UKRAINE CRISIS. NEWS IN BRIEF. TUESDAY 14 JULY [UKRAINIAN SOURCES]

TUESDAY

Please scroll down to view news items added during the course of the day

Comments below added by Nelson in Ukraine

News -
Just reading this morning that Poroshenko has said that the conflict at Mukachevo was over contraband.
Yatseniuk in Washington has said the same thing.
Big business - especially given the low price of cigarettes here. You can sell packets for ten times' more in Germany.
And five truck loads a week - good business for an MP - a bit of extra salary.

Weather -
Rain. It rained yesterday afternoon - quite a bit. And it has started raining again a bit. So -
good. The fields and crops and apple trees need rain, that is for sure.
Probably not enough to help put out the peat fires in the Chernobyl zone. Maybe it will help a little.

Footie -
Match between Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk today in the Supercup.
In Odessa - Chernomorets Stadium, starts at 2100. Very late start.
Could be some trouble?

Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Groisman requested unit parliament consider withdrawing Nestor Shufrych from the Ukrainian delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. He said this at a briefing today.

"I heard this proposal. I ordered the unit to consider the proposal. What is the response provided by the law - so we will act, "- said Groisman.

Earlier, at a meeting of the conciliation board leader of the Radical Party, Oleg Lyashko demanded that the head of the Verkhovna Rada of Nestor Shufrych to withdraw from the Ukrainian delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as it did not support the resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine, writes LigaBusinessInform.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

Secretary of the National Security and Defense of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov assigns responsibility for hacking microblog NSDC in the "Twitter" and the appearance of it unreliable reports Major General Andrei Taran in the Russian special services.

"The fact that the Russian special services involved in compromising Taran, testifies to his professional work," - he wrote in "Twitter."

Recall now the official "Twitter" NSDC was taken by a message that the head of the Ukrainian side in the Joint Coordination and control center, Major General Andrew Taran was dismissed from his post and accused of treason .

Later it became known that this message fake.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

Russian MTS can get under strict international sanctions if confirmed its relationship with the mobile provider "K-Telecom", which occupied the Crimea is also known under the name WIN mobile.

This opinion was expressed at a press conference Taras Berezovets political strategist, says News of Sevastopol , referring to the "Meridian".

"The Russian company MTS provides services worldwide. Wherever the Russians go, and foreigners who come to Russia to pay the money of the Russian company MTS. Therefore, if the connection between the "K-Telecom" and MTS confirmed, then this is the basis for the international sanctions, which the company is afraid of very much "- said the expert.

According to him, the Ukrainian government together with foreign partners may conduct an investigation of public relations are "K-Telecom" and the Russian operator MTS.

MTS representatives repeatedly denied due to "K-Telecom", which went to the frequency of previously owned in the Crimea, "MTS-Ukraine."

After the annexation of the Crimea peninsula Russia left all Ukrainian operators. On 7 August 2014 the network "MTS Ukraine", which is a subsidiary of MTS completely stopped work on the territory of Crimea. The company gradually began to turn off their networks on the peninsula after starting August 4 Russian company "K-Telecom".

Later, "MTS Ukraine" Crimean resumed services to subscribers based on one-sided technical roaming in the network of "K-Telecom". In late October, the company "MTS Ukraine" reported on the closure and control of the two branches in the Crimea. The company also sold its assets in the Crimea for 17.7 million euros to two private investors, which are not disclosed.

