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A priest stands in front of a hospital destroyed after shelling between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern city of Donetsk, Ukraine, on January 19.
A priest stands in front of a hospital destroyed after shelling between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern city of Donetsk, Ukraine, on January 19.

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

Final Summary For January 20

-- A military spokesman says Ukrainian soldiers on January 20 came under attack from Russian regular forces in the north of the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine.

-- Germany's foreign minister says he and his counterparts from Ukraine, Russia, and France will meet on January 21 in Berlin in a bid to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine.

-- The chief of Russian gas giant Gazprom says Ukraine's discount "winter price" for natural gas will end on April 1. Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller said in a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that the price for Kyiv would be set in accordance with a long-standing contract, one Kyiv has long sought to change.

-- Russia says a European Union decision to keep sanctions against Russia in place shows the EU is not ready to change an "unfriendly course" toward Moscow. The EU's decision "only confirms the fact that the EU is still not ready to alter its unfriendly course or to give an objective assessment of the Kyiv authorities' actions," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

-- A Georgian man fighting on the Ukrainian side in the conflict in Ukraine has been killed in combat near the Donetsk airport, according to relatives. Media reports in Georgia quote members of Tamaz Sukhiashvili's family as saying he was killed in a battle near the bitterly contested airport on January 17.

-- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed deep concern over what it says is the "escalation" of violence between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine over the past two weeks. In a statement, the ICRC said the fighting in and around the city of Donetsk was killing civilians and "preventing" its team from carrying out its humanitarian work.

-- An explosion near a courthouse in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has wounded 14 people, four of them seriously.

-- Russia says Kyiv is trying to solve the crisis in eastern Ukraine through military force and that could lead to "irreversible consequences for Ukrainian statehood." Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin spoke to Interfax news agency as Kyiv and Moscow accused each other of ignoring appeals for a cease-fire to be respected.

*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv

10:58 9.1.2015

Ukraine Says Separatists Intensifying Rocket Attacks

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian military officials say separatists in the east have intensified their shelling of government positions ahead of peace talks expected in the coming week.

The press office for military operations in eastern Ukraine said Friday that army outposts were targeted 50 times by small arms fire, mortars and rockets.

Intensification in hostilities comes one month after a renewed truce led to a lull in the fighting that broke out in the spring.

An AP reporter heard rockets being fired Thursday evening into the separatist stronghold of Donetsk -- an indication that government forces are also likely breaching the cease-fire.

The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France are expected to meet Thursday in Kazakhstan to consider solutions to the conflict. The talks have not yet been confirmed.

10:55 9.1.2015

Flash from AFP:

Six killed, including four soldiers, in Ukraine clashes: officials

10:44 9.1.2015

09:57 9.1.2015

09:02 9.1.2015

US To Shrink NATO Infrastructure, Boost Ukraine-Linked Rotation

Washington (dpa) -- The US military will further reduce its physical footprint in Europe while expanding support for rotating troops throughout eastern and central Europe, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

The announcement came at the end of a two-year review of the US military infrastructure in Europe that will see changes mainly in Britain, Germany, Italy and Portugal, said Derek Chollet, assistant secretary of defence for energy, installations and environment.

The return of 15 US military sites to the host countries and other changes will save 500 million dollars a year in infrastructure costs in Europe and "help support" the central and eastern Europe rotation schedule, officials said at a press briefing.

The US said it plans to use the savings to build the capacity of its newer allies as well as Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

Most affected by the changes will be Britain. The US will permanently station its first two squadrons of the long-awaited F35 joint strike fighter jets - expected to be introduced from 2018-2021 - at the RAF's Lakenheath air base while pulling out of Mildenhall, Alconbury and Molesworth bases.

The Lakenheath decision, while not part of the infrastructure review, will require adding 1,200 personnel to support the F35s.

Chollet and John Conger, who led the two-year review, said that the reductions in physical plants will not diminish the US commitment to its European allies nor the current deployment of 67,000 US troops in Europe.

The rotating troops in eastern and central Europe have been
"piggy-backing on existing facilities" that are not necessarily
meeting their needs, Chollet said.

"A lot changed from a year ago," Chollet said, adding that the threat from Russia to Ukraine lent new urgency to the two-year review process.

The officials did not mention specific additions of infrastructure in eastern and central Europe.

In total, the infrastructure changes will mean the elimination of 1,200 military support positions and the relocation of 6,000 US personnel.

Up to 1,100 host nation positions could be eliminated, and another 1,500 local employees could be affected by relocations, officials said.

"The savings that we will gain will allow us to maintain a strong force presence into the future," Chollet said.

Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel acknowledged that some local workforces would be reduced, and said he valued the "tremendous support" they have provided for decades.

"In the end, this transformation of our infrastructure will help
maximize our military capabilities in Europe and help strengthen our important European partnerships," he said in a statement.

08:59 9.1.2015

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