From our newsroom:
A Ukrainian official says nine troops have been killed in fierce fighting against pro-Russian separatists for control of a town in eastern Ukraine.
An adviser to the interior minister said on Facebook that government troops controlled half the town of Ilovaysk, outside the separatist stronghold of Donetsk. But he said rebels were putting up fierce resistance on August 20 after more than a day of fighting.
Rebels contended government forces controlled only one part of Ilovaysk.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in over four months of fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
A convoy that Russia says is carrying humanitarian aid for the region remained halted near the border. Kyiv says it will not let the trucks enter Ukraine without security guarantees from the rebels.
Based on reporting by AP, Interfax, and RIA Novosti
Pro-Kyiv military blogger Dmitry Tymchuk acknowleged in an overnight post that a "column of Russian military equipment broke through to Luhansk [on Tuesday] to reinforce local militants." That supply line appears to connect Luhansk with the Russian border.
Virgin billionaire unites 16 "concerned business leaders from Russia, Ukraine and the West" to "encourage our governments to compromise and find a peaceful solution to the current conflict." Here's a passage from their appeal:
We as business leaders from Russia, Ukraine and the rest of the world urge our governments to work together to ensure we do not regress into the Cold War misery of the past. We call upon politicians to be bold and brave, so that our nations can end the painful suffering caused by war and once again collaborate for the greater good.
As a group of global business leaders, we would like to offer whatever support we can to help resolve this violent conflict. We appeal to other business leaders everywhere to open up a dialogue to create ways to resolve the issues peacefully. Conversations, not armed conflict are critical at this juncture.
An absolutely fascinating glimpse inside a top negotiator's efforts to free captives in this conflict (in Ukrainian Russian).
Liveuamap also has a situation map that is very detailed, by the way:
Today's situation map from the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council:
Zhenya O for our Ukrainian Service on the news that Poroshenko and Putin are both expected to attend a bilateral meeting in Minsk on August 26:
The National Security and Defense Council says Ukrainian authorities have "not yet received documentation on the content of Russian humanitarian aid" sitting in those 270-odd trucks waiting at the border.