The ceasefire does not mean that Ukrainian soldiers cannot shoot in response – Poroshenko

Ukraine is ready to restore its territorial integrity by all means, but priority is currently given to peaceful solutions. This is was stated by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in his speech published on the official website.

“We now have enough power and political will in order to land the deciding blow to the illegally armed formations,” claims Poroshenko.

Heroic Ukrainian female officer taken hostage by the terrorists “blew up” social media.

Social media users are calling to rescue Ukrainian officer Nadiya Savchenko, who has been taken hostage by Donbas terrorists.

For this all those impartial are being asked to post the photograph of the aviator, who has already been dubbed “G.I. Jane,” or publicly demonstrate support. “All you have to do is post her photo with the hashtag #SaveOurGirl on social networks or publicly show your support,” Twitter users write.

Earlier, a video has been shared on the web in which the hostage is being questioned by terrorists. Despite the accusatory tone of the questions and her essential helplessness, the pilot is holding up with dignity.

Nadiya survived Iraq and is a merited professional in the Ukrainian army with over 10 years’ experience. During the questioning it was discovered that the woman had been captured during an attempt to rescue wounded Ukrainian soldiers: “I was going after our wounded. Two of our armoured carriers were shot in the village of Metalist and I came for the wounded.”

Nadiya Savchenko has no illusions as to the intentions of the criminals. When a bandit (as is concluded from the context – of Russian nationality) asked her the question: “If you are freed, will you return here with weapons?”, she answered: “I will not be freed, I will be killed. You Russian government will kill me on accusations that they ascribe.”

We remind you that Putin’s propaganda, in its usual manner, called Nadiya – senior lieutenant, navigator-operator of a Ukrainian Armed Forces helicopter, “a sniper involved in the murder of Russian journalists.”

The group “InfoResist” shared a video report of Military TV of Ukraine about the hero dated back in 2011.

Source: Channel 5

Translated by Mariya Shcherbinina

For Putin, peace in Donbas is a catastrophe

That the Kremlin called the peace plan of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko “an ultimatum” was probably not surprising for the head of state himself and for international observers. Poroshenko really did propose a peace plan, which is aimed to normalise the situation in Donbas and find ways to develop the region within the state of Ukraine. But Russia does not need a peace plan. And Russia does not need consultations between the Ukrainian government and the legitimate government of Donbas. And Russia definitely does not need early elections to the local government bodies in Donbas – for it, that would be a catastrophe. Russia needs the Ukrainian President to hold talks with those that had been appointed by the Administration of the Russian President to “represent” the citizens of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts – Pushilin, Gubarev, Bolotov and other cheats. 

Brothers and Sisters

Vitaliy Portnikov

Chechen and Georgian blood is no different from Ukrainian blood – it is also red. 

Kyiv is claiming that the state borders with the Russian Federation have been fully closed. To hear this statement, it took three months of Russian aggression, annexation of Ukrainian territories, import of saboteurs and heavy weaponry. But Ukrainian citizens have to blame themselves for this, and not just the government. 

About corrupt elites and elite corruption

What today’s Ukraine has in common with Napoleon’s France

In his inauguration speech, the fifth President of Ukraine has announced the development of the economy as one of the key priorities during his tenure. He also defined the main problem which stands in the way of this development – corruption, which has destroyed the foundation of social organisation and led Ukraine to a crisis of sovereignty.

Poroshenko’s opinion is not unique – society is united in that the economical development is necessary, and for this it is important to fight corruption (as understood in a broader sense) and carry out reforms. The second person in the country – Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk, – expressed this position quite directly: “It would be catastrophic to continue with an economy which lives on loans, therefore we have to carry out the harshest reforms possible.” 

The problem of the refugees: a lucky chance or an irreversible threat

Valeriy Pekar, UP

Some journalists have already started talking about “refugees from hot spots.” We think in words, and many of our military problems are rooted in the fact that we have spent too much time calling the occupants “green men,” and the terrorists “the militia” etc. 

There are no “hot spots” and no “refugees” in Ukraine. 

In Ukraine, there is a zone of activity of terrorist organisations and there are refugees from it. 

Therefore lets not talk about “refugees from hot spots,” but about refugees from the zone of terrorist organisation activities. 

Petro Poroshenko’s team. The first appointments.

Sergiy Leshchenko, UP

Petro Poroshenko is filling in the quotas – the Parliament approved the candidates proposed my him for the posts of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prosecutor General and head of the National Bank. 

While the voting for Pavlo Klimkin as the head diplomat was supported by all fractions, and Vitaliy Yarema was appointed without the regionals’ votes, Valeriya Gontareva became head of the National Bank after a small scandal “Batkivshchina” tried to start. 

Russians to their families in Ukraine: We believe Putin, he will make it so that you will also have order, happiness and peace like we do

Ukrainians are shocked by the words of their nearest and dearest living in the neighbouring country.

The majority of Ukrainians are saying that their relations with their nearest and dearest in Russia have become much worse recently.

This is concluded from the answers Facebook users have given to the question posed on the page of TVi channel: “Do you feel animosity towards yourself and towards Ukraine after Euromaidan? What are your friends and family from Russian saying about Ukraine?” 

“Voluntarism” 2.0

Yuriy Fedorov

Loss in war frequently leads to revolutions and other political perturbations. Russia’s war against Ukraine is not over yet, however Putin’s foreign political fiasco is obvious. The issue is how it will end for him and his regime. What happened is what the Kremlin was trying to avoid: the strategy or separating the US and Europe failed, which was considered necessary for achieving the more or less sacred goal – building some multi-polar world. Regardless of the contradictions regarding concrete means of counteraction to Moscow’s expansion, the Western countries are united in that this expansion has to be stopped. 

Bezler and emptiness. What awaits Donbas after the war

Yekaternia Sergatsova

Journalist from UP.Life Yekaterina Sergatsova talked to the Donetsk intellectuals about the reasons of what is happening in Donbas, and what awaits the region after the war is over.

“Donbas is a region which has definitely inherited the system of values that existed in the Soviet Union: historical paternalism, dominance of collective values, historical memory, for the most part oriented towards the Soviet heritage,” Dmitro Mironovich, culture sociologist in charge of the sociology lab in one of the Donetsk universities, begins our conversation.

According to Mironovich, such moods were beneficial for the local government: the economy of the region which had been created in the USSR has not changed. Consequentially, the lifestyle of the citizens in the region has not changed either.