Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine are holding elections considered by Kyiv and the West “illegal” and a “mockery”

The Ukrainian fishermen went to sea from the Russian-occupied village of Kholodne, Donetsk region

This latest incident comes about a month after Donetsk separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko was assassinated by a bomb blast at this cafe in Donetsk

Denis Pushilin has been selected as the acting head of so called Donetsk People`s Republic.

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

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

Despite the war and partial occupation of the Donbas, Rinat Akhmetov has preserved his business empire and is increasing output

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

What’s the purpose behind the new party of Vadym Rabinovych and Yevhen Murayev?

How generations shift in the electoral field of the former Party of Regions clans

How Ukrainian politicians see the likelihood of elections in the occupied parts of Donbas

Patriots from Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts strive to become an influential force

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

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.

The Ukrainian Week polls the military, officials and politicians about the prospects for a longterm ceasefire

Why the Dnipropetrovsk clan lost to the Donetsk clan and the chances of a comeback

Proposed decentralization raises concern over the quality of human resources available to run the regions

Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is part of a broader, and more dangerous, confrontation with the West

Donetsk separatism only truly became a noticeable problem in 2014. Until then, almost no one believed that it existed.

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

Widely perceived as the economic and political tandem of the Donbas, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts have actually never been equal partners

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.

Unhappy, poorly dressed people, mostly elderly, trudged to the polls to cast their votes for one of the richest people in the Donetsk region

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

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

How the war has changed the perception of independence in Eastern Ukraine

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

Sovietism is deeply rooted in the Donetsk prairies. Unless it is liquidated, the region will see no progress or solution to the current situation

The Ukrainian Week speaks to Ms. Mikheyeva about the humanitarian future of her native region

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

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

If the “Donbas pacification plan” announced by Petro Poroshenko is to be implemented effectively, the region’s administrative map could be redrawn more sensibly

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

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

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

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

At night on June 27-28, terrorists kept shooting at the anti-terrorist operation groups, InfoResist coordinator Dmytro Tymchuk reports on his Facebook page

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

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

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

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

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

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

Semen Semenchenko talks about voluntary special forces, the Chechen trail in Eastern Ukraine and inevitable terror

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

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

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

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

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

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

Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov announces the closing of part of Ukraine’s eastern border, including in Central Luhansk and North Donetsk Oblasts

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

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.

13 Ukrainian troops were killed in the attack of terrorists near the villages of Rubizhne and Volnovakha, Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov reports

Pro-Ukrainian forces in the Donbas neatly fall within the boundaries of the middle class and are in need of organization and government support

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

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

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

Vadym Karasiov, a Ukrainian political analyst, says that a scenario whereby some regions of Ukraine fail to hold the presidential election is possible

Eastern Ukraine is following in the footsteps of Western Ukraine, but with a considerable delay, natural and historical complications

The rapid collapse of the Party of Regions left its orphaned electorate feeling betrayed amidst a political vacuum

Protest sentiments are escalating in the Donbas. But distrust for politics and inert opposition make the dissent purely pragmatic and local

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

The background, nature and threats of the Donbas identity

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.

Petro Antyp speaks about the mentality of Donetsk, the color of Ukraine and the Horlivka School of Sculpture

A personnel policy based on family and geographical connections is degrading public administration

The Ukrainian Week went on a myth-busting trip to Donetsk. We debunked seven common myths, but found another three were true

Who are the people behind the country's largest grain scheme?