Ukrainian families divided as some flee fierce fighting in east
Kostiantynivka, Ukraine Reuters Olha Skachkova and her son, 11-year-old Denys, climbed out of an armoured van which had just whisked them out of their home town of Toretsk, close to the front lines where Ukrainian and Russian forces are fighting fierce battles. With the war grinding towards its second anniversary, millions of Ukrainians have already […]
“Strong indications” Putin involved in MH17 downing, prosecutors say as probe ends
The Hague, The NetherlandsReuters International prosecutors said they had found “strong indications” Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the use in Ukraine of a Russian missile system which shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over the east of the country in 2014. However, evidence of Putin’s and other Russian officials’ involvement was not conclusive enough to […]
Rebels evacuate residents from east Ukraine; West says Russia creates pretext for war
Moscow, Russia/Kyiv, Ukraine/Donetsk, UkraineReuters Russian-backed separatists packed civilians onto buses out of breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine on Friday, a shock turn in a conflict the West believes Moscow plans to use as justification for all-out invasion of its neighbour. Warning sirens blared in Donetsk after it and the other self-proclaimed region, Luhansk, announced an […]
Biden says Russian attack on Ukraine “very much a possibility”
Moscow, Russia/Washington DC, USReuters President Joe Biden urged Russia to step back from the brink of war on Tuesday and said reports that Russia has withdrawn some forces from the Ukraine border have not been verified. “To the citizens of Russia: you are not our enemy, and I don’t believe you want a bloody, destructive […]
UNICEF condemns shelling of schools in eastern Ukraine
UNICEF and its partners have condemned the indiscriminate shelling of schools in eastern Ukraine and called for all sides in the renewed conflict there to immediately recommit to the ceasefire signed in mid-2015. Noting that thousands of children have been forced out of school due to fighting last week, Giovanni Barberis, UNICEF‘s representative in Ukraine, […]