Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Tuesday 26 April [Ukrainian sources]

TUESDAY

26 April 2016. 30 years since 26 April 1986. Chernobyl. Memorial Day.

Please scroll down to view news items added during the day

News -
42 attacks by Russian forces on Ukraine yesterday. Sadly 1 soldier died, 5 injured.

Weather -
A cold morning. And wet also. Light rain. Grey skies.

Observation -
30 years since Chernobyl. I think one of the worries now is forest fires in the area. The authorities need to control this.
Perhaps even controlled fires when there is no wind.
It is some years since I visited the Chernobyl museum in Kiev. But I recommend it. But all very sad.
I went to Babi Yar yesterday. The area is much larger than I realised. I had previously only visited the memorial to the dead there - Nazi massacre of Jewish people in the ravine.

8:28
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/04/26/7106737/

During the battle in Zaytsev Monday evening ATO forces captured one of the militants.

This "Ukrainian Truth" said one of the scouts 53 teams.

"Last night in the battle Zaitsev. Their DRG climbed. Our answered. One wounded and captured. Others - who died who fled. There were many, but not all were able to go" - said the fighter.

He said the prisoner was local from Donetsk. "Passed us all positions, said fighting who and where," - said the source.

According to him, during the battle with the forces ATO no loss there.
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Donetsk local.

http://www.unian.info/society/1330204-ukraine-marking-30th-anniversary-of-chornobyl-disaster.html
....According to archive data, at 01:23 on April 26, 1986, a reactor at power unit 4 of the Chornobyl NPP was completely destroyed in a series of thermal explosions. A significant amount of radioactive substances was released into the environment. The accident is regarded as the largest of its kind in the history of nuclear energy, both in terms of victims and the economic losses....
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Wikipedia is not bad on the Chernobyl accident. Relatively short.

http://www.unian.info/economics/1330104-ukrainian-agricultural-exports-to-eu-rise-15.html
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More business now both ways. Western European countries replacing the Russian market.

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/340008.html
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I find this story vaguely amusing. Anybody who has been to Ukraine and travelled on roads - other than the main highways to say Borispil, or Zhitomir, know that the roads in Ukraine are a disaster area. Repair? All they do is replace the potholes. That is it. And each year the potholes return - larger - and are replaced again. To me - no overall policy whatsoever. They need some resurfacing work.

http://euromaidanpress.com/2016/04/25/how-russias-worst-propaganda-myths-about-ukraine-seeps-into-media-language/?utm_content=bufferd9089&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#arvlbdata
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Excellent article. Recommended. Don't know the author, but if she went to Berkeley, chances are she's fairly intelligent.

Excellent textual analysis. American universities are strong at this, no matter what the discipline.

13:21
http://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2016/04/26/7048408/
====
Basically saying that estimates for gas usage overstated.
The ex-German Chancellor, Herr Schroeder, has big share holdings in Gazprom. Expect him to challenge these findings.

http://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2016/04/26/7048419/
====
Article based on a twitter by
Rikard Jozwiak ‎@RikardJozwiak
the vote in the EP plenary for the visa lib for #Georgia & #Ukraine can take place in July but it will be tight. Sep more likely
2:33 PM - 26 Apr 2016

http://en.censor.net.ua/news/386275/wellknown_tv_host_savik_schusters_work_permit_in_ukraine_canceled
Well-known TV host Savik Schuster’s work permit in Ukraine canceled
Journalist Savik Shuster, who possesses the nationality of Canada, has his permission to work in Ukraine canceled.
Petro Poroshenko Bloc (BPP) faction MP Serhii Leshchenko wrote on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.
"Savik Shuster has his permission to work in Ukraine canceled after all," he wrote....
====
Schuster - very very close to Tymoshenko.
My opinion - publicity stunt. Time will tell.
As you would expect, Kyiv Post making a lot of this story.
Kyiv Post owner Zahoor reported in Panama Papers having business links to Tymoshenko's ten billion dollar a year account.
Still nothing about this in the Kiev Post. Don't hold your breath. After all, why does a very rich man buy a newspaper, and then subsidize it?!?
Only one answer to that story - to push his agenda, and that of his friends.

http://www.euronews.com/business-newswires/3185681-ukraine-will-not-make-major-changes-to-imf-memorandum-deputy-finance-minister/
....“Nothing major has changed. The main parameters that were in the previous memorandum have remained,” he told journalists. “We need to update it – there has been a serious shift in the timeline.”
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17 billion. Tymoshenko would like a slice of this, that is for sure. She could make Yanukovich look like a petty-thief.

http://3s.tv/NEWS#919
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Excellent publicity for Schuster, whatever !

www.bloomberg.com/energy/
Crude Oil & Natural Gas
INDEX UNITS PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE CONTRACT TIME (EDT) 2 DAY
WTI Crude Oil (Nymex)
USD/bbl. 43.49 +0.85 +1.99% Jun 2016 10:01 AM
Brent Crude (ICE)
USD/bbl. 45.38 +0.90 +2.02% Jun 2016 10:01 AM

Natural Gas (Nymex)
USD/MMBtu 2.03 -0.03 -1.70% May 2016 10:01 AM

===
I always expected the price to eventually settle around 45. This price is acceptable - just about - to shale gas producers.
Time will tell what happens. Hopefully stable around 45 - should be ok for Ukraine.

http://www.levada.ru/2016/04/26/nalichie-zagranpasporta-i-poezdki-za-rubezh/
Please note - this - the original Russian source of this story.

