Ukraine News. Wednesday 14 March. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY HEADLINES:
Violinist poisoning: Britain is expelling Russian diplomats.  Relations between the RF and Britain because of the Violinist poison sharply aggravated.  Weapons for Ukraine and the threat of a direct war with Putin: what to expect from the new US Secretary of State.  Ukrainian athletes were officially banned from participating in competitions in Russia.  In the Kherson region, Russian agents had $25,000 to organize the "impeachment" of Poroshenko.  Dagestan students booed Putin: video.  Putin's 'Ukrainians, Tatars, Jews' Remark Triggers Backlash.  The US Senator has proposed to place Russia on the list of sponsoring countries of terrorism.  Elimination of Russian terrorist: Ukrainian snipers have invaders in sights using cameras and tablets.  The G7 ambassadors confirmed that until Russia ceases to pursue aggressive policies, sanctions against it will intensify.  Obviously, the Russian Federation is trying to confuse us with Polish friends. It will not work out.

WEATHER:
Kyiv, Ukraine
1c / 34f HI | RealFeel 5c / 31f
Precipitation 60%
Mostly cloudy; a bit of ice this morning, then periods of rain and drizzle late this afternoon

Britain is suspending all contacts with Russia because of the possible involvement of Moscow in poisoning former Sergei Skripal, a Russian intelligence officer. 23 Russian diplomats have to leave the country within a week.

This was stated by the Prime Minister of Great Britain Teresa May during a speech before the parliament.

"They have a week to go. This will be the biggest dehydration for more than 30 years, "said May.

Britain also freezes all Russian state assets and raises inspections of aircraft from the Russian Federation.

May stated that Russia had attempted to kill the violinist and his daughter and endangered the safety of British citizens.

Earlier it was reported that Britain would convene the UN Security Council because of the poisoning of the former intelligence officer of the Russian Federation, the Violinist.

March 12, speaking to British deputies, British Prime Minister Teresa May announced that Russia "is likely to be responsible" for the poisoning of Sergei Skrypka and his daughter Julia.

May gave Russia an explanation of 36 hours "as a substance used against Sergei Skripal and his daughter, got to Britain". In Russia, they called for "not to speak the language of ultimatums" with the nuclear power.

It was also reported that because of the Violinist poisoning, Britain could introduce its own "Magnetic List" against officials of the Russian Federation.

The British regulator in the area of ​​broadcasting (Ofcom) in connection with the "incident regarding the violin" did not rule out the possibility of reviewing the terms of the license on the basis of which television channel RT works in Britain. And Russia threatens to ban British media in the event of Russia Today blocking .

A 66-year-old citizen of Russia Sergey Skrypal was hit by a hospital with severe poisoning on March 4. With him was his daughter . The British police said that the Violinist was poisoned with a substance of neuro-paralytic action . British intelligence considers Russia involved in the poisoning of the former intelligence violinist.

Sergei Skripal, Colonel of Military Intelligence of Russia on retirement in 2006, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for espionage in favor of Britain. He was found guilty of giving testimony to Russian agents working under cover of the EU, the Secret Intelligence of Britain.

The former intelligence officer was fired in an exchange between the United States and Russia in 2010. He was pardoned by then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Then Russia, besides Violinist, sent Igor Sutyagin, Alexander Zaporizhzhya and Gennady Vasilenko to the United States. At the same time, 10 people charged with espionage in favor of Russian citizens were sent from the United States, including Anna Chapman. The violinist soon became a refuge in the UK.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

British Prime Minister Teresa May announced that Russia was guilty of poisoning by the neuro-paralytic substance of the ex-colonel of the GRU of Russia Sergey Skrypka and his daughter Julia . Premier of Britain stressed that London was sending 23 Russian diplomats.

Maya said this during a speech in the House of Commons, reports Sky News.

"Everyone who was identified as an undisclosed intelligence officer, they only had one week left to go," said the British prime minister.

"This will be the largest one-time expulsion for more than 30 years, and this will reflect the fact that the Russian state is not the first time against our country," added Teresa May.

She noted that the RF response "demonstrated complete contempt for the seriousness of these events," and Moscow did not give an explanation about the substance of the neuro-paralytic action of Russian production "Novachok", which was used in the poisoning of Violinist and his daughter.

