Here's an item from our news desk:
Ukraine's Poroshenko Says No Conscripts In War Zone
President Petro Poroshenko has announced that Ukraine no longer has conscripts fighting Russia-backed separatists in the country’s east.
"There is not a single conscripted soldier on the front or in the area of the antiterrorist operation," the presidency quoted Poroshenko as saying on November 2.
"The armed forces of Ukraine must be fully comprised of volunteers and contract soldiers who are well-prepared, motivated, trained, and fully supplied," he said.
Ukraine resumed conscription after Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and the outbreak of war between Kyiv's forces and separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Chief of Staff General Viktor Muzhenko said that 90,000 professional soldiers have enlisted in Ukraine's armed forces since then.
The conflict in Ukraine's east has killed more than 9,600 people since April 2014.
Based on reporting by AFP and Interfax
Sounds interesting
We're putting this in the live blog because some of you may be interested in reading about this:
Here's an item from Moscow by RFE/RL's Russian Service:
Ukrainian Library Director Goes On Trial In Moscow
The trial of the director of Moscow's Ukrainian Literature Library kicked off in the Russian capital on November 2.
Natalya Sharina pleaded not guilty to charges of extremism and embezzlement.
Sharina was detained last October and charged with inciting extremism and ethnic hatred because her library's collection allegedly included books by Ukrainian ultranationalist and author Dmytro Korchynskiy, whose works are banned in Russia.
She was placed under house arrest.
In April, investigators charged Sharina with misallocating library funds, allegedly because she used library funds to pay for her legal defense in another extremism case against her that was dismissed in 2013.
Her lawyer said the authorities had "trumped up" new charges after realizing their initial case against his client was too weak.
Sharina has rejected all the allegations against her, saying they are politically motivated.
It seems that there are also some serious GOT fans in the Donbas conflict zone (video from RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service):
'Game Of Thrones' On Ukraine's Front Lines
Soldiers and volunteers fighting near Avdiyivka in eastern Ukraine have built a massive throne out of spent munitions -- an homage to the throne of swords seen in a hit TV show. It's part art project and part public outreach, intended to raise support and funds to continue fighting.
