Ukraine News. Wednesday 10 October. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY HEADLINES:
Britain will help Ukraine with a system for protecting elections from foreign interference.  We need a strong signal from Europe that Ukraine is an equal partner: the uncertainty on the part of the EU is armed by the pro-Russian forces.  The Russians in a panic rushed to take money from banks on the background of anticipated rigorous US sanctions.  Bellingcat: Second Novichok Suspect Also Honored By Putin As 'Hero Of Russia'.  Italy pushes financial support for Russian business, the EU is not delighted.  Russia threatens war in case of autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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Great Britain is ready to assist Ukraine in building a system of protecting the will of citizens from foreign interference

This was stated by British National Security Advisor Cristian Turner during a working meeting with Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine on European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, in a letter to the Government Portal .

"Christian Turner confirmed the readiness of the United Kingdom to help Ukraine in building a system of effective protection of the will of citizens from foreign interference," the statement said.

Klimpush-Tsintsadze noted that with the approaching presidential election Ukraine expects Russia to increase its pressure and attacks, in particular Ukraine pays special attention to the protection of electoral infrastructure.

As you know, Ukraine and Great Britain have agreed to intensify cooperation in countering the intelligence and subversion activities of the special services of the Russian Federation and cyber-threats.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

Ukraine and the EU have never been so close to each other as before. Our partnership, based on shared principles and values, already has concrete results in transforming the country and increasing opportunities for citizens.

This was stated by Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze, speaking at a round table at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House in London, reports Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform .

She noted that in recent years Ukraine has been able to smoothly launch a series of structural reforms that cover almost all areas of public life - from health and education, public administration and decentralization, to the judiciary, security institutions and law enforcement agencies. "We do more than consolidate the backbone of democracy, we build muscles on the bones," said Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze.

The Vice Prime Minister acknowledged that the pace of reforms in Ukraine is not as fast as we would like. However, the priority should be a constant evolution, rather than radical, unprepared changes that can have a negative effect or be easily overturned after regular elections.

She noted that reforms in Ukraine are not only a change in laws, rules and procedures. It is about overcoming the Soviet and imperial heritage, confronting the kleptocracy of power and patriarchal tendencies in Ukrainian society. "We are fleeing the influence of the ideas of the" Russian world, "which the Kremlin has been trying to impose on us for centuries," said the Vice Prime Minister.

According to her, cooperation between Ukraine and the EU is extremely rich, but Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze stressed that in 2019, since both Ukraine and the EU are part of the election season, the EU must continue to be clearly and actively involved in supporting reforms in Ukraine.

"We need a strong signal from Europe that Ukraine is an equal partner, that our future is in the European family," said Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze.

She added that currently populists of all types use the theses of seemingly unfulfilled expectations of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. "They will try to convince the EU that it does not care about Ukraine, that nobody is waiting for it, etc. And in this context, any uncertainty on the part of the EU only undermines the efforts of Ukrainian reformers and arranges pro-Russian and populist forces with arguments against the European future of Ukraine."

Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze described in detail plans for further integration with the EU and noted that Ukraine's goal was to make European integration a well-planned, systemic, positive-bureaucratic process that could withstand all political conditions.

Among the important examples of success, Ivan Klimpush-Tsintsadze described the economic benefits of anti-corruption measures, which according to the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, 6% of GDP, or more than $6 billion, saved up to 39% of the cost of medicines from the state budget through the introduction of procurement through international organizations, respectively, increase the purchase of medical equipment, in particular heart stents, which for the first time in many years has led to a reduction in mortality from heart attacks. Another achievement, she called Ukraine's rise in the Open Data Barometer to the second place among the countries that have achieved the greatest progress over the last four years in the field of open data.

"Ukraine can be a positive example for its neighbors and even for the world. We can show our colleagues how to deal with the problem of corruption through small pragmatic steps. I believe that these different levels of influence will have the effect of" snowball", giving impetus to further reforms.", - stressed Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Panic attitudes of the RF population regarding the availability of money on deposits through sanctions led to outflow of funds from the banking system. In September, the net outflow of Russian citizens' funds from banks reached almost 500 billion rubles. As a result, on the basis of the results of nine months, the growth of deposits was only 3.5%.

As informs Censor.NET, writes Kommersant.

In the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, hopes that the outflow will be short-term, and yet do not change the forecast - an inflow of 7-9% per year. But experts are confident that such results will not be achieved, and a net outflow of deposits from banks will be kept for several months before the US sanctions decision is announced. Eventually, by the end of the year, the rate of inflow of citizens' money into the system may turn out to be the lowest in the last ten years.

The Bank of Russia has summed up preliminary results for the banking sector in nine months. As of October 1, the amount of funds individuals in the banking system amounted to 26.9 trillion rubles. (taking into account currency revaluation), having increased by only 3,5% since the beginning of the year. According to the results of August, the picture was much more positive - the growth of physical persons in the banking system by 5.3%. In September, the net outflow of funds from banks amounted to 496 billion rubles. Excluding currency revaluation, the inflow of citizens' funds into the system by the end of nine months was even lower - only 1.7%, while the negative dynamics was observed in August (-0.6%), and in September (-0.8% ) Even the actions of state banks did not help to raise interest rates on foreign currency deposits and insignificant, but the growth of maximum rates on ruble deposits of the largest banks - from 6.3 to 6,

The reason for the outflow of deposits - the fears of Russian citizens about the fate of their funds in state-owned banks, especially in the currency, against the backdrop of possible harsh US sanctions, announced in August. In particular, they foresee a variant of the prohibition for Oschadbank, VTB, Rosselhospbank, Promsvyazbank, Vnesheconombank for settlements in US dollars.

