Kiev - Page 2

“We were gathered here, and sent along ‘the path to death’,” says Raisa Maistrenko, pointing to a Kiev ravine that 75 years ago witnessed one of the worst atrocities of World War II.

Contents: Kiev violence triggered by proposal to give east Ukraine more autonomy; Troops from Chechnya fighting on both sides in Ukraine

Violence erupted in front of the Ukrainian parliament after a protester threw a grenade at National Guard servicemen and policemen who stood guard outside the building. The explosion killed one person and injured hundreds of policemen.

LGBT Ukrainians living in the nation’s east, center of conflict between Ukraine and neighboring invader Russia, are being forced to flee from their previously tolerant homes in the aftermath of Russian takeovers of towns.

Ukrainian LGBT activists held an Equality March in Kiev on Saturday, but faced brutal attacks from the opposition. Those who opposed the march attacked the activists even though President Petro Poroshenko voiced support for the march.

(Reuters) Russia’s army is massing troops and hundreds of pieces of weaponry including mobile rocket launchers, tanks and artillery at a makeshift base near the border with Ukraine, a Reuters reporter saw this week.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke with the BBC about his country’s crisis with Russia. He claimed the country is in a “real war” with Russia and must prepare for a Russian offensive.

The Russian government has added questions on the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and the legacy of Josef Stalin to its already rigorous exam for any migrant seeking residency permits. The exam includes questions on “Russian history, language, and civics.”

According to a poll by the Levada Center, the enormous economic progress under Soviet Union dictator Josef Stalin justified all the “sacrifices” made by Russians, including the genocide of his own people.

For the first time in the year since the conquest, Russian President Vladimir Putin explained in the documentary “Homeward Bound” the exact plan he concocted to capture Crimea out of Ukrainian possession. He also went into detail regarding how Russian soldiers prepared to rescue ousted pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Russian soldiers and pro-Russian separatists have claimed this Sunday that they pulled all heavy weaponry from Donetsk in East Ukraine.

The body count in east Ukraine tops 6,000 as Russian soldiers and pro-Russian separatists continue to violate the “ceasefire agreement.”

NATO member Poland has announced plans to send Polish military personnel to Ukraine to help train the Ukrainian military in their fight against Russian-backed troops in the east.

The pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine announced on their website they are withdrawing their military equipment from Debaltseve, Gorlovka, Donetsk, and Telman. Despite the declaration, Kiev has indicated officials believe these alleged withdrawals are a way to mask advancements in other cities.

Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia can deny it, but the alleged ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia collapsed before it even began. The Russian soldiers and pro-Russian rebels in east Ukraine broke it 250 times since it was supposed to go into effect on February 15.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande met in Minsk, Belarus, in an attempt to end the war in east Ukraine. The four emerged after 16 hours, all agreeing to a ceasefire in the east starting on February 15.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk confirmed more Russian forces entered Ukraine on Monday after he spoke with the National Security and Defense Council.

The situation in east Ukraine continues to deteriorate. This week, a shell exploded near a civilian bus near Volnovakha, 37 miles from Donetsk, which left eleven people dead and thirteen injured. A video posted to YouTube [WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT] shows dead bodies in the bus. Screenshots show pools of blood on the ground.

Interpol placed former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on their most wanted list. The red notice means Ukraine can extradite Yanukovych when he is caught regardless of where the arrest occurs.

Ukraine cut power and cancelled trains to Crimea as Visa and Mastercard announced the company will not process business cards due to sanctions from the West.