Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Wednesday 06 July. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

Please scroll down to view news items added during the day

News:
61 attacks by Putin's forces.
Update - Sadly 2 Ukrainian soldiers died. 10 were wounded.

Weather:
Pleasant. 21 at 0900. High in the mid to upper 20s today.
Not too humid, so that is good. Sunshine and light cloud around the capital.

ATO: Militants use prohibited artillery systems and mortars
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/07/6/7113847/
Wednesday, July 6, 2016, 6:56

During the last days of the militants in the area ATO 61 times fired position forces ATU, including banned weapons.
The press center ATO headquarters reported on the page in Facebook.
In Mariupol area recorded 29 cases of firing by militants. In particular, they used the gun system Shyrokynomu caliber 152 mm and 120 mm mortars and 82.
In addition, insurgents fired 120 mm mortar positions near the Ukrainian Hnutovoho. Near Marinka, Starohnativky and Krasnogorivka terrorists fired from different types of small arms....

Staying the course - the Rada allowed the arrest of Onishchenko.
http://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2016/07/5/7113821/

...On that day the regulation committee supported the submission of the Prosecutor General to lift the parliamentary immunity of Onishchenko.
But already on July 5, when the deputies allowed NABU arrest Onishchenko, he commented, "Ukrainian Truth", admitted: "The Olympics is canceled."
In Austria via Minsk
On Tuesday the head of Artem NABU Sitnik and anti-corruption prosecutor Nazar Holodnytskyy came to the parliament in the morning. While MPs gathered in parliament and slowly moved up to the posts written registration, both fighters against corruption has handed out press comments.
"Onishchenko not in Ukraine. According to the latest information, it is not in Ukraine, not in Vienna as saying. I can not say much, but I say: to Vienna via Minsk not fly" - told reporters...

===
Long article about the influence of this oligarch in Ukrainian politics.
Apparently Tymoshenko's party was split at their own meeting, old v young.
The old guard in Tymoshenko's party are very rich people indeed, and clearly worried that they might be next on the list.
But most of them voted for removal.

Heading not easy to translate. Literally "stay on the horse". .. basically fixed on the back of a horse... staying the course?!

9:21
Poroshenko changed the law to reduce the excise tax on used cars
http://www.epravda.com.ua/news/2016/07/6/598217/
President Petro Poroshenko amended the law on the reduction of excise duty on used cars, only one car to the end of the law, the ban on the sale, the owner of the car has to bring cars in Ukraine in person....
====
How many Ukrainians are in a position to buy a car themselves, and then bring it into Ukraine?
Expect prices of used cars to stay very high for some time to come. Protectionism behind the scenes.
The article states
In adopting the law on price / used cars will decrease by an average of 3-8 thousand euros.
I don't believe this.

PrivatBank – Ukraine's only bank in Top 1000 World Banks
http://www.unian.info/economics/1402789-privatbank-ukraines-only-bank-in-top-1000-world-banks.html
....It is noted that despite Ukraine's economic hardships, PrivatBank remains the largest bank in Central and Eastern Europe being placed at the 627th position among the world's 1,000 largest banks.
....Read also PrivatBank's Q1 profit up by 35 times PrivatBank is a leader in the Ukrainian financial market. According to a research of a market of banking services for individuals conducted by GFK Ukraine in Q4 2015, PrivatBank services are used by 48.4% of banks' clients, and one of the three Ukrainians (39.3% of respondents) named PrivatBank their main bank. Privatbank provides services to 42.6% of the corporate sector clients....
===

If you have to put money into Ukraine, this is probably the safest bet. Ukrainian banks have been notoriously unstable.
But this one is popular.
But how they can offer interest rates of near 20% a year on deposits, I don't know!

Ukraine PM sees $12 bln aid lift as pension revamp looms – Bloomberg
http://www.unian.info/economics/1401826-ukraine-pm-sees-12-bln-aid-lift-as-pension-revamp-looms-bloomberg.html
Ukraine's prime minister sees the country receiving $12 billion of international aid this year and said his cabinet is gearing up to tackle the controversial issue of pension reform, according to Bloomberg....

Pension reform, not an issue for the latest tranche, has torpedoed cooperation between previous governments and the lender. The current system, under which some professions such as coal miners and prosecutors are able to retire early, is "very ill," yielding minimal payments on which people can barely survive, according to Groysman.

"There are people who retire before they turn 50 – I think it's a big problem because a person is still young before 50," he said, without specifying whether existing gradual increases in the overall pension age are sufficient. "We need to change this system."...
===

This is a big big issue for Ukraine. And will make the government more unpopular.
You can expect the opposition, Tymoshenko, Putin, Liashko, to criticise and criticise.
But something needs to be done.
1. People retire at 50 or so, and
2. The pension is minimal.

