The Ukrainian Week

13 September, 2021	Breaking news	Two Ukraine soldiers die in clashes with separatists The Ukrainian army is locked in a conflict with breakaway fighters in Donetsk and Lugansk that erupted after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014
17 April, 2020	Breaking news	Ukraine returns from occupied territories 20 Citizens within exchange The Presidential Office states that the exchange of held persons has ended, and in its course Ukraine returned 20 citizens from the occupied territories
17 April, 2020	Society	A thriving ruin Despite many official pronouncements, industry in the liberated Donbas is in its death throes
5 October, 2019	Economics	“Dismissed” from the mines What the supporters of DNR and LNR feared most, the closure of the mines, was accomplished by their terrorist leadership, not by the “junta” in Kyiv
14 June, 2019	Breaking news	Russia starts giving passports to Ukrainians from Donetsk and Luhansk Russian authorities have given out the first passports to residents of Ukraine's separatist regions, shrugging off international criticism. Kyiv said it would never recognize documents issued by the "aggressor country"
13 June, 2019	Breaking news	Ukrainian troops get close to Donetsk The distance between Joint Forces' positions and those of Russian occupation forces in certain areas is only a few hundred meters
12 June, 2019	Breaking news	Ukraine troops advance in Maryinka, approaching Donetsk The "grey zone" has shifted toward the village of Trudivske
13 May, 2019	Breaking news	Russian proxy forces in Donbas "officially" seize homes of Ukrainians who fled from war Many locals who moved out of the occupied territories never return to challenge "court" decisions in fear of prosecution
27 April, 2019	Society	Polyphonic Donbas Who’s talking to the world on behalf of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and what they are saying
17 April, 2019	Breaking news	SBU captures Russian-controlled terrorist group plotting hit jobs on Ukrainian politicians, security operatives Several autonomous subversive and terrorist units have been deployed in Ukraine from the Russian Federation and the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" since the beginning of 2017
17 April, 2019	Economics	Predictable revenge The Donbas and especially the Luhansk Oblast have remained to be the domain of the pro-Russian forces, although the electoral map of the region has changed significantly
29 March, 2019	Society	Betting on zero How the current and former leadership of the self-declared republics in occupied Donbas see the upcoming elections for President of Ukraine
18 February, 2019	Society	Touring country How the war has changed the cultural landscape of the Donbas
11 February, 2019	Breaking news	Ukraine embassy sees "opening of 'DPR' office" in Italy as act of provocation There are political outcasts in Italy, who are obviously ready to further step up provocations in favor of Moscow supervisors
7 February, 2019	Society	One more year down the tubes What’s causing the socio-economic situation in occupied Donbas to get worse?
26 January, 2019	Breaking news	Ukraine's SBU detains "DPR" fighter as he enjoys "rest" in Kharkiv He also tried to hire local residents for participation in illegal armed formations in Donbas
11 November, 2018	Breaking news	Ukraine separatists hold polls criticized by Kyiv Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine are holding elections considered by Kyiv and the West “illegal” and a “mockery”
12 October, 2018	Breaking news	Russian border guards detain Ukrainian fishermen The Ukrainian fishermen went to sea from the Russian-occupied village of Kholodne, Donetsk region
29 September, 2018	Breaking news	Four people injured in Donetsk explosion This latest incident comes about a month after Donetsk separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko was assassinated by a bomb blast at this cafe in Donetsk
7 September, 2018	Breaking news	Donetsk separatists have chosen Zakharchenko successor Denis Pushilin has been selected as the acting head of so called Donetsk People`s Republic.
23 June, 2017	Economics	Diversifying from Russia: Don’t stop now... Although there’s been a sharp reduction in trade and commercial ties with Russia and in Ukraine’s dependence on its neighbor, some key sectors still show levels of interaction that pose a threat to national security
28 April, 2017	Politics	Courts, sanctions and the blockade Ukraine needs to prepare a consolidated claim on Russia’s responsibility for its armed aggression to be used in international courts, as well as laws on the occupied territory and the restoration of territorial integrity
23 February, 2017	Economics	The ultimate beneficiary Despite the war and partial occupation of the Donbas, Rinat Akhmetov has preserved his business empire and is increasing output
23 February, 2017	Economics	Feeding the enemy Maintaining socio-economic ties to the occupied territories of Donbas is of dubious value to Ukraine, but makes life a lot easier for the terrorists running them
2 February, 2017	Politics	Kharkiv vs Donetsk What’s the purpose behind the new party of Vadym Rabinovych and Yevhen Murayev?
