That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Friday, January 6, 2017. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage. Thanks for reading and take care.
U.S. Tanks, Weaponry Arrive In Germany For NATO Deployment To Eastern Europe
Hundreds of U.S. tanks and other weaponry arrived by ship in Germany on January 6, the first wave of equipment to be deployed to Eastern Europe as part of NATO’s push to beef up its presence in the region.
The equipment is set to be transported by rail and convoy to staging sites in Poland ahead of the arrival of U.S. military units to Eastern Europe.
Beginning next month, the American units and equipment will fan out across NATO members Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Baltic states for training and maintenance.
The moves are aimed at reassuring U.S. allies following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has condemned what it sees as an aggressive Western buildup in in the region, accusing NATO of destabilizing actions and stoking tensions near Russia’s borders.
NATO insists the moves are strictly defensive in nature.
"The best way to maintain the peace is through preparation," U.S. Major General Timothy McGuire told reporters when asked if the action was intended to send a message to Russia.
Based on reporting by Reuters and Stars and Stripes
Ukraine's military denies Russian hack attack
Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine's military on Friday denied reports claiming Russia may have hacked targeting software for its heavy artillery in a breach that could have helped Moscow track and destroy Kiev's big guns.
The cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike -- the same one that discovered the Kremlin's alleged interference in the US election -- said in December it had evidence Russispying on Ukraine's forces inan hackers might have bolstered Moscow's the eastern war zone.
CrowdStrike said the malware was installed on software used to aim Ukraine's D-30 howitzer guns that were the backbone of the government's forces fighting Russian-backed insurgents for 31 months.
The conflict has claimed the lives of nearly 10,000 people and was one of the main factors why Moscow's relations with the West are at a post-Cold War low.