Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Monday 5 June. [Ukrainian sources]

MONDAY

Please scroll to view news items added during the day

NEWS:
US "absolutely sure" that Russia interfered in the election - Haley.  The Russians have called the United States, Ukraine and Germany the most hostile to the state of their country - poll.  Russian secret service agents, including embassy staff and TASS, trying to block Macedonia's accession to NATO.  "Who do you serve - Ukraine or the aggressor?": In Kolomna conflict through the Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.  The unprecedented military build-up of NATO of destabilizing the situation in Europe - Lavrov.  Ukraine among top five global butter exporters. "Missing link": Bellingcat found pre-MH17 photo of Buk 332 that downed Dutch Boeing. US plans to keep Russia "sanctions strong and tough,". 

WEATHER:
Kyiv, Ukraine
28c / 82f HI | RealFeel® 29c / 85f
'Precipitation 55%
Partly sunny and humid; a couple of afternoon showers and a thunderstorm

A resident of the village of Lower Bystryi Transcarpathian region Rosoha Christina was forced for about 50 years to get to the nearest shop at trough using improvised crossings over the river.

Image film about a woman Ukrainian edition DW published on his page on Facebook.

The nearest bridge over the river is located 5 km from the village of Lower Bystryi. Unusual crossing built by a woman Christina Rosohy. To cross the river, you need to actually pull yourself through a rubber belt rope. In the winter woman can use the crossing.

It is noted that the troughs are falling and people are broke to death.



apostrophe.ua, Original in Ukrainian / на українському

US authorities are absolutely confident that hackers controlled by Russian authorities interfered in the presidential election in the US in 2016.

As Tsenzor.NET citing Radio Liberty , the stated US permanent representative to the UN Nikki Haley in an interview with CNN.

Asked about Moscow's alleged interference in the election in the US, it said the "absolute confidence" in Washington that the interference was. According to her, the US Congress investigating the case.

Haley finds it necessary to make every effort to represent the public the facts relating to the intervention of the election campaign in the US.

Recall that in early January, Office of the Director of National Intelligence published the unclassified part of the report on cyber attacks by Russian hackers of the presidential elections in the US. The document states that the campaign to help Republicans Donald Trump win the US presidential election ordered the Russian President Vladimir Putin. US intelligence believes that "with high probability" Putin "ordered hackers to influence elections."

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Russian citizens believe the United States, Ukraine and Germany hostile to Russia countries and allies - Belarus, Kazakhstan and China.

It informs Tsenzor.NET , reported Interfax at the Levada Center on Monday.

One in five (21%) Russians believe that in recent years relations between Russia and the US are changing for the better, on the contrary say 17%, and more than half (54%) until you see the changes.

Speaking of relations with EU countries, only 14% have noticed a tendency to improve, and 21%, on the contrary - to deteriorate. The fact that in recent years relations between Russia and the EU does not change, said 53% of the survey conducted May 19-22 among 1,600 people in 137 settlements of 48 regions of Russia.

Closest Friends of respondents consider Belarus (46%) and China (39%), while the ratings of these countries decreased in 2015 compared to the year - 55% and 43% respectively.

Also interviewed stated friendly relations of Russia and Kazakhstan (34%) and Syria - an ally of Russia named 15% of respondents (2% in 2015).

Also in the list of countries friendly with Russia, the Russians called India (14%), Armenia (12%), Cuba (11%), Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan (9%).

Argentina, which a year ago was called a friend of 13%, this year was among the "outsiders" of 2%.

Hostile towards Russia country respondents believe the US (69% vs. 73% in 2015), Ukraine (50% vs. 37%) and Germany (24% vs. 19%). 24% added to this list Latvia and Lithuania, 21% - Poland 16% - Estonia, 15% - the UK (21% in 2015), 9% - Georgia, 8% - France.

Most radically changed in the last two years the Russian perception of Turkey's to the "enemies" of its rank 8%, whereas a year ago - 29% and in 2015 - 1%.

The question is whether Russia is in international isolation, 46% of Russians said yes, 45% - negatively. Of those who think that Russia is in isolation, 44% are concerned about this, and 53% - no.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Chrissy Archibald came to the UK from Canada to visit her future husband.
This informs The Telegraph , transfers Tsenzor.NET .

"He held her and watched as she dies in his arms," ​​said Sister Tyler Ferguson comments in CBC News.