The British prime minister said that the Kremlin is "sarcasm, disrespect and total contempt" on this issue.

"This must be met with a complete and solid response," said May. "We have agreed on immediate action to dismantle the Russian spy network in the UK."

In addition, she stressed, the British ministers and members of the royal family will not be present at the FIFA World Cup that will take place this summer in Russia.

In turn, the Russian ambassador to Britain Alexander Yakovenko said that London's actions are "unacceptable" and that Moscow is considering expulsion of Russian diplomats as "provocations".

According to him, these measures "have nothing to do with the situation in Salisbury."

"This is a really serious provocation," Yakovenko said.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Mike Pompeo, whom Donald Trump decided to appoint as secretary of state of the United States instead of Rex Tillerson , is an anti-Russian politician. From him, one can expect the intensification of relations between Americans from the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin and accelerate the process of providing Ukraine with lethal weapons, and President Petro Poroshenko has already given diplomats an indication of establishing relations with the future head of the State Department of the Interior.

Sources in the Ukrainian and American diplomatic circles described this "Apostrophe".

So, according to a US diplomat who wished to remain anonymous, one of the reasons for the appointment of Pompeo was the need to "inspect possible scenarios of the escalation of the conflict" between the United States and Russia.

At the same time, according to a source close to the Ukrainian authorities, according to some sources, Pompeo, who at that time served as the director of the CIA, could have been involved in the recent publication of Al-Jazeera, devoted to the disclosure of "schemes" and possible corruption actions related to the money of the former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

"Prior to the statement, Trump had given a command to him with Pompeo -"Apostrophe "(Pompeo," The Apostrophe"). There is even a version that a special operation against Ruban (detention of the negotiator of Vladimir Ruban with an arsenal of weapons in the Donbass and the informing campaign around this event -"Apostrophe") was for this purpose it is presented now", - the interlocutor of the publication shared information.

In turn, a source in the American diplomatic circles told the "Apostrophe" that it is now expected to intensify the US-Russia confrontation, up to a direct conflict with weapons, as was the case in Korea, Vietnam, or Afghanistan during the Cold War. The subject of such a conflict, in particular, may be Syria. Also, according to the interlocutor, the probable exacerbation of the confrontation of Americans and Russians around the Ukrainian issue.

In this regard, according to the source of the "Apostrophe", Washington may become more active in providing lethal weapons and other military assistance to Ukraine. However, it is still too early to talk about this topic in detail.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The Ukrainian national team officially banned from participating in sports events in the territory of the Russian Federation.

The corresponding order was signed by the Minister of Youth and Sport Igor Zhdanov, said on the official website of the Ministry.

It is noted that athletes are prohibited from planning and conducting training sessions in the territory of the country-aggressor, as well as participation of members of national national teams of Ukraine from all kinds of sports in all sports competitions held in the territory of the Russian Federation.

It was reported that the Ukrainian team will not participate in the 9th stage of the Biathlon World Cup in Tyumen, Russia.

Earlier, Igor Zhdanov called on the National Biathlon Federation to boycott the World Cup in Russia.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

In the Kherson region, the SBU and the GPU found evidence of preparing an illegal proclamation by the local councils of "impeachment" to the President of Ukraine

This was announced by Facebook Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko.

"The Kherson region revealed a correspondence with the anti-Ukrainian center with the task of organizing decisions by local councils on the impeachment of the president for a reward of $25 thousand," wrote Lutsenko.

In addition, in the Kharkiv region during searches in the framework of the counteraction to subversion activities, they removed maps of bridges and crossings, pistols, grenades, plastics with electric ignition and $50 thousand in cash and cash cards of the Russian bank.

In the Lviv region, records were withdrawn from a prepared speech at an international conference in support of the occupation of the Crimea by Russia.



-Earlier, it was reported about 28 searches in different regions of Ukraine, during which they found evidence of anti-Ukrainian network operation in the interests of Russia's special services.

-The network was co-ordinated by journalist Artem Buzila, who was arrested on charges of separatism at the end of April 2015, and released on March 30, 2016 in accordance with the "Savchenko's Law" and moved to Russia.

espreso.tv    In Ukrainian/український

During the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Dagestan, local students met him with a disappointing whistle and requests to leave Makhachkala sooner.

