Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Friday 15 April [Ukrainian sources]

FRIDAY

Please scroll down to view news items added during the day

News -
104 attacks by Russian forces yesterday. Highest figure for almost 8 months.
Sadly 1 dead, 3 injured.

Weather -
Heavy rain overnight. But good for the crops - if you've already planted them.
But cold also this morning. Only +6 at 0900. High maybe of 10 or 12.

Rada -
New PM, new Speaker, new cabinet yesterday.
Can they work together, or will it all break up again? Ukraine needs some stability.
The populists are not happy. Liashko was on tv last night blowing his nut. Ranting away non-stop.
Tymoshenko wants to appeal to the courts.

Footie -
Good win for Shakhtar again in the Europe league. Now into the semis.
Where they could meet Liverpool! Sevilla are the team to avoid.
Shakhtar won 4-0. Lpool beat B Dortmund with a goal in the 91st minute. 4-3. Wow.
Just watched the highlights this morning on tv. Super game.
Update -
Shakhtar Donetsk(UKR) v Sevilla (ESP)
Villarreal (ESP) v Liverpool (ENG)
Semi-finals: 28 April & 5 May

21:19
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/04/14/7105571/
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Not quite sure that I understand her grounds. Perhaps the order of events in the Rada.
Whatever, she wants the government to fail. She wants to be President. The gas princess will not stop.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/04/15/7105584/
Parubiy: early elections in Ukraine will not be
Friday, April 15, 2016, 3:05
Early parliamentary elections will not be.
This is in the air "Channel 5" in the "Look" said the newly elected Parliament Speaker Andrew Paruby.
"Actually, where was a crisis - the issue of the coalition and the government - it solved, and we can say that today the theme of early elections and inform them that they really hoped it who really wanted ... I want to deeply disappoint : early elections will not "- he said.
Paruby added that the political crisis in the country was artificially created.
"I think the political crisis that was, it was more established than a real political crisis. And unfortunately, it turned into a real state when a number of factions left the coalition and the country were enormous challenges. Chaos in Ukraine and destabilize the country - an external script. And, in fact, was a high risk that this crisis could push Ukraine to such a scenario, "- he said.
Paruby also said "decent work Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who, knowing all the risks that we face, resigned."

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Intelligent words. Contrast this with Tymoshenko, Putin and Liashko.

http://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2016/04/14/7047829/
===
CE - Council of Europe.
Putin's fascist stranglehold now extends into the Crimea. Expect nothing less. East Germany ex KGB. He worked with the Stasi.

In Lavrov said that Washington is trying to climb in their internal affairs.

The Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia on human rights, democracy and the rule of law Konstantin Dolgov said the State Department calls for the US to release prisoners in the Russian Ukrainians Hope Savchenko and Oleg Sentsova inappropriate and are on the verge of intervention in Russia's affairs.

"It is absolutely out of place and sound on the verge of intervention in our internal affairs calls for the State Department to release convicted of preparing terrorist attacks in the Crimea Oleg Sentsova and Ukrainian navodchitsu Hope Savchenko recognized by a Russian court found guilty of serious crimes. Moreover, it is nothing more than an attempt to justify terrorism and murder journalists "- Dolgov said.

He also added that the US authorities, "it's time to remove his glasses, fogged anti-Russian stereotypes, stop the name-calling to engage in a real state of affairs in the field of human rights in Russia."

Earlier, the US State Department has repeatedly urged Russia to free wrongfully convicted Ukrainians Hope Savchenko Oleg Sentsova, Alexander Kol'chenko and others.

segodnya.ua   In Ukrainian/український

http://www.unian.info/society/1319931-russian-tv-channels-journalists-refused-entry-into-ukraine.html
..."However, during the interview, the border guards found out that the journalists had no permits and other documents that would confirm the purpose of their trip. Therefore, the citizens were not allowed to cross the border," the spokesperson said.
===
"Journalists" actually from Belarus, but part of the Russian network.

112

https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/articles/2016/04/14/response-from-the-russian-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-to-bellingcat-regarding-fakery-allegations/
===
Interesting correspondence between bellingcat the the Russian Foreign Ministry.
e.g. - from Bellingcat
We note, as with your earlier statements on Bellingcat, you yet again fail to provide any specific examples of fakery by Bellingcat, despite our earlier email making several requests for those examples. Despite our best efforts, our searches have discovered no such article in any recognised “Western media”, so we would appreciate you providing specific references in reply to this email. I’m sure the Russian Foreign Ministry is not in the habit of making libellous claims about organisations it cannot back up with firm evidence, so we await with great interest the evidence of Bellingcat’s fakery that you will provide in your reply.