Because of the annexation of the Crimea Western countries have introduced a series of sanctions, including banning the export of telecommunications technology to the Crimea.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

7:24
Poroshenko: the essence of the conflict in Mukachevo - a reallocation of smuggling (Channel 5)
http://www.5.ua/Strilianyna-v-Mukachevomu/Poroshenko-sut-konfliktu-v-Mukachevomu--tse-pererozpodil-potokiv-kontrabandy-87319.html

The militants are increasing their forces: using "Grad" and 152-mm artillery - ATO headquarters (Gazeta.ua)
http://gazeta.ua/articles/np/_bojoviki-naroschuyut-sili-pracyuyut-gradi-i-152mm-artileriya-shtab-ato/636779

7:21
Five countries asked the UN Security Council to set up a tribunal for "Boeing" (Pulse of Kiev)
http://society.puls.kiev.ua/in_world/338460.html
Австралия, Бельгия, Малайзия, Нидерланды и Украина
Austrialia, Belgium, Malaysia, Netherlands, and Ukraine
officially asked the UN Security Council to set up an international criminal tribunal to bring those responsible for the plane crash, "Malaysian Airlines" on the territory of Ukraine July 17, 2014.
This is stated in the message of the Ukrainian representative at the United Nations.
"The base of the UN Security Council of an independent international criminal tribunal is the best means to ensure justice for the victims and their families and will meet the highest international standards.
[So which country is missing from this list?  - yes, Russia. And which country will veto this resolution? We will see.]

Ukrainian president calls defence meeting after far-Right shootout [in English]
http://europe.newsweek.com/ukrainian-president-calls-defence-meeting-after-far-right-shootout-330229
the initial incident consisted of a gunfight between the Ukrainian volunteer battalion 'Right Sector' and personal guards hired by MP Mikhail Lanyo. ...
As the Right Sector members made their way out of the town following the first gunfight, police attempted to stop them and another fight ensued...
The Right Sector have been patrolling Ukraine's border with EU in the Zakarpattia region where Mukacheve is situated. ... the government has allowed the Right Sector to patrol the area ...
According to Mustafa Nayyem, an MP from Poroshenko's party, all sides in the conflict were involved in the trade of contraband cigarettes with the EU, notably with Germany and Italy. The dispute, according to him, stemmed from a business deal.

[Seems like a reasonable summary of the situation to me.]

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin terminated the powers of the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Antalya, Turkey Levent Aydin, who wore football depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Levent Aydin helped many Ukrainian citizens, and a matter of principle. I have decided to terminate the mandate of the Honorary Consul of Ukraine, "- Klimkin wrote on Twitter.

Later, the Foreign Minister said, "Yes, I see the misunderstanding, so I bring clarity: The honorary consul is not a Ukrainian diplomat. Levent Aydin - Turkish citizen. Such specificity. "

Recall, the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Turkey Levent Aydin came in T-shirt with the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the presentation of a football player Samuel Eto'o, who signed a three-year contract with the team of Antalyaspor. The incident occurred on July 7.



glavcom.ua: In Russian

Russia Seeking Ukraine’s Economic ‘Collapse,’ Biden Says [in English]
http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-biden-russia-seeks-economic-collapse/27125993.html
"Russia’s trying to undermine the stability and the sovereignty of Ukraine by any means it can, including its attempt to create conditions that will cause Ukraine to economically collapse,” Biden told U.S. and Ukrainian officials and business leaders in Washington on July 13.
"That’s [Russia’s] first preference," Biden added. "But we can’t let that strategy succeed."

[I read also that Yats had a private meeting afterwards with Biden, Obama, the US Ambassador to Ukraine, and other officials. Lasted more than an hour.
Next stop, I understand, Canada. ]

9:05
Parliament today to consider the lifting of immunity of deputies and judges (RBC-Ukraine)
http://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/rada-segodnya-rassmotrit-snyatie-neprikosnovennosti-1436853432.html
Thus, the agenda said that the deputies will consider in the first reading a draft law №1776 "On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (regarding the inviolability of people's deputies of Ukraine and judges)."
In addition, Parliament must now consider the second reading of the bill № 2831-3 "On the local elections."
[The moment of truth for these bandits.... ]

9:17
Yatsenyuk met Obama and Biden at a conference in Washington DC (Hvilya)
http://hvylya.net/news/exclusive/yatsenyuk-vstretilsya-v-obamoy-i-baydenom-na-konferentsii-v-vashingtone.html
[Nothing new in this report.
I understand, from elsewhere, that he was invited AFTER the conference to a private meeting with Biden, and than Obama also rolled up with others. ]

