "Normandy quartet" are absolutely weak. This was stated by the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybaskaite, to journalists in Brussels before the EU Summit. "The fundamental part of the resolution is the control of the borders. It was not agreed upon and not resolved," she noted. "This means that the border is open for crossing by whatever soldiers and whatever artillery," remarked Grybaskaite. "This means that the resolution is totally weak," emphasized the President of Lithuania. She is also not very optimistic about the agreements on the cease-fire.

"Five months ago we already had one agreement about a cease-fire which was not implemented. Let's see what happens with this one," underlined Grybaskaite. "We will observe in the next few days how at least these partial agreements will be implemented," she added.

War is hell! (photo report from occupied Vuhlehirsk)

Russia lies... great start to Minsk agreement (Savchenko cannot be released!!)

Timothy Ash

Ukraine – deal thoughts

I guess with hindsight, a deal was always going to be done. Merkel was not going to get on a flight to Minsk, after Kyiv, Moscow, and Berlin, and not get something. And Putin needed to try and rebuild some bridges with Merkel, after seemingly upsetting her at Brisbane. Merkel is probably the honest broker in all this. She really feels for the Ukrainian position, but understands the real threat from Russia – she reads Putin better than any other Western leader, and cannot be bought. But it is Bismark-style real politik for Merkel, and she was desperate to stop the fighting – almost at any cost, which is entirely understandable. Hollande will likely get his aircraft carriers delivered, and sees all this as offering the hope of ressurection in terms of his presidency at home – a global leader, strutting the international stage and making Cameron, et al look like poodles, or rather a bulldog with no teeth. Putin gets his aircraft carriers, which will no doubt have a nice shiny berth now awaiting in Sebastopol. Putin also fended off near term threats of sanctions from the West, and can sell himself to allies in Europe (there are many) as a peacemaker – again heading off further sanctions threats. He has also not agreed to very much, as I don't think his signature is on the document, so if it fails (and it likely will) he can blame others. He has also headed off the threat of the US arming Ukraine – and therein he is in cahoots with Obama himself, who will see this deal as being useful in fending off calls from the DC consensus (including within his own administration) now to arm Ukraine – and can return to his own "splendid isolation" or "strategic patience" as it is now called stateside. That's a nice term for doing as little as possible. Poroshenko gets his IMF programme, and can try and roll out reforms attached to this to try and assure the supporters of Maydan that this team is really the Real Deal in terms of the reforms they so desire. Note the IMF press release was timed for 10am, just as news of the Minsk deal broke – so my sense is that someone was telling the Ukrainians that an IMF deal was contingent on a Minsk ceasefire deal. No ceasefire – no IMF deal. And the IMF gets to roll out its new programme, which it has been working on for months. Poroshenko probably also thinks that the ceasefire will buy time for Ukraine to regroup, rearm against the clear and present danger of further Russian intervention. But will it all stick/last? I just do not think so, as I still fail to see from this deal what is different to Minsk I in terms of delivery on Russian strategic objectives in Ukraine. Minsk I clearly did not deliver for Russia, hence that ceasefire did not last long, so let's see what is really different this time around. The issues of real autonomy/federalism, and border control don't appear to be properly addressed in this document. Constitutional reform towards the Russian agenda will be impossible for Poroshenko to deliver. And finally and fundamentally why I do not think that the status quo is sustainable – one year ago Russia felt the need to annex Crimea, and intervene in eastern Ukraine. But one year ago Ukraine was no threat to Russia as a) it was non aligned; b) popular support for Nato membership was low single digits, and there was little support in parliament or amongst political elites to drive Ukraine NATO membership. C) the west really did not want Ukraine in NATO as they saw this as a red rag to the Russian bull, and as events have proved could not defend Ukraine under NATO's TOR; c) the Ukrainian military had limited fighting capability as was proven in the early days of the conflict, but subsequently changed; d) the govt in Kyiv was weak and disarray and the Ukrainian economy on the brink of collapse; e) and as events have proven Russia had de facto control of Crimea via the stationing of 26,000 troops and the long term BSF agreement. And f) and finally Ukrainians were not anti-russian or even particularly anti-Putin. If Moscow was not a real threat a year ago, but Moscow felt compelled to intervene, look at the risk from a Russian perspective now from Ukraine – a) Ukraine is no longer non aligned. B) it now wants to join NATO and opinion polls now show majority support for this. C) Ukraine is rebuilding military capability and the military doctrine is now against the threat from Russia; d) Ukraine has a reform admin in Kyiv, which has a real chance of succeeding now with imf support. It can offer a rival and successful model of development to Putin's power vertical and sovereign democracy. E) Opinion polls show strong ukrainian opposition/distaste for the Putin regime. So, net-net the above still suggests the risk of further future Russian intervention in Ukraine.

P.S.: Please spread this appeal as much as possible.

February 20 – 2 Ukrainian military were killed and 3 wounded in the ATO area in the last 24 hours. General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces confirms that 110 Ukrainian military of Debaltseve garrison were captured by the militants.

February 20 – Donbas territories that are not controlled by Ukrainian authorities are in debt – they owe Ukraine 7.5 billion UAH for gas, 3.5 billion UAH for electricity. Gas and electricity are being supplied by Ukraine to territories that have been occupied by the Russians free of charge. This is surrealism in Ukrainian for you. Ukraine also covers all the social costs incurred by the terrorists. Whereas within Ukraine all the rates are going up several-fold.

February 20 – Russia continues to transfer its soldiers and military equipment to Donbas, – informed NSDC spokesman Andriy Lysenko. Over 20 tanks, 10 self-propelled artillery systems and 15 trucks have all entered Ukraine from Russia and started moving towards Novoazovsk. Busses carrying Russian soldiers have also been recorded. 20 trucks transporting ammunition were spotted near Izvaryne moving towards Luhansk.

February 20 – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed a Decree enacting the Decision by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of January 25th "On emergency measures to be taken against threat of Russian aggression and manifestations of terrorism, supported by the Russian Federation". In cooperation with the National Council for Radio and Television, the Government was instructed to take urgent action to curb Russian information aggression carried out using national and foreign media. State Fiscal Service and State Service for Financial Monitoring were instructed to immediately implement effective actions to identify and eliminate the channels used to fund the terrorists. NSDC has also urged General Prosecutor to take actions and recognise the so-called "People's Republic of Donetsk" and "People's Republic of Luhansk" as terrorist organizations.

February 20 – A year after the massacre at the Independence Square in Kyiv (the Maidan), a Prosecutor General of Ukraine has finally declared the suspicion of committing crimes to 18 former senior officials of Yanukovych regime, – informed during a press conference the Head of the Department for Special Investigations of the Prosecutor General Serhiy Gorbatyuk. International human rights organization "Amnesty International" presented a report stating that only two policemen have to date been criminally punished for crimes against "Maidan" and even they are now on probation. Everyone else still manages to successfully avoid any punishment.

February 20 – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed a Law on the creation of a joint Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian Brigade.

February 20 – Ukraine's example shows well that the position of halting nuclear power and refusing nuclear potential is not justified. This was stated by the former General Director of NATO, George Robertsonin an article published in the newspaper Herald Scotland. In polemics with the Scottish National Party, which supports the nuclear disarmament of Britain, he advises the opponents to search in Google information on the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, wherein Ukraine under "assurances made under oath" by Russia, USA, and Britain, renounced nuclear arms. "These countries, as well as both France and China, promised to: a) respect Ukrainian independence and sovereignity within the existing borders; b) refrain from the threat or the use of force against Ukraine, and c) refrain from economic pressure on Ukraine as a means of influencing its politics. "Don't these promises look good in the light of the bloody battles, which we see on our TV screens every evening?" asks Rebertson. Simultaneously, he emphasizes, that Russia is not even thinking of stopping its nuclear potential, but, on the contrary, is cultivating it.

Russia 'must' do this. Russia 'must' do that. Or else what?

Askold Krushelnycky: Russia's war moves to Mariupol, while West just keeps ignoring reality

Justin Huggler: Documentary claims Putin was a lazy wife-beater who only turned his life around when KGB collapsed

Justin Huggler:'Vladimir Putin is a wife-beater' – and six other claims in new documentary

You can watch the documentary here: (in German)

P.S.: Please spread this appeal as much as possible.