The corresponding video has been posted to YouTube.

In the frames it is visible, at a time when Putin already sat down in the car of his motorcade, which included about twenty cars, except for applause, it is heard how local teenagers cry out to Putin's rather unpleasant things.

"Good bye, let's go from here! Goodbye, do not you need us!" - they said.

The last time Russia's president was in Dagestan in 2008. Then he visited military units on the territory of the republic.



apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent suggestion that Jews and other minorities in Russia could have been behind the meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has prompted a backlash in the United States.

The U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on March 11 voiced hope that Putin “swiftly clarifies” his remarks made in an interview with NBC News, “before they cause further damage to those communities he has singled out.”

In the interview aired late on March 9, Putin was repeatedly asked about Russian interference in the election. At one point, Putin suggested that Ukrainians, Tatars, or Jews with Russian citizenship may have been involved.

"Maybe they are not even Russians, but Ukrainians, Tatars, or Jews with Russian citizenship, which should be also checked. Maybe they hold dual citizenship, or green cards. Or maybe Americans paid them for this job. How can you know? I do not know," Putin said.

In the Russian language, there are different words for citizens of Russia (Rossiyane) and ethnic Russians (Russkiye), though the latter -- which was used by Putin in the interview, according to the Kremlin transcript -- sometimes has a broader connotation. In English, the single word "Russian" can describe a Russian citizen, an ethnic Russian, or both.

ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said in a statement that "President Putin bizarrely has resorted to the blame game by pointing the finger at Jews and other minorities in his country."

Greenblatt also said it was “deeply disturbing to see the Russian president giving new life to classic anti-Semitic stereotypes that have plagued his country for hundreds of years.”

Putin's comment also caught the attention of the American Jewish Committee, which said it was “eerily reminiscent of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion” -- a forged tsarist-era, anti-Semitic pamphlet that purported to describe plans for Jewish domination of Europe.

Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat-Connecticut) called on world leaders to denounce "soundly and promptly" what he called Putin's "repulsive" remarks....

rferl.org Click here for full access of entire article in English

US Senate from New Jersey Robert (Bob) Menendez proposed to add Russia to the list of sponsor countries of terrorism and toughen sanctions against Moscow because of poisoning by former intelligence officer Sergei Skripal.

This is reported by Washington Examiner.

"Trump's administration has already called North Korea the sponsoring country of terrorism after poisoning brother Kim Jong-il. It is worth considering whether this definition should be applied to Russia, "Menendez said.

The senator also called on the Trump administration to recognize the danger that the Russian government continues to make for Americans and the world.

The list of sponsor countries of terrorism already includes Iran, Syria, Sudan and the DPRK. In 2015, Cuba was excluded from the list.

Recall that dismissed US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a farewell speech warned of the dangerous behavior of Russia.

Earlier, the British regulator in the area of ​​broadcasting (Ofcom) in connection with the "incident regarding the violinist" did not rule out the possibility of reviewing the terms of the license on the basis of which television channel RT works in Britain.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has urged Britain not to speak "in the language of ultimatums" with the nuclear power.

March 12, speaking to British deputies, British Prime Minister Teresa May announced that Russia "is likely to be responsible" for the poisoning of Sergei Skrypka and his daughter Julia.

May gave Russia an explanation of 36 hours "as a substance used against Sergei Skripal and his daughter, got to Britain".

On March 14, the British government will examine in detail the response of the Russian state, and if it does not trust, it will apply sanctions against Russia.

The US State Department supported the statement of the Great Britain and suggested that Russia was involved in the poisoning of the former intelligence officer of the Russian Federation, Sergey Skripal.

On March 12, Putin first commented on the poisoning of the explorer Scribe. Previously, on behalf of the Kremlin, statements were made by the press secretary of Putin Dmitry Peskov about the case of the Violinist.

An official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, called "the circus show in the British Parliament" a statement by Teresa May about Russia's alleged involvement in the Violinist poisoning.

It has been reported that because of the Violinist poisoning, Britain can introduce its own "Magnetic List" against officials of the Russian Federation.

As a result of the poisoning of Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, Wiltshire, 21 people were injured in the UK . The violinist and his daughter are in a coma.

