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Moscow Court Upholds Extending Pretrial Detention Of Ukrainian Sailors
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Moscow Court Upholds Extending Pretrial Detention Of Ukrainian Sailors

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WATCH: Moscow Court Upholds Extending Pretrial Detention Of Ukrainian Sailors

Ukraine Live Blog

Live Blog: A New Government In Ukraine (Archive Sept. 3, 2018-Aug. 16, 2019)

-- EDITOR'S NOTE: We have started a new Ukraine Live Blog as of August 17, 2019. You can find it here.

-- A court in Moscow has upheld a lower court's decision to extend pretrial detention for six of the 24 Ukrainian sailors detained by Russian forces along with their three naval vessels in November near the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.

-- The U.S. special peace envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, says Russian propaganda is making it a challenge to solve the conflict in the east of the country.

-- Two more executives of DTEK, Ukraine's largest private power and coal producer, have been charged in a criminal case on August 14 involving an alleged conspiracy to fix electricity prices with the state energy regulator, Interfax reported.

-- A Ukrainian deputy minister and his aide have been detained after allegedly taking a bribe worth $480,000, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau said on Facebook.

*Time stamps on the blog refer to local time in Ukraine

23:40 16.1.2019

23:45 16.1.2019

23:49 16.1.2019

23:51 16.1.2019

Ukraine's Avdiyivka Coke Plant Roars Past Prewar Production

After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity. The factory is one of the largest coke producing plants in Europe and plays a vital role in fueling Ukrainian industry. It now produces purified coal fuel at a rate not seen since early 2014, before the start of the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service photographer Andriy Dubchak visited the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant​ and found the factory is expanding its facilities. (CLICK ON IMAGE TO OPEN GALLERY)

Ukraine's Avdiyivka Coke Plant Roars Past Prewar Production

The Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant is located in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region and was repeatedly hit by mortar and artillery shells. With almost four thousand workers, the sprawling 340-hectare factory is one of the largest coke producing facilities in Europe. By then end of 2018, the plant passed its prewar production rate of 8,500 tons of coke per day.  It is now running at full capacity, producing 9,300 tons of coke daily.
1/14 The Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant is located in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region and was repeatedly hit by mortar and artillery shells. With almost four thousand workers, the sprawling 340-hectare factory is one of the largest coke producing facilities in Europe. By then end of 2018, the plant passed its prewar production rate of 8,500 tons of coke per day.  It is now running at full capacity, producing 9,300 tons of coke daily.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
Coke is a purified form of coal and a valuable industrial fuel. Coke is produced by heating normal coal for 22 hours in special airless furnaces that reach temperatures of 1,100 degrees Celsius. With its concentrated carbon content, coke produced from the Avdiyivka plant is used to fuel steelmaking furnaces across Ukraine. The Ukrainian government called the Avdiyivka plant a "strategic asset" for the country's economy.
2/14 Coke is a purified form of coal and a valuable industrial fuel. Coke is produced by heating normal coal for 22 hours in special airless furnaces that reach temperatures of 1,100 degrees Celsius. With its concentrated carbon content, coke produced from the Avdiyivka plant is used to fuel steelmaking furnaces across Ukraine. The Ukrainian government called the Avdiyivka plant a "strategic asset" for the country's economy.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
The Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant is part of the Metinvest group which is controlled by Ukrainian oligarch and billionaire industrialist Rinat Akhmetov. The plant produces more than 30 products including coke which fuels 23 percent of Ukraine's steelmaking blast furnaces.
3/14 The Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant is part of the Metinvest group which is controlled by Ukrainian oligarch and billionaire industrialist Rinat Akhmetov. The plant produces more than 30 products including coke which fuels 23 percent of Ukraine's steelmaking blast furnaces.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
A car loaded with flaming sintered coke departs from the furnace for cooling. When the conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the Avdiyivka plant lost its main coal supply after Russia-backed separatist took control of three Metinvest mines near the Russian border. By 2017, output fell to 5,000 tons of coke per day due to a lack of coal and electricity. The plant was forced to find new suppliers and began receiving coal from American and Australian companies later that same year.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &nbsp;
4/14 A car loaded with flaming sintered coke departs from the furnace for cooling. When the conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the Avdiyivka plant lost its main coal supply after Russia-backed separatist took control of three Metinvest mines near the Russian border. By 2017, output fell to 5,000 tons of coke per day due to a lack of coal and electricity. The plant was forced to find new suppliers and began receiving coal from American and Australian companies later that same year.



