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"

Who’s talking to the world on behalf of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and what they are saying

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

How the current and former leadership of the self-declared republics in occupied Donbas see the upcoming elections for President of Ukraine

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

The operation itself took half an hour

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

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

In mid-week, Ukraine’s media was rocked by yet another scandal. Myrotvorets or Peacemaker, a site known for publishing information about those who have collaborated with terrorists, published a list of journalists who have been accredited by the “Donetsk People’s Republic”

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

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

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 “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

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

40 paratroopers and 9 crew members were killed in the Il-76 plane shot down by terrorists; 5 border guards were killed and 7 injured in an ambush attack of their convoy by terrorists

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

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

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

How pro-Russian forces are trying to fill the emptiness created by the fall of Yanukovych