Later she wrote on Facebook: "We so often hear about these things, but they do not we seem real. Last night in London, my little brother lost the love of his life at the London Bridge. In an instant he took away everything he had".



Family of the deceased said that she worked in a homeless shelter before they decided to move to Europe to be with her fiance.

Relatives stressed the importance of honoring the dead, sacrificing their time or money to homeless and say that they sent Chrissy.

Local media also called the name of the deceased from France - 27-year-old Alexander, who worked at the institution Boro Bistro.

As reported earlier, seven people were killed and 48 wounded as a result of a series of attacks on London Bridge and Borough Market market. Van crashed into a crowd armed with knives and then people began attacking passers-by. According to police, the assailants shot.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Documents prove counter Macedonia, the Russian special services are trying to block the country's accession to NATO and create a neutral zone countries in the Balkans.

According to Tsenzor.NET , it stated in the investigation of the Russian "Novaya Gazeta" .

A source from the Government of Macedonia on condition of anonymity to journalists of an international consortium Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP ) archive of dozens of secret reports. A joint investigation has also participated the Macedonian TV station NOVA TV and the Serbian edition KRIK. The documents you sent are based on telephone tapping, surveillance and source of stories. They speak about how the Russian SVR and GRU officers together with employees of the Russian embassy were trying to influence the internal politics of Macedonia and other Balkan countries, to prevent them from joining NATO and promote the interests of Russia. "Novaya Gazeta" says the main thing in OCCRP investigation.

Since the end of the Cold War, Macedonia is traditionally considered a partner of the West. However, in recent years Russia has significantly increased its influence in the Balkans in general and Macedonia in particular, the report counterintelligence Macedonia.

Russian intelligence activities intensified after several Balkan countries announced their desire to join NATO. In April this year, the Parliament of Montenegro voted in favor of joining NATO. And Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina received the status of candidate for membership.

For example, according to the documents, the honorary consulate in the Russian Macedonian towns of Bitola and Ohrid act as intelligence base.

Over the past nine years, Macedonia is "under the influence of strong and destructive propaganda, as well as the activities of the intelligence services, which is implemented through the Embassy of the Russian Federation", says the report in the name of Vladimir Atanasovsko, head of the Security Service and Intelligence Macedonia.

"RF uses the methods of the so-called" soft power "as part of a strategy to isolate the Balkans from the influence of the West." "In addition, Russia's foreign policy is in close cooperation with the Energy Strategy, which aims - to get control over strategic energy resources of the country", - the report says.

The ultimate goal of the plan - "to make Macedonia totally dependent on Russian politics," believe the Macedonian counterintelligence.

Implementation of this strategy in Macedonia engaged in three SVR officer who receive guidance from headquarters in Belgrade, capital of Serbia, and four members of the GRU, with its headquarters in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria. Their activities, according to the documents, coordinated through the Russian Embassy in Skopje, capital of Macedonia.

Macedonian counterintelligence reports also indicate the names of the state agency TASS correspondents and representatives of Rossotrudnichestvo as the Russian intelligence agents. (For security reasons, "Novaya Gazeta" did not disclose their names.)

The Russian agents for many years engaged in the recruitment of former and current employees of the Macedonian army and police, to "create a critical mass of people with military training and the right political moment to use them in Russian interests "the report said.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

June 4 in Coloma conflict between the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate through the building of one of the churches in the city.

This refers to the wooden Annunciation Church 18th century, reports Tsenzor.NET referring to the local channel STC.



Community of priests and the Church came under church building there and organized a meeting, during which the church claimed. Ostensibly it is still ruled here Greek Catholics, but when the Soviet Union withdrew Orthodox Church. Activists tried to convince parish church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary get out of the Moscow Patriarchate.

On the eve of the regular session of the City Council raised the issue of preserving the historical value of the house. However, the mayor said: "Moscow Patriarchate in Kolomna no one will help."

Then, together with deputies came to the conclusion that parishioners should voluntarily withdraw from the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.

A little over a week, and the city of activists and priests of the UGCC organized a march to the grave of Sich Riflemen. After the prayer they said they wanted the community took a wise decision and left the subordination of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Parishioners of the UOC (MP) were outraged by the proposal. In the churchyard conflict. However, the Church and priests in the temple protesters still gone.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that discuss during talks with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makeev coordination of building relations with NATO in the light of recent decisions at the summit of the Alliance.
It informs Tsenzor.NET , reported TASS.