9:16
In Donetsk, a drunken terrorist shot a girl who did not respond to his "feelings" (Pulse of Kiev) [shot her dead]
http://society.puls.kiev.ua/incident/338488.html
On July 2, in the region of Donetsk mine called Zasyadko, a terrorist, in a state of alcoholic intoxication, killed a local woman for what she did not reciprocate his "courtship."
It is stated on the page of the NGO "Defense of Mariupol" to Facebook.
"She tried to get away from the" boyfriend "and ran into their homes, but the gunman broke the door and shot the girl," the report said.
[Shaun Walker's "DNR guys" establishing Putin's peace in the Donbass.
This guy probably came in one of Putin's "humanitarian convoys". ]

Court Kromskom district court sentenced the Oryol region of the Russian Federation Alexander Byvsheva schoolteacher to six months of corrective labor for publishing the poem "Ukrainian patriots", said the publication "The Edge", referring to the words Byvsheva. He was found guilty under part 1 of article 282 of the Criminal Code (incitement of hatred or enmity).

In addition to the hard labor, the Court decided to confiscate laptop Byvsheva and a two-year ban him from working in the profession - a schoolteacher. Thus, the requirements of the deputy district attorney Krasnov were satisfied in full.

"I was only a pen. Work can not be locked accounts. Of course, it's difficult, "- said the former.

Lawyer Vladimir Suchkov announced its intention to appeal the verdict. Defender noted that the poem itself, for which on Byvsheva brought the case, the court in the proceedings did not investigate.

"I have done my duty poet and citizen, and I am not ashamed for any of the written word - he said. - My conscience is clear. I have nothing to defend. I am an honest man, and I can openly look people in the eye. And let history judge us, "- said the former.

Reportedly, the Doctor of Philology, Professor Galina Trofimova, as an expert of the Moscow Guild of linguists experts on documentary and informational disputes (Gladys), denied the existence of extremism in the poem of the defendant. She was questioned on June 24 in court.

Earlier, Alexander Byvshevu, German teacher from the village Kromy Orel region, in the presence of a lawyer handed the decision to institute criminal proceedings on extremism on the part 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code.

Recall that Byvshevu 41 years old. He is a high school teacher, author of three books, including "Russian Duma and the Russian" (1998), "Sunny Bunny" (2007), a member of the Writers' Union of the 21st century. In the hands of the poet sick elderly parents: half-blind mother with a history of recent stroke and 84-year-old father, who had a heart attack.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

Washington is considering a plan to expand the training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - want to bring to training in addition to the National Guard and regular army and special forces.

As the newspaper writes Military Times, it was declared commander of the ground forces the US Armed Forces in Europe, Lieutenant General Frederick Ben Hodges.

According to him, the US plans to expand the Ukrainian military training and train not only the soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine, but also the country's regular army.

As noted by Ben Hodges, the US military also has something to learn from the Ukrainians.

"None of us ever got under Russian artillery and rocket fire, as happened with the Ukrainians", - said the American general.

Future training will likely be similar to those that now pass for the National Guard under the fighters on the Yavoriv training ground in Lviv region, but may include elements of protection against electronic warfare, including the interception of radio communications.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

July 13 near the village Aslanova Donetsk region border guards found ammunition depot for multiple launch rocket systems "Grad", reports NGO "Defense of Mariupol".

For information on the location of the cache according to local residents. The sand quarry law enforcers found 40 rockets for rocket artillery. The area was cordoned off with ammunition and brought under control before the arrival of a group of engineers.

Recall that in April this year in the destroyed building of motor transport enterprise in Mariupol found a cache of saboteurs "DNR." It stores about 400 rounds of ammunition for automatic, 4 antitank grenade launcher RPG-18 and RPG-26 and 5 grenades RGD-5 and F-1.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

People's deputy Yulia Tymoshenko pretends to lead the Chamber of Accounts.