One argument at the moment is to do nothing, because the system is relatively cheep, and live expectancy is low - currently.
Leave it for somebody else to mess around with in 5 years' time?

EP Committee to discuss abolition of visas for Ukrainians tomorrow
http://en.censor.net.ua/news/396214/ep_committee_to_discuss_abolition_of_visas_for_ukrainians_tomorrow
....The vote is only advisory in nature and its possible positive outcome will not mean a guaranteed visa liberalization....

As reported, on June 10, at a meeting of the EU's Justice and Home Affairs Council, the ministers of EU countries could not agree on the liberalization of visa regime for Georgia, Ukraine, Kosovo, and Turkey.

Kyiv says Ukrainian colonel free after 2-year captivity in Donbas
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/354845.html
Colonel Ivan Bezyazykov, a Ukrainian army officer, has been released from captivity in Donbas, Ukraine's representative in the Trilateral Contact Group humanitarian subgroup Iryna Gerashchenko said....
===
No details at all.

At the "Dnepr-1" base GPU found many weapons stolen in the area ATO (Tyzhden.ua)
http://tyzhden.ua/News/168961
====
Not a surprise, frankly.
It's business. Money. Corruption. Happens a lot in the regular armed forces.
But obviously the authorities will target volunteer groups. Competing with their "trade".

Inside Ukraine's 'amber mafia'
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/ukraine-amber-mafia-160704101214561.html
Amber trade booms in northwestern Ukraine, but a shadowy criminal network largely benefits over thousands of miners....
In reality, the business here is booming - but the profits are whisked away into the shadows. The vast majority of the poorly regulated industry operates outside state control, funnelling hundreds of million dollars each year into the hands of illegal miners, smugglers and, critics say, the politicians and armed gangs who run the racket....

Pro-Kremlin Movement Attacks Independent Russian TV Channel Dozhd
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/pro-kremlin-movement-attacks-independent-russian-tv-channel-dozhd/574335.html
....The law requires registered media outlets to specify that any extremist or terrorist group on the Kremlin’s list of banned organizations is illegal ...
===
with regard to IS, but simply probably trying to put pressure on an Independent outlet.

Russia's Reserve Fund to Run Empty in 2017
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russias-reserve-fund-to-run-empty-in-2017/574344.html
Russia will empty its Reserve Fund next year and will start dipping into the National Welfare Fund, the Reuters news agency reported Tuesday, citing draft budget materials.
... By the end of 2016, there will be 980 billion rubles ($15.27 billion) left in the Reserve Fund, one of its two sovereign funds. This fund will be emptied at some point in 2017, according to ministry materials....
===
The National Welfare fund (73 billion usd) will be the new source for Kremlin spending. Replacing the Reserve Fund.

Rusty boat maintains a lifeline in war-torn Ukraine
http://www.france24.com/en/20160706-rusty-boat-maintains-lifeline-war-torn-ukraine
ZHOVTE (UKRAINE) (AFP) -
A rusty boat crossing a calm river in separatist east Ukraine is all that enables hundreds of people living in rebel-held territory to pick up pensions and vital supplies from the government side.

The illegal operation across the 50-metre (165-foot) wide Siverskyi Donets is run by a boatsman who charges pocket change from the 500 people who travel back and forth each month while battled-hardened fighters watch...

Central Banker Who Slayed ‘Zombie Banks’ Meets Too Big to Fail
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-06/central-banker-who-slayed-zombie-banks-meets-too-big-to-fail
....That bank is Privatbank and it is controlled by Igor Kolomoisky, one of the wealthiest men in Ukraine. How Gontareva persuades Kolomoisky to sever Privatbank’s ties to the rest of his sprawling business empire will determine whether her drive to reform the banking system succeeds. ...
...According to Privatbank, loans to Kolomoisky’s other companies amount to 8 percent of its portfolio, making repayment manageable. Others say the real figure is much higher.
Tomas Fiala, chief executive officer of the Kiev-based investment bank Dragon Capital, notes that Privatbank’s own data suggest more than a third of its loan portfolio has gone to companies in sectors such as oil, iron alloys and aviation, where Kolomoisky’s group dominates.....
====
The other side of Privat Bank. Good article.

2 military killed, 10 injured, yesterday in the ATO zone
http://www.capital.ua/ru/news/70259-v-zone-ato-za-sutki-pogibli-2-ukrainskikh-voennykh-10-raneny

06.07.2016 / 12:56 127

 The ATO zone per night killed two Ukrainian military, 10 injured
In the area of ​​anti-terrorist operation (ATO) in the Donbass in the past day, July 6, 2016, the fighting killed two Ukrainian soldiers, another 10 were injured. This was during the briefing said the speaker of the Presidential Administration on ATO Andrei Lysenko, reports Capital.
"Over the past day in the fighting, killing two Ukrainian soldiers, ten more were injured," - said Lysenko

Italians should know that there are many of their compatriots among militants who fight in the Donbas for money, not for beliefs.

This is reported by StopFake.org in their article Foreign Fighter Italiani (in Italian), translated by InformNapalm (into Russian), Censor.NET informs.

Some of these Italian mercenaries have been reported earlier by InformNapalm volunteers in their articles.

"… We, Italians, should think of the war that Ukrainians are forced to wage, opposing the Russian aggression, given the fact that our country is a leader in asking to lift the economic sanctions from Russia. Russian propaganda is thriving in Italy unlike in any other European country, making Donbas terrorists almost heroes. Soothing their consciousness, Italians believe this is not their problem, that Russians and Ukrainians are just two Slavic peoples killing each other and having violence in their blood.

"But Italians should know that there are many Italian mercenaries among these militants, those who kill for money, not for beliefs. Such mercenarism is a criminal offence in Italy, but Italian prosecutors care little about such fighters. One might think they are difficult to identify and this should be done by secret services, and that the judicial system of Italy should not interfere so far. But it's not the case: certainly, there are some mercenaries who avoid social media and unnecessary exposure, but there are those who openly challenge the Italian justice by promoting themselves in social media or giving interviews with weapons and wearing camo clothing right at the front line," the article reads.

"You just need to conduct some search on the Internet and you'll see that there are enough of Italian Rambo, some of who are showcased in this article.

"Andrea Palmer from Italian city of Lucca is hiding from police in Italy. He is a leader of Bulldog Lucca Ultras group, had been convicted of criminal conspiracy and violence, and served a sentence for beating a left-wing movement participant. He considers himself a fascist. He has been a member of "DPR" gangs since 2014 and said in many interviews that he feels at home among 'real fascists.' One of his first interviews was to Irina Osipova (possibly, a daughter of the Russian Consul General in Italy, organizer of many events in support of Moscow).



"Massimiliano Cavalleri, call sign Spartaco, was born in Brescia on Sept. 11, 1984, a neo-fascist fighting in Luhansk and seen in Donetsk. In his interview he stated he had fought for the Donetsk airport. Here is his video interview (in Italian and Russian) together with Rangeloni (featured below).



"Gabriele Carugati, call sign Archangel, born in Varese, is connected to Lega Nord. His mother is a secretary to Lega Nord in one of the cities. He was among the first Italians who together with Cavalleri participated in combats in the Donbas back in 2014.




To read further and more photos go to this link:  

A large-scale operation to neutralize "red dogs", terrorists who unleashed a hybrid war in peaceful settlements, has kicked off as part the Ukrainian-American Rapid Trident 2016 military exercise.

As reported by Censor.NET referring to Military TV Ukraine, the drills are performed in urban conditions, while great attention is paid to safety of civilians. The military practiced offensive actions and various types of checkpoint defense against the unexpected attacks by "red dogs".



ua.censor.net.ua In Ukrainian/український

The Verkhovna Rada on July 5 voted separately three motions to allow Oleksandr Onyshchenko’s prosecution, detention, and arrest.

“The real fight against corruption has started in Ukraine,” Tetyana Chornovol, a legislator from the People’s Front party of former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said after the vote.

Onyshchenko, a former member of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych’s party, has fled Ukraine.

He said on Facebook that he was in Austria.

He added that he feared for his life, saying “a lot of people from the government would not be very happy if I spoke.”

Onyshchenko is charged in a 1.6 billion hryvnia ($64 million) natural gas fraud at state energy company PAT Ukrhazvydobuvannya......

rferl.org

The Kremlin administration has proposed to disconnect the Russian segment of the Internet from its world web, Russia-based expert Valerij Solovej told LB.ua July 6.

The Russian regime views the web as a hostile environment and wants to assume complete control over it by 2018-2020, the expert says.

Putin’s repression policies aimed against separate groups, for instance, against the opposition, will now be spearheaded against the entire people, trying to intimidate the Russians, Solovej says.

Earlier, Pres Putin signed a decree banning foreign companies to gauge TV audiences in Russia.

zik.ua

As many in social media, which Russians have access to like Twitter, Facebook and others find the truth from global sources, it is a BIG problem for him. We who post the news we get and resend or retweet it is seen my Russians. It all gets by him and that's what he wants to stop. I hope Russians will realize that the time is running out for them to stand-up and do something about them losing their rights and access to the truth on which way Putin's taking them. Very soon there might not be internet at all. They won't be able to contact their family members, overseas is one serious issue for them. They'll be closed off of the rest of the world. Russia will enhance the restrictions the old soviet union governments had over them that blocked them from avoiding its internal propaganda. They must do something very soon, or else.