"We need to discuss the coordination of approaches to building relations with NATO, - he said. - In light of recent NATO summit, we must admit that attempts to change the existing balance of power in Europe, unprecedented since the Cold War military build-unit increase in military training activities, as well as the continued establishment of US missile defense system will destabilize the situation in Europe. "

According to Lavrov, following "contrary to the decision of the OSCE summit and the summits of NATO - Russia to establish a Euro-Atlantic common space of peace, security and stability" and directly affect the national interests of Russia and Belarus.

"Concerted actions of our countries, including the line of the CSTO, which this year are heading Belarusian friends are particularly important," - said Lavrov.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Ukraine has been named among the top five largest suppliers of butter globally in Q1 of 2017.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroisman wrote on his Facebook page, Censor.NET reports.

The top exporting country for butter is New Zealand with 151,800 tons of butter, second and third are EU countries (44,400 tons) and Belarus (17,500 tons). The U.S. was named the fourth largest butter exporter in the world (6,000 tons).

Ukraine exported 3,470 tons of butter in the first quarter of this year.

"Unlike the rest of the large players on the market who cut their exports in 2016, we are growing stronger in terms of our trading capacity. The export of butter has almost tripled since 2014," Hroisman said.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Bellingcat was able to find the “missing link” photograph that shows Buk 332 from before the June 2014 convoy.
Censor.NET reports citing Bellingcat.

Since the July 17, 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 (MH17), Bellingcat has published numerous articles concerning the anti-aircraft missile launcher that downed the passenger plane-Buk 332, of Russia's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. This Buk missile launcher (TELAR) was previous dubbed "Buk 3×2" due to an obscured middle digit, but after a May 3, 2016 report, we established that the middle digit was originally a "3," making the identity of this Buk clear. This report identified many of the details that allowed us to identify Buk 332, using materials as far back as 2009 and relying heavily on photographs and videos showing Buk 332 in a June 2014 convoy that traveled from near the missile launcher's base in Kursk to Millerovo, near the Russia-Ukraine border. These details include the shape of the side skirt, a hollow wheel among spoked wheels on the right side, a dent in the left front panel, the arrangement and connections of electricity cables, the font and wider spacing of the digits of the unit designation, oil and soot stains, and white transport marks on both side skirts. The white gravity mark (appearing like a cross-hair) and transport mark on the left side of the vehicle were not unique for this vehicle in the convoy, but were clearly visible on Buk 332 both in the June 2014 convoy in Russia, and in July 17 and 18 photographs and videos while in eastern Ukraine. However, while photographs of Buk 332 uploaded on social media profiles of soldiers of the 53 rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade showed the white gravity mark, they did not show the white transport marks on the side of the vehicle and the side skirts.

Following a tip from Twitter user @Sl0zhny, Bellingcat was able to find the "missing link" photograph that shows these white transport markings on Buk 332 from before the June 2014 convoy. A photograph taken by a Russian mechanic, likely in the spring of 2013, shows Buk 332 with the same white transport markings that were on the Buk while in Ukraine shortly before and after the downing of MH17. This photograph is the last discovered image of Buk 332, showing its non-obscured unit designation and transport markings, before the June 2014 convoy, when the middle digit of its unit designation was painted over.



The white digits, gravity mark, and transport marks in this photograph are in the same location as in photographs and videos of Buk 332 while it was in Russia in June 2014 and in Ukraine in July 2014.



This Buk missile launcher was identified as Buk 332 from the 53 rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 32406) due to these common features. The mechanic's photograph was taken at a vehicle yard of this brigade, as we can determine with the help of another photograph from the same area, uploaded by a cadet in August 2014. This photograph shows the same pink colored Krug missile container, visible in the mechanic's Buk 332 photograph. The photograph is geotagged at the vehicle yard of the 53rd Brigade in Marshala Zhukova, near Kursk in Russia, which is correct after cross-referencing the features in the photograph with satellite imagery.

The mechanic's initially discovered photo album was uploaded in February 2015, but doesn't give the mechanic's name or information about when or where the photographs were taken. RBC journalist Inna Sidorkova was able to contact a person who was involved with the photograph. This person confirmed that the mechanic was in this photograph with Buk 332, and that they recalled that the mechanic was in Kursk in 2013. When asked by the RBC journalist if it could have been in 2014, they replied that "it's possible." Aside from the Buk 332 photograph, the album shows photographs of a S-300 9A85 transloader, a special purpose vehicle (possibly a 9S52 Polyana-D4), and another Buk-M1 missile launcher.




Bellingcat managed to identify the mechanic and located several of his social media profiles. One of these social media profiles shows the Buk 332 photograph, and another social media profile shows two photographs that also are visible in his 2015 album. These photographs, one showing another Buk missile launcher and the other the special purpose vehicle, were uploaded on 31 March 2013. A third photograph shows a S-300 9A83 missile launcher, uploaded on 20 June 2013. Other photographs before 31 March 2013 or after 20 June 2013 do not show his work as mechanic of military equipment.

These photographs, including the Buk 332 image, were very likely taken around the same time in spring and the early summer of 2013. With these photos all being in the same 2015 album, the non-obscured unit designation number, and the information received by RBC journalist Inna Sidorkova, it is clear that the photograph was almost certainly taken in 2013, but there is a remote possibility that it was taken in spring 2014.

These photographs, including the Buk 332 image, were very likely taken around the same time in spring and the early summer of 2013. With these photos all being in the same 2015 album, the non-obscured unit designation number, and the information received by RBC journalist Inna Sidorkova, it is clear that the photograph was almost certainly taken in 2013, but there is a remote possibility that it was taken in spring 2014.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The diplomat's statement came amid allegations of possible ease of the sanctions by the White House.

As reported by Censor.NET citing Politico, Nikki Haley, President Donald Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, told CNN on Sunday.

"I'm not aware of that," said Haley, asked about the news reports on CNN's "State of the Union." "So, everything I know is that we have said we're going to keep our sanctions strong and tough when it comes to the issue in Ukraine. I've said that publicly. We'll continue to say that."

Haley also said she could not confirm a report that White House adviser Jared Kushner sought to use the Russian embassy to communicate securely with the Kremlin during the presidential transition, but she said she "wouldn't do that" herself.

"What I can tell you is, no, I wouldn't do that," the former South Carolina governor told host Jake Tapper. "But at the same time, I'm not in that inner circle in the administration.

"I do my job at the United Nations, and Jared continues to do his job there at the White House. And until we see facts, it's hard to respond to something like that.

"I can tell you the international community is concerned about Russia's meddling within all of their elections," she added. "But they're concerned about Russia for a lot of reasons. And so we'll continue to keep our eye on them. And when we can work with them, we want to try and do that. But when we can't, we're going to hold the line."

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

This was the site of " City "

"So in Pochayiv Lavra Ukrainian Orthodox sanctuary this" pray "for the Ukrainian Orthodox. I share this video to discredit orthodox monastery, and to show why Ukraine should be really UKRAINIAN Orthodox Church, not the Moscow Patriarchate.



ternopillive.com.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському  

Moscow reserves the right to respond to the hostile line of Podgorica on the background of the formal completion of the accession process of Montenegro to NATO.

This is stated in the comments the Russian Foreign Ministry posted on the website department, said Tsenzor.NET .

"continues in Montenegro anti-Russian hysteria has caused us only regret in the light of the hostile line of Montenegrin authorities, the Russian side reserves the right to respond on the basis of reciprocity, in politics as in physics, every action generates.. opposition ", - said in a commentary.

The responsibility for the current situation, as stated by the Foreign Ministry, the whole "is on the Montenegrin side."

"In view of the initiative unprovoked accession of Montenegro to the EU anti-Russian measures to March 2014 the Russian Federation has taken steps symmetrical in August 2015" - the report says.

In late April, members of the Parliament of Montenegro voted for the country's entry into NATO. The move has drawn sharp criticism from Russia.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Russia and Belarus have agreed on the exchange of data relating to contacts with NATO.

This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after a meeting with his counterpart from Belarus Vladimir Makey, transfers Tsenzor.NET citing Gazeta.ru, .

"We agreed to continue to coordinate the approaches of building relations with NATO, to exchange information about the contacts with the alliance" , - he said.

Lavrov also said that both sides expressed concern caused by the strengthening of NATO's military operations on the eastern flank.

Recall scale strategic exercise "Zapad-2017" will be held from 14 to 20 September this year simultaneously in several landfills Russia and Belarus. Announcing the maneuvers, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier called their main event of the joint training of Russian and Belarusian armed forces in 2017. According to the NATO allies, we can talk about more than 100 thousand. Soldiers. This will make the "West-2017" the biggest military exercises conducted by Russia in 2013.

