Events in Ukraine on 9 July 2015.

Briefly about the most important today's events in our digest of events

that have happened in Ukraine today

PA OSCE recognizes the fact of Russian military aggression against Ukraine

PA OSCE has recognised the fact of Russian military aggression against Ukraine, Member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Deputy Ostap Semerak posted on Facebook.

According to him, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted the resolution on "Obvious, gross and uncorrected violations by the Russian Federation of the OSCE commitments and international rules."

"The significant document of international condemnation of the Russian aggression against Ukraine recognizes the actions of the Russian Federation as an act of military aggression against Ukraine, and demands from the Russian Federation to stop destabilization in Ukraine, stop supplying weapons and supplies to the militants, stop sending its servicemen into our territory, observe Minsk agreements..." the MP said.

Amnesty International criticizes the RF stop-list

The international human rights organization Amnesty International has criticized Russia’s idea to make a stop-list of non-profit organizations.

A new move by the Russian Parliament to outlaw so-called undesirable organizations is yet another nail in the coffin for freedom of expression and civil society in Russia, said Amnesty International today.

The submission by the Council of the Federation, Parliament’s upper house, of a list of 12 foreign NGOs working in Russia to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Foreign Ministry may lead to them being banned as “undesirable” under a law adopted last May. “Undesirable” organizations” are loosely defined under the law as those posing a threat to the country’s “constitutional order, defence potential or state security”.

“The submission of this list is yet another move to suffocate freedom of expression and association in Russia, and its intended targets are not just foreign organizations but independent civil society in the country itself,” said John Dalhuisen, Director for Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International.

“This is an unwarranted and unnecessary tactic aimed at ending the legitimate activities of those engaged in work at odds with the Russian authorities. NGOs, both Russian and foreign, are already closely monitored, and sufficient legal mechanisms already exist to tackle any organizations which may be engaged in unlawful activities.”

Among the organizations listed there are the Crimean Field Mission on Human Rights, Freedom House, two organizations working with the Ukrainian diasporas around the world and several foundations that provide funding and support to civil society initiatives in Russia.

Spokespeople for Parliament’s upper house, the Council of the Federation, have indicated that the list is neither final nor exhaustive. As a reason for their initiative, they claim that the current “unprecedented scale” of funding of “political activities” by NGOs from foreign sources constitutes a “soft aggression” against Russia and its people.

“The criteria the Russian authorities will use to designate ‘undesirable organizations’ are ill-defined, arbitrary and nebulous,” said John Dalhuisen.

As reported earlier, Russia entered the World Congress of Ukrainians, the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, the Crimean Field Mission on Human Rights and other organizations in its stop-list of non-profit organizations.

OSCE recorded blasts near Donetsk; a lull in the Lugansk region

Positioned at the “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”)-controlled Donetsk railway station (8km north-west of Donetsk) between 08:40 and 12:30hrs, the SMM heard the sound of 26 mortar rounds – three incoming, four outgoing and 19 undetermined – at a distance of 3-6km to the north, north-north-east, north-east, and south-east. At the same location between 17:12 and 18:30hrs, the SMM heard and in some cases also saw 78 incoming mortar or artillery rounds at distances of between 3-8km to the north, north-north-west, north-west and west; and, 62 outgoing mortar or artillery rounds at distances of between 3-5km to the north-west, west and south-west.

Positioned 3.5km west-south-west of Shyrokine (20km east of Mariupol), the SMM heard a main battle tank (MBT), 3-4km to the north-east, firing 11 rounds. Later at the same location, the SMM heard the sound of two outgoing 120mm mortar rounds emanating from a location 2-3km to the north-east. The SMM assessed that the target area was to the east.  

ATO Headquarters: Militants assault ATO forces with ICVs,

Grad MLRSs and mortars

Insurgents carried out over 20 attacks on positions of ATO forces along the whole demarcation line in the period from 6PM till midnight, July 8, the ATO press-centre posted on Facebook.

In particular, terrorists conducted saturation attacks on Ukrainian troops near Krymske, Lugansk region, with 120- and 82-mm mortars at 7.30PM, which lasted 2 hours.

Also, rebel armed provocations took place near Opytne, Pisky, Opytne, Avdiivka, Vodyane, Verkhnyotoretsk, and Stanyzia Luganska.

7 enemy UAVs were observed over the Lugansk region in the period between 9.25PM and midnight.

Today, July 9, gunmen simultaneously attacked ATO positions near Berezove and Novotroitske, Donetsk region, with 120-mm mortars.

The village of Granitne, Mariupol direction, was shelled from 3.50 till 4AM with BM-21 Grad MLRSs.

Territories near Stanyzia Luganska, Krymske, Luganske, Opytne, and Kirove were shelled with mortars and grenade launchers till 6AM.

Rebel bombardments of the Lugansk region result in a police officer and a soldier wounded

Two people - a police officer and Ukrainian service member - have been wounded as a result of rebel attacks on the Lugansk region, Chairman of the Lugansk Regional State Administration Gennady Moskal reported on his webpage on Thursday.

He also added that Stanyzia Luganska had been assaulted once again on Wednesday night by so-called PRL rebels. Gunmen fired grenade machine guns, mortars, and machine-guns on the town from their positions on the right bank of the Siversky Donets.

Apart from Stanyzia Luganska, further active hostilities were conducted in Krymske, Novoaydarsk district. A clash occurred near a tuberculosis dispensary at 7.30PM Wednesday, which lasted about an hour.

Skirmishes committing mortars were reported after midnight on the Bakhmutka highway a few kilometres away from Krymske. The village itself was not hit; however, a soldier sustained wounds as a result of fighting. A relative lull was reported in other traditionally troublesome flash points of the region; skirmishes and attacks had local nature there without any significant effects, the administration reports.