This was said during the debate on the PPO fractions, according INSIDER with reference to one of the deputies.

As is well known, the new law on the Audit Chamber was adopted in the last week.

Parliament should provide its members 9, at BPP - three seats.

At a meeting of the faction on Monday BPP directly candidacy not discussed.

According to the law adopted on July 2, the Chamber on behalf of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine controls the flow of funds to the state budget of Ukraine and usage. Audit Chamber reports to BP and regularly inform about the results of their work.

This termination of powers of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine shall not be grounds for termination of powers of members of the Chamber of Accounts.

The Chairman of the Accounting Chamber shall be appointed by the Chairman of Verkhovna Rada of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The speaker introduced the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine regarding appointment of the Chairman of the Accounting Chamber of one of the members of the Chamber of Accounts.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

12-year-old Vladimir Golovachko is now in the village of Star as saying the villagers village Bobovische Mukachevo district, Transcarpathian region. But the popularity of the boy brought a gloomy event.

How to tell the children themselves, Volodya with her younger sister Jana herded goats and already returned home when they came out to meet "Uncle Service." The stranger offered to children of chocolate. As they came closer, just behind Uncle policeman appeared. When the man saw a policeman, he immediately put a grenade to the boy's chest and said a policeman at a hundred meters away. And then with the child walked into the forest. There, as he told abductee - there was "another uncle." He had a second weapon, the boy he saw three machine guns and pistols. Volodin kidnapper tied his legs with a rope, and then the two men went into the woods. The boy himself freed his leg and went to the police.



Even when the boy testified he found the photographs of one of the men who kidnapped him. The kidnappers about forty years, a round face, was wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt and without weapons, writes PMG.ua

Recall, July 13 fugitives from the "Right Sector" took hostage a child, but later released. Later, local media informed that the child was not taken hostage, but just "showed the soldiers' right quadrant," the road to the forest. " Now the child is safe . Interior Ministry announced the video interview with the boy-soldiers hostage "Right Sector", who spoke about the fact that he was threatened with a grenade, and then tied up in the woods and disappeared.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

Tuesday, July 14 in the Kuibyshev region of Donetsk exploded Range Rover SUV with the woman behind the wheel. This citing eyewitnesses reported the local portal 62.ua

It is indicated that the female driver survived.




«Range Rover, nowadays rare, probably depressed. Maybe a warning to someone, "" On the contrary Topaz parking car exploded, the mine was laid under the passenger seat, "" Who blew up the car at Kuibyshev between Solovatskoy and stop Topaz. Behind the wheel was a woman. Stay alive "," exploded on the Topaz machine. The car was booby-trapped, exploded on the road "- write witnesses in social networks.

While other details of the incident are unknown.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

Countries that conduct an independent criminal investigation into the downed aircraft Malaysian airlines over the territory of Ukraine July 17, 2014 and the death of 298 people, appealed to the UN Security Council to set up an international criminal tribunal to bring to justice those responsible for committing related incident crime, the press service of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations.

"Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine believe that the establishment of the UN Security Council of an independent international criminal tribunal is the best means to ensure justice for the victims and their families and will meet the highest international standards", - said in a statement.

The Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations noted that such action would be an appropriate response to the tragedy of the United Nations, since the incident and the associated consequences for the safety of civil aviation affect the interests of the international community as a whole.

"With this in mind, the five countries are making efforts to provide support to the members of the UN Security Council to create the tribunal", - the report says.

The representative added that immediately after the accident flight MH17 UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2166, containing a requirement to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure proper cooperation at the international level to establish responsibility.

"Creating this purpose the international criminal tribunal in accordance with Section VII of the UN Charter would be a clear signal that the international community will not tolerate acts that threaten international peace and security and endanger civil aviation. The establishment of the tribunal by the Security Council of the UN will ensure broad international support and maximize opportunities for international cooperation that is essential for the effective prosecution, "- the report says.