NATO noted that during the previous large-scale maneuvers in 2013, Russia has fulfilled actions of special forces and conducted tests, which were later used during the occupation of the Crimea.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Ukrainian Defense Ministry is closely following the sudden actions that the Russian Federation carries out at the borders of Ukraine and in the occupied Crimea. All units are presented in an appropriate state of readiness.
As reported Tsenzor.NET , it informed the speaker of the Ministry of Defense on the ATO Andrei Lysenko during the traditional daily briefing.

According to him, the country-aggressor Russia does not leave attempts to intimidate both Ukraine and Western partners.

Lysenko also noted that the so-called sudden teachings of the Russian Federation carries out continuously, and the transportation of troops and equipment are carried out not only in Russia, but also on the territory of Belarus, "supposedly as part of joint exercises."

"Reaction Ukrainian military department adequate: we carefully observe the redeployment of troops, increased control over the airspace, border control, and all possible means and ways we see to it that these teachings did not escalate to some unexpected for us an act of aggression. Therefore, all who are now on the front lines, and along the state border of Ukraine, are given in the appropriate state of readiness " - Lysenko said.

Lysenko said that all the teachings are a possible threat, so they paid special attention to.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському  

Today, June 5, Russia lifted into the air fighter jets to intercept American spy planes near Kaliningrad.

Informs "Interfax" referring to the services to monitor the movement of military aircraft.

Thus, strategic reconnaissance aircraft the US Air Force RC-135W and RC-135U, which took off from the airbase Mildenholl in Britain, flew to Kaliningrad region by the Baltic.

Spy plane close to a distance of 60 km to the coast Kaliningrad region.

According to Western sites that link to your radio intercepts, to intercept US aircraft climbed over the Baltic Russian fighter Su-27.

Recall, May 4 United States Air Force intercepted two Russian strategic bombers Tu-95 and two multipurpose fighters Su-35 near Alaska, approximately 50 miles from the American coast.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

One of the brothers suicide bomber that carried out bombings during a concert at the Manchester Arena, Ismail Abed released from custody without charges put forward.

This was reported by BBC.

Recall, 22 people were killed and 59 wounded in an explosion in the hall Arena Manchester , occurred after a concert of American singer. Later it turned out that the explosion occurred near the stadium.

Police determined that the explosion committed suicide . Responsibility for the attack in Manchester took over the "Islamic state."

In the investigation of the terrorist attack in custody are five people. Among them - the brother Abed, 20-year-old Hashim and his father.

Hashim Abed including suspected that he was a member of the jihadist cell that planned an attack on a convoy of Special Representative of the UN in Libya.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The Ukrainian Anti-Monopoly Committee seized assets from the Russian gas company Gazprom as a penalty for monopoly abuse.

“The first amounts have been recovered from Gazprom. Soon we will show the result in numbers,” Pavlo Petrenko, the Minister of Justice of Ukraine said.

On May 31, the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice seized Gazprom assets under an anti-monopoly case and obligated Gazprom to pay $6 billion in fines for monopoly abuse on the Ukrainian market.

Petrenko added that "some Gazprom assets on Ukrainian territory have already been seized. Gazprom' itself has declared this”.

“We will not stop at this stage. Of course, $6 billion of Gazprom’s assets aren’t in Ukraine, and we will go to other countries where these assets and finances are and we will raise the question of implementing Ukrainian decisions in the future for an international decision on recovering Gazprom’s debts,” he claimed.

Petrenko added that they will strive to seize Gazprom assets in other countries in order to recover the penalty.

In January 2016, the Ukrainian Anti-Monopoly Committee decided to fine Gazprom more than $3 billion for monopoly abuse on the Ukrainian gas transit market. This decision was then approved by Ukrainian court. On February 22, the Kyiv Appeals Court upheld the ruling on Gazprom and the penalty rose to nearly $6 billion.



Also, on May 31, the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce satisfied the claim by the Ukrainian gas company Naftohaz against Russian Gazprom to reconsider gas prices so that they are more geared towards the market. Gazprom's 'Take-or-Pay" demands were dropped. The judiciary also cancelled the ban on gas re-export.

The next step is to consider the mutual demands and to make a decision on a transition contract.

The Russian gas company has counter-sued Ukraine. The total amount of claims under Naftohaz Ukraine's lawsuit against Gazprom is $42.5 billion, and Gazprom wants $47.1 billion in return.

Naftohaz and Gazprom have been in a legal battle since 2014. The contracts for supplying gas from Russia to Ukraine and gas transit through the territory of Ukraine from 2009 are the subjects of the case.

