Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Wednesday 14 October [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

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


NEWS:

One soldier was killed and 3+ injured from a grenade thrown in south of Avdijyvka. It's been somewhat quiet till this incident. Terrorists are going to continue this intimidation. I'd say it's by the Kremlin's requests. Putin doesn't want peace in Ukraine. He wants to continue chaos, to create animosity against Ukraine's government. But as reports show, people in Donetsk are getting quite upset at DNR. So what they're trying to do is backfiring on Putin. This is a no-win situation for Putin, but it's going to be some time before peace returns to eastern Ukraine. Comments by Putin shows he's laughing about the Minsk agreement ever being completed from his side.

WEATHER:

In Kyiv and in the south, temperatures 11c and sunny.

In the occupied Donbas, especially in heavily devastated cities the discontent of the local population with the authorities is on the increase, a Donetsk journalist writes in Apostrof Oct. 14.

Among other things, the locals criticize the rebel authorities for failing to repair their houses and facilities. For example, no repairs have been started in the heavily devastated cities like Debaltseve, Ilovajsk and Vuhlehirsk.

Instead of tackling social, humanitarian and other problems, the rebels keep up holding various holidays, forums and events (including tank biathlon!).

As a result, even the staunchest separatists now are beginning to smell a rat.

“We’ve had enough of celebrations,” the locals complain. “They have money to bring guest performers and print thousands of placards, while our roofs are leaky and they do not have the funds to fix them,” the locals say.

zik.ua

Ukraine army confirms the killing of one and wounding of two servicemen by rebels on Oct. 14 despite the ceasefire.

The rebels opened fire using grenade throwers south of Avdijyvka, killing one and wounding two servicemen, the army says.

In line with the Minsk peace agreements, Ukraine army has completed the withdrawal from the touchline of its below 100-mm artillery and mortars.

zik.ua

Ukraine has saved 10 billion UAH ($435 million) for reconstruction of the Donbas infrastructure.
This was announced by President Petro Poroshenko in an interview to Dnipropetrovsk TV channels on Oct. 13, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrainski Novyny.

"The Ukrainian government has saved on its own more than 10 billion, which it can use towards reconstruction of the infrastructure. Our European and American partners will add by 4-5 times more," the president said.

Read more: Ukraine started to receive defensive non-lethal weapons from foreign partners, - Poroshenko

According to Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered to immediately allocate 500 million EUR, which can be spent on the same purpose.

"We will do that, but there needs to be truce, revival of the Ukrainian flag, the Ukrainian sovereignty," the president added.

He informed that the Ukrainian government sent an engineering group for water supply recostruction to the region a week ago, but mercenaries did not allow them to do that. Poroshenko said that the OSCE had been informed by the Ukrainian party about this fact.

censor.net.ua In Russian

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko announced that observers of the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the OSCE were allowed to access non-government-controlled area of the Ukrainian-Russian border in the Donetsk region thanks to Paris agreements of the "Normandy Four."

"Today [Oct. 13 - ed.] the OSCE managed for the first time to reach the [Ukrainian-Russian - ed.] border. In the Luhansk region, they were stopped and not allowed to do that in the so-called separate areas of the Luhansk region. However, in the Donetsk [region - ed.] the Mission has reached the border for the first time and conducted an inspection," the president said in an interview to Dnipropetrovsk TV channels on Tuesday evening, Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

Poroshenko reminded that during Paris talks Russia "has promised to allow the OSCE to the border."

"They were never allowed to. The OSCE could not even check warehouses in the buffer zone, where withdrawn weapons were," Poroshenko said.

This is the first time in a year and a half that the OSCE SMM observers were allowed to non-Ukraine-controlled border area, the president stressed.