It stated that Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine urged Security Council members to support the proposal in order to ensure the prosecution of perpetrators of these crimes and prevent threats to the security of civil aviation.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

The first item on the agenda during today's session of the Verkhovna Rada will be a bill on removing judicial and parliamentary immunity. This was announced today told reporters the coalition coordinator Oleg Lyashko.

"Now, after the speeches of leaders of factions first bill - is the removal of parliamentary and judicial immunity. He will now be the first ", - said Lyashko.

Recall, Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko urged the Verkhovna Rada on July 14 to take four of the bill for $ 3.2 billion. From international partners.

According to her, these bills are very important and are progressive and will help to "protect the savings of citizens, improve the economy, energy and power", and which are necessary for further progress in relations with the IMF, the World Bank, and also for receiving loans from Japan and Germany.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

Russian Bank Ltd. "Kuban Credit" closes the last branch in the annexed Crimea. Regarding the closure of a branch bank in Kerch customers notified SMS.

"CB LLC" Kuban Credit "announces the closing of June 31, 2015 the branch" Simferopol "in Kerch, at ul. Sovetskaya, d. 20, "- said in a notification according Krym.Realii

Customers are offered until the end of the month or close deposits, or transfer accounts in the offices on the mainland of Russia, the nearest of which is located in Temryuk.

Information on the closing of branches in Kerch and the reasons for the decision on the official website of the bank yet.

In late March 2015, not having worked for a year, two branches of the bank "Kuban Credit" closed in Sevastopol, then in Simferopol. Of the four, opened in 2014. The missions continued to operate only one - in Kerch.

Bank "Kuban Credit" is a regional bank in Russia, operating in the Krasnodar region. The Bank was registered in 1993.

Over the past year in Russian-occupied Crimea stopped work several Russian banks. So, in June, the Central Bank of Russia revoked the license of Moscow "MUST-Bank", in December last year - at the Samara bank "Volga-Credit", even earlier - at "Doninvest" from Rostov-on-Don.

Ukrainian banks have left Crimea after Russian annexation in March 2014.

glavcom.ua: In Russian

Two grenades exploded at two police precincts in Lviv, wounding 2 police officers, ZIK reports July 14.

In one accident, the grenade exploded when a police officer was unlocking the door of his office.

In another accident, the grenade exploded wounding a 31-year old police officer.

Earlier, on June 25, terrorists blew up a police car near the police precinct wounding a policeman.

zik.ua

US and Ukraine businessmen have announced a number of large investment projects in Ukraine following their business forum in Washington July 13, UNN reports.

The US-based Horizon Capital fund has announced it will invest in Ukraine’s major rozrtka.ua e-trading system, Ivaras Abromavichus said.

Another US company, Amazon, opts to invest in the construction of a port in Ukraine.

US companies, the minister said, are interested in investing in agriculture, high technologies and defense companies, the Ukrainian official said.

Simultaneously, US investors spoke about Ukraine’s lost-standing problems – VAT rebates, intellectual property rights and corrupt judiciary, he said.

zik.ua: In Russian

Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy and American company Frontera Resources Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding.

According to the press office of Naftogaz Ukrainy, the document was signed during the first American -Ukrainian business forum in Washington.

According to the memorandum, the parties agreed to cooperate in the field of investment to explore and develop oil and gas in Ukraine, as well as to implement the LNG import project through the American company in Georgia. The reserves of natural gas companies in Georgia amount to about 300 billion cubic meters.

The memorandum comes into force from the date of its signing and is valid for two years.

time-ua.com

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has accused Russia of trying to destabilize Ukraine “by any means it can,” saying the Kremlin wants to see the economy of its ex-Soviet neighbor crumble.

"Russia’s trying to undermine the stability and the sovereignty of Ukraine by any means it can, including its attempt to create conditions that will cause Ukraine to economically collapse,” Biden told U.S. and Ukrainian officials and business leaders in Washington on July 13.

