13:01
18.6.2014
Happy to meet a son alive. Rotation of volunteers to National Guard of Ukraine, via fb page Discover Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/G5amgQ5T2U
— Kateryna_Kruk (@Kateryna_Kruk) June 18, 2014
13:32
18.6.2014
According to the UN's refugee agency, because of the turmoil in Ukraine there are now some 17,500 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country. RFE/RL has produced this interactive map of where they have taken refuge.
14:03
18.6.2014
Prosecutors open case against defense officials over plane shot down near Luhansk: http://t.co/RRrbVRhhGs
— Ukrinform (@UKRINFORM) June 18, 2014
14:10
18.6.2014
.@MFA_Ukraine: Docs prove Russian origin of MANPADS used by rebels in east #Ukraine http://t.co/AILQNvDBSw (Ukr/Rus) pic.twitter.com/ZqWzvZX4aZ
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) June 18, 2014
14:38
18.6.2014
Just a few months old, the Russia, Crimea "together forever" mural in Moscow already needing a new paint job: pic.twitter.com/ZZp89LPmQ3
— Howard Amos (@howardamos) June 18, 2014
15:03
18.6.2014
RFE/RL's Zhanna Byezpyatchuk and Robert Coalson have been profiling Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's new chief of staff Boris Lozhkin:
Read the entire article here
Lozhkin's supporters stress his management skills. Critics, however, are suspicious of his decades-long role as a media mogul and political insider as well as his longstanding ties to Russia.
"I think that for Poroshenko it is a powerful argument that he brought in a fresh person, unjaded, who can look afresh at how the presidential administration has functioned and how it should function," Kyiv-based analyst Volodymyr Fesenko tells RFE/RL.
On the other hand, Lozhkin -- before he sold his stake in Ukraine's United Media Holding (UMH) group just prior to his appointment -- was a media-tycoon who thrived during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych.
"Did we make this revolution just so the oligarchs could keep their advantages," Ukrainian journalist Oleh Shynkarenko asks, echoing the view of many of the Euromaidan protesters who were already skeptical of Poroshenko, himself a wealthy oligarch.
"I think that for Poroshenko it is a powerful argument that he brought in a fresh person, unjaded, who can look afresh at how the presidential administration has functioned and how it should function," Kyiv-based analyst Volodymyr Fesenko tells RFE/RL.
On the other hand, Lozhkin -- before he sold his stake in Ukraine's United Media Holding (UMH) group just prior to his appointment -- was a media-tycoon who thrived during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych.
"Did we make this revolution just so the oligarchs could keep their advantages," Ukrainian journalist Oleh Shynkarenko asks, echoing the view of many of the Euromaidan protesters who were already skeptical of Poroshenko, himself a wealthy oligarch.
Not only are Lozhkin's personal qualities still crucial unknowns, but the nature of the job is as well.
Ukrainian presidential chiefs of staff have usually been powerful behind-the-scenes political figures. But recent reforms -- particularly the restoration of Ukraine's 2004 constitution -- have aimed to limit the power of the presidential administration and restore balance among Ukraine's government structures.
Ukrainian presidential chiefs of staff have usually been powerful behind-the-scenes political figures. But recent reforms -- particularly the restoration of Ukraine's 2004 constitution -- have aimed to limit the power of the presidential administration and restore balance among Ukraine's government structures.
Read the entire article here
15:14
18.6.2014
A member of Ukraine's National Guard complains in an interview with RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service about a lack of proper military planning as troops fight in the country's east. The soldier, who wished to remain anonymous and whose voice has been altered for this video, pleaded with the government to provide more professional support for Ukrainian military operations.
15:36
18.6.2014
Ukrainian authorities announce arrest of the "head" of the "Donetsk People's Republic" in Mariupol -- "Baba Natasha."
15:52
18.6.2014
That concludes our live blogging for Wednesday, June 18.
05:36
19.6.2014
From our newsroom:
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has said the United States will work with allies to "impose further costs on Russia" if Moscow fails to use its influence to stop separatist violence in eastern Ukraine.
The White House says Biden made the comment to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a telephone conversation yesterday.
Biden said Russia has failed to stop sending weapons and militants across the border.
Biden also commended Poroshenko for his commitment to move ahead with his peace plan and for other measures to unify the crisis-ridden country.
The new president of Ukraine is proposing a unilateral cease-fire after two months of fighting and promises a safe exit for pro-Russian armed separatists.
The White House says Biden made the comment to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a telephone conversation yesterday.
Biden said Russia has failed to stop sending weapons and militants across the border.
Biden also commended Poroshenko for his commitment to move ahead with his peace plan and for other measures to unify the crisis-ridden country.
The new president of Ukraine is proposing a unilateral cease-fire after two months of fighting and promises a safe exit for pro-Russian armed separatists.