Kiev’s bloody eastern Ukraine campaign LIVE UPDATES

Source : http://rt.com/news

Russia delivered humanitarian aid to the besieged city of Lugansk as fighting between the Ukrainian army and self-defense forces continues in eastern Ukraine. The conflict has claimed the lives of at least 2,000 people and displaced over 300,000.

Sunday, August 24:

17:47 GMT:

The United Nations calls to increase the amount of humanitarian aid to the residents of eastern Ukraine due to the upcoming plunge in temperature, said Valerie Amos, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.“Most of the refugees are vulnerable even for the moment, and temporary shelters they live in are not meant for under zero temperatures. We have to provide people with support for them to be able to survive the winter,” she said in a statement after her 4-day-long visit to Ukraine.

13:10 GMT:

The number of Ukrainian government forces killed during the “anti-terrorist” campaign in the country’s east has reached 722, the National Defense and Security Council said. This is a 150 troops jump from August 11, when the figure was at 568.

12:16 GMT:

Donetsk self-defense troops have force-marched dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war along the main street of the rebel-held town in east Ukraine.

People shouted “fascists” at the group, who walked with heads bowed, reports Reuters citing eyewitnesses. The captives were largely unshaven, disheveled and dressed either in combat fatigues or civilian clothes.

Supporters of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk threw plastic bottles and eggs at the group, which comprised of about 50 captive soldiers, reports the Ukrainian Ostrov news website.

12:04 GMT:

08:50 GMT:

Kiev will spend 40 billion hryvnas (around $3 billion) on weapons and army modernization in 2015-2017, President Poroshenko promised, speaking at the military parade marking Ukraine’s Independence Day. He announced it will be a “modest beginning.” 

Poroshenko also said that some of the military personnel engaged in the parade, as well as a portion of the new weaponry on display, will be sent straight to the military zone in the country’s east after the celebration.

06:51 GMT:

Five artillery missiles have landed in a morgue in central Donetsk, an RIA Novosti correspondent on the ground reports, saying no mortuary staff were injured in the attack.

06:42 GMT:

Lugansk self-defense forces have declared they’re launching an offensive, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing self-defense headquarters.

They are targeting the city of Severodonetsk in the northwest of the Lugansk region, which they were forced to abandon in July and Debaltsevo in the east of the Donetsk region.

According to the headquarters’ data, the militia also destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage group, consisting of seven people and one infantry combat vehicle.

Saturday, August 23

21:54 GMT:

Three people were killed and six others injured after a Kiev forces’ shell hit a church in the Donetsk Region town of Kirovskoye in the middle of a service, press service of Gorlovskaya diocese has said.

"The shelling destroyed completely the church of St. John of Kronstadt," the press service said as quoted by Itar-Tass. "The all-night vigil continued as the shell ruined the church's roof, and the ceiling fell on the praying people."

The priest, his wife and four parishioners were taken to hospital.

Shelling from the same assault also hit a hospital, killing two people.

09:42 GMT:

The humanitarian situation in the city of Lugansk, which is under constant shelling by the Ukrainian army, remains critical. Over the last 24 hours 68 civilians have been injured, Lugansk city council reports on Saturday. Representatives of the International Red Cross inspecting the situation in the city have confirmed to the UN that the humanitarian situation in the city is grave.

09:32 GMT:

Employees of the Russian Red Cross can’t come to Ukraine to help with humanitarian aid without approval from the Ukrainian Red Cross, RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing the head of Russia’s Red Cross, Raisa Lukutsova.

Lukutsova said she knows about the negotiations concerning the participation of the International Red Cross committee in the distribution of the aid,“but there is no result yet.”

“I’ve only recently spoken with the president of the Ukrainian Red Cross; they are discussing it, aren’t ready to give an answer. We [Russian Red Cross volunteers] can’t enter the country’s territory without the Ukrainian Red Cross’s consent,”Lukutsova said.