Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Monday 21 September [Ukrainian sources]

MONDAY

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

News -
4 attacks by Putin's forces yesterday.
Update 1300. No soldiers killed. One injured (mine).
The Nato General Secretary visits today. I don't know when this last happened. Certainly a first visit to Ukraine for the new guy, I would think.
Crimea. The blockade of trucks continues. Isolating the Crimea.

Weather -
Quite a contrast this morning. Chilly. And will be cold also tomorrow. Perhaps only 20 each day.
Cloudy this morning also. But moderately warm weather should return on Wednesday.
I should add that 20 is about normal for this time of year. See post below - warmest last 3 days in Kiev for 135 years. 15 posts down.
More important. Can it continue into October? That would be good. Reduce gas consumption. Vital.

8:02
http://www.unn.com.ua/uk/news/1502811-sogodni-gensek-nato-vidkriye-spilni-navchannya-ukrayina-nato-na-yavorivskomu-poligoni

English version: unn.com.ua

[Lviv area. Also meeting with Poro, and National Security Council meeting.]

8:15
http://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/dnr-zayavili-usilenii-ekonomicheskoy-blokady-1442811966.html
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What about all those Putin "humanitarian convoys".
Bizarrely, I understand there is quite a trade in selling arms from Putin's convoy in return for money and food from Ukraine.
Lots of Russian weapons now turning up all over Ukraine.

7:58
http://kriminal.tv/news/plennij-boets-ato-s-prostrelennimi-nogami-ugnal-tank-terroristov.html
Ukrainian fighter ("Right Sector") with the call sign "Marlene" is not just out of the captivity, but also managed to steal a tank terrorists.
This was told by a journalist Osman Pasha on his page on Facebook.
At the same time, as it turned out, the Ukrainian hero at the time was shot through both legs, says obozrevatel.com.
"Here with us fighter," PS "," Marlene ". It is known that he was wounded, was taken prisoner in the" DNR. "The legs were shot through. At night, crawled into separsky tank,
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Amazing story, if true.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f912316e8e93492e87f629bc263a147b/russians-western-ties-increasingly-branded-traitors
MOSCOW (AP) — When Gennady Kravtsov sent a cover letter to a Swedish company, he reasoned that, even if a job didn't come of it, he at least would know whether his engineering skills were valued outside Russia.
Instead, he found himself charged with treason and facing a possible 15 years in prison.
Kravtsov worked for Russia's GRU military intelligence agency from 1990 to 2005 as a radio engineer in satellite intelligence. For five years after he quit, he was barred from leaving Russia or taking certain security jobs because of the sensitive nature of the work. But when that period was up he sent a cover letter to a Swedish company he found online. Nothing ever came of it.
In 2013, Russian counter-intelligence officers asked Kravtsov about the contact, and last year grabbed him on the street and threw him in jail....
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One mad country.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russian-opposition-draws-thousands-anti-putin-protest-33898246
The protest was relegated to the southeastern Maryino neighborhood because the city government refused to allow the opposition to rally in central Moscow.
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see also

Russian Opposition Calls for Power Change in Moscow Rally
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-20/russian-opposition-calls-for-power-change-in-moscow-rally
As the event ended people were shouting “Russia without Putin.”

Opposition Rallies in Moscow to Demand Fair Elections
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/opposition-rallies-in-moscow-to-demand-fair-elections/531847.html
[nice photo]

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/putin-gives-go-ahead-to-belarus-air-base-plan/531826.html
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Putin confirming - in effect - that
Ukraine needs Nato more than ever for its own defence. Putin is building military bases all around Ukraine.

http://www.bagnet.org/news/world/264414
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Crash landed. Pilot died. Nothing found. Police said probably smuggling cigarettes.

http://www.unian.ua/politics/1129266-za-nich-jodna-vantajivka-ne-peretnula-adminkordon-z-krimom-militsiya.html
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Interesting move. Basically a block on the Crimea. No trucks, no food.
What will Putin do? An air-lift... ?
Shaun Walker - Kremlin yes man "journalist" for the Guardian wrote that he couldn't understand why this was happening.
In a week or two the people of Crimea will understand, that is for sure.
Better to keep Ukrainian food in Ukraine, or send it to western Europe - Spain, Germany. Better prices.



Many Crimean tartars involved in the protest. Also Pravi Sector.

http://www.eurointegration.com.ua/news/2015/09/21/7038522/

At least part of the A-10 attack aircraft, which the US promised to send to Europe, will be placed at the air base in Estonia EMAP..............

English version: eurointegration.com.ua

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2015/09/21/bellingcat-investigation-russias-paths-to-war/
...The evidence presented below confirms that Russia’s armed forces participated in the war throughout the entire summer of 2014. Moreover, it is further shown that this participation by Russia decisively changed the course of the war....
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There is a second link to download the entire article. Pdf file.
Most bellingcat investigations are very very thorough, and this one is no exception.
A war unleashed by Russia onto Ukraine.
A war that Putin, Lavrov and Cherkin have consistenly lied and lied and lied about.