According to the OSCE SMM report dated Oct. 12 (no report dated Oct. 13 has been published yet), at an "LPR"-controlled crossing point into the Russian Federation in "LPR"-controlled Dovzhanske (84 km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM observed approximately 50 trucks (with both Ukrainian and Russian Federation licence plates), most loaded with coal, waiting to cross into the Russian Federation. The SMM noted two coal-laden trucks pass into the Russian Federation.

censor.net.ua In Russian

President Petro Poroshenko thanked foreign partners for providing non-lethal defensive weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"...we are grateful for the defensive non-lethal weapons that has finally started to arrive," Poroshenko said Wednesday morning when opening the exhibit of modern weapons and equipment at the Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv, dedicated to the Ukraine's Defender Day. This is reported by Censor.NET citing Interfax-Ukraine.

The president informed that the exhibit showcased both Ukrainian-made equipment and imported samples from Ukraine's partners and allies.

"I want to thank those countries and peoples represented by their delegates here for this very much needed support and assistance that you have provided and are providing to Ukraine and its courageous defenders," Poroshenko stressed.





censor.net.ua In Russian

Saakashvili announced the new head of Odessa's Customs Control, Yulia Marushevsky.

In an interview with "The censor. No "Governor Mikheil Saakashvili said that the head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine has agreed to appoint his protege Yulia Marushevsky the post of headmistress of the Odessa customs.

Saakashvili said that immediately after the appointment of Yulia his team will prepare a cadre of competition at customs to gain employment of new people.

Newly appointed head of Odessa Customs

Germany is ready to immediately allocate 500 million EUR for the Donbas infrastructure reconstruction.
This was announced by President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.

"German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered to immediately allocate 500 million EUR, which can be immediately spent on the Donbas infrastructure reconstruction," Poroshenko said.

It was reported earlier that Germany would allocate 25 million EUR for construction of housing for internally displaced persons.

censor.net.ua In Russian

Russia has appealed to the International Civil Aviation Organization to open a new probe into last year's downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine.

Oleg Storchevoi, deputy chief of the Russian Aviation Agency, made the comment during a press conference in Moscow on October 14.

The Dutch Safety Board said in its final report released on October 13 that the jet was destroyed by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile. Two-thirds of the victims in the crash were Dutch.

The probe did not say who had fired the missile, but it identified an area of 320 square kilometers from where it said the launch must have taken place.

At the time of the attack, that land was mostly under the control of the pro-Russia rebels.

Storchevoi hinted that Russia believes that some of the evidence has been faked.

Speaking in Donetsk, rebel leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko denied any involvement in the crash.

rferl.org

In his statement NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the release of the Dutch Safety Board's report into the tragic downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 and emphasized that those directly and indirectly responsible for the downing of MH17 should be held accountable and brought to justice as soon as possible.

"I commend the Dutch Safety Board for conducting an independent, neutral and open investigation. Their report fulfills the objectives set out by the United Nations Security Council and the investigation was conducted in full accordance with the rules and procedures of the International Civil Aviation Organization," a statement reads.

unian.ua  In Ukrainian

Viktor Hirzhov, one of the leaders of the Ukrainian diaspora in Moscow, has been banned from Russia for five years.

Last night Russian border guards took him off the train in Russian Bryansk, as Hrizhov was coming back home from Ukraine.

According to a Russian FSB resolution, he has been denied entry to Russia till September 1, 2020.

Talking to Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, Hrizhov speculated that the cause of the decision could have been related to his views on Ukraine...........

uatoday.tv

More and more militant fighters are defecting, under a special program launched by Ukraine's Security Service several months ago.

Under the scheme, those surrendering are carefully questioned - to ensure no crimes were committed before the war.

With these answers and exisiting intelligence, officials then make a judgement call. One official told us the pain of leaving loved ones in government-held areas led to some militants abandoning their positions.

He argued more fighters want to but unfortunetly, don't have the neccessessary means.

Ihor Kutepov, Ukrainian Security Service employee: "I would separate those who want to leave from those who have actually returned, but the tendency is that both groups are increasing in numbers."

