Fighting in the Eeastern Ukraine surges

January 31, 2017 (Euronews) Fighting in east Ukraine has escalated, with reports that at least seven government soldiers and 15 pro-Russian separatists have been killed over the past two days. Ukrainian defence officials accused what they said were ‘Russian occupying forces’ of firing towards the eastern frontline town of Avdiivka, while separatist leaders blamed government forces for the spike in violence. Houses in Makiyivka to the south of Avdiivka were damaged, one resident described the moment the fighting erupted. “I was in the garden when I heard incoming shelling. When the third shell hit that house I ran to the cellar. That’s what saved me,” he said.

Typical view of Avdiivka's suburb

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko cut short a trip to Germany to oversee the emergency situation in Avdiivka. The surge in violence comes after Donald Trump had his first phone call with the Russian President, in which they discussed the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria. The latest casualties add to the estimated 10,000 already killed in the three-year battle over territory near the Ukraine-Russia border.

                                    There are thousands of such "Russian sourenirs"scattered around in Avdiyivka.

Recaptured from pro-Russian rebels in 2014, Avdiivka is a key stronghold for the Ukrainian army which it is desperately trying to retain. The town is close to rebel-controlled Donetsk and important roads and intersections used by the rebels to transport machinery and ammunition. Just as important is the town's coking and chemical plant - the biggest of its kind in Europe. If it fell into rebel hands it would cut much-needed supplies to Ukraine's steel industry.

On Sunday we have lost three valiant defenders of Avdiivka: Andrew Kyzylo (year of birth : 1993), Volodymyr Balchenko (year of birth : 1992), and Dmytro Overchenko (year of birth : 1989).

Canadian hockey team takes ice wearing Ukrainian embroidered shirts

January 30, 2017 (Ukrinform) Players of the Dauphin Kings Canadian hockey team from the town of Dauphin, Manitoba, took the ice wearing the form designed to resemble Ukrainian embroidered shirts to play against Virden team in the youth league match. As an Ukrinform correspondent reports, the match was called the "Ukrainian night" and ended with the victory of Dauphin Kings with a score of 3:2.

Photo: Dauphin Kings Facebook page

The town Dauphin, which together with its suburbs is the home to more than 8,000 people, is known for its strong Ukrainian diaspora. More than 41% of the population are of Ukrainian origin. More than a quarter of inhabitants speak Ukrainian.

Royal Navy dispatches destroyer to Black Sea to head-up Nato taskforce protecting Brit troops in Ukraine

January 29, 2017 (The Sun) MS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, will sail to Ukraine carrying as many as 60 Royal Marine and Special Boat Service commandos – and equipped with state-of-the-art anti-aircraft rockets.

HMS Diamond pictured leaving Portsmouth's naval dockyard

HMS Diamond, which will carry 3000mph Sea Viper missiles, will lead a Nato task force, as well as help protect 650 troops deployed in Ukraine.The display of strength comes after Theresa May told US politicians both the UK and USA should stand up to Vladimir Putin, the Mail on Sunday reported. It was previously dispatched to Libya to tackle migrant boats in the Mediterranean. The ship is protected by a modern Gatling gun called 'Phalanx' - which fires 20mm shells at 3,000 rounds a minute - while its amphibious warfare troops will be transported by Lynx Mk8 helicopter. Lord West, a former Royal Navy head, told the Mail on Sunday: "This is an operation with a very serious purpose. HMS Diamond can really look after herself and President Putin is a man who respects hard military power."

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon added: "The UK is sending a clear message that we are committed to defending democracy across the world and support Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity." HMS Diamond's arrival will reportedly coincide with the deployment of British troops to Estonia and Poland, while the RAF also sends Typhoon jets to Romania.

HMS Diamond's Weapons and Equipment:

• Sophisticated multi-function Sampson radar
• Phalanx Gatling gun, firing 20mm shells at 3,000 rounds per minute
• 3000mph Sea Viper anti-air missile
• 4.5 inch MK8 main gun, firing up to 24 high explosive shells, weighing over 40kg, per minute

Full article is available at

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2731060/royal-navy-dispatches-destroyer-to-black-sea-to-head-up-nato-taskforce-protecting-brit-troops-in-ukraine/

Ukrainian Main Battle Tanks for Thailand

January 26, 2017 (UNIAN) Ukrainian MBTs (main battle tanks) for Thailand Arms exports remain an important source of income for the Ukrainian defense sector. One of the major export contracts is this year’s delivery of a final batch of Oplot main battle tanks to Thailand. The deal is worth nearly $250 million.

Ukraine retains its status of one of the world’s TOP 10 arms exporters. According to the State-owned Ukroboronprom Concern, over the past few years, the volume of export contracts has increased significantly. Over the first 9 months of 2016 alone, the amount of the military equipment supplied abroad grew 20%, worth almost $600 million, while the total amount of export contracts signed in 2016 was worth more than $1.5 billion. After the beginning of hostilities in Donbas, fulfillment of international contracts for the sale of weapons has ceased to become top priority.

 Oplot MBT is the latest product of Ukraine’s armored industry. Photo from UNIAN

The main task for the Ukrainian government was to ensure combat capability of the Ukrainian forces countering Russia’s military machine. However, arms contracts are an important element of the overall income for the national defense industry and the country’s state budget - a portfolio of international deals provides billions of dollars of much-needed forex earnings for the national economy. One of the most important and widely discussed deals in the package of contracts is the supply of fifty Oplot main battle tanks to the Kingdom of Thailand. For more than six years, Ukraine has been struggling to fulfill its obligations.

Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/economics/1739862-ukrainian-mbts-for-thailand.html

Poroshenko’s Roshen factory in Russia will close in April

January 23, 2017 (uawire.org) The Roshen Corporation, which belongs to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, will cease its operation at the Lipetsk confectionery factory. This was stated by the company’s press service on it’s website on Friday, January 20th. "This decision was made due to economic and political reasons," the statement reads, without providing any further details. The production and the storage of the production facilities and infrastructure are planned to stop operating fully in April.

President Poroshenko repeatedly emphasized that it was impossible to sell the factory due to freezes on the factory’s property by the Investigative Committee of Russia in the framework of a criminal case. According to the company, in four years, the production volumes of the Lipetsk confectionery factory decreased three times. In July 2013, Rospotrebnadzor banned the import of Roshen products to the Russian Federation, which led to a decrease in the factory’s assortment. Among other reasons, the corporation called this move an "active discrediting of the factory’s activity in the Russian and Ukrainian media" and mentioned the pressure applied by authorities on businesses.

The 700 remaining employees have already been informed of the impending closure of the facility. In 2014, Poroshenko created a number of offshore companies. He explained that the Roshen confectionery could be transferred into a trust only through such a legal construct.

Ukraine, UK to expand cooperation: Aircraft engineering, army training

January 22, 2016 (UNIAN) Ukraine and the United Kingdom will expand cooperation in such areas as aircraft engineering and training of Ukraine's Air Force as well as its Army and Navy, according to state-run Ukroboronprom's press service and the British Ministry of Defence. These issues were on the agenda of a meeting between Ukroboronprom's top managers and British Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon in Kyiv on January 20, the press service said. As part of his trip, Fallon visited state-run Antonov's facility that assembles its new AN-132 plane, using British components. "The Defence Secretary also spoke about how the UK is a partner in prosperity with Ukraine. He met with staff of the Antonov National Company, the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturers company. British equipment from operations in Afghanistan and now in Iraq has been transported using Antonov aircraft and Dowty Propellers, based in the UK, has started component deliveries for propeller systems that will equip a demonstrator for the company's new An-132 twin-engine transport aircraft," the British Ministry of Defence reported in turn.

Fallon also said that the United Kingdom stands firmly alongside Ukraine as the British Army prepares to broaden its already extended training package to all of the country's armed forces and the UK is beginning to deliver training to Ukraine's Air Force as well as its Army and Navy. "Meeting with Defence Minister of Ukraine, General of the Army Stepan Poltorak, the Defence Secretary confirmed that the UK's short-term training teams will have trained 5,000 members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the end of March – 1,000 more than initially planned - and will now continue in their training role for another year," the British Ministry reported.

During his visit, Fallon met with Ukrainian veterans to hear first-hand how the UK's training provides vital support for the UAF. In December he confirmed that the training programme, named Op Orbital, would be extended meaning UK forces will be in the country until at least 2018. As the UK extends its training, a new regiment – 4 SCOTS – will take over dedicated delivery of the infantry short-term training. As UNIAN reported earlier, state-run Antonov enterprise, the only Ukrainian designer and manufacturer of cargo and passenger planes, presented the prototype of the An-132 transport aircraft on December 20. Antonov has already signed a number of contracts with Saudi Arabia on shipments of this model from 2017, as well as on the joint design and production at an aircraft plant in that country where the serial production of the An-132 is to be launched. Antonov said Saudi Arabia was ready to buy 80 aircraft.

Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/economics/1735627-ukraine-uk-to-expand-cooperation-aircraft-engineering-army-training.html

Historical seminar in Poltava Battle Museum

January 20, 2017 Today in the Poltava Battle Museum we had a historical seminar dedicated to the founder of the museum and its first director Ivan Pavlovsky. This man has made a valuable contribution to the first museum that was opened on the battle field in 1909. He helped a lot to Karl Bennedich and Frey Rydeberg, two young Swedish officers from Norra Skånska infantry regiment who were sent to Poltava in summer 1911 by order of the General Stuff of the Swedish Army. They main goal was to find main burial places of Swedes killed in the decisive battle of the Great Northern war.

I presented my paper dedicated to the misadventure of the box with skulls and bones of the warriors of the Charles XII who were mostly killed during the second stage of the battle which in fact was not a battle but massacre. This sad freight was delivered to Stockholm in 1911. It took 47 long years until it has been buried in the cemetery of St. Birgitta monastery in Vadstena. The field where the main burial place was discovered in 1911 is still in agricultural use. Every spring when this field is under ploughing it is possible to discover some fragments of skulls and bones of Swedish warriors. I have already published a few articles in our local newspapers with appeal for turning this field into memorial field and unveiling a memorial stone with an appropriate sign. Today I have shown to the participants many typical Swedish gravestones that were erected in Sweden under the common graves of the soldiers of Charles XII. Mostly these common graves connected with the death march of General Armfeldt (Karolinernas dödsmarsch).

Grave stones along the Karolinernas dödsmarsch

We decided to address our appeal to the City Council. We sincere believe that sooner or later our dream will come true and we will not be ashamed while receiving foreign delegations and tourists in Poltava.

Common grave of Swedish warriors in Vadstena