11:37
http://znaj.ua/news/politics/19642/kolishni-regionali-jdut-na-miscevi-vibori-vid-bloku-poroshenka.html
Thus, in the region of Cherkassy Oblast Council MFP "Solidarity" is going to run a former member of the Party of Regions, the chief doctor of the regional oncologic dispensary Viktor Paramonov, write contracts.
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Also some guy who was a mayor under Yuschenko's Our Ukraine, then with Yanukovich's Regions, and now going to run with Poroshenko Block.
Unreal.
But understandable - In Ukraine political power means money. Lots of it!

12:14
http://kiyany.obozrevatel.com/life/97615-babe-leto-v-kieve-nazvali-samyim-teplyim-na-poslednie-135-let.htm
In Kiev, recorded the warmest for 135 years of the history of meteorological observation Indian summer - from 18 to 20 September were installed seven temperature records. It is reported by the press service of the Central Geophysical Observatory.
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Бабье лето Babye Leto. Grandma summer - literally )

http://www.unian.info/society/1129476-aksyonov-there-will-be-no-ukrainian-goods-in-crimea-within-two-weeks.html
The so-called head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, has announced that Ukrainian goods in Crimea will be completely replaced with Russian products within two weeks, according to Russian news agency TASS....
He described the situation with Crimea's food blockade "not critical."...
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Rather strange. Basically a blockade from both sides. But on the Russian occupation side it is a bluff.
As in Russia, prices will rise, and many goods will disappear. Fresh milk, for one. Fresh fruit also, I would think.
Reading this morning that all the land routes have been cut off for lorry transport.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russian-finance-ministry-proposes-move-to-raise-tax-on-oil-extraction/531825.html
Presently the cut-off price is converted into rubles using the exchange rate that exists when the tax is paid. This is forecast by the Finance Ministry at 63.5 rubles per dollar in 2016, 64.8 rubles per dollar in 2017 and 65.8 rubles per dollar in 2018, RIA reported.
Under the new proposal the conversions would instead by made using the 2014 exchange rate indexed by inflation, implying a dollar/ruble exchange rate of 43.8 in 2016,
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Putin is running out of money.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-soldiers-who-went-public-on-syria-deployment-facing-threats-lawyer-says/531862.html
"The military prosecutor's office is doing absolutely nothing. … Instead of their [the soldiers'] rights being protected, the military security services and the FSB [Federal Security Service] have got involved," human rights lawyer Ivan Pavlov, who has defended many Russians accused of treason and espionage,
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Putin's wars are not proving as popular as the Shaun Walker press in Russia are making out.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/09/21/7082063/
Monday, September 21, 2015, 12:34
The last day in the area of anti-terrorist operation passed without loss.
This at a traditional briefing on Monday said a spokesman for the Presidential Administration Andriy Lysenko ATO.
"During the last day of our soldiers none died , only one soldier hit a mine, and was wounded in the area Svetlodarsk reservoir," - he said.

By Russian ren tv. Shaun Walker's friends.
Thanks to Рустем Адагамов ‏@adagamov  10 ч. for this.
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Took me a bit of time, but found the original story from ren tv yesterday, here
http://ren.tv/novosti/2015-09-20/posla-ssha-v-rossii-dzhona-f-teffta-otpravili-na-miting-oppozicii-v-marine

russia - is just lies and lies and lies...
How can anybody believe anything there? You simply do not know what is true and what is false if you watch Russian tv news.
Pure fantasy land.
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Xa xa xa... response of the American Ambassador to Russia....
Official Тwitter feed of the U.S. Embassy Moscow == Посольство США в Москве



Good one ))

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2814812
1700 специалистов. "Они обустраивают и охраняют объект, перестраивают пирс"
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1700 soldiers in one seaside town in Syria to "rebuild the pier"....
yeah... Do the Russians themselves believe this cr@p?

Lies about Crimea, Donbass, Syria, ... photoshopping... just lies and lies and lies = Putin's Russia.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/ukr/news/u_siriii_obstrilyali_rosiyske_posolstvo_2097860
This was on Monday reported on the website of the RF Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[no surprise there; info just appeared - right on queue.. ]

20:34
http://zaxid.net/news/showNews.do?u_kiyevi_planuyut_demontuvati_12_pamyatnikiv_leninu&objectId=1366430

http://www.telekritika.ua/svit/2015-09-21/111428
"unbalanced and biased".
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lying.... what was I just saying...
 

20:48
http://www.unn.com.ua/uk/news/1503055-top-19-naykrasivishikh-sil-ukrayini
[some nice photos at the link]

Among the personnel of the illegal armed groups almost daily panic spread rumors about the closing of the "New Russia" of the Russian Federation.

