Coverage of Ukraine events by Russian media

There are a lot of stories coming out regarding Poroshenko's ceasefire proposal, and what it means.

Here is a cross-section, just from Russian media which,unlike what we are led to believe, displays as much variety in its coverage as the western, corporate media

I suggest watching the video (from yesterday) for context. 

Peter Lavelle and his panel hit the nail on the head (not in the Obama manner, I hasten to add)

There are now 400,000 Ukrainian refugees in Russia 0 and i would say we ain't seen nothing yet!

CrossTalk: Ukrainian Truce?

Poroshenko is showing his power as the new Ukrainian president, but his options are narrowing. Is he just playing the role of translator from English to Ukrainian, under the influence of the US? How far will Washington go for such a "prize" as Ukraine? Or is the US just playing a game of double standards?

CrossTalking with Don DeBar, Ivan Eland and Marcus Papadopoulos.

Poroshenko, representatives of Ukraine’s eastern regions fail to find negotiating position

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and representatives from the country’s eastern regions have failed to find common language, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s administration Valery Chaly told a briefing on Friday.

“Poroshenko spent the past two days with respected people of Donbass (Donetsk coal-bearing area, the word most typically applied to Eastern Ukraine), leader of public opinion, legitimate representatives of the local authorities, businessmen. He met with more than 400 people. The problem is that there is no negotiating position,” he said.

Ukrainian President proposing 100 km-wide buffer zone along border with Russia

“All the component parts of this plan are to be fulfilled simultaneously, not one after another,” a deputy chief of the presidential administration staff says

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko proposes to create a 100 kilometers-wide buffer zone along the Ukrainian-Russian border, Valery Chaly, a deputy chief of the presidential administration staff told a news briefing Friday.

“We’re saying today that a buffer zone of about a hundred kilometers wide should be created along the border,” Chaly said as he spoke about the details of Poroshenko’s peace plan

Ukraine wants West to impose more sanctions against Russia

Ukraine expects the West to impose another package of sanctions against Russia in case Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s peace plan is frustrated, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s administration Valery Chaly told a briefing on Friday.

“Ukraine needs solidarity, and in case the peace plan is torpedoed, a third package of sanctions or a package of sectoral sanctions must be in place. This is our clear position. These processes should proceed in parallel,” he said. “Ukrainian society and state are ready to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country in case the president’s peace plan is torpedoed.”

Ukraine will resume co-operation with Russia only after the Federation Council, upper house of the parliament, revokes its approval of possible use of troops in Ukraine, the deputy chief of Ukraine’s presidential staff Valery Chaly told a briefing on Friday.

“Any talks on further steps, on reviving the interaction tools, in particular the inter-state commission, and on the institutional interaction are possible only after Russia cancels the Federation Council’s decision on the Russian Armed Forces’ possible invasion of Ukraine,” Chaly said.

“I think it could be a step that would stimulate the future unblocking of institutional mechanisms,’ he said.

About 90,000 Ukrainian residents apply for legal stay - Russian migration services

About 400,000 Ukrainians have moved to Russia from Ukraine since the beginning of 2014 and are staying in Russia's border areas, a spokesperson for the Russian Federal Migration Service (FMS) told Interfax on Friday.

"Around 400,000 people are in Russia's border areas. Some 90,000 Ukrainian citizens have turned to the FMS to have their legal status decided. The number of those who applied for temporary asylum and refugee status is around 7,000," the FMS spokesperson said.

This is the statistic for the influx of Ukrainian refugees into Russia since the beginning of 2014, he said. Russia has opened 207 temporary accommodation centers for the Ukrainians, the FMS said.

Talk about Russia backing Poroshenko's peace plan premature - Russia's envoy to UN

To speak of Russia supporting the Poroshenko peace plan for Ukraine is too early - said Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin. The diplomat was speaking at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York.



Churkin also said that Russia has come to the conclusion it does not make sense to continue work on the draft UN Security Council resolution on Ukraine. Apart from that, Russia's permanent representative to the UN also mentioned other topical issues on the international agenda, in particular, the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, states Russia Today in their reports.

I am sure that the press conference will appear in English in the next few hours

Putin Discusses Southeastern Ukraine Crisis with Russia's Security Council

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council to discuss the situation in southeastern Ukraine, a Kremlin spokesman said Friday.

