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Ten-year-old Sasha stands in a bomb shelter in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
Ten-year-old Sasha stands in a bomb shelter in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

Follow all of the latest developments as they happen.

Final News Summary For September 29

-- We have started a new Ukraine Live Blog. Find it here.

-- Ukraine is marking 75 years since the World War II massacre of 33,771 Jews on the outskirts of Nazi-occupied Kyiv.

-- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stabilize a fragile cease-fire in Ukraine and do all he could to improve what Merkel called a "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in Syria.

-- Russia's Supreme Court has upheld a decision by a Moscow-backed Crimean court to ban the Mejlis, the self-governing body of Crimean Tatars in the occupied Ukrainian territory.

* NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv (GMT/UTC +3)

17:38 5.10.2015
Igor Girkin
Igor Girkin

​Igor Girkin, the former military commander of the so-called “DPR,” confirmed that some Russians and Ukrainians who fought in Donbas are already in Syria. In an interview for Russian Govorit Moskva radio station, Girkin claimed that a Russian brigade or battalion may be formed within the Syrian governmental forces.

“I probably wouldn’t say that they are volunteers. Maybe because private military companies formed in Donetsk and Luhansk sent [people] to Syria. Meaning, roughly speaking, [they are] mercenaries,” he said.

Girkin believes that fighters are leaving for Syria due to financial benefits. At the same time, he rejected the idea of himself going to Syria. He says he finds it “uninteresting.”

“I think that now the war in Syria is a distraction from the desperate situation [in the] 'Russian republics' in the southeast of Ukraine. I think that volunteers are needed there. If I had an opportunity to form something and return to Donbas, I would do it for free,” he said.

18:49 5.10.2015

20:44 5.10.2015

21:18 5.10.2015

21:28 5.10.2015

21:29 5.10.2015

This ends our live blogging for October 5. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.

07:54 6.10.2015

The Ukraine Live Blog for October 6 is now up and running. Check in here for all the latest news from Ukraine.

11:35 6.10.2015

11:36 6.10.2015

11:43 6.10.2015

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