State Security Bureau officer on the early stage of the "Russian spring"

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

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 “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

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

A convoy of Russian military vehicles enters Luhansk, reports Hromadske.tv journalist referring to the commanders of army units currently on the frontline

A convoy of APCs and army trucks has crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border at Izvaryne, the checkpoint captured by the separatists, the Anti-Terrorist Operation headquarters report

A cluster of the Russian military was detected near the village of Heivka, Stanychno-Luhansk County, Luhansk Oblast, 3 km from the Russian border on the Ukrainian territory, on July 12, National Security and Defence Council info-center spokesperson Andriy Lysenko reports

Nearly 20 tanks and AFVs crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border at night on July 20-11

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seven people were killed by the explosion at the Luhansk Oblast State Administration, SXID.info reports referring to the Pavlo Maliuk, head of the health care department at the Luhansk Oblast State Administration

The militants that surrounded the border guard checkpoint have seized fire but their snipers keep shooting, the State Border Service PR department reports

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

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

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