Ukraine News in brief. Thursday 11 January. [Ukrainian sources]

THURSDAY HEADLINES:
Putin's oligarch accused Manaforth of a multimillion deception. Russian political scientist, presidential envoy Vladimir Putin propagandist Sergei Markov has accused Ukraine of the assassination of Boris Nemtsov.  Javelin will not send to the Donbas: the United States learned an important detail about the weapon delivery to Ukraine.  The United States will send a tank brigade to Europe.  State Department of the USA has advised to travel to Ukraine with "high precaution".  German Foreign Ministry suggested gradually lifting sanctions against the Russian Federation.  The London court ordered Akhmetov to pay $ 760 million in connection with Firtash's company in a lawsuit against Ukrtelecom. Person convicted for journalist Gongadze murder has his sentence reduced under ‘Savchenko law’. It was possible to stop the return of the delegation of the Russian Federation to the PACE. Ukrainian scientists have created a bionic arm that responds to impulses of the brain.

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Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who is in the close circle of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday, January 10, sued New York's lawsuit against Donald Trump's ex-head of the election headquarters Paul Manaforth and his partner, Rick Gates, accusing them of that they fooled him by 18.9 million dollars.

The Washington Post writes about it.

Officially, the lawsuit against Manaforth and Gates was filed by Surf Horizon, owned by Deripaska. It is noted that Manaforth and Gates, at their discretion, used affiliate assets funded by Deripaska in 2007 and 2008.

According to Deripaska's statements, Manaforth and Gates translated funds from accounts "without any apparent business considerations, but ultimately translated millions of dollars into themselves, either to their suppliers or lenders."

In particular, in a lawsuit, it will be necessary to reimburse $ 1.1 million in compensation and $ 25 million in fine.

It is known that the specified actions of Manaforth and Gates relate to the assets of the Ukrainian television provider Black Sea Cable. The lawsuit states that they have "pumped out millions of dollars for themselves."

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

He wrote about this on his Facebook page.

He also believes that the political blame for the murder of Nemtsov is carried by the CIA.


TRANSLATION:
Nemtsov was killed by the Azov Nazis, not the CIA, because the CIA could not kill a high-ranking politician, a personal acquaintance of the U.S. Presidents. It's just not possible. But the CIA has political responsibility for killing Nemtsov, because the CIA supports both the as and the -, knowing that they are actively using terrorist methods.

"And Kennedy is also the SBU and the neo-Nazis of Azov?", "The Chechens are sitting, and they condemned the Russian court and investigated the case of Russian special services: what beauty is it!", "What do you smoke? I would have such a dealer (with envy)," "Do you not believe in the Russian court?" "Sergei Markovich, and the investigation has already made statements about the SBU and there is already evidence? Did it come up with you?" - comment on the publication of users of the network.

apostrophe.ua    In Ukrainian/український

Javelin anti-tank missile systems will not be sent to the anti-terrorist operation zone (ATO) in the Donbas.

The Wall Street Journal reported this to journalists on condition of anonymity one of the officials of the White House.

According to him, the US is acting cautiously in this matter.

Yes, the Javelin missile, promised by Ukraine, will be used only for educational purposes in the west of the country, far from the front line and under the watchful eye of US troops.

Thus, Washington hopes not only to avoid the intensification of hostilities, but also to make sure that its weapons do not fall into the hands of militants and their n patrons.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

This summer, the United States will send to the 1st Panzer Brigade the "Iron Horse" of the 1st Cavalry Division in Europe.

This is reported on the website of the United States Army.

The 1 st Panzer Brigade "Iron Horse" will be replaced by the rotation of the 2nd Panzer Brigade of the 1 st Infantry Division of the United States under the Atlantic Resolve operation.

"The Iron Horse Brigade" is looking forward to returning to Europe to continue working with our regional partners and allies in NATO. We are trained by a tank crew that is prepared to conduct a full range of operations in support of the United States Land Force in Europe. Our professional leaders and soldiers are given the opportunity to contribute to this long-standing strategic alliance, "said Colonel Wilson Rutherford, commander of the brigade.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The US Department of State has published recommendations for Americans regarding the security situation in different countries, in particular, they are advised to travel with "high caution" to Ukraine.