"That’s [Russia’s] first preference," Biden added. "But we can’t let that strategy succeed."

Biden delivered the comments in a speech to the inaugural U.S.-Ukraine Business Forum, an event co-hosted by the U.S. Commerce Department aimed at fostering U.S. investment in the Ukrainian economy, which has been ravaged by Kyiv’s war with Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country.

Biden repeated allegations by Kyiv, Washington, and their allies in Brussels that Moscow is backing the rebels, saying Ukraine is “now under siege.”

"Russia is building military outposts on Ukrainian soil," Biden said. "It relentlessly continues to send Russian troops, Russian hired thugs and mercenaries, Russian tanks, and Russian missiles into numerous parts of Ukraine, but particularly the Donbas."....................

Read further at link: rferl.org

That's one of the main reasons many western governments and monetary organizations are offering financial aid and loans, in order to defeat the Kremlin's attempt to bring down Ukraine monetarily and economically. As they also know, their attempts aren't working. It's actually helping Ukraine stay up on its feet. So this is another Kremlin failure of many.

Russia says a London bank account held by its state-owned media behemoth Rossia Segodnya has been “closed” by British authorities in a move it linked to Ukraine-related sanctions imposed by the EU.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on July 13 that the media conglomerate’s account with the bank Barclay’s was closed in connection with EU sanctions against Rossia Segodnya chief Dmitry Kiselyov, who delivers bombastic anti-Western tirades on his nationally televised weekly news program.

Rossia Segodnya’s representatives “were not informed about the fate of the funds,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The situation creates hurdles for the activity of the Russian Federation’s largest information agency on British territory,” the ministry said, adding that Moscow has appealed to the British government with a “demand” to “immediately clarify the situation.”...................

Read further at link: rferl.org

Abromavicius informed that the Horizon Capital American company, which has 20 years of work experience in Ukraine, announced about major investments in one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Ukraine, Rozetka.ua company.

"The Cargill company increases its investments in the Pivdennyi port. In addition, the company engaged in construction of nuclear waste processing plants will also invest in Ukraine... It's just a few examples. There will be more such projects in the future, indicating that that we are moving in the right direction," Abromavicius said.

In general, he said, the areas of interest for U.S. investors in Ukraine are diverse.

"As we expected, the U.S. investors are interested in agriculture, information technologies, aerospace and other fields in Ukraine," the Minister said.

time-ua.com

“In Crimea it is dangerous to be a Ukrainian. For such patriotism one can be fined in the best case and put in prison in the worst.” Moreover, there are frequent cases of kidnapping, beatings and torture. And informing on others has become “a norm of life.”


By Paul Goble* for “Windows on Eurasia”:

When any situation no matter how horrific continues for a long time, there is a great danger that it will become for many a kind of new normal, something regrettable but all too often ignored in the flood of events. That danger is now settling over Russian-occupied Crimea where political persecutions are continuing unabated.

On July 10 in Kyiv, the Center for Civic Freedoms and the SOS Euromaidan organization held a joint press conference on the occasion of the release of its second monthly report about repressions and political persecutions in Crimea. The picture is so horrific that it compels attention (qha.com.ua/v-krimu-prodoljayutsya-politicheskie-presledovaniya-146204.html).

The participants at the meeting included Mariya Lysenko, project coordinator at the Center for Civic Freedoms, Stanislav Krasnov who has been persecuted in Crimea by the Russian occupiers, and Roman Martynovsky, an expert of the Regional Center for Human Rights.

The QHA news agency summed up their conclusions with the following words: “In Crimea it is dangerous to be a Ukrainian. For such patriotism one can be fined in the best case and put in prison in the worst.” Moreover, there are frequent cases of kidnapping, beatings and torture. And informing on others has become “a norm of life.”

