Sooo....no talk on Kiev's gradual descent into Mad Max beyond Thunderdome status??
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Ukraine president ends ceasefire with rebels
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Ukraine crisis
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has ended a unilateral ceasefire with separatists in the east, saying: "We will attack, we will free our land."
Mr Poroshenko said the chance for peace was lost because of the "criminal activities" of pro-Russian militants.
The shaky 10-day ceasefire between the Ukrainian authorities and separatist groups had been due to end on Monday evening.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the truce.
Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted pro-Russian militia saying Ukrainian forces had resumed shelling the town of Kramatorsk.
"The decision not to continue the ceasefire is our answer to terrorists, militants and marauders," Mr Poroshenko said.
Earlier on Monday, the office of French President Francois Hollande said Ukraine and Russia had agreed to work together to establish a bilateral ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.
It followed talks between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France.
Armed pro-Russian rebels are occupying key buildings in towns and cities across the east, defying the government in Kiev.
Separatist leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk have declared independence.
However, Ukrainian troops are besieging the insurgents in several areas.
European leaders and the US have urged Russia to use its influence with the rebels to end the violence and have threatened to impose another round of economic sanctions against senior Russian figures and businesses.
There had been hopes that the ceasefire would hold after the French presidency said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mr Poroshenko had agreed to work on "the adoption of an agreement on a bilateral ceasefire between Ukrainian authorities and separatists".
It followed a four-way teleconference between the two men, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mr Putin had earlier stressed the importance of extending the ceasefire, and called for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to play an "active role" in monitoring a truce.
However, the OSCE earlier said it was scaling back monitoring operations and freezing deployments to Ukraine's east.
Hot Summer. Told ya'll. @2Quik4UHoes
lol, the most Putin can do now is break the country up and even that might not work. Control of the global financial system is the ultimate trump card aside from being a faggit and using a nuke.
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Ukraine crisis: Donetsk rebels in mass withdrawal
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Sloviansk, was a centre of military operations and its fall is a major victory for the government, David Stern reports
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Ukraine crisis
Ukrainian separatist rebels have pulled back to the main city of Donetsk, abandoning several strongholds in the Donetsk region to government forces.
The pro-Russian gunmen abandoned the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, as well as some smaller towns, in the north of Donetsk region.
But they have vowed to continue the fight from Donetsk city, describing the withdrawal as a tactical retreat.
Ukrainian forces launched an offensive this week after a truce broke down.
The BBC's David Stern in Kiev says the military's capture of Sloviansk, where the eastern insurgency began in April, is a major victory for the government.
The government said in a statement that the rebels had fled after mortar shelling from government forces.
Rebels were bussed out of Kramatorsk hours after they left Sloviansk
Analysis: David Stern, BBC News, Kiev
Of the government's victories so far, the retaking of Sloviansk and raising of the Ukrainian flag over city hall is by far the most significant. The city was not just a command centre for the insurgency - it was a symbol of the militants' continuing ability to thwart Kiev's attempts to reassert control in the east.
Now, it appears that the insurgents may also be evacuating Kramatorsk, another key city. But the question is whether this is a turning point in the war, or merely a shifting of the battlefield.
The rebels are calling this a tactical retreat, which is typically a euphemism for a defeat. But if they are moving en masse to Donetsk, it could still present a major military challenge to government forces. It could also convince the rebels to engage in ceasefire talks more actively - if only to buy more time.
Ukraine crisis timeline
Several of the rebels' armoured vehicles were wrecked in the government offensive
Some rebels were initially quoted as saying they were heading to the nearby city of Kramatorsk.
But it later emerged that the pro-Russian fighters had also abandoned their posts there, and were apparently heading south to the regional capital.
Alexander Borodai, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said the rebels had abandoned the entire "northern sector".
The pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk city said rebel fighters had begun to arrive from the north, and urged residents to stay in their homes.
Rebel leaders were quoted as saying the decision to abandon Sloviansk was taken by Igor Strelkov, the military commander of the self-declared Donetsk Peoples' Republic (DPR).
Mr Strelkov, whose real name is Igor Girkin, had pleaded for Russian intervention on Friday saying his men had lost the will to fight.
Who is Igor Strelkov?
