Kyiv, August 1, 2014 – President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed laws on ratification of agreements with Australia – on sending Australian personnel to Ukraine for investigation of «Malaysia Airlines» Boeing 777 aircraft crash circumstances and the Netherlands – on international Defence mission. It was a statement spokesman for Information and Analysis Center of National Security and Defence Council Andriy Lysenko made during his media briefing in Ukraine Crisis Media Center. «According to the agreement Australia is entitled to send police, military and civil personnel to Ukraine as well as accompanying assets. It will have freedom of movement on the territory of our state for travelling to areas connected with the aircraft crash investigation. The agreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands states that the Netherlands will be in charge of the mission. It is being created in order to conduct investigation in compliance with the UN Security Council Resolution 2166 of July 21, 2014, as well as with the aim of conducting other activities which may be negotiated between the parties», – explained Andriy Lysenko.
The Mission consists of military and non-military personnel of the Netherlands and Australia and, as the case might be, of other countries whose citizens were passengers of the plane. Personnel of the Mission are allowed to possess and carry weapons as well as use force for self-defence and for purposes of conduction their activities in compliance with the abovementioned Agreement. Besides, personnel of the Mission are allowed to wear field service uniform. The Mission number will not exceed 700 armed people.
ATO forces secure conducting of the operation along state border of Ukraine. Separate subdivisions which used to dislocate in the area of Dovzhanskyi, Izvaryne and Chervonopartyzansk border crossing checkpoints and were constantly under fire, including with “Grad” rocket launchers, were pulled back to new safe positions. «Within 24 hours terrorists outshot checkpoints and positions of Armed Forces of Ukraine subdivisions in the area of Shakhtarsk, Vesela Tarasivka, Bilorichenskyi, Kontarne, Debaltseve, Stukalova Balka, Makarove, Hryhorivka localities and aerodrome of Luhansk. Some bombardments were conducted directly from Russian territory. Yesterday at 1.50 pm Ukrainian military checkpoint nearby Hryhorivka locality was outshot with “Grad” rocket launchers from the side of Ratikhuvatyi locality in Russian Federation. Around 10 pm positions of Armed Forces of Ukraine near Nova Vilkhova and Makariv settlements were attacked by fire from the side of Mityakinskoe locality in Russian Federation, 8 km from Ukrainian border. 50 mortar rounds were counted», – informed the spokesman of National Security and Defence Council.
Simultaneously with bombardment of Ukrainian checkpoint nearby Hryhorivka from the territory of the Russian Federation 150 terrorists supported by 3 tanks attacked Ukrainian military men. «Our fighters repulsed and the terrorists were forced to retreat. Yesterday in the morning during their movement in Size settlement neighbourhood in Luhansk region “Chernihiv” area defence battalion detected and destroyed terrorists’ ambush», – added colonel Lysenko.
During last 24 hours Russian aviation illegally crossed state Ukrainian border several times, intruding for the distance of up to 10-15 kilometres. ATO forces are observing such intrusions both through radar aids and visually. In particular, yesterday flights of four “Ka-52” attack helicopters from the Russian Federation were noticed. With the aid of air defence facilities 3 air defence targets moving at a speed of 800 km/h were located. «Aircrafts are entering Ukrainian territory at ultra-low heights and returns to the Russian Federation with increase in the altitude. It is the third time for few recent days that a flight of a pilotless aircraft from the side of Trans-Dniester area of Ukrainian-Moldavian state border nearby Zahnitkiv village of Kodymskyi district in Odessa region and Studena village of Pishchanskyi district in Vinnytsya region», – informed Andriy Lysenko.
Russian side is actively preparing artillery positions to attack the territory of Ukraine with fire. For instance, yesterday nearby Stratyva village in Bryansk region (5 km from the border, facing Chernihiv region) 17 “Grad” rocket launchers came into arranged positions in a forest area. «Opposite a border area of Sumy border detachment in Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, at a distance of approximately 15 km from Ukrainian state border line three 152-mm self-propelled vehicles came into battlefield position. In Bryansk region at a distance of 4-5 km from Ukrainian state border 15 military equipment units of Russian Armed Forces subdivisions were redeployed. In Donetsk of Rostov region presence of military men from 200th separate motorized rifle brigade relocated from Murmansk region was found», – stated the spokesman of National Security and Defence Council.
This night Russians using pontoons passed another batch of military equipment for terrorists across Siverskyi Donets river from the territory of the Russian Federation nearby Popovka and Velykyi Sukhodil villages in Luhansk region. According to intelligence data, an echelon with Kadyrov’s fighters set off towards Ukraine from Chechen Republic.
Up till now Ukraine received no answer from the Russian Federation on the aim of accumulation of forces and equipment of Russian Armed Forces nearby the state border with our country.
Today sanctions imposed by EU Council against Russian Federation came into effect. In particular, they envisage restrictions in financial, economic, energy, trading and military and technical branches, as well as prohibition of trade of dual-use goods.
19 US senators applied to the President of the USA Barak Obama calling upon him to recognized so-called Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic as terrorists organizations and enter them into the corresponding black list.