New sanctions must make Russia cancel its ban on the transit of Ukrainian goods to Central Asia, Ukraine’s trade representative Natalia Mykoska writes in Twitter July 6.

July 5, Russia banned the transit of Ukrainian goods via its territory,

The ban cuts the export of Ukrainian goods to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. 

Meanwhile, in a tit-for-tat decision the Ukrainian cabinet extended the ban on the import of Russian goods till Dec. 31, 2017.

zik.ua

President Vladimir Putin of Russia held a telephone conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama at the initiative of the Russian side.

Censor.NET informs citing the statement by the Kremlin's press service.

The statement reads: "Discussing the Ukrainian issues, the Russian president reiterated the importance of strict implementation of the Minsk agreements of Feb. 12, 2015, including the establishment of the real direct dialogue with the Donetsk and Luhansk, holding amnesty, granting special status to the "DPR" and "LPR", the joint development of the law on local elections. He stressed that no alternative to a political settlement of the situation existed. The president noted the need to intensify the work aimed to avoid violations of the cease-fire, full implementation of the agreement on the withdrawal of heavy weapons, and the establishment of truce between the parties to the conflict. In this regard, the role of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission was emphasized."

As previously reported, in 2014, the European Union, the United States and several other countries imposed sanctions against Russia in connection with the occupation of Crimea and aggression in eastern Ukraine. These restrictive measures were repeatedly extended and expanded. In particular, the talks on visa waiver and a new basic agreement on cooperation were suspended; several Russia's officials were banned to travel to the EU while their assets were attached. Trade, financial, and military restrictions were introduced. The sanctions list included a total of 151 individuals and 37 entities. The sectoral sanctions were imposed against 20 Russian financial, oil-producing and defense companies.

ua.censor.net.ua In Ukrainian/український

During his telephone conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed the need of a "real direct dialogue" between the Ukrainian authorities and the self-proclaimed republics in Donbas, according to the Kremlin's press service.

"During the discussion of Ukraine, the President of Russia again pointed to the importance of Kyiv strictly observing the Minsk agreements of February 12, 2015, including the start of a real direct dialogue with Donetsk and Luhansk, amnesty, special status for the 'DPR' and the 'LPR' and the joint elaboration of a law on local elections," the press service said. Putin emphasized that there is no alternative to a political settlement. He also "stressed the need to step up efforts to address ceasefire violations and the importance of full compliance with the agreement on the withdrawal of heavy weapons and the separation of the sides to the conflict, in which the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission has a major role to play." The telephone conversation was held at Russia's initiative.

Putin also informed his American counterpart, as Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group (Russia, the United States and France) on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, of the results of the trilateral meeting with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, in St Petersburg on June 20. Putin emphasized that Russia organized the talks to help stabilize the situation in the conflict zone as soon as possible and create the conditions for progress in the peace process.

"Barack Obama praised Russia's efforts, and the leaders agreed to continue active cooperation in the Minsk OSCE Group on this vital issue," the press service said. During the discussion of the situation in Syria, Putin urged Obama to facilitate as quickly as possible the separation of moderate Syrian opposition forces from the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra and other extremists that are not covered by the ceasefire regime. "Both sides reaffirmed their readiness to step up coordination of American and Russian military actions in Syria, and emphasized the importance of resuming inter-Syrian negotiations under the aegis of the UN to achieve a political settlement," the press service said.

nian.ua In Ukrainian/український

English singer, actress and fashion designer Kelly Lee Osbourne, a daughter of English singer and songwriter John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne, has been impressed by a Ukrainian vyshyvanka-themed dress by a Ukrainian designer.

"People may think New York City is where #fashion is at, but I've got my [eyes] on #Ukraine. I CAN'T believe I'm the first #celebrity to wear @yuliya_magdych," she wrote in a caption to her Instagram picture, showcasing the dress with traditional Ukrainian embroidery. Kelly Osbourne also predicts the popularity of the Ukrainian designer's dresses. "Mark my words, Yuliya will become the next big thing in #fashion #OBSESSED," she wrote.

unian.info In Ukrainian/український

Three children died in Ukraine's war-torn east as their father disassembled a grenade, and three Ukrainian troops were killed in clashes in the troubled region with pro-Russian rebels, officials said on Tuesday (Jul 5).

An insurgency commander said the children, aged between two and 11, found a grenade Monday and gave it to their father in the separatist province of Donetsk.

"The father, in the presence of the children, began to disassemble the grenade," the separatists' news site quoted Eduard Basurin as saying.

Basurin said the resulting explosion killed the children while the father survived and was now being treated in a local hospital. It was unclear why the father had tried to disassemble the grenade...............

channelnewsasia.com