This is the analysis by Vitalii Rybak, Internews Ukraine, for UkraineWorld group :

1. The case hinges on the gas trade deal in January 2009. It has been signed by Naftohaz and Gazprom. It is worth noting that the heads of these companies inked the deal right after the negotiation between Vladimir Putin and Yulia Tymoshenko, a former PM of Ukraine. Media and experts used to call it a “Putin-Tymoshenko agreement.” It’s full text is available here.

2. This deal has been highly unfavourable for Ukraine. According to that agreement which was praised by Tymoshenko, Ukraine had to pay 450 dollars per 1000 cubic meters of Russian gas. In 2009, it was the highest price among all the consumers in Europe. Moreover, Ukraine was obliged to buy 52 billion cubic meters of gas regardless of the consumption. (For comparison, in 2016, after Ukraine made a substantial U-turn of its gas imports from Russia to EU, the country consumed only 11 billion cubic meters of gas, and none of them were bought directly from Russia). Ukraine also took a fee for the transit of Russian gas to Europe which was much lower than the market price — 1.7 dollars per 100 km transit of 1000 cubic meters of gas.

3. Gazprom demanded to pay for the gas Ukraine did not buy. Russian company filed a lawsuit in order to make Naftohaz pay 47.1 billion dollars for the gas which Ukraine did not receive. Additionally, Russia wanted Ukraine to pay for the gas Gazprom delivered to the “DPR” and “LPR.” Gazprom also wanted to defend its ban on gas re-export.

4. Naftohaz demanded to oversee the deal. Ukrainian company filed a lawsuit in order to re-calculate a fair price on the consumed gas and receive compensation for insufficient supply of gas. Naftohaz wanted to receive 30,3 billion dollars of reimbursement. Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce upheld Naftohaz's demand to have the price revised with regard to market conditions. It also cancelled the ban on gas re-export. Ukraine has already received its first payment from Gazprom after the court decision, as Pavlo Petrenko, Ukraine’s justice minister, claimed. He promised to “name the figures soon.”

5. Experts consider court’s decision a huge win for Ukraine. Mykhailo Honchar, a President of the Centre for Global Studies “Strategy XXI,” argued that Kremlin has been using the deal of 2009 to weaken Ukraine and drain its financial resources. “The decision of Stockholm Chamber of Commerce will have a long-lasting effect in Russia’s hybrid war against EU, which is not noticed by the Europeans. The EU has been treating Gazprom actions as business only,” Honchar noted. Karel Hirman, an expert of the Strategic Advisory Group for Supporting Ukrainian Reforms (SAGSUR), writes that this development might support Ukrainian economy and strengthen its currency, if used properly. However, he notes, the amount of reimbursement Gazprom has to pay is not clear yet. Olena Zerkal, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, also welcomed the decision of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce. “Our main interest in this case is for gas supplies to Ukraine to be based on European principles and the rules of the gas market functioning, as required by our national legislation, the Energy Community Treaty, and the EU-Ukraine association agreement. The only company to aggressively oppose this is Gazprom,” Zerkal argued.

en.hromadske.ua, Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) officially confirmed the acceptance of the legal position of Ukraine in the first lawsuit against Russia. Ukraine's Minister of Justice, Pavel Petrenko, gave the 'green light' from ECHR in Kyiv on Thursday, June 1 2017, Interfax-Ukraine reports. It means that the legal grounds are reasonable and the court will hear the case.

According to Petrenko, Ukraine initiated five cases against Russia in ECHR regarding: human rights violations in Crimea, the illegal transportation of orphaned children from Ukraine to Russia and the rest relate to human rights violations in Donbas.

The Minister noted that the European Court recognized the admissibility of the Ukraine's first claim against the Russian Federation for Moscow's actions in Crimea in 2014, in particular, the violation of human rights in the peninsula.

"We announced that Ukraine will file a legal position with the evidence, including facts which, without any doubt, refute the false comments of the Russian Federation that the European Court has no right and jurisdiction to hear the first case. ECHR has officially confirmed the acceptance of our legal position on the first case of "Ukraine vs. Russia" based on the facts of the illegal human rights violations in the Crimea, " Petrenko said.

The next stage for the case is court hearings. The Minister says that Ukraine waits for the ECHR to approve the schedule for court hearings for this first case.

Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine submitted additional evidence for the annexation of Crimea to the human rights court.

Access complete text of the editorial:  en.hromadske.ua