Photo of volunteer drone enthusiasts helping Ukrainian artillery id terror targets. Everyone contributes pic.twitter.com/bsRR3fsIxE
— bruce springnote (@BSpringnote) August 3, 2014
This Russian guy's "outraged" YouTube response to Western sanctions has been getting a lot of traction on social media for some reason...
Good morning. We'll start today's live blog with the last Ukraine update issued by RFE/RL's news desk overnight:
International experts using sniffer dogs have recovered more human remains and personal belongings at the Malaysia Airlines wreckage site in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine.
The head of an international recovery mission, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, said yesterday that 70 Dutch and Australian investigators were able to reach the site for the second consecutive day, despite clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces nearby.
All 298 people on board the Malaysian Airlines plane died in the July 17 crash. Most of them were Dutch nationals.
Remains are being transferred by refrigerated truck to a facility in Kharkiv. They will then be sent to the Netherlands.
More than 220 coffins have already been sent back.
Meanwhile, the spokesman for Ukraine's National Defense and Security Council (RNBO) claimed pro-government forces have captured two key towns in the east of the country.
Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Andriy Lysenko said Kyiv's troops had "liberated" the towns of Krasnohorovka and Staromikhajlivka on the edge of the city of Donetsk.
Moreover, a map issued yesterday by the RNBO of the situation in eastern Ukraine appeared to show that the territiory held by the Donetsk-based separatists had been cut off from other rebels in the Luhansk region.
Lysenko also said Kyiv has received reports of Russian forces gathering at areas some five kilometers from Ukraine's eastern border.
Lysenko said those reports included claims that farmers in Russian areas along Ukraine's border were instructed to gather their harvests by August 3.
The Donetsk mayor's office on August 2 confirmed clashes in the Biryuzova district.
The Luhansk city council said all electricity and water to the city had been cut off.
(dpa, AP, UNIAN, and Interfax)
We are now closing our live blog for today. Don't forget that you can keep up with all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.
RFE/RL's Robert Coalson has been looking at Kyiv's prospects of regaining Crimea:
Speaking on Ukrainian television on August 1, President Petro Poroshenko said his country "will not give up Crimea."
"Ukraine will use all methods that are at its disposal to defend its national interests," he said, announcing his order that the Justice Ministry pursue all legal avenues.
Poroshenko's deputy chief of staff, Valeriy Chaliy, repeated the position the same day, saying there is "no chance" Kyiv will ever recognize the "occupation of Crimea."
"Crimea was, is, and always will be part of Ukraine," he said.
The tough talk from Kyiv came just days after an equally categorical statement from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "Crimea is part of Russia," he said. "There haven't been any talks with anybody about Crimea. There are no talks, and there can be no talks."
Ukrainian Special Ambassador Andriy Veselovskiy says legal mechanisms for achieving Kyiv's goals do exist. In conversation with RFE/RL's Ukraine Service, he cites as precedents the return of the Rhineland to Germany some 20 years after World War I and the return of Hong Kong to China after more than 100 years of British rule in 1997.
"There are many examples," he says. "But in all of them there is one important condition -- both sides agreed to an arbitrational consideration of the situation. In the current case, I don't know anyone who can imagine that Russia would agree to participate in such a process. And that is the problem -- not a lack of mechanisms."
You can read the entire article here.
Ukraine claims Russian farmers at the border with Ukraine told to finish harvest before Aug 3 http://t.co/gVp9CVCJFC
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) August 2, 2014
Forbes gallery of Putin magazine covers makes one doubt adage all publicity is good publicity: http://t.co/DYtaJwKON6 pic.twitter.com/jdE5XJ2CyG
— Robert Coalson (@CoalsonR) August 2, 2014
Here's an update from RFE/RL's news desk on the fighting in eastern Ukraine:
The spokesman for Ukraine's National Defense and Security Council has claimed pro-government forces have captured two key towns in rebel-held territory in east of the country.
Andriy Lysenko said at a news conference today that Kyiv's troops have "liberated" the towns of Krasnohorovka and Staromikhajlivka near the city of Donetsk.
Lysenko also said Kyiv has received reports of Russian forces gathering at areas some five kilometers from Ukraine's eastern border.
Lysenko said those reports included claims that farmers in Russian areas along Ukraine's border were instructed to gather their harvests by August 3.
The Donetsk mayor's office on August 2 confirmed clashes in the Biryuzova district.
The Luhansk city council on August 2 said all electricity and water to the city had been cut off.
(UNIAN, Interfax)
BBC reports new fighting hampers #MH17 crash probe #Ukraine http://t.co/Xzyo5FirHx pic.twitter.com/B0auGNgZJH
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) August 2, 2014
A large part of #Donetsk (Petrovsky r-n) is offline. No electricity. Rebel cars speeding in all directions through empty streets
— Emmanuel Grynszpan (@_zerez_) August 2, 2014