Violence erupted in eastern Ukraine in April, when separatists declared independence in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Earlier this week, the government claimed to have retaken two-thirds of the territory in those regions.
The rebels are still in control of the regional capitals of both Donetsk and Luhansk.
The current crisis started when President Viktor Yanukovych decided last November not to sign an agreement with the EU.
The decision led to street protests in Kiev, and Mr Yanukovich was eventually overthrown.
The developments angered Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea region.
President Poroshenko signed the free trade part of the EU deal in Brussels on 27 June, after earlier signing the political co-operation clauses.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28177020
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Sloviansk, was a centre of military operations and its fall is a major victory for the government, David Stern reports
Continue reading the main story
Ukraine crisis
Ukrainian separatist rebels have pulled back to the main city of Donetsk, abandoning several strongholds in the Donetsk region to government forces.
The pro-Russian gunmen abandoned the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, as well as some smaller towns, in the north of Donetsk region.
But they have vowed to continue the fight from Donetsk city, describing the withdrawal as a tactical retreat.
Ukrainian forces launched an offensive this week after a truce broke down.
The BBC's David Stern in Kiev says the military's capture of Sloviansk, where the eastern insurgency began in April, is a major victory for the government.
The government said in a statement that the rebels had fled after mortar shelling from government forces.
Analysis: David Stern, BBC News, Kiev
Of the government's victories so far, the retaking of Sloviansk and raising of the Ukrainian flag over city hall is by far the most significant. The city was not just a command centre for the insurgency - it was a symbol of the militants' continuing ability to thwart Kiev's attempts to reassert control in the east.
Now, it appears that the insurgents may also be evacuating Kramatorsk, another key city. But the question is whether this is a turning point in the war, or merely a shifting of the battlefield.
The rebels are calling this a tactical retreat, which is typically a euphemism for a defeat. But if they are moving en masse to Donetsk, it could still present a major military challenge to government forces. It could also convince the rebels to engage in ceasefire talks more actively - if only to buy more time.
Ukraine crisis timeline
Some rebels were initially quoted as saying they were heading to the nearby city of Kramatorsk.
But it later emerged that the pro-Russian fighters had also abandoned their posts there, and were apparently heading south to the regional capital.
Alexander Borodai, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said the rebels had abandoned the entire "northern sector".
The pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk city said rebel fighters had begun to arrive from the north, and urged residents to stay in their homes.
Rebel leaders were quoted as saying the decision to abandon Sloviansk was taken by Igor Strelkov, the military commander of the self-declared Donetsk Peoples' Republic (DPR).
Mr Strelkov, whose real name is Igor Girkin, had pleaded for Russian intervention on Friday saying his men had lost the will to fight.
Who is Igor Strelkov?
- Real name Igor Girkin, self-declared commander-in-chief of Donetsk People's Republic
- Ukraine says he works for Russian military intelligence agency the GRU
- On list of EU sanctions for posing threats to Ukraine's independence
- Noted for love of re-enacting Roman, Napoleonic and 20th Century battles
Violence erupted in eastern Ukraine in April, when separatists declared independence in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Earlier this week, the government claimed to have retaken two-thirds of the territory in those regions.
The rebels are still in control of the regional capitals of both Donetsk and Luhansk.
The current crisis started when President Viktor Yanukovych decided last November not to sign an agreement with the EU.
The decision led to street protests in Kiev, and Mr Yanukovich was eventually overthrown.
The developments angered Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimea region.
President Poroshenko signed the free trade part of the EU deal in Brussels on 27 June, after earlier signing the political co-operation clauses.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28177020
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Ukraine Military Finds Its Footing Against Pro-Russian Rebels
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORNJULY 6, 2014
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People waiting for food aid from Ukrainian soldiers on Sunday in Slovyansk, where government forces routed insurgents. CreditGleb Garanich/Reuters
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By DAVID M. HERSZENHORNJULY 6, 2014
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People waiting for food aid from Ukrainian soldiers on Sunday in Slovyansk, where government forces routed insurgents. CreditGleb Garanich/Reuters
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- called off a cease-fire and ordered his troops to end the rebellion by force, an entirely different Ukrainian military appeared to arrive at the front. Soldiers retook an important checkpoint at the Russian border, routed insurgents from the long-occupied city of Slovyansk, and, on Sunday, began to tighten a noose around the regional capital of Donetsk ahead of a potentially decisive showdown.
