Ukraine War News Updates -- June 15, 2015

Armed pro-Russian separatists and a policeman of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic close a road on June 12, 2015 in downtown Donetsk (AFP Photo/Andrey Borodulin)

New York Times: Discontent in Eastern Ukraine Leads to Rare Public Protest

MOSCOW — Residents of two frequently shelled neighborhoods in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine staged a public antiwar protest on Monday, an exceedingly rare event in rebel-held territory.

The crowd of about 500 people briefly blocked the city’s main thoroughfare, Artema Street, chanting, “Stop the war!” and “Out with everybody!”

That referred to both the Ukrainian and the separatist leadership. That the separatists, and not merely the Ukrainian Army, were publicly criticized made the rally all the more unusual.

Ukraine War News Updates -- June 15, 2015

Two soldiers killed as Ukraine warns of escalating violence in east -- Reuters
OSCE monitors report intensified fighting near Donetsk airport over weekend -- ITAR-TASS
Ukraine Situation 'Deteriorating,' 7 Killed -- Arutz Sheva
Roads closed amid surge in fighting; residents stranded on both sides of Ukraine's war -- Kyiv Post
Ukraine reports almost 100 separatist attacks in one day -- Newsweek
Kiev digs 100 kilometers of anti-tank ditches on border with Russia — PM -- ITAR-TASS
Volunteer says Ukraine's military suffers from corruption, poor training -- Kyiv Post
Corruption, not Russian tanks, greatest threat to success of Ukraine - Geoffrey Pyatt -- Ukraine Today
Security agency wars add to Ukraine's spreading woes -- AFP
Security chief, prosecutor clash over alleged cover-up of corruption -- Kyiv post
Ukraine's artillery duels again take toll on civilians -- AP
Lavrov, Kerry confirm need to implement Minsk deal on Ukraine - Russia Foreign Ministry -- Reuters
Ukrainian President Poroshenko: Global Security System Based On UN Is "Completely Destroyed" -- Real Clear Politics
Donetsk People’s Republic Will Never Be Part of Ukraine – Leader -- Sputnik
East Ukrainians stage rare rally against rebel command -- AFP
Ukraine crisis heightens threats to media - OSCE -- BBC
‘If not us, then who?’ In Ukraine, volunteers collect soldiers' bodies -- Al Jazeera
Ukraine Leader Says $3 Billion Russia ‘Bribe’ Requires Talks -- Bloomberg
US Sent $140Mln Military Aid to Ukraine - Assistant State Secretary -- Sputnik
'Ukraine is on road to becoming a model for other countries', US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power -- Ukraine Today
Shell to withdraw from shale gas exploration in eastern Ukraine -- Financial Times
Educated Ukrainians Flee East Ukraine for New Lives in Kiev -- Moscow Times
Russian Orthodox Church Facing Ukraine Split -- Vladimir Ryzhkov, Moscow Times