Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Friday 22 April [Ukrainian sources]

FRIDAY

Please scroll down to view news items added during the day

News -
30 attacks by the Russians yesterday. 2 soldiers wounded.
New finance minister finally remembers that he is director of 3 offshore companies.

Weather -
Sunshine returns, and a little warmer. +7 at 0800. High maybe of 17? Hard to say.
But better than yesterday! Update. 15 at 13.00 hrs.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/04/22/7106356/
In Yerevan, protesting against the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov
Friday, April 22, 2016, 5:30
Activists in the Armenian capital held a rally against the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
It is reported by Radio Liberty.
Protesters held April 21 at Liberty Square in Yerevan to the Russian Embassy, where there have been clashes with the police.
Activists said that Lavrov had brought "antvirmenskyy" peace plan to resolve the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. They also demanded to stop the sale of Russian arms to Azerbaijan.
====
Expect the Russians to sell weapons to both sides. Money...

http://zik.ua/news/2016/04/22/na_ukrainskopolskomu_kordoni_u_chergah_zastryagly_620_avtomobiliv_692825
At the Ukrainian-Polish border stuck in queues 620 cars
As of 8:00 Friday on the border of Ukraine and Poland in seven checkpoints in Volyn and Lviv regions formed queues, which are 620 cars.
This was the press service of the Western Regional Department of State Border Service of Ukraine.
In particular, 50  were in line with international automobile checkpoint "Ustyluh - Zosin" in Volyn, another 50 checkpoint "Uhryniv - Dolhobychuv" in Lviv.
In the Lviv region in PE "Shehyni - Medica" their turn expected 150  in PE "Rava-Ruska - Hrebenne" - 200, PE "Krakovets - Korchova" - 100 in PE "pear - Budomezh" - 20, PE "Smilnytsia - Krostsenko" - 50 cars.
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What will it be like when the no-visa regime comes in to force, maybe in 3 months' time?

One minute you're up,



and the next, you're down...



Didn't happen too often in Klitchko's boxing career, however ))

10:25
http://www.segodnya.ua/politics/pnews/shtaynmayer-vystupaet-za-normalizaciyu-otnosheniy-s-rf-710213.html
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Talking about Libya. Also about Russia returning to the G8.
Sweet music to Putin's ears.

10:32
Released data about the main sponsors Gromadska TV (Strana.ua)

Gromadska TV published a financial report for the year 2015. In light of recent scandals, accusations of embezzlement former director Roman Skrypin well, look at it doubly curious. Figures disclosed are quite remarkable.

European Commission - the general sponsor

In total, the channel accounts received 34 million 361 thousand. UAH.

public contributions amounted to 418 thousand. 934 USD, ie 1.2% (!) of the total income. Royalty brought channel 6 thousand. UAH. The bulk of revenue, namely 33 million 936 thousand. UAH was donor support.

Let us consider this point in more detail.

http://strana.ua/articles/analysis/9797--gromadske-na-tret-finansiruetsya-evrokomissiej-i-skryvaet-auditorskuyu-proverku-po-skrypinu.html
====
Really a whole mix - Canada, Sweden, Dutch embassy, German embassy, many others.

http://nbnews.com.ua/ru/news/178739/



Yup - 294... but... where are the 294??!

Groisman taking questions now at 1050.

Live on Rada tv, other channels I would think. Hopefully this youtube link - from the post above - also works

12:47
At night in the area ATO wounded two soldiers - Staff
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/04/22/7106398/

13:26
In Ilovaysk from Russia came five carriages with ammunition - GUR
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/04/22/7106407/
Defence Intelligence noted arrival of 5 train wagons of ammunition and spare parts for military equipment from Russia in Ilovaysk militants occupied Donetsk region.
Reported April 22 Department of Defense intelligence.
In GUR facts recorded next delivery from Russia of ammunition, fuel and lubricants and spare parts for military equipment to the following settlements:
Rovenky (petrol corps level) - 19 fuel tanks (760 tonnes);
Ilovaysk - two wagons of ammunition, three cars with spare parts for military equipment, crawler-based and one car on the property.
Moreover, according to intelligence during 20-21 April 2016 casualties 1 (Donetsk) and 2 (Luhansk) Armed Forces are killed 6 soldiers and 32 wounded.
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Not easy to understand, even in Ukrainian. I think it means 1 person from Donetsk, 2 from Lugansk (separatists) plus 6 Russians died.

http://en.censor.net.ua/video_news/385735/ukrainian_troops_eliminated_mortar_detachment_of_terrorists_in_donbas_video
Ukrainian soldiers have destroyed a mortar detachment of Russian terrorists with the help of a guided missile.
Censor.NET reports referring to volunteer Roman Synitsyn's Facebook. According to him, five militants were killed and another 10 received injuries. In addition, the second missile destroyed terrorists's truck with ammunition.