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RELATED COVERAGE-
As Military and Rebels Clash in Ukraine, Doubt Falls on Cease-Fire ProspectsJUNE 19, 2014 -
Separatists Down Military Transport Jet, Killing 49 in Eastern UkraineJUNE 14, 2014
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Troops checking a house for pro-Russian separatists. CreditGleb Garanich/Reuters
“The military themselves learned to fight,” said Mykola Sungurovskyi, the director of military programs at the Razumkov Center, a policy research organization here in the capital of Ukraine.
By most standards, the Ukrainian armed forces remain in a pitiful state. But they have benefited from the enlistment of thousands of volunteers into new militias, financial donations by ordinary citizens — including a Kiev Internet-technology entrepreneur who raised $35,000 and built a surveillance drone — and an aggressive push to repair and upgrade armored personnel carriers and other equipment.
There has also been aid from abroad. The United States has sent $23 million in security assistance since March, including $5 million for night-vision goggles, body armor, communications equipment and food.
But even more important, experts said, was a reorganization of the chain of command and a crucial psychological shift: Soldiers surmounted a reluctance to open fire on their own countrymen, a serious issue after riot police officers killed about 100 protesters last winter during civil unrest centered on Maidan, the main square in Kiev.
“They have overcome that psychological barrier in which the military were afraid to shoot living people,” Mr. Sungurovskyi said. “They had this barrier after Maidan, after the death of that hundred — not simply to shoot living people, but their own people. After the forces were restructured a bit, and it became clear who were our people, who were foes, the operations became more effective.”
The biggest test is just ahead.
After fleeing south from Slovyansk, large numbers of rebels appeared Sunday to be regrouping in Donetsk, a city of one million, where any push to contain them will involve dangerous urban warfare. Signaling resilience, insurgents on Sunday seized a building belonging to the state penitentiary service.
In Luhansk, the region’s second-largest city after Donetsk, other rebels attacked a jail, allowing eight prisoners to escape. In each case, officials said the rebels, after suffering losses, appeared to be searching for weapons. In recent days, rebel leaders have pleaded with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to send additional aid.
Officials and experts agreed that the most urgent task facing the Ukrainian government was sealing its border with Russia to prevent any further influx of fighters or weapons, and the military has made progress doing so. And though he is hardly trusted by Ukrainians, Mr. Putin also sent signals that he would not order a full-scale invasion, announcing, for instance, that Parliament had withdrawn formal authorization for him to use military force in Ukraine.
It is not clear why Mr. Putin eased some of the military pressure, but it appears as if he has decided to put his emphasis on peace talks being coordinated by a close friend of his, Viktor V. Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian businessman and political operative. Although similarly supported by the leaders of Germany and France, the talks have sputtered.
While the fears among officials of a Russian invasion and psychological barriers among Ukrainian troops were quite real, experts said that most of the obstacles confronting the Ukrainian military were far more concrete.
When Russia invaded Crimea in February, for example, Ukraine’s military had shrunk to roughly 128,000 troops, including civilians — about one-tenth of its size during Soviet Union times. Of those, only a small fraction were prepared for fighting, said Oleksiy Melnyk, a former Air Force pilot and now a security analyst at the Razumkov Center.
“They were wearing uniforms and going to work every day,” Mr. Melnyk said. “The difference with the civilians was just the clothes. They were not trained. They were not equipped.” The military’s vehicles were decrepit and its weapons outdated, its budget routinely pilfered by corrupt officials.
For instance, from 2005 to 2013, according to public Defense Ministry inventories, the number of helicopters fell to fewer than 75, from more than 300. In February, as Russian forces entered Crimea, there was virtually no way to fight back.
The insurrection that followed in the east then presented an entirely different — and even more confounding — challenge: an insidious type of warfare involving masked rebels who looked and acted like terrorists but had access to weapons and intelligence from Russia, among the world’s most advanced military powers.
As Ukrainian leaders considered how hard to push back, they had to confront the danger to civilians of fighting in heavily populated cities, as well as the risk of provoking a full-scale invasion by the conventionalRussian forces massing along the border.
