Ukraine Day 874: LIVE UPDATES BELOW.
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here.
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An Invasion By Any Other Name: The Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko reported on Sunday that three Ukrainian servicemen were killed in combat in eastern Ukraine, another sign that fighting is escalating in the Donbass. In a sharp uptick, Lysenko also reported that 16 soldiers were wounded, eight in a single incident. Ukraine Today reports:
According to Lysenko, combined Russian-separatist forces continue shelling near Avdiyivka industrial zone, the town of Mariupol in Donetsk region and Stanytsia Luhanska in the Luhansk region.
He added, militants used grenades and heavy machine guns to attack Ukrainian positions near Stanytsia Luhanska which damaged a residential building.
Three Ukrainian soldiers killed, 16 wounded in Donbas overnight
Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline (UNIAN Photo) Ukrainian army comes under 51 militant attacks over the past day Ukraine's army suffered more casualties over the past 24 hours – three soldiers were killed in the Donbas conflict zone and 16 more were wounded, including those who were shell-shocked.
In other news, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Kiev this weekend to show his solidarity with the Euromaidan movement, pay his respects to historical Nazi concentration camps, and to sign a free trade agreement with Ukraine. The Globe and Mail reports:
The deal is not the biggest for Canada or Ukraine, but Ukrainians are hoping it will facilitate the country’s continued shift west toward Europe and away from Russia, as well as spur more Canadian investment in the country.
On Saturday, at the end of a two-day NATO summit in Warsaw, Mr. Trudeau said his government was “extremely enthusiastic” about helping NATO in Eastern Europe, and that a display of force is essential to make sure Russia understands the alliance is united in opposing its “illegitimate” actions.
During the summit, NATO leaders moved to boost the alliance’s military presence in the Baltic countries and Poland to reassure Eastern European members and deter further Russian aggression in the region.
Canada has agreed to send around 450 soldiers to Latvia, where they will form the core of a 1,000-strong battle-group comprised of troops from other NATO countries. It has also pledged to keep one of its warships in the region and occasionally send fighter jets.
— James Miller