===
Unlikely to be fake - I don't think Ukraine can waste ammunition like this.
Flight of first missile bizarre. Second - wow...

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/339431.html
...Danyliuk said that, according to the information he received, he is still formally the director of three companies: two companies in Cyprus and one in the Cayman Islands....
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Jaresko was finance minister, but resigned with Yatseniuk.
I don't think this new guy was planning on being a minister - hence his dodgy tax return some while ago.

16:40
http://gordonua.com/publications/nepravilnyy-spiker-ili-samoupravstvo-andreya-parubiya-129466.html
===
Article actually about the poor attendence and attitude of Deputies in the Rada.
Personally I also think that Parubiy is not the right person to be Speaker. No charisma. Well meaning, but...

16:51
The Passion According to Attorney General: 3 possible candidates (Hyser)
http://hyser.com.ua/politics/strasti-po-genprokuroru-3-vozmozhnye-kandidatury-77266
Yesterday, 21 April, the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada eventually deprived Yuri Lutsenko of opportunities to take the post of Prosecutor General of Ukraine, refusing to include in the agenda a bill №4469, which eliminated barriers to the head of the faction BPP towards the chair. In addition, and the European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who is in Kiev on a visit, said that the Attorney General may be appointed only people with experience of legal work. Who can also be the new Attorney General? On the sidelines of the Verkhovna Rada called nominee Paul Zhebrivskyi, Valery Karpuntsova or Yuri Sevruk....
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Interesting online translation of the heading.
I think the St John Passion is being performed at the Philharmonia next week - no joke. (Bach)

17:16
Judges Commission removed from office by two judges (Strana.ua)
http://strana.ua/news/9904-vkks-eshe-na-mesyac-otstranila-sudyu-oberemko-otkazalas-volkovu.html
====
Another cuckoo headline from the translator) Actually - Two judges being removed from office by the Judges Commission. Extended deadline for removal.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? A couple of thousand years' old saying, but... a good point -
But who shall guard the guards themselves?

The scheme, allowing Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash to by-pass western sanctions and supply titanic ore to his peninsular plant was exposed by journalists Dmytro Hnap,

Writing in Facebook Apr. 21, the journalist describes the scheme, with the ore reloaded from a foreign onto a Russian ship at sea near Kerch.

The ore is then delivered to the Titan plant owned by Firtash. The entire scheme is definitely coordinated with Moscow, Hnap writes.

The scheme is also known to Ukraine SBU and Pres Poroshenko. The deal with Firtash had been struck before Poroshenko’s presidential election, Dmytro Hnap claims.

zik.ua

17:27
http://ru.golos.ua/suspilstvo/natspolitsiya_gotova_k_lyubomu_stsenariyu_v_odesse_2_maya_2760
The National Police are ready for any variant of development of events in Odessa on 2 May.
This was stated by its head Khatia Dekanoidze at a special meeting on the willingness and cooperation departments during the second anniversary of the tragedy in the House of Trade Unions, reports today....

17:37
http://gordonua.com/news/politics/poroshenko-na-sluzhbu-po-kontraktu-postupili-22-tys-chelovek-neobhodimosti-v-mobilizacii-net-129488.html
Poroshenko: At the service contract entered 22 thousand people, the need to mobilize not.
President Petro Poroshenko said that instead of a new wave of mobilization decided to increase the allowance for contract servicemen.
====
Slightly wierd.
Yesterday they announced a fresh wave of mobilization - plus an allocation of several million uah for this purpose.

Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroisman asks the Security Service to check the possible involvement of Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Ihor Nasalyk's avisor Yurii Ziukov in the activity of the self-styled "Luhansk People's Republic".
He stated this during an hour of questions to the government in the Verkhovna Rada, Censor.NET informs referring to Ukrainski Novyny.

"I want to assure you that if the said information [about Ziukov's involvement in "LPR" activity - ed.] is confirmed, this man will not hold any position in the government. I address the Security Service of Ukraine with a request to verify the information provided by the people's deputy and if it turns truthful, take measures stipulated by the law in relation to the person whose name has just been mentioned in the deputy's request (Ziukov)," the prime minister said. '']

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Near Avdiyivka, the scene of fierce battles, the separatists lost about 100 servicemen, including some Russian ones, the report says.

Ukraine army captured several members of the rebels’ elite special troops formation Somali headed by Givi.

The enemy told they had the orders to capture the industrial zone of Avdijyvka at any cost.

The rebels said the Russian commanders put retreat-blocking squads behind their lines.

Their commander Givi left the front line and was in a safe place giving order by radio.

zik.ua

Paul Manafort’s work with Viktor Yanukovich is a showcase of his talents.

