Lavrov: militias in southeast Ukraine are ready for dialogue with Kiev

Russian Foreign Minister commented on a remark that some leaders of self-defense forces of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics are insisting on independence from Ukraine

MOSCOW, September 28 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in New York that it would be wrong to say that southeast Ukraine is refusing to talk to the Kiev authorities.

"They are not refusing to talk. They say that they are ready to talk to the Kiev authorities to implement fully the protocol which they signed on September 5 and which contains, I think, a dozen points, including political dialogue,” Lavrov said commenting on a remark that some leaders of self-defense forces of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics are insisting on independence from Ukraine.

“They signed this protocol, and they confirmed that they are committed to implement it. And they started obviously by adopting a memorandum /in Minsk on September 19 - Itar-Tass/ to spell out details of the ceasefire and withdrawal of forces and inviting the observers. And the next step should also be based on this protocol and each of the items should be described in details to be implemented.

Asked about Russia’s communication leaders of the self-proclaimed republics in southeast Ukraine, Lavrov replied: “Well, we know these people. They come from time to time to Russia. They speak on Russian TV. They make their position and attitude towards the situation known because they do not have access to the Ukrainian TV obviously. We know them and they certainly listen to us, but not always,” Lavrov said.

“When they decided to hold a referendum on independence sometime early in May, I think, President Putin publicly called on them to postpone this and give a chance to political dialogue with the president who was to be elected a bit later and so on and so forth. They said that they respect Russia that they respect Putin, they respect the views and advice but they already decided that this must be done. And they held that referendum. But we said that we respect the vote and called on them to implement the outcome of this /referendum/ in the negotiations with the Kiev authorities,” Lavrov explained.

Representatives of many countries fought in Ukraine

Representatives of many countries, including volunteers from Russia, have fought in the conflict in southeast Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister said.

"There are many volunteers there, many Russians. There was one American who was shown on TV yesterday. He was interviewed but he was wearing a balaclava. There are some Russians, Russian citizens fighting on the side of, not the Ukrainian army, but those battalions which (Ukrainian) oligarchs created and keep financing. There are many Poles, Lithuanians, many Europeans are fighting there on the side of those battalions. But some are fighting on the side of the rebels. At least, there were interviews with some Spanish guys, a German lady by the ways who’s fighting; and an American was shown yesterday,” the Russian foreign minister went on to say.

“So we never denied there are Russian volunteers fighting there. And there was one episode when a Russian army unit on an armoured personnel carrier got into Ukrainian territory. But there were so many cases when it was the other way round when Ukrainian armored personnel carriers got deep into the Russian territory. And in all these cases, they said they had got there by mistake and they were all released,” Lavrov said.

“You know, if you just start concentrating on manifestations of the problem: who’s fighting; what country is sending assistance to whom, we can discuss (things) forever. The main thing is to start a national dialogue,” Lavrov said in conclusion.

Source: ITAR-TASS 28-09-2014

Head of migration service: Ukraine’s 3,500 citizens apply daily for shelter in Russia

"Over the tragic events in Ukraine’s south-east, over 190,000 citizens of that country have asked Russia for a temporary shelter,” he said

MOSCOW, September 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Every day about 3,500 Ukrainian citizens apply for temporary shelter in Russia, head of the Federal Migration Service Konstantin Romadanovsky said in an interview with ITAR-TASS on Saturday.

“Over the tragic events in Ukraine’s south-east, over 190,000 citizens of that country have asked Russia for a temporary shelter,” he said. “About 3,500 people every day.”

“The daily number remains unchanged for the past month, and the peak is still to come,” the official said.
Russia will continue receiving everyone asking for a shelter, he said.

“Under the Russian legislation, a rejection of application for the refugee status or for temporary shelter is not possible whatsoever.”

About 20,000 Ukrainian nationals have participated in the state programme for resettlement of compatriots, he said.

“The programme is working in Russia’s 53 territories. The regions are offering to the coming people both work and accommodation. Many Ukrainian citizens have used advantages of the programme - about 20,000 people.

Source: ITAR-TASS 27-09-2014

Ukrainian conflict caused by European security system crisis, not vice versa — Lavrov

Russia will do what it can to ensure that the dialogue between Kiev and the south-eastern regions of Ukraine continues, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says

THE UNITED NATIONS, September 26. /ITAR-TASS/. The Ukrainian conflict was caused by the European security system crisis, not vice versa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

“The crisis of European security and of its entire system was not caused by Ukraine. On the contrary, the crisis in Ukraine reflected contradictions in the Euro-Atlantic region,” the minister said. “There was no such thing as indivisible security as NATO continued to enlarge. As a result, all promises of indivisible security remained just on paper,” he said.

Russia will do what it can to ensure that the dialogue between Kiev and the south-eastern regions of Ukraine continues, the foreign minister noted. “They (Kiev and militias) are coordinating further steps within the framework of the Minsk process. And we are doing everything we can to make it bear fruit,” he said.

There is no lack of communication between Ukraine and Russia, and Moscow did not announce measures to undermine the Ukrainian economy, Lavrov said. Russian minister says Ukraine returned to initial position by putting off Associaton Agreement with the EU until 2015, but after losing thousands of lives.

The parties to the Ukrainian conflict must be influenced in a constructive manner, Lavrov said. “In our contacts with American and European colleagues, we constantly draw their attention to the fact that the Ukrainian sides must be influenced in a constructive manner, not incited to actions that would undermine the peace process,” he said at a news conference.

US President Barack Obama’s speech does not reflect the perception of Russia by the international community, he stressed.

Situation in Syria

Moscow calls for setting up a Contact Group on Syria with participation of all regional counties, including Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference on Friday.

