Not directly related to the current crisis, but still worth noting...
Here is today's map of the latest situation in the Donbas conflict zone, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. (CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE):
Here's an item from our news desk:
Germany's Steinmeier Says East-West Tensions 'More Dangerous' Than Cold War
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called the current escalation of tensions created by souring relations between the United States and Russia "more dangerous" than the Cold War.
In the German tabloid Bild, Steinmeier cited differences over Ukraine -- where Russia-backed separatists controlling swaths of territory -- cyberwarfare, the recently announced end of some cooperation to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium, and Syria -- where the United States this week suggested Russia might be guilty of war crimes and over which competing votes will be put before the UN Security Council on October 9.
"It's a fallacy to think that this is like the Cold War," Steinmeier said. "The current times are different and more dangerous."