Ukraine Live Day 474: Gay Pride Proceeds in Kiev; Two Policemen Injured in Attack by Neo-Nazis

Heavily-guarded gay pride parade proceeds in Kiev June 6, 2015

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Swiss Diplomat Tagliavini to Leave Role as Negotiator at Minsk Talks

2015-06-06 18:23:29

Heidi Tagliavini, the Swiss diplomat who facilitated talks among representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the self-proclaimed “people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk” is leaving, AP reports.

The diplomat has been rumored to be on the way out for several days, after OSCE’s Special Monitoring Missing made a particularly critical report of the Russian-backed separatists’ offensive on Marinka and other towns June 3.

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AP reports:

The Swiss government says
diplomat Heidi Tagliavini plans to step down as the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe’s representative in talks between
Moscow, Kiev and pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.

Tagliavini,
who previously worked on crises in places including Chechnya and
Georgia, has played a low-key but well-regarded role for the past year
in efforts to cool the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Amb. Tagliavani has not given a date for her departure.

— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick

Fighting Continues Along the Donetsk Line

2015-06-06 09:01:30

Censor.net.ua reports a briefing from the ATO [Anti-Terrorist Operation] on continued shelling along the Donetsk line.

Last night shelling continue with at least 30 shelling incidents recorded even before dawn. Most involve artillery systems that were supposed to be withdrawn and not used under the Minsk-2 accords, says the ATO press center.

Shelling continued on Peski (Pisky), Opytnoye, the Butovka coal mine, Berezovoye, and Krasnogorovka. Russian-backed separatists were most active firing on Ukrainian positions near Starognatovka, using 122-mm artillery.

North of Donetsk, 120-mm artillery was noted.

Grads were fired on Starognatovka as well as at least once on Granitnoye and Bogdanovka.

Along the Lugansk line, the militants pounded Zolotye, Schastye, Krymskoye with firearms and grenade-launchers.

Toward Artyomsk, the Russian-backed fighters fired Grad missiles and 120-mm artillery on Luganskoye, and 122-mm on Lozovoye. Near Zolotoye, firearms, grenade-launchers and anti-aircraft systems were used.

— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick

Gay Parade Proceeds in Kiev; Two Policemen Injured in Attack by Neo-Nazis

2015-06-06 08:24:35

A heavily-guarded gay pride proceeded in Kiev today, although neo-Nazis attacked the marchers, wounding one policeman.

The parade managed to go about 500 meters for half an hour, and then people dispersed when the attackers came.

Unian.net said that attackers threw smoke bombs at the marchers, causing one policeman to sustain a neck wound and another an injury to his hand.

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Translation: About 300 people, including Swedes and Georgians, took part in KievPride. A column is walking with the slogans “Human Rights Above All.”

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Translation: After going 500 meters, the activists ended the Pride March.

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Translation: Police detained a youth who said that he was expressing his civic position.

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Translation: Detention of idiots who through smoke bombs at #KievPride. A picture ready for Ukraine’s enemies.

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Translation: That time when a gay parade was a good thing for Russia.

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Translation: attackers seriously injured a policeman – shrapnel in his neck which remained.

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— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick

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