28% of Russians have passports.
And - as one might expect, 70 odd percent have never travellled outside the former USSR. (business). 60% for personal travel.
No wonder Russians are so well informed about life in America and western Europe!! (joke).

https://www.charter97.org/ru/news/2016/4/26/201487/
Journalists argue that the Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei Magnitsky uncovered this scheme in 2008.
Offshore Company cellist Sergei Roldugina received the money almost at the same time when the fund Hermitage Capital lawyer Sergei Magnitsky discovered the theft of budget funds....
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Q. How will Putin and his spokesman (whose wife also has an offshore account despite his denials) explain this?
A. It's all an American conspiracy.
If so, then the Russian people as a whole are really very rich, but pretending simply to be very poor.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/26/chernobyl-anniversary-30-years-after-its-nuclear-disaster-author/
====
Good factual article from Oliphant. Ok.

TV presenter Savik Shuster, who is facing a work ban, is going to host his talk show without a relevant permit.

He said it to journalists at an employment center, Censor.NET correspondent reports.

"It's not a mistake, it's a completely conscious action, which was done in one day, yesterday, April 25. I think they chose the date deliberately, before Easter, before the May vacations, when people are out of the city, and little attention is paid to television. And when they come back, politicians, somewhere around May 10, right before the plenary session, everyone will forget about this. Therefore, it was intentional, I'm sure of it. What shall we do? Let's wait for authorities to explain us one more time, and then we'll think it over. What else can we do? We'll work without a permit," Shuster said.

censor.net.ua   In Ukrainian/український

TV host Savik Shuster has gone on a hunger strike until Ukraine's Employment Service issues him a work permit.

Shuster announced it at a news conference, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrainski Novyny.

"I declare a hunger strike until I get back my right to work in the European country called Ukraine," Shuster said.

He noted that he was born, lived, and studied in Europe and that he is ready to sacrifice a lot for the sake of its values.

General Director of the TV channel 3S.tv Pavlo Yelizarov said he joined the Shuster's hunger strike.

censor.net.ua   In Ukrainian/український

The US has deployed two of its most advanced fighter jets to Romania in order to better keep an eye on Russian activity in the Black Sea, the Air Force Times reports.

The two F-22 Raptors are part of a supporting US force that has been deployed to NATO member Romania. The aircraft are there as part of a mission intended to "bolster the security of NATO allies and partners in Europe," according to a US Air Force press release.

The F-22, the first truly operational fifth-generation fighter in the world, will be used to both further increase interoperability between the US and fellow NATO nations as well as a signal to Russia that the US will stand with NATO against any Russian aggression.

"These aircraft have the ability to project air dominance quickly, at great distances, to defeat any possible threat," US Lt. Gen. Timothy Ray said of the F-22 deployment in Romania at a press conference.

The deployment comes soon after Russian military aircraft repeatedly buzzed a US naval ship that was in international waters in the Baltic Sea.

In response to that incident, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the ship would have been justified in shooting down the Russian aircraft.......

ukrainebusiness.com.ua

Zakharchenko: “I will shoot all OSCE armed forces so that they don’t even have the desire to come here with a gun,” he said. “The monitoring mission has a mandate for monitoring, so not a single OSCE armed officer should arrive here,” he said.

Concorde analyst Zenon Zawada added: “The threat of Donbas militias, uncontrolled by the Kremlin, is one of the risks we mentioned yesterday in assessing the president’s announcement on Sunday that Russia supports dispatching armed OSCE police to the Donbas conflict zone.

“However, Zakharchenko is fully controlled by the Kremlin and we assess his words as political talk, intended to boost the Russian position in the ongoing negotiations to hold local elections by the summer. With such sharp rhetoric however, the international community should keep in mind the risks surrounding an armed intervention in Donbas. The situation could be further destabilized instead of stabilized.”.....

ukrainebusiness.com.ua

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) reports that the heavy weapons, namely Grad systems, howitzers, tanks it earlier spotted in the militant-controlled town of Luhansk are still kept there.