“Less publicity is needed for serious work and also fewer situations when negotiating sides are forced to take extreme positions in order to show themselves to the media in good light,” the minister said. “A Contact Group should be created, with participation of all opposition groups, governmental officials and neighbors.” “All neighbors should take part, including Iran,” Lavrov said.

Force to suppress terrorist threat can only be used with the consent of the country where such operation is carried out, Lavrov added. There are no easy “solutions” for Syria, Assad is not the only problem, the Russian foreign minister said. Nothing good awaits Syria after President Bashar Assad leaves his post, Lavrov stressed. 
Russia has many allies that think along the same lines and support system approaches to the UN work and to discussing causes of a number of situations, he noted.

Russian relations with US and NATO

Russia did not aggravate relations with the US either in the Magnitsky or Snowden situation, but did its best to keep the channels of communication, Lavrov said. Russia is ready for honest and equitable work with the United States and others, he added.

NATO’s enlargement is a mistake, a provocation to some extent and a breach of obligations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

“As far as NATO’s enlargement is concerned, it’s a mistake, a provocation to a certain degree and, to some extent, irresponsible policy which undermines the obligations to build a single security system in Europe,” Lavrov said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 26-09-2014

Self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic governs most residents

LPR is in charge of major big regional cities as Luhansk, Krasnodon, Lutuhyne, Perevalsk, Alchevsk, Antratsyt, Brianka, Kirovsk, Krasnyi Luch, Pervomaisk, Rovenky, Sverdlovka and Stakhanov

LUHANSK, September 25. /ITAR-TASS/. The areas governed by the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in Ukraine’s embattled eastern regions have population estimated at 64.4% of all the residents in the Luhansk region, the regional governor said on Thursday.

“As of September 1, the population of the Luhansk region is estimated at about 2.225 million people,” Gennady Moskal said. “At least 26.1% of the region’s residents live in the areas controlled by the Ukrainian government, with another 9.5% — in the area partially controlled by Kiev.”

LPR is in charge of major big regional cities as Luhansk, Krasnodon, Lutuhyne, Perevalsk, Alchevsk, Antratsyt, Brianka, Kirovsk, Krasnyi Luch, Pervomaisk, Rovenky, Sverdlovka and Stakhanov, the regional administration said.

The republic’s authorities have under control four other parts of the region, it said.

Over 50% of the population in the Donetsk region live in the territory under control of the Donetsk Peoples’ Republic (DPR). In mid-September, two Ukrainian public organizations said in their report that "a total of about 3.5 million voters live in the Donetsk region, with two million out of them in the areas controlled by the militia".
 
Source: ITAR-TASS 25-09-2014

WAR CRIMES OF THE KIEV FASCISTS

Three unmarked mass graves found near Donetsk, OSCE reports

An inscription against one of the names indicates that one of the buried had died on August 27, 2014

VIENNA, September 24 /ITAR-TASS/. Representatives of the Donetsk People’s Republic have found three mass graves near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission /SMM/ to Ukraine said in its daily report on September 23 published on the organization’s website.

“The ‘military police’ of ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ (‘DPR’) told the SMM that three unmarked graves allegedly containing multiple bodies had been found; two of them were located in a coal mine Komunar near the village Nyzhnia Krynka (35km north-east of Donetsk) and one inside the village,” the OSCE said in its report.

“The SMM proceeded to the scene and saw in the coal mine two areas located fifty meters apart, each containing two human bodies. All the four corpses were in the process of decomposition. The SMM also saw eight 9mm Makarov pistol cartridges approximately five meters away from the bodies. Near the road on the edge of the village, the SMM observed a pile of earth resembling a grave which had a stick with a plaque, written in Russian and containing the names (or in one case - initials) of five individuals, the OSCE said, adding the SMM had not seen any forensic experts neither in the coal mine nor in the village.

An inscription against one of the names indicates that the person had died on August 27, 2014.

“Also in Nyzhnia Krynka, the SMM observed a destroyed bridge over the water reservoir, connecting the locality with Donetsk. According to local residents, the bridge was blown up by Ukrainian soldiers leaving the area around 18 September,” the OSCE monitors wrote in their report.

Source: ITAR-TASS 24-09-2014

MASS GRAVES NEAR DONETSK: BEHEADINGS, TORTURE AND MISSING ORGANS

The first examination results are in from the mass graves near Nizhnaja Krinka, close to Donetsk, where Ukrainian troops held positions for months. It was discovered, that people were tortured before death. The corpses showed signs of extraction of internal organs.

Such information, with reference to the authorities of Donetsk Republic, was reported by LifeNews. Prime minister of DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko: "I personally saw two such mass graves. The chest was cut open, and abdomen torn. Looked, like a result of surgery, or injury. But we have information that the natzgvardia took prisoners and even their own wounded apart into organs.

Medical examination is complicated by decomposition of the bodies. The bodies were only slightly covered by gravel. Presumably, the death of the unfortunate people occured about a month ago. High temperature and time have done their job.

Members of OSCE mission arrived at the burials today. They recorded the damage to the bodies. Several bodies were retreaved without heads and legs. A number of bodies had hands tied behind their back. Those who didn't have their heads chopped off, had bullet holes in the back of the skull.

Ukrainian media in their usual manner accused the militia for the murders. But none of the major Ukrainian media outlets mentioned, that Ukrainian army held that territory for months. Instead, they disseminated a picture of a plate bearing the inscription "Died for Putin's lies" as "evidence" linking the militia to the executions in Donbass.

By Kristina Rus

http://dnr-news.com/dnr/4325-pervye-dannye-osmotra-massovyh-zahoroneniy-v-nizhney-krynke.html

Source: Truth about situation in Ukraine 24-09-2014