Recommendations published on January 10.

All countries are divided into four groups.

The first group includes countries where standard security measures are required. These are Finland, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Romania, Czech Republic, Greece, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Argentina, Chile and others.

In the second group, where Ukraine fell, countries that require increased caution. This includes France, England, Germany.

According to the US, Ukraine and other countries of the second group, increased caution is needed because of the threat of terrorist attacks, as well as in connection with "crime and riots".

Traveling to the third group that Russia has hit, travels recommend "re-think", especially because there "there is a danger of terrorism", and "US citizens are often subjected to various harassment." The third group also included Turkey, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Pakistan, Venezuela, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras and others.

In the fourth group of countries, the trips to which the State Department recommends to abandon. These are Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Central African Republic, Somalia, Syria, DPRK, Yemen, Southern Sudan, Mali and Libya.

Recall that citizens of Ukraine from December 31, 2017 will be able to travel without a visa to the United Arab Emirates.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the EU should begin phasing out sanctions against Russia, subject to a long-term truce in the Donbas.

This was reported by Deutsche Welle.

"If the Russian Federation is prepared to do this, it has to get something for it," Gabriel said January 10 during a speech at the Eastern Committee of the German economy in Berlin.

He called the idea of ​​a one-time cancellation of all sanctions against Russia only on condition of one-hundred percent implementation of the Minsk agreements "torn from reality". In favor of the idea of ​​phased abolition, Gabriel argued that sanctions were also introduced in stages.

Recall that the visit of the head of the German Foreign Ministry Gabriel to the line of demarcation on the Donbass has been carried through the weather conditions .

According to Zigmara Gabriel, the UN mission should be on the entire territory of the Donbas, and not just on the line of collision.

He also noted during a joint press conference in Kyiv on January 3 that "it is necessary to constantly remind Ukrainian events in Germany, as this is very important."

Earlier, the German Embassy in Ukraine reported that Sigmar Gabriel will arrive in Kiev on Wednesday, January 3, and on Thursday, January 4, he will head to the line of collision in the Donetsk region near Mariupol.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

A recent ruling by the Cypriot court on the arrest of Rinat Akhmetov's assets at $ 820 million. (in the case of "Ukrtelecom" - under the lawsuit of Raga Establishment Ltd) was preceded by the decision of the London Arbitration on the suit Raga, which was approved on June 26, 2017 and by which SCM R. Akhmetov ordered to pay the plaintiff for Ukrtelecom $760 million
It is reported by "LigaBusinessInform" with reference to a copy of the decision of the British court, reports Tsensor.NET with reference to finbalance.com.ua.

The press service of SCM reported that an appeal was filed against the decision of the London court, which should be considered this year.

Recall that the state in 2011 for 10.6 billion UAH ($1.26 billion) sold 92.79% stake in Ukrtelecom for the company ESU - a subsidiary of the Austrian fund EPIC. As it was reported, two years later the fund was resold to telecom-operator R. Akhmetov.

However, recently it became known that this was preceded by another deal - secret. Raga Establishment Ltd (formerly Epic Telecom Invest Ltd), as it turned out, redeemed the EPIC Ukrtelecom fund, and then resold it in 2013 to R. Akhmetov for $860 million.

According to the Cypriot court, Raga belongs to Denis Gorbunenko, former head of the board of Rodovid Bank, currently living in London. As noted, after the agreement in 2013, Raga received only the first tranche of $100 million from SCM, after which R. Akhmetov's corporation stopped paying.

According to materials from the London court, negotiations between Raga and SCM began in August 2012. That is, a little more than a year after privatization. According to SCM, talks began at the request of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. He allegedly asked Rinat Akhmetov to buy a stake in Ukrtelecom. Also, Yanukovych, according to the defendant, said that he had doubts about the possibility of the plaintiff to develop and operate the telecom operator. Rinat Akhmetov asked Ilya Arkhipova (ex-director of SCM, who was responsible for telecom and media) to start negotiations. At the first meeting in August 2012, Yaroslav Porochnyak also attended, which, as the defendant understood it, was legal counsel to Valeriy Khoroshkovsky (former head of the Security Service of Ukraine during the time of Yanukovych). Powdery man also held leading positions on the channel "Inter" for a long time,

According to SCM, during the initial negotiations on the potential purchase of Ukrtelecom it was considered that Khoroshkovsky was a minority shareholder of a telecom operator with a share equal to about 25%. And Sergey Arbuzov, who acted as a trustee of Yanukovich in the talks, allegedly informed Arkhipov that the control package at Firtash. According to SCM, Khoroshkovsky later sold his shares to the owner of the DF group. And he became a 100% owner of the stake in the operator. It was 100% of the shares, and not 25% of SCM's interest.

But Raga for its part claims that the owner of the shares, including at the time of negotiations with SCM, was the same Denis Gorbunenko. He supposedly bought the company from its former owner - Khoroshkovsky. Firtash, according to Raga, has never been the owner of EPIC, he was the creditor of this company. And now, accordingly, wants to return the invested money.

How does SCM explain why Raga has ceased to pay next tranches for Ukrtelecom in 2013? According to the respondent's version, the sellers asked to keep all information about the owners of "Ukrtelecom" secret. And SCM did not even have the opportunity to audit the asset before buying. In addition, the deal has hurried and the government, which also wanted to keep the full confidentiality of what is happening. Therefore, the defendant supposedly had to rely on a series of statements and guarantees provided by the plaintiff and literally buy a "cat in a bag".

Raga refutes it. In the court decision there is a link to the showings of Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DF Group Robert Shetler-Jones, according to which SCM was well-informed about the situation in Ukrtelecom before its purchase. Akhmetov's team of executives allegedly monitored the operators of the telecom operator for several months. Version Raga: SCM bought Ukrtelecom so promptly, because ex-president Yanukovych was squeezed by the corporation.

A further course of events under the SCM version: after the operation with Raga at the end of 2013, Ukrtelecom was finally audited. And it became clear that the ECU did not fulfill its investment obligations to the state. Within five years after the privatization, the company had to invest $ 450 million in assets; to build and transfer to the state a network of special communication.

Also, according to the text of the arbitration award, SCM was puzzled when they learned in March 2014 that Dmitry Firtash was arrested in Austria under the warrant of one of the US District Courts and that the assets of a businessman could be confiscated.

At the end of March, SCM wrote to Raga that it had mislead the corporation for a number of reasons. First, Akhmetov allegedly did not know about additional obligations to the state, and secondly, that the privatization itself, as it became clear in the corporation in 2014, was outlawed, without disclosure of real beneficiaries.

Consequently, SCM decided not to pay Raga the following tranches under the agreement and put forward counterclaims - to terminate the purchase agreement and return the first tranche of Ukrtelecom to Rinat Akhmetov.

As the "LigaBusinessInform" agency notes, this would hardly mean that the asset was re-owned by Raga. After all, the State Property Fund has already won a victory in two Ukrainian courts and, it can be said, almost returned the company to the state.

By the way, such a turn of events could be beneficial for SCM. Losing $100 million of the first tranche paid under the agreement with Raga in 2013 and a potential $ 82 million fine in 2018, accrued by FDM, is still better than a debt of $760 million.

But the arguments for breaking Rag's debt did not suffice in SCM. Arbitration supported Raga's claim for payment of money.

As reported yesterday in the press service of SCM, the corporation filed an appeal last year to the London court. It will be considered this year.

The press service of DF Group did not respond to the request.

The assets of the richest Ukrainian, Rinat Akhmetov, will remain frozen at least until February 27. On this day, a hearing will be held in a Cypriot court, where the corporation will try to challenge the current verdict.

Earlier it was reported that the Nicosia District Court in Cyprus froze $820 million. Rinat Akhmetov's assets due to a long legal dispute in the case of Ukrtelecom.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Court recalculated the sentence passed against ex-Chief of Interior Ministry's Directed Surveillance Department Oleksii Pukach convicted for murder of journalist Heorhii Gongadze under ‘Savchenko law’ that recognizes one day served in pre-trial detention as two days of the primary sentence.

As reported by Censor.NET citing Ukrainski Novyny, this was indicated in the court ruling which came into force on Dec. 15, 2017.

The petition for sentence recalculation was filed by Pukach's lawyer.

The court record reads that the defendant was held in the remand prison from July 21, 2009 to Jan. 6, 2016, that is, about 6.5 years.

The court stressed that the legislation provides for certain periods while serving the life sentence, the expiration of which changes the legal status of the convicted person. In particular, a convicted person gains the right to seek pardon after serving at least 20 years of one’s sentence.

Moreover, according to part 2 of article 87 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, the act of pardon can replace the life imprisonment with no less than a 25-year prison term.

The court granted the petition and converted 6.5 years of Pukach’s pre-trial detention into 13 years of primary penalty. Thus, the convict had already served more than 14 years in jail as of Jan. 10, 2017.

Founder of Ukrainska Pravda news website, journalist Heorhii Gongadze disappeared Sept. 16, 2000. His decapitated corpse was later found in the forest in Kyiv's vicinity. Ex-Chief of Interior Ministry's Directed Surveillance Department Oleksii Pukach was arrested on suspicion of the murder in a village in the Zhytomyr region July 21, 2009.

The investigation found that Pukach received a verbal order to eliminate Heorhii Gongadze from then Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Yurii Kravchenko. The criminal ring consisting of Interior Ministry officers Valerii Kostenko, Oleksandr Popovych (both sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2008), Mykola Protasov (got 13 years in prison in 2008) and led by Pukach turned out to be behind the murder committed Sept. 17, 2000.

The court found Pukach guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment Jan. 23, 2013. Asked by the judge whether he agreed with the verdict, Pukach said: "I will agree with it as soon as I'm sharing my cell with Kuchma and Lytvyn." The Kyiv Court of Appeal upheld the verdict Jan. 6, 2016.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Ukraine and its partners managed to stop the return of the Russian delegation to the PACE.

As informs Tsensor.NET, this was written by the permanent representative of Ukraine at the Council of Europe Dmitry Kuleba on his Twitter page.

"Russia remains at home and will work without it in 2018. Ukraine mobilized its partners and managed to stop the most powerful attempt to kill the institutional credibility of the Council of Europe for the sake of Russians," he wrote.

"We give the result, although this time it was unprecedentedly difficult... We have not just defended Ukraine's interest this time, we have defended the Council of Europe from attempts to destroy its institutional authority for Russia," the diplomat added on his Facebook page.

Recall that the Russian delegation to the PACE in April 2014 was deprived of the main authority through aggression against Ukraine. In 2015, the PACE twice considered the issue of restoring the rights of the Russian delegation, but then the sanctions remained valid: Russia was deprived of the opportunity to vote in the PACE until the end of the year, and also removed from participating in the work of the governing bodies of the Assembly and its election observation missions in the space council Europe In 2016-2017, Russia did not send an application for confirmation of its authority.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Scientists from Sumy State University have designed and printed on a 3D printer a bionic prosthetic arm, capable of responding to impulses from the brain
It is reported by UA: Sumy.

The bionic arm must restore the function of the lost limb and be able to learn new movements. The device is based on the principle of artificial intelligence.

"At this stage, it is necessary to complete the mechanical component of this device, and in the future it will be possible to carry out movements with each finger, to bend all the fingers completely," said Artem Korobov, a researcher.

Also, the advantage of the Ukrainian invention is low power consumption. Over the pilot project they worked six months, having spent 15 thousand UAH. According to scientists, in the case of serial production, the Ukrainian artificial hand will cost cheaper than foreign analogues.

"There are dentures abroad, they cost $ 25 thousand, but they have a limited functionality. They are manually controlled, that is, a person needs to squeeze his fingers to take something, a chip that allows you to respond to human signals and do it from the intellectual component, adapt to different conditions - this is a know-how, "Korobov explained.

In December 2017, the project won the finale of the Kiev Sikorsky Challenge Festival and received the prize and diploma of the winner of the presidential fund "Ukraine". Currently, researchers are looking for investors to improve the invention.



espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council chief on Thursday announced plans to form a government working group to craft regulation on cryptocurrencies, citing a current legal vacuum over the swiftly developing market that “poses a threat to the economy and security of the state.”

The comments made by Oleksandr Turchynov come two weeks after an armed gang kidnapped and later released bitcoin businessman Pavel Lerner in what local authorities have dubbed as a “bitcoin kidnapping and extortion.”.....................

ft.com Click here for full access of entire article in English

The corresponding video on his Facebook page was posted by Russian journalist Oleg Kashin.

"We will threaten and will shoot you ... Wanderings, bandits you ..." - said Zhirinovsky emotionally.

It should be noted that the conflict occurred during the program "60 minutes" on the TV channel "Russia 1", devoted to the situation in Ukraine.

So, Zhirinovsky made a confusion with the Ukrainian political scientist, the head of the board of the public organization "European Movement of Ukraine" Vadim Tryukhan.

The fall of Russian politics followed after the Ukrainian opponent called his previous circus and show.



apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Senior researcher at the Eurasia Center for Atlantic Council Diane Francis believes that if Ukrainians are forced to go outside again, this time everything will be different.

She writes about this in her material.

"Unfortunately, 2018 begins with taking shape in 2013. President Poroshenko strengthens his power by slowing down the reforms he promised to western sponsors and persecuting his opponents," said Francis.

According to her, now, as in the era of former President Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine has no rule of law, no parliamentary accountability, no effective prosecution of corrupt officials or even Yanukovych, who steals billions.

The conditions are similar to those that led to street revolutions in 2004 and 2014; officials also say that the repetition of such events is unacceptable, as it will lead to instability and the restoration of Russian aggression, Francis explains.

She added that to date, the specter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has actually disappeared, as well as the likelihood that "green men" will begin to incite uprisings. The reason is that the military prize and Western funding have created one of the largest military forces in Europe, with 204,000 soldiers (slightly less than in France), 46,000 technical assistance, excluding paramilitary forces, 53,000 border guards and 60 thousand National Guards.

"The time for Poroshenko is over, the Anti-Corruption Court will have to work until the spring elections of 2019. Other reforms should be completed early this year." If these transformations are not implemented, there is likely to be another street protest ahead of the election, which will receive a mass international And, having a military stronghold against Russia, Ukrainians will finally get a chance to throw their odious elites out, "the expert said.

Francis reminded that four years later, despite the hundreds of deaths, starting with Eurovision, the laws on elections, the courts still remain rigged.

"It is tragic that, despite billions from the West to fight Russia and corruption, the only" opposition party "that was not smeared by the criminalized oligarchy of Ukraine would be its responsible citizens who gather on the streets, and if that does not happen, there is no there is no doubt that this time everything will be very different and very different "- she concluded.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, said that the Russian Federation is ready to hand over Ukraine warships and aviation equipment from the occupied Crimea.

He said this on Thursday, January 10, at a meeting with heads of Russian mass media and news agencies, UNIAN reports.

"Using this opportunity, I want to say, we are ready to continue this process: they are ready to transfer the Ukrainian warships, which are still in Crimea, ready to convey the aviation technique, armored vehicles. However, it is all in such a miserable condition, but this is not ours Right, she was practically like this, during these years nobody was served, of course ", - said the president of the Russian Federation.

Putin clarified that it was about dozens of ships and combat aircraft.

"As for the ships, I think it will be better if Ukrainian servicemen come and take them away. We are ready to help them carry out transportation to Odessa," he said.

According to Putin, a large number of Ukrainian ammunition remains in the occupied Crimea, but they are not subject to transportation, but to be utilized locally.

"We are ready to invite Ukrainian troops to take part in the disposal of these ammunition," he concluded.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Alexander Novikov, the head of the UAV Construction and Development

Department of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, said that the trail was traced in an attack on the Russian airbase in Syria .

This is reported by RIA Novosti.

According to him, unmanned pilots who attacked Russian bases in Syria carried ammunition with an explosive that is produced in a number of states, including Ukraine.

So, TEN, which exceeds the hexogen's capacity, was used as the basis for the explosion. This substance is produced, in particular, at the Shostkinsky Chemical Reagents Plant in Ukraine. TEN can be made in handicraft conditions or extracted from other ammunition.

Novikov stressed that now experts are trying to establish a country-manufacturer.

However, he added that each drone who participated in the attack on the base of Humeim, nose for ten ammunition.

"It's homemade explosive devices weighing about 400 grams, equipped with impressive elements in the form of metal balls with a radius of damage up to 50 meters," he said.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український