And in the face of these disturbing trends, the agency cited in conclusion Lysenko’s words that “we are unceasingly calling for the dispatch of international observers to Crimea who could follow the situation directly on the peninsula,” perhaps the only way that could prevent the situation from becoming even worse.

Among the most troubling developments of the last month, participants pointed to the following:................

Read further at link: ukrainebusiness.com.ua

The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized draft amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine concerning decentralization, as they were prepared without coordination with the representatives of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics militant organizations, according to the ministry's press service.

The Russian side stresses that a Ukrainian bill introducing the amendments "is not the document the Minsk agreements foresee," as it was prepared without "consultations" with the militants.

"Moreover, Kyiv did not even bother to somehow respond to the appropriate proposals to amend the Constitution of Ukraine, prepared and introduced by Donetsk and Luhansk," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

According to Russian diplomats, Kyiv's actions "do not contribute to a sustainable settlement of the Ukrainian crisis" and "undermine the international community's efforts to de-escalate the situation."..............

Read further at link: unian.info

Naftogaz Board Chairman Andriy Kobolev said that this is a landmark event, which is evidence of the investors' appreciation of steps taken over the last year to liberalize the gas market and fight corruption.

"TrailStone is our supplier on the European market, and on the Ukrainian market this is a rival. However, its arrival in our market is a very positive event for Ukrainian gas consumers and producers. Operation of the large international trader as TrailStone on our market would promote stable gas supplies, increase liquidity and effectiveness of our market. Our team was trying to achieve this forwarding the reform of the gas sector in Ukraine," he said.

"Our experience shows that these reforms that are being introduced in Ukraine are leading to the improvement of the market conditions for consumers and the increase of investment in the gas sector," Senior Partner of TrailStone Bill Gebhardt................

Read further at link: interfax.com.ua

Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine detained odessite which manufactured the IEDs to terrorist group that carried out the bombings at the Odessa railway.

This was reported today in the press center of the SBU.





"During a search of the detainee seized parts for the manufacture of new improvised explosive devices. According to experts, they are identical to those used in the commission of terrorist acts explosives on the railway in April-June 2015. Accomplice of the terrorists said that he personally produced and handed the leader saboteurs 19 radio-controlled electronic detonators and timing. Secret Service checks the information about his involvement in the explosion in Odessa cafe "We Angelova" , - said in a statement.

Announced detained suspected of committing a crime under Part. 1 tbsp. And 14 h. 2 tablespoons. 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Operational-investigative actions to establish other accomplices of terrorists continues.

In addition, the SBU is now officially confirmed the information about the detention of a terrorist group in early July and specified number of detainees, "terrorist group, which is preparing for the explosive devices, acting on the territory of Mykolaiv and Odessa regions. In the near future they were preparing to undermine the bridge in Nikolaev. In early July, in the course of a large-scale security operation SBU detained 16 members of the group "

dumskaya.net: In Russian

According to the press secretary SBU Elena Gitlyanskaya at a briefing on Tuesday

"We can not tell the exact number, we believe that there are more than a dozen. However, we can say that we have established among the people - all the local" - said rechnitsa SBU.

She recalled the arrest of two men "Right Sector" on Monday evening, but did not answer the question whether they have surrendered themselves, referring to the non-disclosure of details of the special operation.

According Gitlyanskoy, two detainees have already sent a special flight to Kiev, "they are protected, and started pre-trial investigation."

"The other two injured are under protection in hospital Mukachevo" - she added......


pravda.com.ua: In Ukrainian

A bomb exploded on July 14 in Donetsk destroying the car of Yelena Filippova, the secretary of the head so-called Donetsk People's Republic, Oleksandr Zakharchenko.

The blast coincided with the reported visit to Donetsk by Russian presidential aid Vladislav Surkov.

uatoday.tv

The new system of local self-administration, the introduction of which is provided by amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine, will start working only in 2018.