"In violation of the respective withdrawal lines, the SMM saw seven multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS; BM-21 Grad, 122mm), seven self-propelled howitzers (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm), and ten towed howitzers (five 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm, and five D-30 Lyagushka, 122mm) in the city of Luhansk," the OSCE SMM said in an update based on information received as of 1930 local time on April 25, 2016.....

unian.info

Crimean Supreme Court Judge Natalia Terentyeva ruled that "the entity called the 'Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People' be designated an extremist organization and its activity be banned."

The court's ruling can be appealed within a month.

Crimean Prosecutor Poklonskaya has described the decision as justified.

"The decision is aimed at maintaining stability, peace and order in the Russian Federation," she told reporters.

The court proceedings as part of this case began in early March. There were four volumes of case files.

The Mejlis, which claims the status of the Crimean Tatars' legislature, has no registration in Russia..........

interfax.com.ua

US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland during a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman confirmed US readiness to provide financial guarantees to Ukraine after the adoption of the reforms agreed with the IMF. It is reported by the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers.

"Assistant Secretary of State of the United States confirmed its readiness to allocate the next package of financial guarantees for Ukraine after the adoption by Ukraine of bills important for the continuation of the reforms that have been identified in the framework of agreements with the International Monetary Fund", - said in a statement.

Nuland noted that "Ukraine has already shown great progress, but there is still a lot of work."

Nuland also Groisman and discussed progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

In addition, the Assistant Secretary of State congratulated Groisman on his appointment as Prime Minister and expressed support for the new government's intentions to carry out the necessary reforms.

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский

Head of one of the district military commissariat in the Sumy region demanded 15 thousand. Hryvnia representative of the local state-owned enterprises for the failure to mobilize the institution, reports the press service of the SBU.

The mobilization of the state structure subject to thirty people. Law enforcers detained a lieutenant colonel in the office at the time of receipt of the entire amount of the bribe.

Opened criminal proceedings under Part 3 st.368 Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Continue pressing operational and investigative measures to establish other facts of possible bribery lieutenant colonel.

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский

This totally amazes me, after watching many being caught by the SBU, arrested and charged and they still think they won't get caught. Either they're just too dumb or they all know it's so deep that the chances of them being caught is minimal. But daily we hear many being caught.

This shows you what a job Poroshenko and company have in front of them, when it comes to cleaning corruption. And on top of that, a few think it should've been wiped out by now. That is the craziest part. Like all will be gone at the snap of a finger. Those are the uninformed that don't know much about what it takes, how deep it is, and they have to be found before they're caught. I have a strange feeling that those who expect all to be clean now will cause issues soon. Mark my word. They'll cause major division and civil disobedient.

The guide "DNI" continue to spread rumors about the imminent onset of Ukrainian troops. "Information Resistance" reported the group.

"The operational management of the organs of so-called" 1st AK "continues to actively circulate" details "about the imminent" attack Ukrainian forces. " Allegedly, APU has produced two striking forces, which is concentrated in the operational and tactical rear their battle formations in the area ATO. According to the "intelligence" of militants, these groups will advance and deployment of the first-line "just before the start of the offensive." According to the recent "intelligence," "1st AK" allegedly recorded a massive redeployment of the military government of Ukrainian troops, MTS, operational support towards the demarcation line. Pulling forces ATO headquarters closer to the front of the terrorists find a clear sign of impending offensive ", - the report says.

According to the "EC", under the pretext that the militants are trying to build in the first line of the forces and means, including weapons and military equipment that are to be withdrawn in accordance with the Minsk agreements.

"Several" endangered "sites terrorists have concentrated large enough forces and means, including tanks and artillery. So, to the north of Donetsk, 2 reinforced battalion in two-echelon building, this is going to deploy another battalion-level units in reserve for this section of the front at the turn between Makeyevka and Donetsk itself is concentrated in the area Yasinovataya-Spartak Yakovlevka. According to the "legend" of insurgents considering command "Ukrainian breakthrough" or Yasinovataya, or north towards Yenakiyevo. Tactical group (of up to one reinforced battalion) militants deployed in the south-western part of Gorlovka, the same group fixed in areas Dokuchaevsk and Telmanovo (confirmed by transfer of technology militants near the settlement Blacksmiths Novoazovskiy district, part of it pushed north toward Telmanovo as a gain or reserve) ", - informs the group of" IP ".

Experts do not exclude the eve of the May holidays the escalation of the conflict forces these groups under the pretext of the alleged failure of the upcoming offensive ATO forces.

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский

After the Chernobyl accident in Ukraine the number of cancer has increased eight-fold. In recent years, the rate is stable and does not grow. About this in the air "on Channel 5," said the chief doctor of the Kyiv City Clinical Endocrinology Center Nikolai Gulcha.

"Until the 86th year in Ukraine cancer was 2.5 cases per 100 thousand population, today -. 16.9. That is, the incidence has increased almost eightfold. Especially in areas such as Kiev, in Kiev, which is directly connected with the territory in which the accident occurred. In third place is Zhytomyr region ", - said Gulcha.

glavcom.ua In Russian/русский