“The main issue on the agenda was the situation in Ukraine’s southeast,” the spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said.

The meeting was attended Thursday by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and his deputy Rashid Nurgaliyev, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Federal Security Service Head Alexander Bortnikov among other senior officials.

Kremlin Says No Russian Military Buildup Near Ukraine, Only Enhanced Border Security

Moscow is surprised by allegations of a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine, saying it is only taking measures backed by European leaders to better protect its border, a Kremlin spokesman said Friday.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Russia had to tighten security at the Ukrainian border "because it is being increasingly violated, including by military vehicles."

"We are surprised by statements of alleged deployment of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine. In this case, there is no military buildup, there are only measures to strengthen the border security of the Russian Federation, measures taken on direct instructions from Russian president," Peskov said.

"[The instructions] were given several weeks ago, and they were made public and received a positive response from European leaders," the spokesman added.

“As for the troop numbers, this is defined by the need to ensure the due level of border security,” Peskov said.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday the alliance has seen a few thousand Russian troops at Ukraine’s border, but cannot determine what mission the troops have. Ukraine’s Border Service said Russian troops have been gathering in the border area with Ukraine.

On May 19, President Putin ordered the return of all troops involved in drills in the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions on the border with Ukraine to their permanent bases to continue military training. NATO later confirmed the withdrawal.

In late May, General Valery Gerasimov, the Russian military’s chief of the general staff, said troops near the border with Ukraine would return to their bases in around 20 days.



US Imposes Sanctions Against Leaders of Self-Proclaimed Republics of Luhansk, Donetsk

Washington has added seven high-ranking officials from the self-proclaimed Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk to its list of individuals subjected to asset freezes and travel bans, the US Treasury Department said on its website Friday.



The individuals included in the sanctions list are Donetsk People’s Republic military commander Igor Girkin, Vice Premier Andrey Purgin and Supreme Council chairman Denis Pushilin; former People’s Mayor of Slaviansk Vyacheslav Ponomaryov and Luhansk People’s Republic chief Valery Bolotov.

In addition, the US also imposed sanctions against Valery Kaurov, the leader of the Union of Orthodox Citizens of Ukraine, and the acting Sevastopol governor Sergei Menyailo.



Russian checkpoint on Ukraine border comes under fire

Moscow demands explanation from Kiev authorities after a Russian checkpoint on the border between two counties came under shelling on Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

On Friday, the Russian checkpoint of Novoshakhtinsk in Rostov region was shelled by mortars, the Russia’s Border Service said. The rounds came from the Ukrainian side. A Russian customs service employee was seriously injured in the fire.

The shelling occurred as Lugansk self-defense forces clashed with Ukrainian military joined by the National Guard, who launched mortar fire that in the end hit the checkpoint, said spokesman of the Border Service in the Rostov Region, Vasily Malayev.

While the main target of the shelling was the Ukrainian border checkpoint Dolzhansky, controlled by the militia, several mortars hit Russia’s territory, he added.

The video that was posted on Youtube shows the refugee camp near Novoshakhtinsk in Rostov region. One can hear the shelling in the beginning and in the end of the video.

The Russian checkpoint was severely damaged, especially its engineer constructions and communication lines, Malayev said.

“Our employee was injured and has been transported to the hospital of Novoshakhtinsk. His condition is evaluated as rather serious,” said the Custom’s Service.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal investigation into the attempted murder of citizens by shelling Russian territory.

Following the incident, the Russian Foreign Ministry filed a protest note to Kiev demanding an immediate explanation and investigation into the shelling.

“It is a direct provocation, which aims to prevent the implementation of the Geneva agreement on de-escalation of the Ukrainian conflict,” the ministry said.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense refuted statements the Ukrainian army shelled a Russian checkpoint.

“Due to proximity to the state border with Russia, the Ukrainian military does not fire from artillery or mortars," the statement on its website read.

The Ukrainians, of course, laid the blame on the rebels.

Defense Ministry claims Ukrainian Army did not shell checkpoint

Kiev laid blame for attack on militants

Ukrainian Defense Ministry issued a statement claiming “Ukrainian military have not been using artillery of mortars” in the areas adjoining the Ukrainian-Russian border.