The Donald Trump who greeted supporters in the lobby of Trump Tower on Tuesday night bore little resemblance to the Republican frontrunner of yore.

Atypically gracious and restrained, Mr Trump spoke coherently on jobs and the economy, referred respectfully to his Republican opponents as “Senator Cruz” and “Governor Kasich” and stuck to his prepared remarks. Gone were the lewd insults or jabs at the press.

It was a political makeover like few had seen before — and it bore all the trappings of his new campaign chief, Paul Manafort.

But it is his work with Ukraine’s former president, Viktor Yanukovich, that stands out as a particular showcase both of Mr Manafort’s talents — and the controversy surrounding their use. ................

To read further go to this link:  Financial Times

The U.S. Department of State has asked the authorities of Russia to reverse its recent decision to designate the Crimean Tatar Mejlis as an “extremist” organization.

Censor.NET informs citing a statement by spokesperson John Kirby, posted on the website of the Department of State.

"We call on the Russian Federation to reverse the Ministry of Justice's recent decision to designate the Crimean Tatar Mejlis as an "extremist" organization and the decision by de facto authorities in Crimea to suspend this democratic institution," Kirby said.

According to the spokesperson, the Mejlis has long been a representative body for the traditionally under-represented and historically oppressed Crimean Tatar population. It has also served as an important independent voice in preserving their culture and protecting them from discrimination.

"Russian authorities have no basis or jurisdiction to assert Russian law over Tatar conduct in Ukraine," Kirby announced.

"We again call on Russia to end its occupation of Crimea and return control over this piece of Ukrainian territory. Sanctions related to Crimea will remain in place as long as the occupation continues," the statement reads.

censor.net.ua   In Ukrainian/український

Ukraine’s central bank has cut its main interest rate to 19 percent from 22 percent, citing a "significant easing in risks to price stability.”

The National Bank of Ukraine said on April 21 it would make further cuts if disinflation continues and the country’s $17.5 billion bailout is resumed.

“The key risk now is a delay in restarting cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” it also said.

The bank kept its 2016 inflation goal of 12 percent, and said it should be able to ease capital controls once cooperation with the IMF resumes.

Consumer-price growth decelerated to the lowest level in 1 1/2 years in March, while the new government approved last week eased a two-month political crisis that delayed aid disbursements.

rferl.org

The Ukrainian billionaire Dmytro Firtash is currently not a defendant in the criminal case of bribery of criminal police officers in Germany. However, his status may change.

Censor.NET reports citing Deutsche Welle.

Dmytro Firtash current currently has procedural status of a witness in the case of bribery of the official of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania criminal police.

The prosecution authorities of German city of Schwerin investigating the case told DW that the prime suspect at that moment was a 69-year-old resident of Berlin working as a business consultant and selling the interested parties information received from civil servants through bribery, including from the police officers and members of the prosecutor's office.

The woman particularly suspected of obtaining information from an officer of criminal police of a federated state in northern Germany Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the interests of Dmytro Firtash.

Apparently, this official was submitting Firtash with information about the investigation launched against him in the United States under corruption charges. The police officer was making unauthorized requests to his American colleagues pretending that he was involved in the investigation in the case against Firtash."

According to German broadcaster NDR, separate bribes paid to obtain information for the Ukrainian billionaire acceded half a million euros.

censor.net.ua   In Ukrainian/український

Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash acquired classified information from two officials of the criminal police of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also known as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – a federated state in northern Germany.

Censor.NET reports citing German news outlet NDR via Ukrainska Pravda.

According to the outlet, the oligarch was interested in information about the progress of the investigation of his case by the international police and available evidence against him.

According to NDR, Firtash was paying six figures sometimes accessing 500 thousand euros for this. A 60-year-old official of the state security agency, his wife, and a former criminal police officer were receiving the money.

A business consultant from Berlin always acted as a mediator while the transfer of a bribe mainly took place in bars, in particular, in the bar at the lake in north-western Brandenburg.

The outlet also informed that one of the accused - the criminal police officer - filed a request to the U.S. Secret Service regarding Firtash in 2009. At the same time the suspect said that he was himself involved in the investigation against the Ukrainian oligarch and therefore required this information.

Police conducted several raids in houses and offices of the criminal police officers of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the last few days in connection with these events. Perhaps, there are more suspects in this case than it is known now.

The officials who entered into a criminal conspiracy with Firtash have been accused of illegal information gathering, corruption and tax evasion.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Ukrainian boxer Alexander Barbel ready to move to the United States or the United Kingdom for the development of his career. This was announced by his promoter and CEO of K2 Promotions Alexander Krasyuk, writes XSport.

"Cirrus is ready to leave Ukraine, this is true. Explain, in the US television market is very serious, but now comes the UK. Although, frankly, I myself have never heard that Sasha wants to change the promoter. We will submit it to the States, and, if left to the market ", - he said.

