Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Tuesday 29 November. [Ukrainian sources]

TUESDAY

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NEWS:
Kyiv displeased with Russian draft of Donbas settlement roadmap Ukrainian Defense Ministry: 55,000 Russian troops massing near Ukraine.  Ukrainian military casualties during anti-terrorist operation total 2,145.  Admiral Kuznetsov' bombing Russia, not Syria - Navalny. Two-thirds of Russians seeking rapprochement with the West - poll.

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Russian desire to be friends with the West reached a peak with the beginning of the century

Two-thirds of Russians favor the expansion of political, cultural and economic ties with the West, found a new study "Levada-Center".

This is similar to a historic high in March 2000, when a rapprochement with Western countries were 76% of Russians. According to the center, in November this year to support the course of rapprochement with the West, said 71% of respondents.



Sociologists point out the Russian request for rapprochement with the West at the same time with a decrease in the negative to the US and the EU. According to the November data Levada Center, "mostly bad" and "bad" in the United States are collectively 56%. For the EU, the figure is 54%. Two months ago, "mostly bad" and "very bad" in the US were 64%, and in January 2016- th - 65%. Dynamics of the EU in January improved by 4% - in November the EU were negative 54%.

The society is a request for normalization of relations with major Western powers, Deputy Director commented "Levada Center" Alexei Grazhdankin. However, he said, the Russians believe that the initiative must come from the West.

As reported, the Russians massively complain about the sharp increase in food prices.

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

Ukraine cannot accept the roadmap drafted by Russia in case it has a provision on ending the military operation in Donbas, Ukrainian representative to the political subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group for Donbas Olha Aivazovska said.

"I think that security measures are the source of biggest differences. This is because the Russian Federation has declared in various formats the possibility of ending the anti-terrorism operation as roadmap provision No 1, including in the roadmap published at the beginning of the year," Aivazovska told the press in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"We cannot speak about its acceptance by Ukraine if this provision remains suggested for the document," she said.......

en.interfax.com.ua

During the course of Ukraine's anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine some 2,145 servicemen have been killed. Some 691 were drafted conscripts, Ukraine's Defense Ministry has said, in response to requests sent to the Access For Truth Information website.

"Scanned documents by the Defense Ministry posted on Tuesday November 21, 2016 list 2,145 servicemen killed. Non-battle related fatalities totaled 487 servicemen, with 7,091 servicemen listed as receiving injuries.

According to information provided by the defense ministry, 335 officers and 1,807 non-commissioned officers and sergeants died........

en.interfax.com.ua

"Why are we meddling with Syrian affairs, if we have no money? The bunker fuel for "Admiral Kuznetsov" to make a race from Severomorsk to Syria and back again in the clouds of black smoke costs 128 million of roubles (USD 2 million)," the Russian opposition politician and leader of the Foundation for Fighting Corruption Alexei Navalny writes on his official website.

When receiving complaints about the extremely poor condition of roads in Russian cities, local authorities reply in a simple way - we won't repair anything, there's no money, Navalny says on his video blog.

"If we are so poor that we can't repair the holes in the road in the biggest cities, so maybe we should conduct a quieter combat operation, without those PR things like striking blows with expensive cruise missiles on kishlaks and donkeys? There's only a military point in this, the only aim here is to demonstrate the military might. To break the monotony, it would be great to demonstrate the might with getting roads in Voronezh city repaired," he wrote.............



Access complete text of the editorial:  uatoday.tv In English

Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Ihor Dolhov says some 55,000 Russian troops are now massing near the border with Ukraine.

"Currently, Russia has amassed about 55,000 servicemen near the Ukrainian border. The presence of the Russian regular army on the territory of Ukraine varies from 5,000 to 7,500 soldiers. In Crimea, this figure is 23,000 troops, of which 9,000 are on the administrative border," he said at the fifth Tiger Conference in Kyiv on November 29, LІGA.net reported.

According to Dolhov, a total of 1,000 soldiers of the Russian armed forces is stationed in Transnistria, a self-proclaimed republic on the southwestern border of Ukraine........

unian.info

The scandal broke after Maruani pointed to the undeniable similarity own compositions «Symphonic Space Dream» and Kirkorov song "Cruel Love"

In the network appeared the video, which shows the arrest in Russia of the famous French composer and musician, leader of Space Maruani Didier, who accused the Russian singer Philip Kirkorov plagiarism.
Video published Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in his Twitter.

"Pushed into a police car French musician Didier Maruani. He resists. A detainee at the request of Philip Kirkorov. Fantasy"- written opposition.



Recall the scandal broke after Maruani pointed to the undeniable similarity own compositions «Symphonic Space Dream» and Kirkorov song "Cruel Love". Later Kirkorov addressed to the Russian police, written statement about the extortion. Therefore in Moscow detained Didier Maruani and Igor Trunov lawyer who represents their interests.

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

One of the few survivors of a plane crash in the sky over Colombia - keeper "Shapekoense" Jackson Folmanu amputated leg

Yesterday, November 29, the plane of the Brazilian team, "Shapekoense" crashed in Colombia. With 72 passengers and 9 crew members survived only six people, three of which are representatives of the football club, says gazeta.ua.

Note that Folman Jackson joined the team recently. At the beginning of this year, he played for Brazilian "of UNIA Recreativo."

Jackson Folman was a reserve goalkeeper of the team. The main gate guard but Marcos Daniel, who was still alive after the crash, died in hospital from his injuries

As reported in Colombia crashed plane, carrying members of the football club "Shapekoense" from Brazil. At first it was aware of six people who survived.

Later it was reported that survived 13 people and was opublikuvano list of passengers who flew on the ship.

glavcom.ua, In Ukrainian / на українській мові

FBI experts are now in Ukraine

FBI experts arrived in Ukraine and Ukrainian investigators brought video monitoring research findings in the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet.

It said the acting head of Vadim Troyan Natspolitsiyi in an interview to "Interfax-Ukraine"

"Experts FBI now in Ukraine, they brought our investigation video monitoring research findings. This latest investigation into the case, which they carried out, an opinion on vybuhotehnichnoho study was provided earlier", - he told.

Other details Troyan investigation did not reveal, because, according to him, it could harm the investigation.

In late September, Interior Minister of Ukraine Arsen Avakov said that the investigation into the murder of Pavel Sheremet "is intense" but no specific information reported, citing the secrecy of the investigation.

Pavel Sheremet was killed July 20 in the center of Kyiv staging the undermining of the car, which he led. Ukrainian police classify the death as murder of a journalist.

Pavel Sheremet - Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian journalist, TV, radio and periodicals in the 1990s - 2000s head of special information projects of the Russian TV channel ORT, then - "First Channel" in Russia. The last five years he lived in Kiev, worked in the online publication "Ukrainian Truth" and radio "Vesti".

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

1313 of 8700 released by this law are arrested for committing grave and especially grave crimes

Those who came to freedom through "Savchenko law" has made 30 murders and 25 serious bodily crimes causing death.
It said the acting head of Natspolitsiyi Vadim Troyan, wrote "Interfax-Ukraine".

"1313 from 8700 released by this law are arrested for committing grave and especially grave crimes," - said Troyan.

According to him, on this and other factors, it is necessary to amend the current legislation.

"In change or cancel" law Savchenko, "it is important to adoption of the law" On criminal offenses "is substantially ease the operational unit and effect.

For relatively minor crimes should be simplified procedure for investigation and transfer the case to court," - said Troyan.

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

We went there to stop the Assad rule of a tyrant who carries out state terrorism, Erdogan said

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country's armed forces entered Syria to overthrow the current president Bashar al-Assad. Reported Hyrriyet Daily News.

"According to my estimates, about 1 million people were killed in Syria. People continue to die, without exception, children, women and men. Where is the UN? What is she doing? She is in Iraq? None. We preach patience, but could not stand it anymore, we had to enter Syria with the " Free Syrian Army" - he said.

"We are there to establish justice. We went there to stop the Assad rule of a tyrant who carries out state terror" - he concluded.

glavcom.ua, In Ukrainian / на українській мові

The activists went to the building of the Interior Ministry to the requirements to publish the results of the official investigation of crimes against Maidan

In Kiev, began a torchlight procession. More than a dozen activists demands to publish the results of the official investigation of crimes against Maidan, moved to the building of the Interior Ministry, reports UNN.

Activists started gathering at the Independence Square around 19.00.

First, several activists unfurled a banner in the main square of the city, and had skype conference in London, where representatives also Diaspora came to protest.

21.00 After more than 10 activists still moved to the building of the Interior Ministry to the requirements to publish the results of the official investigation of crimes against Maidan and release and renew terminate the service of persons involved in crimes against Maidan.

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

As long as Berlin maintains sanctions against Moscow, Paris will not try to resist it.


Censor.NET reports citing special adviser at the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique François Heisbourg's article for Financial Times.

He notes that the foreign policy does not usually figure prominently in French presidential campaigns but, when it does, it tends to involve Russia.

In 1981, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was not helped in his failed bid for re-election by accusations that he had served as Brezhnev's petit télégraphiste after having met his Soviet counterpart as the Red Army was occupying Afghanistan; and in 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy sought and obtained political advantage by denouncing Russian president Vladimir Putin's war in Chechnya.

"As these examples suggest, the French electorate is not particularly pro-Russian," Heisbourg says.

He adds that last week, a reputable opinion poll stated that 61 percent of respondents approved maintaining economic sanctions imposed against Russia after its annexation of Crimea, while only a quarter wanted France to leave NATO.

Now the Russophile views of the leading conservative candidate, François Fillon, are at the center of a debate fueled by President Putin's surprising compliments on Nov. 23 vis à vis Mr Fillon, whom he (rightly) deemed to be a "great professional."

This raises two rather different questions: will this help Mr Fillon get elected; and, if he is, what does this mean for French diplomacy?

According to Heisbourg, in the first round of the presidential election in April he can count on the center-right as a whole but he will also want to poach a maximum number of votes from the National Front and clip the wings of its leader Marine Le Pen. Those voters are massively pro-Putin.

There is bad and good news on the potential consequences for France's diplomatic and strategic positioning. The bad news is that Mr Fillon is not being merely opportunistic on the Putin question. He has pursued this course for many years, long before he was a possible candidate for the presidency. Ties became particularly close between Messrs Fillon and Putin when the two men were prime ministers during the Medvedev presidency in Russia.

Nor is this a pure product of realpolitik on the Syrian issue, inspired for instance by President Barack Obama's failure to follow through with his threat of military intervention, leaving the field open to Russia's effective diplomatic and military intervention. At the time, Mr Fillon not only denounced a prospective American-French bombing operation but he did so from Russia, where he was with Mr Putin at the gathering of the Valdai club of senior officials and strategists. This caused some shock in Paris, since it is highly unusual and definitely bad form for a French politician to undercut his country's foreign policy from abroad.

In other words, he believes what he is saying and will not be easily moved: the politics of conviction can have drawbacks. The good news is that Mr Fillon has the sense of priorities of a serious politician with a strongly held Gaullist worldview. Close ties to the USSR and then Russia are part of that conceptual framework. But in that foreign policy vision, the future of French-German relations clearly takes precedence over a rapprochement with Russia. As long as Germany sticks to sanctions, France is unlikely to break ranks.

"Donald Trump in Washington, rather than Mr Fillon in Paris, may signal the lifting of sanctions and the end of western support to Ukraine, in which case the current European consensus on these issues will disintegrate, whoever is president in Paris," the expert points out.

"On a more speculative note, Mr Fillon's views on Mr Putin's Russia may also fall victim to another Gaullist trope: the unacceptable nature of the US and Russia striking a deal over France's head. Here the 1945 Yalta conference, when the two nascent superpowers carved up a post-war world, serves as the nightmare which no French leader can forget or countenance. Pro-Putinism in France would be one of the first victims of a Trump-Putin (or a Trump-Putin-Xi Jinping) remake of Yalta," Heisbourg concludes.

censor.net.ua , In Russian / На русском