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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)

13:48 25.10.2015

The Ukrainian branch of the Interfax news agency is reporting that an elderly voter in Kherson has written an official appeal, offering to sell her vote in exchange for turning on the heating in her home.

Observers from the Committee of Voters of Ukraine have explained to the woman that her appeal is illegal and may be punished by law.

13:56 25.10.2015
14:03 25.10.2015
14:07 25.10.2015
14:11 25.10.2015

It seems a polling station in the northeastern Sumy district lacked voting booths, so the locals had to improvise -- they built make-shift booths with curtains instead.

14:20 25.10.2015
14:52 25.10.2015
14:52 25.10.2015

It seems Ukrainian election clerks are made of pretty stern stuff and are not easily swayed by the dark side of the force. Mayoral candidate Darth Vader turned up to try and vote in local elections in Odesa today, but officials wouldn't let him do so due to invalid personal documentation. (He couldn't produce a passport in the name of Darth Vader.) Police were also unhappy with the way the Sith Lord parked his vehicle outside the polling station (natural sound, no subtitles):

Darth Vader Refused Vote In Odesa
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15:09 25.10.2015

Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes has cast his ballot for "the implementation of positive changes" in the city.

The official website of Kharkiv's City Council, Mayor and Executive Committee quotes him as saying that "Kharkiv citizens understand the political party [Revival], with which I'm going to the polls. We are working to maintain peace and stability in Kharkiv, to improve living conditions, safety and comfort in the city," Kernes said.

According to him, the elections in the city are proceeding smoothly.

Kernes made headlines last year when he survived an assassination attempt and he has since had a number of surgeries to treat his injuries.

During the Euromaidan protests that ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, Kernes first held a pro-Russian stance, but later changed to position himself as largely loyal to the pro-Western government in Kyiv.

15:11 25.10.2015

It appears that Chewbacca, who was detained earlier in Odesa for "illegal campaigning," has now been released. (We'll keep an eye out for any further developments):

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