400 US mercenaries ‘deployed on ground’ in Ukraine military op
11 May 2014 About 400 elite mercenaries from the notorious US private security firm Academi (formerly Blackwater) are taking part in the Ukrainian military operation against anti-government protesters in southeastern regions of the country, German media reports. The Bild am Sonntag newspaper, citing a source in intelligence circles, wrote Sunday that Academi employees are involved in the Kiev military crackdown on pro-autonomy activists in near the town of Slavyansk, in the Donetsk region. It is not clear who commands the private military contractors and pays for their services.
Ukraine guardsmen open fire on crowd
11 May 2014 Armed men identified as Ukrainian national guard opened fire Sunday on a crowd outside a town hall in eastern Ukraine, and an official for the region’s insurgents said there were fatalities. The bloodshed in the town of Krasnoarmeisk occurred hours after dozens of armed men shut down voting in a referendum on sovereignty for the region. One of them identified the group as being national guardsmen.
Kiev’s troops roll through E.Ukraine in ‘bid to disrupt voting’ – self-defense forces
11 May 2014 A town in the Lugansk region has come under attack by Kiev’s APCs, while in the Donetsk region Ukrainian troops have seized four polling stations, self-defense forces claim. This comes as autonomy referendums kick off in the country’s southeast. “Around 15 APCs have come near Novoaydar,’ Aleksey Chmilenko said. “Our self-defense guards are trying to stop the attack and prevent the vehicles moving farther in the direction of Lugansk.” Meanwhile, representatives of another Lugansk region self-defense group, based in Krasny Luch, told RT that they have seen APCs in the region, but have not heard any fighting yet.
Donetsk People’s Republic asks Moscow to consider its accession into Russia
12 May 2014 Donetsk People’s Republic has proclaimed itself a sovereign state and has asked Moscow to consider its accession into Russia, the Republic’s council said. “We, the people of Donetsk, based on results of the May 11 referendum and the declaration of sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic, declare that from now on DPR is now a sovereign state,” Republic Co-Chairman Denis Pushilin said. “Given the will of the people of the Donetsk People’s Republic, and in order to restore historical justice, we ask Russia to consider the issue of our republic’s accession into the Russian Federation,” he added.
Lugansk and Donetsk regions vote for self-determination
11 May 2014 Polling stations have opened in Donetsk and Lugansk regions seeking independence from central government in Ukraine. Local self-defense forces boosted security measures, fearing that Kiev could stage provocations to disrupt the self-determination vote. Some 1,471 polling stations in Lugansk region and around 1,500 in Donetsk region opened their doors for voters at 8:00 local time (5:00 GMT) and will close at 22:00 (19:00 GMT).
Ukraine crisis: France, Germany threaten Russia over poll
10 May 2014 France and Germany have threatened Russia with further sanctions if Ukraine’s ‘presidential election’ on 25 May fails to go ahead. President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement they feared further destabilization of Ukraine. They also said referendums planned by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine for Sunday would be illegal.