Kyiv, August 13, 2014 – ATO troops have tightened the circle around terrorist positions in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The operation to close off all supplies for Russian mercenaries continues. “The situation remains most tense near Alchevsk, Luhansk, Krasniy Luch, Krasnodon, Horlivka, Makiyivka, Donetsk, Ilovaysk, Shakhtarsk, Torez and Snizhne, where active combat continues,” stated NSDC Information Center spokesman colonel Andriy Lysenko during a briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
Throughout the last 24 hours, positions and roadblocks of Ukrainian Armed Forces battled the illegal armed formations 25 times.
The state increases children’s rights protection during mobilization preparation and mobilization, during the special period, and also increases protection of the children of servicemen that retire from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Yesterday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the law “Regarding amendments to some laws of Ukraine tp increase children’s rights protection.” “According to the document, henceforth, men supporting three or more underaged children, and women supporting underaged children, are not subject to military service during mobilization. Single parents of underaged children or those supporting disabled children of up to 23 years of age are free from military service as well. Such citizens may only be called to serve with their personal consent, and only at their location of residence. Besides, women supporting underaged children may retire from military service and during the special period, should they express their will to discontinue their service,” noted the NSDC spokesman during the briefing.
Mercenaries continue firing at residential areas with Donetsk and Luhansk oblast, causing civilian victims. As of today, 143 educational institutions have been damaged in Donetsk oblast due to terrorist fire. “In general, this damage is done using Russian weapons, which are the real contents of Russia’s ‘humanitarian’ aid for Donbas,” added the NSDC spokesman.
International organizations are sending humanitarian cargo for the citizens of the Ukrainian East, who are suffering from the terrorists’ actions. “EU states are providing 2,5 million Euros’ worth of aid. The Georgian President also expressed his readiness to get involved in international humanitarian aid, as in the past Georgia was also subject to aggression and understands the gravity of the situation in Ukraine. The coordination of this activity was given to the International Red Cross Committee. The cargo is transported using Red Cross vehicles and has to go through working border checkpoints in Ukraine, as well as the Customs Service,” emphasized the NSDC spokesman.
After the assembly of the EU Committee for Politics and Security, EU member countries stated the necessity to send direct humanitarian aid to Ukraine in full accordance with humanitarian law and principles, and with the Ukrainian government’s explicit consent.
The head of the French MFA Laurent Fabius emphasized that the issue of allowing a column of humanitarian transport inside Ukraine should be discussed with the Kyiv government, and entertained the possibility that Moscow is trying to establish its permanent presence in Ukraine this way.
Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Julia Bishop stated that any attempt Moscow makes to send the army to Donbas under the guise of a humanitarian mission will be condemned by the Australian government. “If Russia was worried about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, the first thing to do is to stop the supply of weapons and militants to eastern Ukraine,” she said after a meeting with the heads of the U.S. Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministries in Sydney.
