Looks as if we will have a few things to talk about when we next meet on Monday 21 July at noon.
Here’s a list of events since we last met:
6 Jul: Ukrainian forces retook Artemivsk and Druzhkivka. Several thousand attend pro-Russia rallied in Donetsk while Kiev announced blockade of both Donetsk and Luhansk.
12-14 July: Moscow claimed Ukraine fired artillery into Russia; Ukraine claimed AN-26 shot down by fighter jet or SAM. Neither was confirmed
14 Jul: US Dept of State issued Fact Sheet on Russian Intervention accusing Moscow of arming rebels. See http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/07/229270.htm
16 Jul: US unilaterally increased sanctions against Russia, targeting two banks (Gazprombank and VEB), and two energy firms (Novatek and Rosneft). Move bars access to US debt markets for loans over 90 days. EU blocked loans for new projects in RU, but not for existing contracts.
17 July: Malaysian Airline shot down over eastern Ukraine with almost 300 aboard. Each side blames the other, but initial reports indicate it was hit by a medium-range SAM probably the SA-11 or SA-17, not usually found in local Ukrainian gun stores.