"Realizing the void of ideas, for which not so long ago called leaders die mercenaries gradually leave the gangs," - states at the headquarters of the ATO.

Recently, one of the Army Corps of so-called "LC", deserted part of the militants. And about 230 mercenaries 2 Army Corps stationed in Alchevsk, refused to continue the contract, which ends in October-November 2015.

Earlier, the head of the "Data Input Impedance" Dmitry Tymchuk said that Russian mercenaries are removed from the Donbas to fight in Syria.

In particular, command of the Russian mercenary battalion "Don" (the place of dislocation - Luhansk region) received an order "to send" one of its members to 190 people in the territory of the Russian Federation to further throwing in Syria.

glavcom.ua In Russian

It seems the conflict in eastern Ukraine will be at a very low level, if they're decreasing the troops and relocating many to Syria. I doubt that Russia will leave. They'll just sit on it for now.

The Kremlin has a substantial amount of tanks and mobile arms in Ukraine. If they start increasing those same type of arms in Syria, they're going to be stretching themselves thin. If they have a major loss in Syria, I still doubt they'll move any from Ukraine. They want it and will probably sit on it as long as possible. Now they'll emphasize on looking as the savior in Syria, so Russians can again support him, as he's been losing his support lately. Last report shows 60% don't agree with what he's doing in Ukraine, and yesterday there was a big street demonstration, protesting against Putin. There will be more, and the chance of more Russian troops coming back home in body bags. That's not going to go over well.

But at the same time, it's still costing them daily. Not to mention the cost of the Syrian conflict. Of course, the sanctions will still stay in place, thus further depletion of the economy and more social drain. Remember that Crimea has to be given back, in order to remove the sanctions. It's not going to get any better for Russians as they're also the one's that are suffering, let alone what's been done to Ukrainians, by their supposed brothers.

Putin won't come out of this unscratched. No way. When your soldiers don't want to go, there's a big problem. Also a problem for the morale, which adds up to failure.

First Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Andrei Paruby believes that the current leader of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will not leave their attempts to make destabilization in Ukraine. And even a lull now Donbass - is situational silence. This he said in an interview with "Commander in Chief"

"The key factor - the international situation. Putin rides on September 28 the UN General Assembly ", - explained Paruby.

He believes that Putin, the US intends to introduce a discussion on the so-called multi-polar world. What is really meant to him: about the redistribution of influence in the world. "And he wants to demonstrate its desire to control the broader processes than those which today affects Russia", - said the first vice-speaker of the Ukrainian parliament.

"So he to lodge a reliable partner on the eve of the visit, it slows events in Donetsk, Lugansk, but, on the contrary, it activates in Syria to show its interest and scale. While activation in Syria, I think, to a large extent due to the fact that the bargain with the United States at the expense of Ukraine. Ukraine is much more important for him to the front, "- said Paruby.

However, he is convinced that Putin's intentions have no prospects.

"Putin is driving himself even deeper into international isolation, to an even greater impasse. We see how the drops of oil, the ruble falls, and therefore I can say that for us, for Ukraine, in this period it is important to just keep. I am sure, taking the budget, we will show how will increase social standards in Ukraine. We have already passed the lowest point. We will show the development for ordinary citizens. But Russia will go down. And in the spring we will be in a completely different positions - both Ukraine and Russia. Therefore, Putin is very important in the near future to make destabilization in Ukraine, arguing strongly that Ukrainians are not able to build their own state, and can only be under the control of another State. This coming period is the most important for us ", - said Paruby.

As for the military bases, which Russia continues to deploy on the border with Ukraine, Paruby added that all of the information about these plans is easy to be found in Russian sources. They do not make of his intentions secret paramilitary.

"We have done a lot of noise information that their base is built Valuyki. But this is only one of the bases. In Boguchar in the neighboring Voronezh region, in close proximity to Ukraine, recovering base 20 Guards Army recovers 10 Guards Tank Corps volunteer. His start to restore. Moreover, there is a plan, it is approved, it allocated funding. These are two large-scale database, which is built on the border with Ukraine. And they suggest that to think that Putin just quietly depart and forget - is absurd, "- concluded Paruby.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Out of fear of losing its influence in Syria and the Middle East in general, Moscow has begun to apply the power levers, as was the case in Ukraine. This was announced on Monday at a press briefing in Washington, White House spokesman Josh Ernest, reports "Ukrinform".

"They (Russian - Ed.) Had the impression that Ukraine is not in the orbit of their political influence when it changed direction. Responding to a position of weakness, tried to protect Russian (in Ukraine - ed.) And the impact of their investments ", - said the representative of the White House.

According to him, the same thing is happening in Syria, which has long been a country of Russian client in the Middle East.

"Assad has lost legitimacy and control over most of the country, and Russia is concerned, it could lose its investment in the country", - said the representative of the US administration.

glavcom.ua In Russian