The situation in September and the announcements of VTB president Andriy Kostin worsened the situation. Trying to reduce the aggravation of passions, he assured that "all customers of all banks will be able to get their money back." But the caveat, "how it will be done, in what currency is another question," gave new reasons for speculation. Statements of the authorities at all levels, as well as the Central Bank, that there are no plans to convert dollar rubles into deposits, could not calm the population.

"The fears of citizens that in the event of the introduction of rigorous US sanctions against state-owned banks, their money may hang on accounts, and the overall uncertainty, which is increasing not too understandable to ordinary people by decolla-rization and its consequences, is kept," notes AKRA analyst Valeriy Piven. "How long it will continue, it's difficult to predict, clarity can make the US decision on sanctions in November."

If the worst forecasts come true, then in the current year, the pace of inflation of Russian population in the banking system may turn out to be the worst over the past ten years.

So far, the lowest result was recorded in 2016 - 4.2%, taking into account the currency revaluation, according to the Central Bank.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Cybersleuthing group Bellingcat says it has found that two men that Britain suspects of poisoning former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were awarded Hero of the Russian Federation medals by President Vladimir Putin four years ago for conducting covert operations in Ukraine.

Releasing details about its latest findings on October 9, Bellingcat said that Aleksandr Mishkin was decorated at around the same time as Anatoly Chepiga in 2014 -- the year Russia seized Crimea and fomented separatism in eastern Ukraine, helping start a war that has killed more than 10,300 people.

The two suspects in the Salisbury attack were named by Metropolitan Police as Aleksandr Petrov (left) and Ruslan Boshirov.

A day earlier, Bellingcat said it determined that the suspect who traveled to Britain in March on a passport under the name Aleksandr Petrov is actually Mishkin, a military doctor employed by Russia's military intelligence agency, widely known as the GRU.

The British-based open-source investigation group's founder, Eliot Higgins, and researcher Christo Grozev told reporters at an event at the British Parliament that they found out that Mishkin had participated in covert operations in Ukraine and Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniester.

People acquainted with his family said they thought the hero award was given for activities "either in Crimea or in relation to [former Ukrainian President Viktor] Yanukovych," according to the Bellingcat report.

Bellingcat said it sought out hundreds of Mishkin's fellow graduates at the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg, and that two remembered Mishkin, but they said that all members of the class had been contacted recently and told not to speak about him.

The organization added that The Insider, Bellingcat's investigative partner in Russia, sent a reporter to the northern Russian village of Loyga, where at least seven people recognized photos of the man identified initially as Petrov as "our local boy" Mishkin.

The reporter heard that a woman identified as Mishkin's grandmother had shown many villagers a photograph of Putin shaking hands with her grandson and was very proud of it.

Bellingcat said the reporter was not able to talk directly to the grandmother.

Bellingcat made waves late last month when it said that Chepiga was the true identity of the other suspect, who had a passport in the name of Ruslan Boshirov, and that he was a GRU colonel decorated with the Hero award.

British authorities allege that the two Russians smeared a Soviet-designed nerve agent called Novichok on the front door of Skripal's home in the English city of Salisbury on March 4, the day the former spy and his daughter were found incapacitated on a bench and rushed to the hospital.

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

Italy seeks to push the issue of financing Russian business in the EU, but Member States are not delighted with the proposals of Rome

A statement by Brussels correspondent "Radio Liberty" Ricard Josyak said in his Twitter.

According to him, Italy still insists on debates within the framework of the European Council next week to finance small and medium-sized businesses in Russia through the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

However, the initiative of Rome has no support, says a journalist.

"No outcome is expected, many Member States are not delighted with the attacks in Salisbury and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, but this could be due to the prolongation of the sanctions at the European Council meeting in December," explained Josoviak.

Earlier, the journalist said that in December, EU leaders are likely to decide on a continuation of economic sanctions against Russia. Despite this Rome is trying to achieve closer cooperation with the Russians.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

The Russian authorities, using federal TV channels, are threatening to resolve a religious war in Ukraine if the Ukrainian Orthodox Church receives Tomos from Constantinople.
According to Censor.NET, threats also sounded on the air of "First Channel" - one of the main propaganda channels.

"In response to the force will inevitably be applied force. And I do not advise you to rejoice too much," - said the conductor on the air.

In addition, he called the Ukrainian state an oxymoron, and the Ukrainian army, he said, does not exist at all.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

People's Deputy Borislav Bereza gave a small interview with Russian propagandist Olga Skobeyeva on the pillars of the PACE, and then threw the microphone on the TV channel "Russia" on the floor.

According to Cenzor.NET, Bereza reminded of the murdered oppositional politician Boris Nemtsov in Russia and journalist Anna Politkovskaya, expressed regret that the Kremlin authorities were killing Ukrainian political prisoners and wished Russian citizens to overthrow the regime of President Vladimir Putin.

"It is so cute to praise Russians for victory over Putin's regime in the live broadcast of the Russian propaganda channel, and then list those whom the Kremlin has killed." "Eat, Russians, do not cling." By the way, this video clearly shows how Skobeyeva stuck a microphone to me and then did not want to take him back, but she now says that I snatched it with her and broke the words "death to the enemies." Well, what about her after that, "Little Putin's liar," writes Birch comments on video interviews with propagandists.



ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український