Krasyuk added that the broadcasts fighting Cirrus American telegigant interested NGOs.

"We have already held talks with HBO, with their vice-president, he is interested in the segment. From the very first match of Alexander on a pro-boxing ring, he wrote us a sms with the text: "Come on, quickly reduce the Cirrus with the American" - said the promoter.

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский

International rating agency Moody's expects the decline of Russia's GDP by 1.5% in 2016, reports "RIA Novosti" .

However, Moody's notes the positive dynamics of the Russian economy and expects its growth in the years 2017-2018.

According to agency estimates, the budget deficit in Russia could be reduced by half.

Earlier it was reported that the Russian Ministry of Economic Development forecasts inflation in 2017 at 4.9%, 2018 - 4.5% and in 2019 - at the level of 4%.

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский

Ukrainian diaspora in Belgium managed to stop carrying out propaganda activities the purpose of which was denigrating Ukraine, reports "Ukrinform" .

Social activist Irina Chefranova organized a protest against the Russian propaganda.

"We, Ukrainian activists in Belgium, planned to hold a protest action in front of one of the hotels in Brussels city center, where the planned anti-Ukrainian Congress" Neo-Nazism and terrorism: the real challenges for Europe ". This event is organized by the Kremlin-sponsored right-wing Belgian organization "Euro-Rus", with the assistance of the Russian Embassy in Belgium. During the "congress" was held showing the infamous film of French director Paul Moreira "Ukraine: revolution masks," - said Chefranova.

The activist also said that after they received permission from the police to the protest, the hotel management immediately canceled the event and returned the money to the organizers. According to her, the management is not aware of the semantic content of the event.

The organizers have also removed the announcement about the event from a social network.

"We'll have to keep track of whether it will take action to another place", - said Irina Chefranova.

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский

In the water park capital SEC "Dream Town" drowned four children. This was on his Facebook page said one of the owners of the mall, the entrepreneur Garik Korogodskii.

"Tonight in the water park" Dream Town "was a tragedy. Drowned child 4 years. We understand that the parent does not help the grief. There is an investigation, "- he said.

According to the speaker of the Main Directorate of Police Department Natspolitsii Obolon Kiev Oksana Shcherbak, the tragedy occurred about 18:15. At 19:40 the doctors pronounced him dead child, write "News" .

Initially engaged in his rescue rescuers mall after - doctors ambulance. Law enforcers have found that in an institution rested the child's father, grandmother and sister. At some point the baby left unattended and choked water.

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский

In the village the Black Sea region Kominternovsky conflict between local residents and the debtor shooting ended.

As the press-service of GUNP, call is approximately at 01:30 - the duty of the police department Fontanskaya woman called and said that the unknown of a firearm wounded her husband.

"Out at the scene investigative team found that the conflict between the victim and the attacker took place in the settlement Black about 1:20. After a brief dispute the offender committed the shots in the direction of the victim. During the health care of 25-year-old victim paramedics diagnosed with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and thigh, "- said in a statement.

At 6 o'clock in the morning on the heels of law enforcers managed to detain the suspect. 30-year-old villager was injured at home. He has already testified and gave the police AKS74U and 10 ammunition.

According to the detainee, weapons and a half years ago, he found in the disbanded military unit in the village. All this time the machine was supposedly where he was found.

"The conflict between the debtor and the attacker was due to long-term non-repayment of money, - the police. - Who is the victim hospitalized in Odessa Regional Hospital, operated on him. "

Upon storage of firearms criminal proceedings have commenced (p.1 st.263 CC).

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский

Liberal Party MP Alina Zotya voted during a session of the Parliamentary Assembly an amendment to the resolution in respect of persons captured during the war in Ukraine.

This supplement provides an introduction to the text of the word "illegal" next to the word "annexation" of Crimea Russia, reports golos.md .

Zotya was one of four members of the Assembly who voted against this amendment.

MP explained his actions by saying that the final version of the resolution, and so clearly outlines and "without ambiguity" illegal "situation for the annexation of the Crimea by the Russian Federation.

"I do not expect from the alleged journalists, bloggers and commentators of all things possessing the patience to consider all the facts fully and fairly, as well as do not expect that they were thinking about something other than sensational, scandalous, and other titles that bring free views .. no explanation for them they did not understand them, "- commented Zotya his vote at a meeting of the PACE.

In addition, Zotya reported that voted "for" the final resolution of the humanitarian concerns about the people who held or captured during the war in Ukraine.

It is worth noting that Alina Zotya recently participated in a protest at the Russian Embassy in Chisinau, demanding the release of Hope Savchenko.



obozrevatel.com In Russian/русский