Ukraine War 2014:Will Russia Go to War To Win Ukraine #39;s Crimea?
Ukraine War 2014:Will Russia Go to War To Win Ukraine #39;s Crimea? Ukraine War 2014:Will Russia Go to War To Win Ukraine #39;s Crimea? Ukraine War 2014:Will Russia Go to War To Win Ukraine #39;s Crimea?...
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Ukraine War 2014:Will Russia Go to War To Win Ukraine's Crimea? - Video
Destruction in Stepanivka, eastern Ukraine
Destroyed APCs unexploded ordnance around Stepanivka, eastern Ukraine, near where rebel and government forces fought for control of the strategic height Savur-Mohyla in August 2014.
By: Alec Luhn
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Destruction in Stepanivka, eastern Ukraine - Video
"It will not be easy," Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said during an interview with a Ukrainian network. "I warn you right away that it won't be warm, but we won't freeze."
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko last week said households will be approximately 2 degrees Celsius (almost 4 degrees Fahrenheit) colder than in previous years and hot water, which already has been turned off for weeks at a time, will be less readily available.
Many people, like cello teacher Anna Goncharova, are trying other ways to keep the cold out. She has replaced her old windows, insulated the walls of her apartment, and bought a pile of blankets.
Read MoreUkraine may have an energy problem besides nat gas
"We're hoping we won't freeze," she said. "I truly hope that somehow we'll find an agreement with Russia. ... This can't happen in the civilized world."
Yatsenyuk said in early September that Ukraine had some 16.7 billion cubic meters of gas in storage, but the country will need approximately double that to survive the winter, and without Russian gas it would be left to rely on already minimal supplies from Europe.
Poland, Hungary and some other European countries have been selling gas, originally imported from Russia, back to Ukraine, but Moscow disapproves of the practice. Recently, some of these countries have had to stop supplying Ukraine with gas as they build their own reserves ahead of the winter and amid reports that Russia is tightening controls.
Relying on coal will also be more difficult this year. With much of Ukraine's industrial, coal-mining east ravaged by war with Russian-backed separatists, Kiev has had to resort to imports from countries as far away as South Africa.
The Ukrainian government has said it would cut energy supplies to industry by 30 percent before reducing supplies to the civilian population. That decision would likely send the Ukrainian economy, which could shrink by up to 10 percent this year, spiraling downward even faster.
Read MorePutin's real motive in Ukraine
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Ukraine braces for no Russian gas
The cease-fire in Ukraine that curtailed casualties for four weeks is starting to fray as pro-Russian insurgents continue to test the nerves of the military with targeted attacks, the government in Kiev said.
Shelling continued late yesterday in the Donetsk region near the Russian border, where a high-voltage transmission line was severed, knocking 400 substations offline and cutting power to several districts, the local city council said.
Separatists tried to storm the government-held Donetsk airport twice, Ukraine military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told reporters in Kiev yesterday. Rebels shelled army positions with Grad multiple-rocket launchers in at least four locations, the military said on Facebook. Nine Ukrainian soldiers were killed two days ago, the most since a Sept. 5 truce.
The violence contrasts with comments last week by President Petro Poroshenko that the worst of the war is over as Ukraine focuses on elections next month, securing gas supplies and preparing a bid for European Union membership. Russia, which denies involvement in the war, said it wants to normalize ties with the EU and the U.S. after being hit by sanctions.
A cease-fire doesnt mean peace, Jan Techau, director of the Brussels office of the Carnegie Endowment, said by phone. Its a hot stalemate with skirmishes but no massive offensive. It clearly shows that theres no solution to the conflict.
Since the cease-fire was reached in the Belarusian capital Minsk, the two sides have since agreed to establish a 30 kilometer (19 miles) buffer zone between government forces and the rebels and exchange prisoners.
The conflict has killed more than 3,500 people and driven at least 615,000 from their homes, the United Nations estimates.
The ruble declined to a new low against the dollar in Moscow yesterday, while the Micex (VTBMICX) stock index rose 0.2 percent.
While EU countries delayed the creation of a free-trade area with Ukraine until 2016 at Russias urging, they have held fast on refusing to ease sanctions. The government in Moscow asked the central bank to consider providing foreign currency swaps to banks, the government said on its website. Sanctioned companies including state-run oil producer OAO Rosneft (ROSN) and gas producer OAO Novatek have asked for aid.
Russias economy is not in very good shape, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Bloomberg Sept. 28. He softened his stance in comments about the U.S., telling Russian Channel Five television it was time for ties to undergo a reset 2.0, a reference to a bid by President Barack Obamas administration in 2009 to improve relations.
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Ukraine Cease-Fire Frays as Rebel Assaults Test Military Nerves
Russia Invasion of Ukraine: Kremlin-backed insurgents besiege Donetsk airport
Kremlin-backed insurgents continue siege of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine. Check out our website: http://uatoday.tv Facebook: https://facebook.com/uatodaytv Twitter: https://twitter.com/uatod...
By: UKRAINE TODAY
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Russia Invasion of Ukraine: Kremlin-backed insurgents besiege Donetsk airport - Video