An interesting tweet showing the difference between the situation in eastern Ukraine on August 15 and October 28:
And here is the today's situational map from eastern Ukraine, issued by Kyiv's National Security and Defense Council (click image to enlarge):
We are now closing the live blog for today. Don't forget, until we get the ball rolling again tomorrow, you can keep up with all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.
Peace talks are due to resume today:
Peace talks aimed at ending the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists are due to resume on December 24.
The negotiations in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, are to bring together envoys from Ukraine, Russia, the rebels, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
A second meeting is to take place on December 26.
The last rounds of Minsk consultations in September produced a cease-fire and the outlines of a broader peace agreement that gave the rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine self-rule for three years.
But the deals were followed by more fighting that killed more than 1,000 people.
On December 23, Ukraine's parliament voted to abandon the country's neutral "non-bloc" status and set a course for NATO membership, a move immediately denounced by Russia as "unfriendly."
Russia is pushing hard its own version of what happened to MH17.
Read the latest Ukraine Unspun post by Glenn Kates.
Due to holiday staffing, the live blog is closing early today.
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this update from our news desk:
Talks aimed at ensuring a stable cease-fire between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists have ended after more than five hours.
There was no indication of progress or when the next round of negotiations might take place.
The peace talks in Minsk brought together representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the rebels, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Fighting in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 4,700 people since April.
The United Nations says more than 1,300 people have been killed there since talks in Minsk produced an often violated cease-fire agreement on September 5.
On December 23, Ukraine's parliament voted to abandon the country's neutral "non-bloc" status and set a course for NATO membership.
That move was immediately denounced by Russia as "unfriendly."
(AP, AFP)