 
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
Serhiy Petrenko has worked at the plant for almost 11 years and repairs hot furnaces. He helped restore dormant coke oven batteries, one of which hadn&#39;t been used for more than two-and-a-half years due to the conflict. Coke oven batteries are rows of long vertical ovens used to purify coal.&nbsp; &quot;My work is interesting and creative,&quot; said Serhiy, &quot;everything is for the sake of our domestic production.&quot;
5/14 Serhiy Petrenko has worked at the plant for almost 11 years and repairs hot furnaces. He helped restore dormant coke oven batteries, one of which hadn't been used for more than two-and-a-half years due to the conflict. Coke oven batteries are rows of long vertical ovens used to purify coal.  "My work is interesting and creative," said Serhiy, "everything is for the sake of our domestic production."
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
Residents say the coke plant is crucial for the city of Avdiyivka and its local economy. The plant not only employees four thousand people, it provides heating fuel at prices much lower than in other regions of Ukraine.
6/14 Residents say the coke plant is crucial for the city of Avdiyivka and its local economy. The plant not only employees four thousand people, it provides heating fuel at prices much lower than in other regions of Ukraine.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
The Avdiyivka Coke Plant was repeatedly hit by mortar and artillery shells during the height of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014-15. The fighting got so bad that the company was on the verge of stopping operations some 15 times. Workers risked their lives and struggled to keep the furnace fires burning otherwise the ovens would have cooled and cracked. The cost of repairing and restarting them would have been prohibitively expensive.
7/14 The Avdiyivka Coke Plant was repeatedly hit by mortar and artillery shells during the height of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014-15. The fighting got so bad that the company was on the verge of stopping operations some 15 times. Workers risked their lives and struggled to keep the furnace fires burning otherwise the ovens would have cooled and cracked. The cost of repairing and restarting them would have been prohibitively expensive.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
Twelve employees were killed by shelling in and around the plant when fighting was at its worse. Two workers died inside the factory after being hit by debris, including 25-year-old Serhiy Kruglenko. He died at the exit of his shop. His colleagues have installed a memorial plaque at the spot where he fell. Some walls at the plant are still scarred by the shelling.
8/14 Twelve employees were killed by shelling in and around the plant when fighting was at its worse. Two workers died inside the factory after being hit by debris, including 25-year-old Serhiy Kruglenko. He died at the exit of his shop. His colleagues have installed a memorial plaque at the spot where he fell. Some walls at the plant are still scarred by the shelling.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
The general director of the Avdiyivka Coke Plant, Musa Magomedov, says the Russian sea blockade of the Kerch Strait has not affect operations at the plant. &quot;Unlike other companies of the Metinvest Group, we have not suffered from a sea blockade,&quot; he said. &quot;For us, coal supplies are delivered through a port in Odesa and then brought to us by rail.&quot;
9/14 The general director of the Avdiyivka Coke Plant, Musa Magomedov, says the Russian sea blockade of the Kerch Strait has not affect operations at the plant. "Unlike other companies of the Metinvest Group, we have not suffered from a sea blockade," he said. "For us, coal supplies are delivered through a port in Odesa and then brought to us by rail."
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
Several plant workers live in territory controlled by Russia-backed separatists. They stay in Avdiyivka during the work week and return home on weekends. After their shifts end on Friday, company buses drive the workers to the nearest checkpoint and pick them up on Monday morning.
10/14 Several plant workers live in territory controlled by Russia-backed separatists. They stay in Avdiyivka during the work week and return home on weekends. After their shifts end on Friday, company buses drive the workers to the nearest checkpoint and pick them up on Monday morning.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
The coke plant says it has repaired all the damage in the plant from the shelling and is now investing cash to improve infrastructure in the city of Avdiyivka. It says it spent 18 million hryvnia ($640,000) last year on social development programs in the city, mostly to repair medical and educational institutions. There are plans to construct a swimming pool in Avdiyivka in 2019.
11/14 The coke plant says it has repaired all the damage in the plant from the shelling and is now investing cash to improve infrastructure in the city of Avdiyivka. It says it spent 18 million hryvnia ($640,000) last year on social development programs in the city, mostly to repair medical and educational institutions. There are plans to construct a swimming pool in Avdiyivka in 2019.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
In December, the plant completed the construction of a new tube furnace for heating resin. At a cost of 51 million hryvnias ($1.8 million), the new furnace will help avoids stoppages in operation and will reduce emissions from the heating of resin by almost 90 percent.
12/14 In December, the plant completed the construction of a new tube furnace for heating resin. At a cost of 51 million hryvnias ($1.8 million), the new furnace will help avoids stoppages in operation and will reduce emissions from the heating of resin by almost 90 percent.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
Snow in the plant covered with coal dust. The plant&#39;s management says it is paying as much attention as possible to the ecological impact of coke production.<br /> &nbsp;
13/14 Snow in the plant covered with coal dust. The plant's management says it is paying as much attention as possible to the ecological impact of coke production.
 