It is a fight that experts said had to be carried out largely by special forces, carefully coordinated with the conventional military, including artillery and air force squadrons, which, in the end, have had a limited role.
It is also a fight that Ukraine was not prepared for, but one that Andriy Parubiy, the leader of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said should grab the attention of the world’s major powers because of its implications for modern conflict.
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Howard Kaplan
11 minutes ago
More terror through US backed regime change. Box Russia in is our plan, using west Ukraines as our soldiers. Putin will probably outsmart...
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Visiting Slovyansk on Sunday, where he praised troops for expelling rebelsand where the authorities were delivering food, water and other aid, the new defense minister, Valeriy Heletey, said that the effort to crush the insurgents would continue.
“We will conduct the antiterrorist operation in its active phase until not a single terrorist will remain on the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” he said.
Mr. Melnyk, the security analyst, cautioned that despite recent improvements, the military’s work was far from done. “It’s still premature to make the assessment that, wow, this is a great success,” he said. “There’s something going on in Donetsk. Those separatists, terrorists — whatever we want to call them — have decided to make one stronghold.” -
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Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Ukraine military plane shot down as fighting rages
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Footage posted online, which cannot be independently verified, purports to show the plane circling above, and wreckage on the ground
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Ukraine crisis
A Ukrainian military transport aircraft has been shot down in the east, amid fighting with pro-Russian separatist rebels, Ukrainian officials say.
They say the An-26 plane was hit at an altitude of 6,500m (21,325ft).
The plane was targeted with "a more powerful missile" than a shoulder-carried missile, "probably fired" from Russia. The crew survived, reports say.
Russia has made no comment. Separately, Nato reported a Russian troop build-up near the Ukraine border.
A Nato official confirmed to the BBC that the alliance had observed a significant increase of Russian troops, bringing their number to up to 12,000.
Russia denies supporting and arming the separatists, and has invited officials from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor its border with Ukraine.
Direct talks plea
A statement on Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko's website said the An-26 was taking part in the "anti-terror operation" in the region.
Luhansk: fighting in the area has intensified in recent days
Ukrainian government troops have re-taken control of a number of towns and villages in recent days
Ukrainian Defence Minister Valeriy Heletei said a search-and-rescue operation was under way to locate missing crew members.
Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's security and defence council, was later quoted by Ukrainian media as saying that eight people had been on board the plane.
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Analysis
David SternBBC News
The accusation that Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian transport plane is potentially a game changer. If Russia is indeed targeting Ukrainian aeroplanes from inside its territory, it is an act of aggression of the highest order.
For the Ukrainians not to respond would raise the suspicion that their charge is false - or demonstrate that the Ukrainian military is completely powerless.
But what can Ukraine do - declare war on Russia? The burden of proof is with the Ukrainian government. However, if they do convincingly show that the Russians shot down the plane, it also demands a response from another corner: Ukraine's Western allies.
If Western officials now do nothing, after promising repercussions for Russian aggression, it will be viewed in Ukraine as worse than weakness. It will be considered betrayal.
In a Facebook message, some of those taking part in Ukraine's "anti-terror operation" said they knew "about the fate of two of the crew" and were checking information about the others.
Rebel forces - who earlier said they had targeted the aircraft in the Luhansk region - claimed they had captured the crew and were questioning them in the town of Krasnodon, reports in Russian media say.
Last month, the rebels shot down a Ukrainian Il-76 military transport plane as it was about to land at Luhansk airport, killing all 49 soldiers and crew on board.
Earlier on Monday, the Ukrainian air force said it had delivered "five powerful air strikes" in the region in an effort to end the blockade of the strategic airport in the rebel-held city.
Ukraine's military later said the airport had been "unblocked" and the army had retaken several villages.
Some air strikes hit the city on Monday, a resident of Luhansk told the BBC on Monday.
Meanwhile, the rebels claimed they had destroyed a Ukrainian armed convoy near the airport.
Fighting in the area has intensified since a rebel rocket attack near the Russian border on Friday, in which at least 19 government soldiers were killed.
President Poroshenko has vowed retaliation for that attack. On Monday, he also said Russian military officers were fighting alongside the separatists - a claim denied by Russia.
Tensions rose further over the weekend when Russia accused Ukrainian forces of shelling across the border, killing one person and wounding two others.