Earlier, the British police said that the Violinist was poisoned with a substance of nerve-paralysis . For its part, the British believes Russia is involved in the poisoning of the former intelligence violinist.

A 66-year-old citizen of Russia Sergey Skrypal was hit by a hospital with severe poisoning on March 4. With him was his daughter.

Sergei Skripal, Colonel of Military Intelligence of Russia on retirement in 2006, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for espionage in favor of Britain. He was found guilty of giving testimony to Russian agents working under cover of the EU, the Secret Intelligence of Britain.

The former intelligence officer was fired in an exchange between the United States and Russia in 2010. He was pardoned by then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Then Russia, besides Violinist, sent Igor Sutyagin, Alexander Zaporizhzhya and Gennady Vasilenko to the United States. At the same time, 10 people charged with espionage in favor of Russian citizens were sent from the United States, including Anna Chapman.

The violinist soon became a refuge in the UK.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Thanks to portable cameras the Ukrainian snipers now do not have to lie still for several hours constantly looking through the scopes waiting for the enemy to walk in the crosshairs.
Censor.NET reports citing a story by former Ukrainian scout, activist of Return Alive Foundation Andrii Rymaruk.

"The Peeing Terrorist is a recap of the combat operations conducted by our Special Operations Forces. We have recently helped one of detachment to solve a technical need that significantly reduces physical effort usually required from our snipers. They now don’t have to lie still for several hours constantly looking through the scopes waiting for the enemy to walk in the crosshairs. They can take a walk, have some tea or even grab a bite without letting the enemy position out of their sight. It is now possible to watch the invaders through a tablet or smartphone. And all thanks to this portable camera," he wrote on social media.



"Not to mention its use by reconnaissance groups. You can rise a tiny camera up to the height of 10 meters without ever revealing your presence, look around, and then quietly do you job. We do not hope for a miracle but keep helping the military against all odds. You should stop waiting for bad news about someone's death and start helping the army and save lives of Ukraine’s defenders," Rymaruk said.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Western countries will increase pressure on Russia in connection with its aggressive policy against Ukraine and other countries.

This was discussed at a meeting of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko with the ambassadors of the G7 countries, said the representative of the president in parliament, MP from the "Petro Poroshenko Bloc" faction Irina Lutsenko.



"Diplomats said they supported Ukraine's position on non-recognition of elections in the occupied Crimea and the fact that the countries of the free world will increase sanctions and not cancel them until Russia has an aggressive policy, which means that sanctions will intensify until the Russian Federation withdraws its troops from the Donbas , will not return the Crimea, and will not stop conducting aggressive policies towards other countries, "Lutsenko said.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin supports the decision of the Polish Sejm to discuss Russia's influence on the relations between Ukraine and Poland.
As Censor.NET informs, he wrote about this on his Twitter page.

"I congratulate the decision of the Sejm of Poland to discuss the issue of Russia's influence on the Ukrainian-Polish relations. "Obviously, Russia is trying to confuse us with Polish friends, we will not succeed. "We had a common past, there is a common present, and there will be a common future. watch out", - wrote Klimkin.

Recall that earlier the Polish Sejm has appointed a special meeting due to Russia's role in destabilizing Polish-Ukrainian relations.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

As reported by Censor.NET, the SBU press office told Hromadske.TV that the network of anti-Ukrainian agents was coordinated by a certain Artem Buzila, who gave instructions to conduct subversive attacks right from the building of the Russian president’s administration.

"The network was funded by the people close to ex-Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Vitalii Zakharchenko. As part of the initiated criminal proceedings, the law enforcers conducted 28 authorized searches at the places associated with the suspects in several regions of Ukraine. They found hard evidence of the network members’ involvement in illegal activities on behalf of the Russian secret services," the SBU said.

The raids conducted in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions resulted in seizure of 46 data storage devices and 38 cellphones containing evidence.

According to the Security Service, they found extremist and propaganda materials and classified documents which could be used by the Russian agents for acts of subversion at a high-security facility of the National Police.

The SBU also said it managed to identify members of a "subversive group from among the anti-Ukrainian agent net." Having searched their homes, the law enforcement officers found a map of a Ukrainian region with bridges and other critical infrastructure facilities marked on it as well as military topography manuals, 700 grams of explosives with five fuses, two grenades, and more than 600 rounds of various calibers.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український