Obviously the Russians never provide any evidence.
One interesting comment below the article -
Its almost impossible to respond to these counter claims of the MFA or any responding bureaucrats of the Russian Government…
The people who are the mouth pieces of Putin’s government know the truth is closing in on them, but their pathological belief in the lies of their counter claims and counter reasoning is the only way they know how to survive…. but what can you expect of a society built on propaganda and not given to self-criticism or honesty….

Security Service of Ukraine together with the prosecutor's office detained on bribe the mayor of one of the district centers of the Kiev region, reported the press service of the SBU. "Extortionists demanded one million euros from the representative of a construction company ....


Mayor arrested - usual mega-bribe

====
Nelson - see also

Vyshhorod mayor Momot nabbed accepting €1 million bribe. PHOTOS
http://en.censor.net.ua/photo_news/384398/vyshhorod_mayor_momot_nabbed_accepting_1_million_bribe_photos
[And imagine if you are the Chancellor of Kyiv University, and can illegally sell land to developers for thousands of apartments -
And your name is Mr Litvin, former speaker of the Rada - imagine how much money you would get... but nothing has happened about this.
Litvin is still an MP. ]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35990401
....Class teacher Galina Maxinovna sees the war as between "two groups of representatives of the same people"....
"It is members of the same family....
The pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk blame Ukraine for the continuing fighting....
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BBC. What can one say? An article about the war between Ukraine and Russia, which - doesn't mention Russia. Why?
The author - Tom Burridge - is in occupied Donetsk, and so has to be nice to the Russian propaganda line - Russia is not involved.
Burridge doesn't mention Russian involvement at all!!!! It is all Shaun Walker's "DNR guys". The Donetsk Peoples' Republic.
How can you write about the Russian - Ukraine war in April 2016 and not mention Putin, or the Russian armed forces? Or the Buk missile from Kursk which shot down MH17?
But the BBC can do it.
I hate these articles - "politically correct' according to the occupying forces. And so the journalist is a nice guy for them. And can stay there. And come back.
The truth - there is no truth in this article. In fact, there is nothing at all in the article.
BBC - save money - just provide a weblink to the Kremlin website, or RIA Novosti.
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Burridge. Almost identical style article from a year ago. 18 March 2015
Ukraine conflict leaves Donetsk families divided and apart
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31903680
Guess what - no mention of Russia. No mention of Putin. Only "pro-Russian". BBC. )))

http://www.unian.info/politics/1320433-russia-sets-new-demands-to-all-for-all-prisoner-swap.html
Russian Permanent Representative to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich insists that as part of the exchange of "all for all" Ukraine should release all the terrorists detained in different regions of Ukraine, as well as Russian citizens, who came to Ukraine "to visit relatives," the Russian Foreign Ministry told an UNIAN correspondent in Russia....
We do not receive adequate information from the Ukrainian side about the fate of Russian citizens, who come to visit their relatives and then go missing," ...
He said that the Russian Federation did not rule out that they had been arrested by the SBU Security Service of Ukraine without due process or had been detained incommunicado....
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Yeah. Came to Ukraine with handgrenades, and kalishnikovs - to visit relatives.
I wonder if this is going to be a new line from the Russian side - the Russian soldiers who died in the war actually came to Ukraine to "visit relatives", and then were kidnapped by the Ukrainian SBU, and killed. ?

http://en.censor.net.ua/news/384519/ukrainian_soldiers_hit_enemy_ifv_near_dokuchaievsk_ato_press_center
Russian militants persevere in their attempts to force to retreat Ukrainian units holding defense near Novotroitske.

This is reported by Censor.NET citing the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) press center.

According to the message, April 14 at around 7 p.m., with the purpose of hitting our firing points, the enemy shelled Ukrainian defenders from an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). 40 minutes later, several units of terrorist infantry, covered by two IFVs, launched an assault against Ukrainian positions near Novotroitske.

"After the strong point reported about the situation and the threat to the lives of soldiers, the commander of the battalion decided to open fire. Commander of the battalion Major Bohdan Barda also ordered the commander of the neighboring strong point to support the attacked soldiers from all fire units they had.

"Thus, pro-Russian mercenaries were hit by aimed crisscross fire from our soldiers. Panicking, the militants lost their command and retreated. In addition, our infantrymen hit an IFV of the enemy with an adjusted hit from SPG-9. Today, the battalion commander greeted the soldiers with the precise hit and is preparing documents for their award," the press center stressed.
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IFV = Infantry fighting vehicle

Champions League
First legs:
26 April: Manchester City v Real Madrid
27 April: Atlético Madrid v Bayern München
Second legs:
3 May: Bayern München v Atlético Madrid
4 May: Real Madrid v Manchester City

Europa league
SF 1
Shakhtar Donetsk(UKR) v Sevilla (ESP)
SF 2
Villarreal (ESP) v Liverpool (ENG)
Semi-finals: 28 April & 5 May
http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/draws/round=2000662/index.html

A Russian judge who agreed to accept a lawsuit filed against Russian President Vladimir Putin has abruptly resigned.

