Donetsk rebels announce full heavy weapons withdrawal in E. Ukraine

Eastern Ukrainian rebels say they have withdrawn all heavy weaponry in Donetsk and relocated 80 percent of hardware in Lugansk, in accordance with the Minsk-2 peace agreements. The self-defense forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic said they completed the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the 500-kilometer demarcation line.

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Ukrainians welcome Tatar refugees from Russian invasion

Volunteer Movement of BukovynaIt’s ironic, but in the Ukrainian crisis President Putin managed to accomplish something that no Ukrainian president could. For the first time in its modern history, Ukraine is united. Ukraine is united in sorrow, united in hope, and united in a struggle against its oppressive neighbor. For 23 years, Ukraine’s military was not only starved for …

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Stalin’s Caucasus crimes Putin wants you to forget

The Chechen deportation - by Eka GadeliaExploring the Caucasus is akin to exploring a mini-continent with its many diverse ethnic groups and cultures all contained within a small geographic region. Here the historical forces of East, North and South collide. To the Northeast we have Kalmykia, the only majority Buddhist region in the whole of Europe. Like the Tatars, the Kalmyks …

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U.S. Urges Russia, Separatists To ‘Immediately’ Halt Ukraine Attacks

Ukrainian armed forces near Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine, on February 16.

The United States has said it is “gravely concerned” by the deteriorating situation in and around the strategic town of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine despite a European-brokered cease-fire.

via Ukraine – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty http://ift.tt/1Aw6V96

Ukrainian Forces Reported Under Fire Near Debaltseve

Ukrainian government forces say they came under mortar and artillery fire on February 16 despite a truce that went into effect with Russian-backed separatists a day earlier. RFE/RL correspondent Levko Stek was with the government troops in the village of Mironovsky and reported the road to the strategic town of Debaltseve was blocked. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
via Ukraine – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty http://ift.tt/1Fk1QC7