Day of liberation of Ukraine from Nazi invaders marked on October 28

October 29, 2019 (112.UA) On October 28, Ukraine marks a memorable event in its history – the Day of liberation of Ukraine from fascist invaders. It is a national holiday dedicated to the removal of German Nazi forces and their allies during World War II out of the territory of modern Ukraine. This day was chosen because it is believed that the last Nazi Reich soldier was expelled from the territory of Ukraine on this day in 1944. According to the official statement, the holiday was introduced “for the nation-wide celebration of the liberation of Ukraine from fascist invaders and to honor heroic act and sacrifice of Ukrainian people during World War II.” During World War II (1939-1945), the battles significant for the liberation of Europe from fascism took place in Ukraine. On October 27, 1944, Uzhhorod was retaken from the Germans, and Soviet troops arrived at what would be the modern western border of Ukraine. On 28 October 1944, the last territory of current Ukraine (near Uzhhorod, then part of the Kingdom of Hungary) was cleared of German troops; this is annually celebrated in Ukraine on 28 October) as the “anniversary of the liberation of Ukraine from the Nazis.” In total, the Armed Forces of the USSR held 15 assault operations involving half of all Soviet forces – 2.3 million people – on the territory of Ukrainian SSR in 1943–1944.

After the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, the name “Day of the liberation of Ukraine from fascist invaders” is considered inaccurate. Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINR) insisted on using the term “expulsion of Nazi occupants from Ukraine” instead of “liberation from fascist invaders.” “The term “liberation” means freedom, but in 1944 Ukraine did not become free. With the expulsion of Nazi occupants, it did not gain freedom, but found itself under the other rule which resulted in mass repressions and deportations, including hounded thousands of Ukrainians, Poles, and the whole Crimean Tatar people,” then head of UINR Volodymyr Viatrovych said.

Liberation of Kyiv from fascist invaders in WWII, Kyiv

According to him, the thesis of more than 70 years of liberation “is a continuation of Soviet propaganda clichés that Russia still uses in the war against Ukraine.” The UINR emphasized that during the Second World War, the Soviet Union set the goal not to liberate Ukrainian people, but to restore the totalitarian regime on the territory of modern Ukraine. Ukrainian people regained freedom on August 24, 1991 - the liberation of Ukraine happened only with the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, the name of the holiday has not been changed on the official level and remained the Day of the liberation of Ukraine from fascist invaders.

MINISTER OF DEFENSE OF UKRAINE HAS STARTED A WORKING VISIT TO NATO HEADQUARTERS

October 24, 2019 (Defence Express) On October 24, delegation of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has started a working visit to NATO Headquarters to participate in a meetings of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the level of Defense Ministers of the contributor states to NATO’s “Resolute Support” training and advisory mission in Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Zagorodnyuk is scheduled to hold meetings with the Ministers of Defense of the United Kingdom, Canada, Lithuania, Poland and the United States in QUINT format. Bilateral meetings with the NATO Secretary General (in short format), the Executive Director of the European Defense Agency as well as with the Heads of Delegation of the other contributor states to the NATO’s “Resolute Support” training and advisory mission in Islamic Republic of Afghanistan are also scheduled to take place during a visit.

The QUINT is an informal decision-making group consisting of the United States and the Big Four of Western Europe (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom). It operates as a "directoire" of various entities such as NATO and the G7/G20

The letter written by the little Ukrainian girl to defenders of Ukraine who’re fighting in the Eastern Ukraine

October 18, 2019 (UNIAN) This touching letter was written by Ukrainian girl and enclosed to the parcel containing some candies and clothes. The parcel was sent to the Eastern Ukraine that is suffering Russian aggression.

Hello, My name is Marja, I am 8 years old. Please hand over enclosed clothes to children who are living in the combat area. They hardly can buy any cloths there. Please give enclosed candies to soldiers who are sad and miss their folks so much. I wish them to return home with victory as quick as possible. I and my mom prayed for them and lit candles in the church. Glory to Ukraine! Please spend my money as you think best.

Stoltenberg believes Ukraine's further integration with the Alliance will depend on reform progress.

October 15, 2019 (UNIAN) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at the meeting of the organization's Parliamentary Assembly in London, has called on the European Union to provide a more practical support to Ukraine. In a few weeks, "the whole North Atlantic Council will go to Ukraine, visit Ukraine, and express our strong political support, and I urge also NATO Allies to provide even more practical support to Ukraine. They need our support. This is about supporting Ukraine, but it is also about upholding and supporting a rules-based order, which is of great importance for all of us," Stoltenberg said in his address.

Foto REUTERS

The secretary general added that on the path of Ukraine's further Euro-Atlantic integration, including membership, "the focus should be on reforms, on how to modernize Ukraine's defense and security institutions". As UNIAN reported earlier, NATO officials will visit Ukraine Oct 31. During their stay, the delegation will visit Kyiv and Odesa. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko expressed hope that NATO leaders would get a clear picture of the developments in the Black Sea area and approve a corresponding aid package, also called "Black Sea Package" that the Alliance had earlier offered Ukraine.

On Defenders Day, President Zelensky congratulates troops in Donbas

October 15, 2019 (UNIAN) President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Donetsk region congratulated Ukrainian military servicemen on Defenders Day. Addressing the troops, Zelensky noted that "there were times when the whole country lived too carelessly," Donbas News reports. According to the president, then it seemed that the war was something very distant. "At that time, the state either didn't care much, or at all, about its own army," he added. Zelensky emphasized that in order to realize that “shortsightedness and naive childish gullibility,” Ukraine pay a "too high a price", including the loss of a part of territories and thousands of people. 