Head of the Center for Political and Legal Reforms Ihor Koliushko said this at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"This law changes nothing at the elections of this year. The whole reform is postponed for 2.5 years, except for voluntary association of communities," he said.

ukrinform.ua: In Ukrainian

If Moscow goes ahead with its idea of declaring various foundations and organizations abroad undesirable and demands that Russians break ties with them, Pugovkin continues, that will lead to a new burst in the emigration from Russia of many of that country’s best and brightest with incalculable damage to Russia’s future.…they are not junior people: three of the four Russian Nobel Prize winners in physics now work abroad.


By Paul Goble* for “Windows on Eurasia”:

July 12 – Even in the darkest times of the Soviet past, universities in Russia were more free than the surrounding population, but now that situation has been reversed; and as a result, Russian scholars are increasingly seeking to emigrate to escape ideological pressure and restrictions on their contacts with the scholarly community elsewhere.

That is the judgment of Meksim Reznik, chairman of the commission on education, culture and science of the St. Petersburg city legislative assembly, in a comment featured on Radio France International’s Russian Service (ru.rfi.fr/rossiya/20150709-otezd-rossiiskikh-uchenykh-na-zapad-komandirovki-emigratsiya-ili-iskhod/).

Others echo his words. Dmitry Dubrovsky, a former instructor at St. Petersburg State University now at Columbia University in New York, says that his departure and that of others reflects “a worsening of conditions of work and level of pay” as well as the intensification of “ideological pressure on the instructors” in Russia.

Unlike in the Soviet Union in the past and in Belarus even now, Russian universities “so far do not have a secretary for ideology, but in fact, this role is filled in universities now either by the rectors of the pro-rectors” who work to ensure that those employed by the institution hew closely to “’the party line.’”

The current rector of St. Petersburg State University is Nikolay Kropachev who in Soviet times was a mentor to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and it is widely assumed that he owes his current position to his former student. Consequently, he almost certainly does not want anyone on his staff opposing the government.

Andrey Pugovkin, a Russian biologist, suggests that the situation in Russian academic life had deteriorated sharply after 2003. “First on the initiative of the Academy of Sciences and then of the powers that be were sharply limited and channeled international contacts,” cutting Russian scholars off “from international grants and interaction with scholars abroad.”

Moreover, he says that at about that time “contacts with those who had gone abroad earlier were cut,” much as had been true in Soviet times. As a result, “people began to leave and stopped returning.” When Moscow demanded the renunciation of dual citizenship, scholars who had gone abroad earlier and acquired that status also decided to leave permanently........................

ukrainebusiness.com.ua

Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers Russia including 12 Ukrainian organizations in a so-called “stop list” as a discriminatory move.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has once again expressed concern about the situation related to the restriction of human rights in Russia and the oppression of rights of Ukrainians in Russia.

The Foreign Ministry reminded that on July 8, 2015, the Council of the Federation appealed to the Prosecutor General, the head of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Justice "in connection with the need to determine additional measures to counter anti-Russian activities of foreign and international non-governmental organizations."

Since the term of unwanted foreign and international non-governmental organizations has been introduced in Russia this May, Russia has created a so-called “stop list” of 12 organizations, which included the Ukrainian World Congress, Ukrainian World Coordinating Council, and the Crimean field mission on Human Rights, the activities of which in the Russian Federation were proposed to identify as unwanted, says Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry. The MFA regarded the move as discriminatory. It constitutes a “threat to the preservation of national identity, authenticity, and free development of Ukrainians in Russia," according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry..............

Read further at link: unian.info

In Parliament there is no 300 votes for the abolition of parliamentary immunity autumn. This is in the air "5 channel" said MP Viktor Bondar (of the "Renaissance"), reports UNN.

"For the abolition of immunity fall 300 votes will not. I can already see the mood inside the other factions and talking with people. The idea is that someone starts to spin and make some good gestures that we should withdraw immunity along with the President, judges, prosecutors" - he said.

According to V. Bondar around this issue before the local elections will be sea populism, and then vote.....

unn.com.ua: In Ukrainian