Judicial authorities in the country’s Saratov region said on April 15 that they had accepted the resignation submitted by Tatyana Leskina.

Last week, Leskina formally agreed to hear a lawsuit filed by a private citizen of the Saratov region, Nikolai Suvorov, who demanded Putin's resignation on the grounds he was an “enemy of the nation,” responsible for “impoverishing the Russian people."......

rferl.org

A conflict occurred in the court before today's hearing on the case of Russian soldiers Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Alexander Aleksandrov.

As reported by Censor.NET citing Hromadske Radio, a displaced woman from Donetsk, lawyer Tetiana Matiash came to the court room before the trial and started to shout at Yerofeyev and Aleksandrov: "Why did you come to my country to kill? 20 thousand people died because of you! It was you who came on Grads and Buks!".



The woman told that she was now living in Kyiv, while her relatives remained on occupied territories: "I came to look the killers in the eyes!"

Read more: I don't exclude Russia's trace. Someone wants to maximally delay hearing of GRU officers' case - Hrytsak on arson attack on judge Didyk's office

Yerofeyev and Aleksandrov did not respond. Lawyer Sokolovska was trying to calm the woman down. Right before the hearing started, Matiash left the court room.

As reported by correspondent Iryna Romaliiska, today the debates started in the court. Prosecutors are the first to speak.

Prosecutor Nimchenko read the position of the prosecution: "These are Russian soldiers. According to laws of Russian propaganda, they are elite Spetznaz troops," the prosecutor states.

It is expected that the debates will end today, and the criminal defendants will have their last plea.

censor.net.ua   In Ukrainian/український

Prosecutor General Sevruck sacked Mykola Stoyanov from the prosecution following the results of his lustration and a demand by Pres Poroshenko, Vladyslav Kutsenko, another notorious prosecutor, said Apr. 15.

Stoyanov owns assets and property (houses, land) costing far beyond his official salary for all his career.

Sevruk and his former boss Viktor Shokin were involved in dismissing a number of reform-minded prosecutors (Kasko, Sakvarelidze) for investigating the case of so-called ‘diamond prosecutors’ who owned 61 jewels and hundreds of thousands in cash.

zik.ua

In March, Russia’s budget suffered shortfalls in oil&gas revenue, bringing down its share in total budgetary revenue to 28.5%, RBK-Russia reports Apr. 15.

As a result, the share of oil&gas revenue in the 1st quarter dropped to 34%, the lowest level since mid-2009.

In their monetary form, the oil&gas revenue in March amounted to RUR304.5 billion compared with 317 bn in February and 371 bn in January, the coldest season.

The average price for Russia’s Urals oil in the 1st Q was only $32 a barrel. In the same period of 2015 it was $52.8 a barrel.

zik.ua

Prosecutors in Ukraine are demanding 15-year jail terms for two Russian nationals charged with fighting alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Addressing a court in Kyiv on April 15, prosecutors also said that Aleksandr Aleksandrov and Yevgeny Yerefeyev should be stripped of any assets they may hold in Ukraine.

Aleksandrov and Yerofeyev again denied their guilt. They retracted previous video statements admitting they were on active duty with the Russian military when they were captured in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine in May 2015....

rferl.org

Two Russian servicemen captured in eastern Ukraine now claim they are innocent. Aleksandr Aleksandrov and Yevgeniy Yerofeyev have withdrawn their earlier testimony during the hearings on their case at a Kyiv court. They say they had been dismissed from the Russian army before they came to Ukraine.

"I didn't kill, didn't shoot and didn't attack anybody, and I never planned to. I plead not guilty", said Yerofeyev in court.

Soldiers add their previous testimony was given "under force".

"I deny all my previous statements. I told them to save my life", said Aleksandrov.................

To read further go to this link:  uatoday.tv

If the North Atlantic Alliance will not play its role to curb Russian aggression in Europe and the world price may be much higher, and it is certainly not respond to US interests. This was stated during the pre-election TV debate on television channel CNN US presidential candidate, former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton country.

"Remember how NATO has been with us in Afghanistan - the majority of Member States have also lost soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan. They joined our combined defensive strategy after Sept. 11. It says a lot, "- commented on Clinton, one of the statements of another presidential candidate, billionaire Donald Trump, the US are" excessive spending "on the support of NATO.

It agreed that the United States should work on the financial aspects, but at the same time urged not to forget about what is happening already.

"Russia is becoming more aggressive, implementing a policy of intimidation against the Baltic countries, we see that they do in Eastern Ukraine, we know how they seek to redraw the map of Europe, and it's not in our interests. Think about what will be the price, if the Russian aggression will be stopped. NATO is on the front line, making it clear that they (the Russian Federation - Ed.) Can not move forward, "- said Hillary Clinton.

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский