Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Friday 3 March. [Ukrainian sources]

FRIDAY

Please scroll to view news items added during the day.

NEWS:
Donald Trump’s Russia relationship leaves Washington puzzled. Putin's critic Fiona Hill might be appointed White House director for Russia.  "Avdiivka cease-fire was not discussed," - Peskov on Putin's call with Poroshenko.  Spike in Russia's air and ground activity recorded on Crimea border.  Putin responded to Medvedev's secret property.  The leader of the "DNR" declared Ukraine "trade blockade".

WEATHER:
Kyiv, Ukraine
8c / 46f HI | RealFeel® 3c / 37f
Precipitation 22%
Intervals of clouds and sunshine

Despite the controversy over contacts, there has been little discernible shift in policy

As Donald Trump basked in the glory of his uncharacteristically conciliatory speech to Congress this week, the last thing he needed was another episode of the Russia scandal that has dogged his tenure in the White House. 

Two weeks after Mr Trump fired Michael Flynn, his national security adviser, for lying about conversations with the Russian ambassador, his attorney-general, Jeff Sessions, was forced to admit that he had misled senators during his confirmation hearing about his own meetings with the Kremlin envoy. 

Mr Sessions, a former Alabama senator who was a close adviser to Mr Trump during the campaign, responded to criticism by recusing himself from any justice department probe into connections between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. 

Mr Trump accused Democrats late on Thursday of conducting a “witch hunt”. But the episode shone another harsh light on his puzzling relationship with Russia.

Democrats and many Republicans were stunned last month when Mr Trump appeared to equate Russia and the US morally. When a television anchor alleged that Russian president Vladimir Putin was a “killer,” Mr Trump responded: “We have a lot of killers”. His reply further fuelled conspiracy theories that Russia may have compromising information on the US leader — something that Mr Trump has strongly denied. 

Many lawmakers in Washington are puzzled as to why Mr Trump has, since the launch of his presidential campaign, been notably consistent in not criticising Mr Putin, even after US intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian leader had authorised cyber attacks on the Democratic National Committee and the campaign of Hillary Clinton. 

Congressional committees are investigating whether Russia tried to interfere with the outcome of the presidential election. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing contacts between Trump campaign aides, including former chairman Paul Manafort, and Russian officials. Mr Manafort recently told the Financial Times he had “never” been questioned by the FBI and denied having had contact with Russian officials during the campaign............

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

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov says Vladimir Putin has recently had several phone calls with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, but no cease-fire in the area of Avdiivka was discussed.

Censor.NET reports citing Interfax.

Read more: Russian militants violated cease-fire in Donbas 118 times yesterday, employed large-caliber artillery and mortars, - Staff

"The issue of the cease-fire in Avdiivka was not discussed. They exchanged views and expressed mutual concerns at the escalation of tension. I can only confirm there really have been working phone contacts between the two presidents," Peskov told journalists on Thursday.

Asked about who initiated the calls, Peskov said he could not provide additional information on the matter.

As previously reported by the Bankova press service, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has had two telephone conversations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin since the most recent escalation of hostilities in eastern Ukraine.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

The Trump administration has offered a well-respected scholar and sober critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin the position of White House senior director for Europe and Russia.

Censor.NET reports citing Foreign Policy.

The decision to hire Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, for one of the government's top jobs dealing with U.S.-Russia relations is likely to earn bipartisan praise in Congress where Republicans and Democrats have expressed mounting unease with the Trump administration's apparent contacts with Russian officials during the presidential campaign. The House Intelligence Committee laid out parameters Wednesday for an investigation into the Trump campaign's possible contacts with Russian officials.

Hill, a dual U.S.-UK citizen and former U.S. intelligence officer from 2006 to 2009, has written critically of Putin's autocratic tendencies and desire of a "weakened U.S. presidency."

"Blackmail and intimidation are part of his stock in trade," she wrote in a column last summer explaining Putin's interest in interfering in America's presidential elections.

In her 2013 biography of Putin, she warned policymakers not to underestimate the Russian strongman given his strategic cunning and ability to find weaknesses in opponents derived from his experience in the KGB.

Since President Donald Trump's election in November, she has dismissed the possibility of a dramatic rapprochement with Russia given the inherent differences between Washington and Moscow. "The Russians will get all giddy with expectations, and then they'll be dashed, like, five minutes into the relationship because the U.S. and Russia just have a very hard time … being on the same page," she told The Atlantic in November.

Hill was offered the position by National Security Council chief of staff Keith Kellogg prior to the ouster of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. She hasn't yet filled the position and is still going through procedural steps such as background and security checks, according to the White House official. Hill is "in the process to take over the Europe and Russia position," said the official.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

According to Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, the spike is due to military drills underway in occupied Crimea.

Over the past three days, an increase in activity of Russia's aviation and military hardware has been registered on Crimea's administrative border, State Border Guard Service spokesman Oleh Slobodian said on air of 112 Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.

"In the past three days, we have seen a spike in Russian air activity on the administrative border with the occupied peninsula. It is not only aviation, helicopters patrolling the Black Sea area all the time. We also observe the movement of military equipment near the border. To our knowledge, all this is part of drills in which military units in occupied Crimea are involved. The situation remains highly dynamic," he said.

He also said no one was hurt in yesterday's shelling of Rodina mine in the Luhansk region.

"The shelling involved 82 mm mortars and small arms, and targeted both military and border guards. It lasted for half an hour, no one was hurt," he said.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

The Kremlin is seen, but do not know the details

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his entourage have been investigating Fund to Fight Corruption on real estate classified Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, reports RBC.

However, he said, the Kremlin has not yet learned the details of the relevant investigation.

"The details are not familiar. Media reports seen... "- said Peskov.

Recall Medvedev accused of possession of several huge estates in Russia and abroad. FCO also argue that Medvedev controls several charities, which transferred 70 billion rubles. Earlier Russian politician Alexei Navalny revealed what it looks like Medvedev's residence, located near the town of Ples in Ivanovo region.

glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

Zakharchenko said that "cuts all ties with Ukraine, which are fighting"

The leader of the terrorist "DNR" Alexander Zakharchenko said the complete break all ties with Ukraine.

This is reported by Russian media.

Zakharchenko said that "cuts all ties with Ukraine, which are fighting."

"Yes, selling coal to get the money and pay the wages here, but now let block all mine fields cover the tracks, we have learned to live in blockade," - said the leader of the terrorists.

Zakharchenko said that now "DNR" will focus on Russia.

As reported, in late January ATO veterans and some MPs initiated a blockade of railway crossings, which comes with anthracite temporarily uncontrolled territories for TPP Ukraine.

February 10, coal supply was completely stopped. Under the threat appeared reliable supply of certain industries, including metallurgy, and consumers at least nine regions of the country.

Recall Sergei Taruta convinced that by the organizers of the blockade of the railway in the Donbas are oligarchs who finance "Self".

Recall, February 27, leaders of the "DNR" and "FSC" Alexander Zakharchenko and Igor Carpenter stated that the so-called Republic introduce external management in enterprises Ukrainian jurisdiction and stop coal supply to Ukraine if Kyiv does not stop transport blockade Donbass to early March. They said they would "rebuild all production processes and orient them to market and other countries."

As previously reported, the "DNR" told who "control" captured militants Ukrainian enterprises.

Recall SBU intercepted conversations Zakharchenko "nationalized" plants can reach Sergei Kurchenko.

glavcom.ua, Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

U.S. Democrats are charging that FBI Director James Comey declined to divulge all he knew about the agency's investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. election at a closed-door meeting with the House Intelligence Committee.

"At this point, we know less than a fraction of what the FBI knows," said Representative Adam Schiff, the committee's top Democrat, after Comey's three-hour briefing on March 2.

The committee, like the FBI, is investigating allegations of collusion between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign last year.

"There were very large areas that were walled off, and those walls are going to have to come down if we are going to do our job,” Schiff said

"It was unclear whether [Comey's refusal to discuss certain matters] was a decision he was making on his own or a decision that he is making in consultation with the Department of Justice," Schiff said...........

Access complete text of the editorial:   rferl.org In English

Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly before the new presidential elections made three serious geopolitical slip and managed to alienate a significant part of his entourage of two warring camps. According to the ONLINE . UA RU , this opinion was expressed by Russian political scientist and publicist Andrei Piontkovsky online blog "Radio Liberty". According to the classification Piontkovsky, Putin's inner circle is divided into globo-kleptocrats concerned about the fate of their foreign assets, and national kleptocrats, acting without regard to the reaction of the West. "Breaking" the Kremlin after the "failure Trump its election commitments," proved to be extremely painful. A series of absurd, chaotic, reflex moves in the main National kleptocratic orientation: overflights of American ships, antediluvian spy ship off the coast of the US, cruise missiles, in violation of the INF Treaty, the recognition of passports unrecognized DNR and LNR. And finally, the brilliant initiative kleptomarshala Shoigu - the storming of the Reichstag toy, "- says a Russian expert.

"The third anniversary started by the leader of the Fourth World (hybrid) War marked his entourage in the oppressive atmosphere of foreign policy failures, the growing threat of foreign assets, zugzwang all proactively open fronts Akela three missed -. Ukraine, in Syria, in Washington," - added the analyst. As the Piontkovsky now "globo-kleptocrats accused the leader in an invalid adventurism, National kleptocrats - in cowardly indecision." "And he's still here, as luck would have to restructure - in which time - a license for the board," - said the Russian expert, recalling the presidential election approaching in 2018. "In this context, the curious document generated in the Kremlin administration Messrs Anton Vaino, and Sergei Kiriyenko ... and thrown into the mandatory in some controlled media, from manual to" Rain "." For seventeen plus years of Putin's rule Have you ever heard when such-or pathetic pleading, almost bashful tone coming from his staff: "Give to sit on the throne of 6 years he gives his word of honor that it would be the very last time to believe him, good people?!". What is it - "A word to the people," the election headquarters of the leader of the "Russian world" or the minutes of the meeting of the commission on the organization of his political funeral ceremonies"- he writes.

In addition, Piontkovsky said, "in the next lines of his message quite have lost coast Vaino and Kiriyenko stressed for some reason, pay attention to the city and the world", that: a) the elections will not be allowed none of the major opponents of the leader; b) elections will be transformed into a referendum of confidence; c) attendance figures and voting "yes" will be reported by the organizers to record the parameters approved in advance. "In February, the mystical '17 with a lag of 100 days from the schedule of the last century, one is tempted classic Milyukov question: what is - stupidity or treason Or we have already passed the station bottom and Vaino and Kiriyenko - this avatars Shulgin and Guchkov, who came to the Emperor for paper with the renunciation?" - He concluded. As reported Online.ua, before  Andrei Piontkovsky explained how Russian President Vladimir Putin was defeated in Ukraine and Syria.

news.online.ua , Original in Russian / На русском