19 October, 2016	Politics	New Donetskites How generations shift in the electoral field of the former Party of Regions clans
27 June, 2016	Politics	Through the looking glass: The crazy world of Minsk How Ukrainian politicians see the likelihood of elections in the occupied parts of Donbas
31 March, 2016	Society	Truly hearing the Donbas Patriots from Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts strive to become an influential force
26 February, 2016		Back to USSR After using leftist populist slogans to heat up the situation in the Donbas in the spring of 2014, Russia’s proxies have brought rapacious, feudal bolshevism to the region instead
21 December, 2015	Society	Myths about the "Donetsk People's Republic" Ukrainians tend to get their stereotypes about the "DPR" primarily from distorted media reports and have not been to Donetsk or other currently "republican" cities since they were seized. Some had a little experience of life in "Novorossia" and left, still believing that nothing has changed there since summer 2014.
13 October, 2015	Society	How Much Longer This War? The Ukrainian Week polls the military, officials and politicians about the prospects for a longterm ceasefire
9 October, 2015	Politics	Clan Wars Why the Dnipropetrovsk clan lost to the Donetsk clan and the chances of a comeback
20 August, 2015	Politics	Cloning Saakashvili Proposed decentralization raises concern over the quality of human resources available to run the regions
21 February, 2015	World	From Cold War to Hot War Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is part of a broader, and more dangerous, confrontation with the West
3 February, 2015	Society	The Origins of Donetsk Separatism Donetsk separatism only truly became a noticeable problem in 2014. Until then, almost no one believed that it existed.
31 December, 2014	Politics	The Union of Donetsk and the Kremlin Donetsk-born MP Yegor Firsov on his home region: In contrast to most regular citizens, who saw the riots from outside, I knew the process from inside. From the very first days, I clearly understood that there was a guided, controlled rebellion, in which everyone skilfully played the roles designated to them
26 December, 2014	Politics	Who is Waging the War in the Luhansk People’s Republic Widely perceived as the economic and political tandem of the Donbas, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts have actually never been equal partners
24 December, 2014	Politics	Andriy Levus: “A successful post-revolutionary Ukraine would be the collapse of the Russian project” The Ukrainian Week spoke to the former deputy chief of the Security Service of Ukraine and current MP about Ukrainian partisans in the Donbas, sabotage in Russia, reforms in the SBU and who it worked for prior to the Maidan.
12 November, 2014		Broken Democracy on the Frontline Unhappy, poorly dressed people, mostly elderly, trudged to the polls to cast their votes for one of the richest people in the Donetsk region
16 October, 2014	Society	A month in captivity in the “Donetsk People’s Republic” Ruslan Petrenko (not his real name) from a small town near Donetsk was a pro-Ukrainian activist. This got him in trouble: he was taken hostage by the “DNR” terrorists and spent more than a month in captivity
11 September, 2014	Politics	What is Behind Special Status for Donbas The “special status” of the Donbas within Ukraine can turn it into an impoverished criminal reservation. This will help Moscow conceal its occupation of part of the neighbour’s territory and legitimize its presence in the region
10 September, 2014		Independence. Reboot How the war has changed the perception of independence in Eastern Ukraine
10 September, 2014		The Union of Tops and Bottoms Trying to figure out what on earth happened with Donbas over the recent decades one cannot ignore the peculiar partnership between the masses and the rulers of the region
10 September, 2014	Politics	Inevitable Rehabilitation Sovietism is deeply rooted in the Donetsk prairies. Unless it is liquidated, the region will see no progress or solution to the current situation
10 September, 2014	Society	Historian and sociologist Oksana Mikheyeva:“We must drag people out of the media coma” The Ukrainian Week speaks to Ms. Mikheyeva about the humanitarian future of her native region
8 September, 2014	Politics	In-Depth Defence The advance of Russians in the Donbas has halted the movement of the Ukrainian army eastward and intensified the panic in our rear. However, the shock will soon pass, and society may have no option but to prepare for a cold winter and a lengthy military confrontation
11 July, 2014	News	UPD: 23 servicemen killed, 93 injured over the past 24 hours in Luhansk Oblast According to Zorian Shkiriak, Advisor to the Interior Minister, 30 Ukrainian servicemen were killed last night during the shelling with BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers near the village of Zelenopillia, Donestk Oblast. ATO spokesperson Vladyslav Selezniov reports 32 killed and 93 injured
9 July, 2014	Politics	Fixing the Donbas If the “Donbas pacification plan” announced by Petro Poroshenko is to be implemented effectively, the region’s administrative map could be redrawn more sensibly
8 July, 2014	Politics	Yehor Firsov: “Living in a new way? We’ll see” The Ukrainian Week talks to the Donetsk-born Yehor Firsov, the youngest MP in the Verkhovna Rada, about recipes for rapid career growth in politics, the bazaar atmosphere in parliament and the helpless Rinat Akhmetov
30 June, 2014	News	National Security and Defence Council: The plan of anti-terrorist assault ready, the military await the order Ukrainian military have been fending off attacks of terrorists and awaiting the order for assault; the plan for it ready by now, Andriy Lysenko, press-secretary for the Council’s information center says
30 June, 2014	News	Terrorists shell the airfield in Kramatorsk and checkpoints near Sloviansk during truce Terrorists shelled the bases of Ukrainian military near Kramatorsk airfield and checkpoints near Sloviansk, the villages of Makariv and Avdeyevka, the Anti-Terrorist press service reports
30 June, 2014	News	Terrorists shell residential districts in Sloviansk killing at least eight yesterday The militants installed artillery weapons at Urytskoho Street in Sloviansk. They are shelling residential districts, Dmytro Tymchuk, coordinator of InfoResist group, reports on his Facebook page
28 June, 2014	News	InfoResist: Terrorists shoot at the airfield and two bases of Ukrainian military in Kramatorsk At night on June 27-28, terrorists kept shooting at the anti-terrorist operation groups, InfoResist coordinator Dmytro Tymchuk reports on his Facebook page
20 June, 2014	News	12 paratroopers killed in Donetsk Oblast 12 paratroopers from the 25th Dnipropetrovsk Airborne Brigade were killed in clashes near Krasnyi Lyman, a town in Donetsk Oblast. 25 more were injured, members of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast national protection headquarters wrote on Facebook
19 June, 2014	News	SBU detains Russian and German citizens involved in spying and organization of terrorist attacks Ukraine’s Security Service, SBU, submits files against two foreigners and eight Ukrainians to court. Charges include spying, terrorist activity and mass disturbances, SBU press service reports
17 June, 2014	News	Ceasefire in the Donbas to evacuate the wounded and dead The ceasefire agreement in the area of the antiterrorist operation came into effect at around 7.20 p.m. today. It allows the injured and the dead to be taken out of the area, Vasyl Budik, a man held hostage by Ihor (aka Bes) Bezler’s militants in Horlivka, a town in Donetsk Oblast, wrote on his Facebook page today
17 June, 2014	News	Dmytro Tymchuk: Terrorists force the locals to join them because they are running out of money Тerrorists are forcing local men to take up arms, Dmytro Tymchuk, coordinator of the Information Resistance group, tells in a comment for The Ukrainian Week
12 June, 2014	Politics	Andrey Illarionov: “The aggression against Ukraine will inevitably end in a redrawing of Russia’s borders” Andrey Illarionov, a former advisor to Vladimir Putin, talks to The Ukrainian Week about the prospects of Russian imperialism, the efficiency of Western diplomacy and the possible consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war
11 June, 2014	World	Wolfgang Ischinger: Mr. Putin is challenging the very bases of the vision of European integration The Ukrainian Week talks to Wolfgang Ischinger, German diplomat who was the Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for National Dialogue Roundtables in Ukraine, on his work, European and Ukrainian co-existence with Russia, and security threats of the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia
11 June, 2014	Society	Donbas battalion commander:“Our format is a compromise between state agencies and the voluntary movement. We want to change our country” Semen Semenchenko talks about voluntary special forces, the Chechen trail in Eastern Ukraine and inevitable terror
10 June, 2014	Politics	Donbas: The Revenge of the Proletariat Russian weapons have transformed separatist-controlled territories into a battlefield. The locals support the rebels for promises of order and Soviet values. The region could quickly become the new Transnistria
10 June, 2014	Economics	Money of the Donbas The unrest in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts has deep underlying causes. Unless removed, they make a prospering Donbas as part of Ukraine a mission impossible
9 June, 2014	News	Terrorists claim to have taken OSCE observers hostage Two groups of OSCE observers kidnapped in Eastern Ukraine earlier are in Severodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, reports Andriy Purgin, a leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic terrorists
9 June, 2014	News	Defense Ministry claims that the armed conflict will stop in the Donbas The armed conflict is in the process of being stopped in Eastern Ukraine, Acting Defense Minister Mykhailo Koval said as reported by the Ministry of Defense press-service
9 June, 2014	News	Terrorists attacked a military unit in Artemivsk at night Last night, a group of terrorists tried to storm the military unit in Artemivsk, Donetsk Oblast, as reported by Dmytro Tymchuk, head of the military and political research, on his Facebook page
4 June, 2014	News	Anti-Terrorist Operation spokesman: Krasnyi Lyman is purged of terrorists, fighting continues near Sloviansk Ukrainian military continue to fight in Eastern Ukraine, particularly Krasnyi Lyman and Sloviansk, both in Donetsk Oblast, Vladyslav Selezniov, spokesman for the anti-terrorist operation, reports
4 June, 2014	News	Acting President Turchynov announced partial closing of border with Russia Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov announces the closing of part of Ukraine’s eastern border, including in Central Luhansk and North Donetsk Oblasts
3 June, 2014	News	Crimean self-defence kidnaps and beats editor and film director On June 2, the local “self-defence” kidnapped editor and journalist Serhiy Mokrushyn and director Vladlen Melnykov, both from the Center of Journalist Investigation, in Simferopol, Crimea
23 May, 2014	Politics	Who's in control of the rebellion in Donetsk? The question "who controls the separatists in the eastern Ukraine?" has no categorical answer. The insurgents of Donetsk don't have a single command centre. In fact these terrorist groups are controlled by a number of different individuals who often don't see eye to eye.
22 May, 2014	News	Update: Terrorists attack Ukrainian military in Donetsk Oblast, killing 13 13 Ukrainian troops were killed in the attack of terrorists near the villages of Rubizhne and Volnovakha, Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov reports
20 May, 2014	Society	Pro-Ukrainian Donbas: Intelligent, Creative, Chaotic Pro-Ukrainian forces in the Donbas neatly fall within the boundaries of the middle class and are in need of organization and government support
10 May, 2014	News	May 9 in Ukraine: a fire at the TV tower, a shootout in Mariupol, Putin’s visit to Crimea On May 9, cables were set on fire in the tunnels between the Kyiv TV tower and the building of the National TV and Radio Company of Ukraine; separatists intensified their actions in Mariupol, Ukrainian military annihilated terrorists; ex-Party of Regions MP Oleh Tsariov bailed out an arrested coordinator of pro-Russian separatists; Kharkiv refused to hold a separation referendum
9 May, 2014	News	Interior Minister: 20 terrorists killed in Mariupol, 4 detained Nearly 20 terrorists were killed and 4 detained during the shooting between Ukrainian police and military and separatists, Arsen Avakov, Ukraine’s Interior Minister, wrote on his Facebook page. Ukrainian law enforcers have lost 1 man, 5 wounded
1 May, 2014	Politics	Who's Behind Separatism in the Donbas? Checkpoints and barricades made out of tires have been installed on the highways of Donetsk region. In the cities administrative buildings have been seized. Groups of masked men armed with sticks and bats control the roads and search the passing transport. Using crowds of civilians as a shield "the little green men" capture Ukrainian armored vehicles
30 April, 2014	News	Political analysts: The West will recognize presidential election even if it doesn't take place in all regions, Russia won’t Vadym Karasiov, a Ukrainian political analyst, says that a scenario whereby some regions of Ukraine fail to hold the presidential election is possible
23 March, 2014	Society	Bringing Eastern Ukraine Back Into the Fold Eastern Ukraine is following in the footsteps of Western Ukraine, but with a considerable delay, natural and historical complications
18 March, 2014		Political Crisis in the East – the Aftermath of the Collapse of the Party of Regions The rapid collapse of the Party of Regions left its orphaned electorate feeling betrayed amidst a political vacuum
23 September, 2013	Politics	The Klondike for the Opposition Protest sentiments are escalating in the Donbas. But distrust for politics and inert opposition make the dissent purely pragmatic and local
14 June, 2013	Politics	Ignored Potential As discontent with the current regime mounts in South-Eastern Ukraine, its electorate will seek alternative forces to support. The opposition would be wise to take advantage of the opportunity before the upcoming presidential election
14 June, 2013	Politics	The National Reserve The background, nature and threats of the Donbas identity
30 March, 2012	Society	Pre-Revolutionary Indifference The people of Donbas already regret their political choice of the past decade and are more ready than ever to protest, even though they still lack a clear alternative to the current regime.
13 February, 2012	Society	A Sense of Rocks and the Steppe Petro Antyp speaks about the mentality of Donetsk, the color of Ukraine and the Horlivka School of Sculpture
6 December, 2011	Politics	Tribal Traditions A personnel policy based on family and geographical connections is degrading public administration
17 March, 2011	Society	Ten Donetsk Stereotypes The Ukrainian Week went on a myth-busting trip to Donetsk. We debunked seven common myths, but found another three were true
23 February, 2011	Economics	Donetsk clan to monopolize Ukrainian grain–export market Who are the people behind the country's largest grain scheme?