At least 15 civilians were killed in Luhansk and the neighbouring Donetsk region on Sunday, reports say.
Germany and Russia have urged direct talks between Kiev and the rebels.
And the UK and US have renewed calls for Russia to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama stressed the need for Moscow to take further steps towards peace or face further sanctions.
Separatist rebels have been fighting the government in Kiev since declaring independence in Luhansk and the neighbouring region of Donetsk in April.
The government began an "anti-terrorist operation" in April to crush the rebellion in the eastern regions.
More than 1,000 civilians and combatants are believed to have died in the fighting, which followed Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28299334
Jump media player
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Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
Footage posted online, which cannot be independently verified, purports to show the plane circling above, and wreckage on the ground
Continue reading the main story
Ukraine crisis
A Ukrainian military transport aircraft has been shot down in the east, amid fighting with pro-Russian separatist rebels, Ukrainian officials say.
They say the An-26 plane was hit at an altitude of 6,500m (21,325ft).
The plane was targeted with "a more powerful missile" than a shoulder-carried missile, "probably fired" from Russia. The crew survived, reports say.
Russia has made no comment. Separately, Nato reported a Russian troop build-up near the Ukraine border.
A Nato official confirmed to the BBC that the alliance had observed a significant increase of Russian troops, bringing their number to up to 12,000.
Russia denies supporting and arming the separatists, and has invited officials from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor its border with Ukraine.
Direct talks plea
A statement on Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko's website said the An-26 was taking part in the "anti-terror operation" in the region.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Valeriy Heletei said a search-and-rescue operation was under way to locate missing crew members.
Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's security and defence council, was later quoted by Ukrainian media as saying that eight people had been on board the plane.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
The accusation that Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian transport plane is potentially a game changer. If Russia is indeed targeting Ukrainian aeroplanes from inside its territory, it is an act of aggression of the highest order.
For the Ukrainians not to respond would raise the suspicion that their charge is false - or demonstrate that the Ukrainian military is completely powerless.
But what can Ukraine do - declare war on Russia? The burden of proof is with the Ukrainian government. However, if they do convincingly show that the Russians shot down the plane, it also demands a response from another corner: Ukraine's Western allies.
If Western officials now do nothing, after promising repercussions for Russian aggression, it will be viewed in Ukraine as worse than weakness. It will be considered betrayal.
In a Facebook message, some of those taking part in Ukraine's "anti-terror operation" said they knew "about the fate of two of the crew" and were checking information about the others.
Rebel forces - who earlier said they had targeted the aircraft in the Luhansk region - claimed they had captured the crew and were questioning them in the town of Krasnodon, reports in Russian media say.
Last month, the rebels shot down a Ukrainian Il-76 military transport plane as it was about to land at Luhansk airport, killing all 49 soldiers and crew on board.
Earlier on Monday, the Ukrainian air force said it had delivered "five powerful air strikes" in the region in an effort to end the blockade of the strategic airport in the rebel-held city.
Ukraine's military later said the airport had been "unblocked" and the army had retaken several villages.
Some air strikes hit the city on Monday, a resident of Luhansk told the BBC on Monday.
Meanwhile, the rebels claimed they had destroyed a Ukrainian armed convoy near the airport.
Fighting in the area has intensified since a rebel rocket attack near the Russian border on Friday, in which at least 19 government soldiers were killed.
President Poroshenko has vowed retaliation for that attack. On Monday, he also said Russian military officers were fighting alongside the separatists - a claim denied by Russia.
Tensions rose further over the weekend when Russia accused Ukrainian forces of shelling across the border, killing one person and wounding two others.
At least 15 civilians were killed in Luhansk and the neighbouring Donetsk region on Sunday, reports say.
Germany and Russia have urged direct talks between Kiev and the rebels.
And the UK and US have renewed calls for Russia to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama stressed the need for Moscow to take further steps towards peace or face further sanctions.
Separatist rebels have been fighting the government in Kiev since declaring independence in Luhansk and the neighbouring region of Donetsk in April.
The government began an "anti-terrorist operation" in April to crush the rebellion in the eastern regions.
More than 1,000 civilians and combatants are believed to have died in the fighting, which followed Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28299334
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Hot Summer 
Putin lost them rich russians telling bul to fall back
