14 May 2014

 A group of 8 cyclists are making their way on a 9-day cycle trip from Lviv to Odessa. The participants wish to show the unity of the Ukrainian people, noting that they especially want to visit Odessa to demonstrate their solidarity in mourning for with the deaths (of pro-Russian activists) that occurred on May 2^nd in Trade Union building.

They are travelling with Ukrainian flags to Southern Ukraine, where there is a significant amount of pro-Russian citizens. However one of the cyclists, Serhiy, stated, ‘Comparing to what the patriots in the East experience [on a daily basis - ed.], it is simply funny to speak about our fears.’

The self-declared “Peoples’ Governor” of the ‘Peoples’ Republic of Luhansk’ V. Bolotov has reportedly left Ukraine and gone to Russia. According to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate, its priests are being threatened in the eastern regions. According to the head of the independent professional miners’ union of the Donbas, armed separatists have attacked or blocked mines and miners from going to work on several occasions. The miners have asked the Ukrainian government to provide them with weapons to protect their mines.

 There are reports that the principal of a school in Luhansk, O. Shevchenko, was kidnapped by 4 armed men in camouflage. In Atratsyt, in Luhansk Oblast, the building of District Election Commission No. 111 has been seized by separatists, who have reportedly threatened the members of the commission in order to have them to stop preparations for the election. 

In Kyiv, the first all-Ukrainian roundtable on National Unity began today. The roundtable includes acting President Turchynov, heads of oblast and city government in eastern Ukraine, candidates for president, religious and community leaders. The roundtable is chaired by two former presidents of Ukraine, L. Kravchuk, and L. Kuchma.

The Uhryni-Pomary-Uzhhorod gas pipeline was damaged and further on a nearby line an explosion took place in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (a region in western Ukraine). The pipeline transports gas from Bohorodchany County underground storage facility to the compressor station located in Dolyna, both in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Officials say it appears to be deliberate sabotage: there was a huge dent on the external part of the pipeline and an opening that suggests some kind of explosive device.