Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Monday 19 December. [Ukrainian sources]

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NEWS:
Russian army cargo plane full of pilots crashes in Siberia.  Six Ukrainian military killed in Svitlodarsk salient, 20 wounded.  Dec. 18 rebels’ losses are 25 killed, 30 wounded.  Gazprom is frightening Europeans with Ukraine again. Russia to ban Ukrainian World Congress.  Russian battalion commander killed in Syria.  NATO-Russia Council meeting: European security and Ukraine conflict at table.

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Ukrainian Army incurred significant losses in Svitlodarsk salient.

As reported by Censor.NET, this was announced by civil volunteer Yurii Mysiahin on his Facebook page.

"We have incurred significant losses in Svitlodarsk salient: six people killed and about 20 wounded. Maybe more," he wrote.

He said these losses were incurred by the Ukrainian military in less than a 24-hour period.

ua.censor.net.ua, In Ukrainian / на українській мові

Dec. 18, Donbas rebels launched several fierce attacks to win new territory in the area of Svitlodar, Ukraine army press service Dec. 19 report runs.

The infantry attacks that started at 6:00 a.m. were preceded by shelling from mortars and large-caliber artillery.

The enemy infantry tried to by-pass Ukraine army outposts near Luhanske.

Ukraine army launched a lateral attack and beat the enemy back.

The enemy retreated, dropping military equipment behind.

According to Ukraine intelligence, 25 enemy servicemen were killed and 30 wounded in the attacks that day.

Ukraine army lost 5 killed and 6 wounded.

zik.ua

Article by: Vitaliy Portnikov

Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller once again is threatening European consumers with problems in the supply of Russian gas. Miller, as usual, finds that those responsible for possible problems are in Kyiv. According to Miller, Naftogaz of Ukraine has not stockpiled enough crude oil in underground reservoirs. Ukraine is no longer buying Russian gas, but in the event of severe cold weather, Ukraine would definitely need it and would begin to siphon the gas intended for Europeans illegally. And if this happened, he says, Gazprom would immediately cease to supply crude oil and would cause Europe to freeze once again, as had already happened during the famous crisis during the winter of 2008-2009. At that time, Gazprom suspended gas supplies because it expected the Ukrainian authorities to agree to its terms. But instead of freezing Ukraine, as Kremlin had expected, it was the European countries that were frozen. The Ukrainian gas industry, for the first time, used the reverse flow of gas and saved the eastern regions of the country from freezing..........

Access complete text of the editorial:  euromaidanpress.com In English

Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, reiterated his call for a select committee to conduct an investigation into Russia’s hacking of Democrats’ emails.

“We need to get to the bottom of this,” McCain said during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” ‘We need to find out exactly what was done and what the implications of the attacks were, especially if they had an effect on our election.”

McCain’s words come just two days after the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed sources, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency were in agreeance that Russia launched a cyberattack during the 2016 presidential election in order to achieve a specific outcome; a Donald Trump victory.

“There’s no doubt they were interfering and no doubt it was a cyber-attack,” McCain said. “The question now is how much and what damage and what should the United States of America do? And so far we’ve been totally paralyzed.”

McCain also took a swipe at President Barack Obama, who said during his final end-of-year press conference that had told Russian President Vladimir Putin to “cut it out” and stop meddling in U.S. political affairs.

“I’m sure that when Vladimir Putin was told quote ‘cut it out’ unquote, I’m sure that Vladimir Putin immediately stopped all cyber-activities,” McCain said. “The truth is, they are hacking every single day.”.............

Access complete text of the editorial:  news.vice.com In English

The Russian Defense Ministry says one of its planes has crash-landed in northern Siberia, RFE/RL reports. Everyone survived but 32 people have been hospitalized, including 16 in grave condition.

The Ilyushin Il-18 made an emergency landing about 30 kilometers from an airfield near the town of Tiksi in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) early on December 19, the ministry said. The Il-18, a propeller plane designed in the 1950s, had taken off from an air base in Kansk in the Krasnoyarsk region with 32 passengers and seven crew.

Aleksei Kolodeznikov, the deputy head of the regional government, was quoted as saying that high winds may have forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing. The Defense Ministry said military investigators were flown to the crash site............



uatoday.tv

Russian air assault battalion commander Major Sanal Sanchirov was killed in Syria last week, the Meduza outlet reports.

The Russian officer was previously reported killed on December 12, with no confirmation by the ministry of defence. He was buried on December 13 in the Russian region of Kalmykia.

The circumstances of the Russian officer's death in action remains unclear, the country's defence ministry gives no comments. Nevertheless, his death was confirmed by local authorities of a town where Sanchirov had been buried................

uatoday.tv

The NATO-Russia Council, the forum bringing together North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ambassadors and Russia's top diplomat dealing with the U.S.-led alliance, will convene for the third time this year with European security issues, including the conflict in Ukraine, topping the agenda.

Read also International community must keep pressuring Russia to respect Minsk - Stoltenberg

Russian Ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko confirmed his attendance, saying Moscow hoped for "an open discussion" on matters of common concern...........

uatoday.tv

The Russian authorities have included the Ukrainian World Congress to a preliminary list of the so-called 'undesirable organisations' and are concidering to totally ban the organisation permanently, the Ukrinform agency reports.

"The Ukrainian World Congress has been included on a preliminary "patriotic stop-list" in the Russian Federation," the organisation's president Yevhen Choliy was quoted as saying.

At least three Russian administrative bodies were deciding if the Congress affiliate in Russia must be banned totally, the official also said.

The so-called 'patriotic stop-list' in Russia means a list of non-governmental organisations within the country, that had been considered undesirable for Russian authorities....................

uatoday.tv

The EU-Ukraine free trade zone agreement entered into force on January 1, 2016, and is providing new opportunities for Ukraine in both trade and investment projects, the official also said.

"We have to bring Ukrainian and European business together for common work, including the markets of third world countries," Trofimtseva also claimed. According to her statement, the EU-Ukraine trade turnover has risen by 8,7% over the past 10 months.

Among Ukraine's biggest customers are Spain (14,7% of the export amount), Poland (14,3%), The Netherlands (13,9%), Italy (12,8%), Germany (10,3%)..............

uatoday.tv

The resolution on human rights in Russia-annexed Crimea was considered at the session of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, Dec. 19.

OFFICIAL: #UNGA adopts Ukrainian draft resolution on #Crimea. In favor – 70, against – 26, abstention – 77. #CrimeaIsUkraine pic.twitter.com/smBRlCCsHz

— UKR Mission to UN (@UKRinUN) December 19, 2016

As reported, on Nov. 15, 2016, the Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly adopted resolution entitled "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine)", initiated by Ukraine. 73 states voted in support of the document, 23 voted against, and 76 abstained. 41 states joined the list of co-sponsors. For the first time in official documents of the U.N., the Russian Federation is recognized as an occupying power and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as a temporarily occupied territory. In addition, the resolution confirmed the territorial integrity of Ukraine and reaffirmed the non-recognition of annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula.

The document also urges the Russian Federation to grant international human rights mechanisms, in particular the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, unimpeded access to Crimea in order to monitor human rights situation and asks the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a separate thematic report on the situation in the peninsula.

The approved resolution is an important diplomatic, political and legal mechanism by which Ukraine protects the rights of citizens of Ukraine on the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea.

ua.censor.net.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

"GDP in the third quarter of 2016 compared with the previous quarter (seasonally adjusted) increased by 0.5%, while compared to the third quarter of 2015 by 2%. Nominal GDP amounted to UAH 664.7 billion, and that per capita some UAH 15,568 ( in the third quarter of 2015 some UAH 13,155), "the report states.....

en.interfax.com.ua

Two years before the saga of Russian intervention in the 2016 U.S. Election and the alleged connections between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the president-elect once thought Russian hacking was actually a problem, CNN reports.

While Trump continues to neglect Russia’s involvement in his 2016 election victory, in 2014, his tune was much different. During an interview with Fox News at the time, Trump claimed that he was aware of the threat of Russian and Chinese hacking and thought of them as a “big problem.”

However, since the election on Nov. 8 and even during the primaries, Trump has repeatedly questioned Russia’s involvement in his victory, telling Fox News Sunday earlier this month, “It’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it.”

Trump commented on the Russian hacking allegations in a series of tweets, as well. “If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?” he wrote on Dec. 15.

He wrote on Dec. 12, “Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card. It would be called conspiracy theory!”...............

Access complete text of the editorial:  rawstory.com In English

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko had a telephone conversation with US Vice President Joseph Biden

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko told Vice President Joseph Biden on the situation in the Donbass, including Russia planned an armed attack in an area Svetlodarsk arc. The press service of the President of Ukraine.

Biden condemned the continuing provocations and attempts of Russian fighters aggravate the security situation in the Donbass.

Vice President of the United States welcomed the decision of the Ukrainian government on nationalization "Privatbank".

During the conversation mentioned above, this bold and necessary step demonstrates the resolve and commitment to Ukraine to further implement the necessary reforms.

Poroshenko and Joseph Biden coordinated action to support Ukraine in the context of cooperation with the International Monetary Fund.

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

19 December Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Turkey was killed in an attack at the opening

Russian tourists in Turkey not advised without having to leave the residence.
This was reported at the Rostourism.

This statement agencies linked to the murder of the Russian ambassador in Turkey.

"Rosturizm asks Russian tourists staying in Turkey, to exercise caution, avoid crowded places, without the need not to leave the place of residence" - said in a statement.

Recall, Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Turkey suffered a gunshot wound to the art exhibition in the Turkish capital Ankara, he was hospitalized in critical condition.

The attack occurred at the opening in the center of contemporary art, where the ambassador uttered a speech from the podium.

Besides him, several people also wounded.

It is reported that Turkish police killed a man who attacked the Russian ambassador in Ankara Andrew Charles.

Before that, the attacker said that the living will not leave the building. The attack called an act of retaliation for Russia's actions in Aleppo.

Subsequently, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that Andrew Charles died.

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

We have considered two versions of events: suicide or murder

Head of a department of the Russian Foreign Ministry found shot dead in Moscow, a source REN TV journalists. Officially, the office of the information is not yet confirmed.

His body with a gunshot wound to the head was found in the apartment. According to some reports, the site found two shells from a traumatic gun. Gun found under the sink in the kitchen.

The source reports that the apartment where the found body was the wife of the man.

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Turkey died from gunshot wounds

Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into the murder of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Andrey Karlov in Turkey.
About TASS reported citing the official representative of the Investigative Committee.

"In fact the attack on Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov prosecuted for the crime under Art. 360 of the Criminal Code ( "Assault on person enjoys international protection"), "- said the official representative of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Svetlana Pyetryenko.

According to the report, Russia considers the incident to the category of crimes against the peace and security of mankind, which can be investigated pozaterytorialno.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Turkey died from gunshot wounds.

glavcom.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові