Here's a new video courtesy of RFE/RL's Current Time TV:
Caring For Combatants And Canines: Ukraine's Doctors Do It All
They are civilian doctors who now find themselves working close to the front lines in Ukraine's war-torn Donbas region. But they do more than just save soldiers' lives. With a shortage of medical staff, they also care for the local population and treat everyone from women and children to animals.
Here's an update on fighting in the east from RFE/RL's news desk:
One Ukrainian Soldier Killed, Eight Wounded In Eastern Ukraine
One Ukrainian soldier has been killed and eight wounded in fighting with pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours.
In announcing the news on April 1, a Ukrainian military spokesman said the overall situation along the front line had "escalated."
The spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, also accused the separatists of using heavy weapons, which should have been pulled back according to the cease-fire agreement, known as Minsk II.
Lysenko said fighting was reported at many spots along the front line in the Donetsk region, but most intense around the government-controlled city of Avdiivka and Zaitseve.
He said pro-Russia separatists had used mortars, antiaircraft systems and other weapons in the Popasna district in Luhansk region. That, Lysenko said, had forced Ukrainian authorities to suspend operations at the newly opened Zolote checkpoint.
Lysenko said Ukrainian forces had also come under fire 26 times around Mariupol, a key city on the Sea of Azov.
More than 9,100 people have been killed in the fighting in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and some 21,000 wounded since the conflict broke out in 2014.
Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS
Our news desk has given us this item from Crimea:
Pro-Russian Crimean Tatar TV Channel Starts Satellite Broadcasting
A new television channel in the Crimean Tatar language has started satellite broadcasts from Russia-annexed Crimea where the Russia-imposed government has shut down virtually all independent Crimean Tatar news organizations.
Ruslan Balbek, a deputy prime minister of the de facto government, said the aim of the Millet (Nation) channel was to counter "anti-Russian propaganda."
The Crimean Tatar community protested in August when the channel was official registered, labeling it a "pro-Kremlin propaganda tool." The channel began test broadcasting in September.
Its programs will now be transmitted via Russia's Yamal 401 satellite to Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, and Turkey, the channel's Director General Seyran Mambetov said on April 1.
Exactly one year ago, on April 1, 2015, Crimea's Russia-backed authorities shut down Crimean Tatars' long-serving television channel, ATR TV, and its several affiliates.
That move was condemned by the United States, European Union, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and Amnesty International as further intimidation of the peninsula's Crimean Tatars.
Based on reporting by Rossiya 24 and TASS
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council (CLICK TO ENLARGE):
Australia seals uranium export deal with Ukraine
Sydney, April 1, 2016 (AFP) -- Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced on Friday a pact to export uranium to Ukraine, which could help ease Kiev's traditional reliance on hostile neighbour Russia for energy.
Ukraine has previously expressed interest in buying the material, as well as coal, from Australia, the world's third-ranking uranium producer behind Kazakhstan and Canada.
"This agreement provides Ukraine with the opportunity to diversify its energy supply," Bishop, who is in Washington for a nuclear security summit on reducing stockpiles, said in a statement.
"All exports of Australian uranium will be subject to internationally agreed security standards and will be strictly controlled to ensure Australian nuclear material is only used for peaceful purposes."
Under the agreement, the use of Australian nuclear material for the development of weapons or explosive devices is strictly prohibited, Bishop added.
Sales to Ukraine, a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, would also boost links between the two nations in other nuclear-related activities such as safeguards, security and science, the minister said.
Stronger ties between Canberra and Kiev have been forged since the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 in rebel-held eastern Ukraine in July 2014 in which 298 people died, including 38 Australian citizens and residents.
Australia and Ukraine were among a group of countries that pushed for a United Nations resolution to establish a special tribunal to try those responsible for shooting down the flight. The move was vetoed by Russia.
Ukraine is one of the world's biggest generators of nuclear power and the explosion at its Chernobyl plant remains the world's worst atomic accident in terms of lives and cost.
The agreement comes as Kiev is battling an economic crisis that saw growth shrink about 10 percent last year while annual inflation soared to more than 43 percent.
Australia does not use nuclear power largely due to its abundance of low-cost coal and natural gas reserves. In 2014-15, it exported 5,515 tonnes of uranium worth Aus$532 million (US$409 million).
Australia has agreements to export uranium to 43 states and territories, with Canberra last year singing a landmark deal to sell it to India, which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.