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
On December 1, a giant torch was relit at the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant to celebrate the return to full capacity. The torch, which had always been a symbol of production and stability, was turned off at the onset of hostilities because coke output had dropped dramatically. After several years of darkness, the torch once again illuminates the Donbas steppes.
14/14 On December 1, a giant torch was relit at the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant to celebrate the return to full capacity. The torch, which had always been a symbol of production and stability, was turned off at the onset of hostilities because coke output had dropped dramatically. After several years of darkness, the torch once again illuminates the Donbas steppes.
After being shelled repeatedly and pushed to the brink of shutdown, the Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant in eastern Ukraine's war-torn Donetsk region is once again running at full capacity.
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23:52 16.1.2019

23:53 16.1.2019

23:56 16.1.2019

23:59 16.1.2019

Hot off the presses from RFE/RL's Kyiv correspondent Christopher Miller:

Manafort Worked With Russian-Ukrainian On Peace Plan Before -- And Long After -- Criminal Charges

Political campaign strategist Paul Manafort (left) and alleged Russian intelligence operative Konstantin Kilimnik. (composite file photo)
Political campaign strategist Paul Manafort (left) and alleged Russian intelligence operative Konstantin Kilimnik. (composite file photo)

KYIV -- Konstantin Kilimnik, the alleged Russian intelligence operative who helped run Paul Manafort's operations in Kyiv for roughly a decade, boasted of the duo's closeness to RFE/RL in a 2017 interview. "The only guy who Manafort can conceivably talk to in Ukraine is basically me," he said.

Kilimnik added that, while Manafort was working as Donald Trump's campaign chairman in 2016, he was also "briefing [Manafort] on Ukraine."

On January 15, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office suggested in a court filing that the two men spoke a lot, before and long after Manafort was criminally charged, and specifically about an initiative to bring peace to Ukraine that was likely very favorable to the Kremlin.

If confirmed, that would indicate that the pair were doing so while Manafort was working for Trump's campaign and Russia was allegedly interfering in the 2016 election to help his candidate win.

Read more here.

00:01 17.1.2019

We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning to follow all the latest developments. Until then, you can keep up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.

10:11 17.1.2019

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