The president explained that meant the Russian annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas. Zelensky stressed that Ukraine managed to "be reborn", "get on its feet, wipe off the dust and say: 'You wish'." After addressing the military, Zelensky presented a number of state awards.

President Volodymyr Zelensky meets the press Thursday — all day long.

October 11, 2019 (Youtube) A press-marathon was held by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky all day yesterday (Oct. 10), in central Kyiv. The goal was to have a new and open format where journalists can ask the president all of their questions. Three-hundred journalists met with the president in the Kyiv Food Market, a popular newly opened food hall.

Estonia not to accept even one asylum seeker, enough problems with Ukrainians – Interior minister

October 9, 2019 (UNIAN) Estonian Interior Minister Mart Helme has said Estonia will not accept asylum seekers, as the country has enough problems with immigrants coming from Ukraine. At a meeting of interior ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday, he said Estonia was currently facing very strong immigration pressure from former Soviet Union countries, ERR News reported. "When we look at it, asylum seekers do not come to us from the Middle East or Africa, but from Ukraine. Second place was Georgia, then Moldova, and only then came Afghanistan and such countries," Helme said. Helme said that Estonia currently has enough problems with immigrants coming from Ukraine.

"We are still struggling with this immigration pressure, and we don't see much understanding for us. Ukrainians tend to integrate into the Russian-speaking community and for us, it's a cultural and demographic problem, and if someone says it's not a problem, [for us] it's a very serious problem. And if we start opening second and third fronts to take Latin America, Venezuela, the Middle East, and then sub-Saharan West Africa, we have no power," he said. The interior minister said Estonia needs to make its position very clear to everyone. "In order to prevent the arrival of people whom we cannot accept and those we do not want to accept, we must take this position. We have long stated our position. As long as we, that is EKRE [the Conservative People's Party of Estonia], are in government, Estonia will not accept immigrants," Helme said.
He did not expand upon what the problems with Ukrainians were or what problems have been raised. Last month he suggested an inquiry should be launched to stop Ukrainians moving to Estonia under the European Union's Schengen agreement. Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu quickly said this would not be possible. Helme also believes Ukrainians who move to Estonia for work, which the vast majority do rather than seeking asylum, should face "systematic scrutiny."

U.S. clears $39 million sale of Javelin missiles to Ukraine

October 6, 2019 (Defence Blog) The United States is set to sell more military equipment to Ukraine, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Department of Defense. Earlier this year, the Defense Department made plans to provide some $250 million in aid to Ukraine, with the goal of transitioning that aid before the end of the fiscal year. The department was largely successful in that goal, a Pentagon spokesman said. “As of today, the bulk of this $250 million is on contract, the rest should be out soon,” Jonathan Rath Hoffman, the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, said during a news conference at the Pentagon today. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in its statement that the State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Ukraine for one Javelin missiles and related equipment and support.

The approval, which was announced by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on 03 October, covers the one hundred fifty Javelin missiles, ten Javelin Command Launch Units, training devices, transportation, support equipment, technical data and publications as well as other equipment and support for an estimated cost not to exceed $39.2 million. “This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of Ukraine,” the DSCA said. “The Javelin system will help Ukraine build its long-term defense capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to meet its national defense requirements.” The United States has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the subsequent outbreak of fighting in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region that has killed more than 10,000 people.

Seven dead after WWII B-17 plane crashes, erupts into flames at Bradley Airport

October 3, 2019 (NBCNews) Seven people aboard a vintage World War II plane were killed Wednesday when it crashed shortly after takeoff, erupting into flames at Bradley International Airport, just outside of Hartford, Connecticut, authorities said. State Police Commissioner James Rovella told reporters at an evening news conference that the families of all but three of the victims had been contacted. The flight took off at 9:45 a.m. before reporting five minutes later that it was having difficulties, authorities said. "We observed that the aircraft was not gaining altitude," Connecticut Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin Dillon said. The plane tried to return to the airport when it crashed at 9:54 a.m., officials said.

A Boeing B-17 used by the U.S. military during World War II. Many such heavy bombers were deployed in Poltava during the operation “Frantic Joe” 

There were 13 people on board the Boeing B-17, two pilots, one attendant, and 10 passengers. Another person on the ground was injured when the plane slid off the runway and slammed into a building used to house the airport's deicing equipment, officials said. Witness Brian Hamer, who lives in Norton, Massachusetts, was less than a mile away from the airport when he spotted the B-17, “which you don’t normally see,” flying low overhead. Hamer saw smoke coming from the back of the craft and heard one engine sputter. “Then we heard all the rumbling and the thunder, and all the smoke comes up and we kind of figured it wasn’t good,” Hamer said. Another witness, Antonio Arreguin, was parked at a construction site 250 yards from the crash site when he heard an explosion — and felt the heat from the ensuing fire. “In front of me, I see this big ball of orange fire, and I knew something happened,” Arreguin said. “The ball of fire was very big.” Hartford Hospital received six patients from the crash, three were initially listed in critical condition, two in moderate condition and one with just minor injuries, doctors there said.

Read a full articleand see a video at https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/vintage-b-17-plane-crashes-erupts-flames-bradley-international-airport-n1061161