We're now waiting for a man who served with the Russian-backed militants to cross over at this Ukrainian checkpoint. His father is waiting to see him; he tells us that his son Oleksandr used to attend pro-Russian rallies in Kramatorsk, when the conflict in Ukraine was in its early stages.

He was arrested by Ukraine's Security Services but was later exchanged for Ukrainian soldiers in a prisoner swap with the militants.............

To read further go to this link: uatoday.tv

Ukraine has finally started to receive defensive weapons from other countries to help safeguard against further Russian agression. That's according to President Petro Poroshenko, during the inauguration of a new military exhibition. He said the Ukrainian army now had enough skills and courage to ward off attacks from any quote 'invaders':

"We don't need foreign soldiers. Ukrainians have enough military skills and fortitude to defend their land from invaders. But we are grateful for the defensive, non-lethal weapons, which we have finally begun to receive"

"Today, at this exhibition, you will be able to see samples of Ukrainian and foreign produced military equipment. Here is the equipment that our allies and partners have delivered to us".

Oleksander Bakun, deputy commanding officer of tank battalion: "Bulat is a modernized version of the T-64 battle tank, but its defensive, firing and speed capabilities have been increased. It has a more powerful modernized engine with 850 horsepower, can move at a speed of 65 km per hour and the defense of the crew and the machine itself is doubled."..............

To read further go to this link: uatoday.tv

Today, 14 October, unveiled a monument to the head of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Zaporozhye. The opening took place at the fair on the island of Khortytsya in honor of the cover. Reported regional edition 061.ua.

"The author of the sculpture - Maxim Drozdenko. On the pedestal Lavrov embodied in the form of either a horse, or a donkey. However, despite the shape of a horse in cloven-hoofed Lavrov easy to guess resemblance to Russian politician - write Ukrainian News




glavcom.ua In Russian

Head of the customs tariffs of Odessa was arrested when receiving a large bribe.

It was October 14 on his page on Facebook said the head of the Odessa Regional State Administration Mikhail Saakashvili.

"I have already warned that as a result of recent government regulations have created more corruption feeder for the customs officers, who were given unlimited right to determine tariffs", - Saakashvili said.

He added that the demands the prompt appointment of a new head of the Odessa customs.

"We put things in order there in a few days," - said the governor.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that if the Netherlands as a result of the referendum will withdraw its signature from the Association Agreement EU-Ukraine, Russia will get what it wants.

He expressed this opinion in an interview with Dutch television station NOS, which will be broadcast on Wednesday evening news. It is known that as the Minister for Foreign Affairs Sikorski, together with a colleague from Sweden, Carl Bildt, initiated the establishment of the Eastern Partnership, and plays an active role in support of Ukraine.

"If the Netherlands would withdraw his signature back under the Association Agreement with Ukraine, Russia will get what it wants. I recommend it to everybody to vote for (the ratification - Ed.) ", - He said.

Sikorski noted that the Association Agreement - "this is nothing more and nothing less than a chance for Ukraine to be more like us, have a slightly better life."

glavcom.ua In Russian

The Russian Federation requests the Dutch-led joint expert team to reopen the investigation into the case of flight MH17 downed by pro-Russian militants.
As Censor.NET reports citing ZN,UA, it is stated by Head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Oleg Storchevoy who once again questioned some of the evidence given by the Dutch experts in their report on the results of the investigation presented this week after 15 months of collecting and studying the materials of the case.

The investigators concluded that the Malaysian Boeing777 was shot down in the skies over the Donbas by a Buk anti-aircraft missile. This completely refutes Russia's accusations against Ukraine by which a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter allegedly destroyed the passenger liner. The report however does not say who fired the missile. It should be established by another investigation team composed of experts from Belgium, Malaysia, Australia, and Ukraine.

At the same time, Tibbe Joustra, the chairman of the Dutch Safety Board, noted that the missile that hit the Boeing was fired from the territory seized by pro-Russian militants.

censor.net.ua In Russian

Famous British publisher Oxford University Press has released a textbook on geography where the occupied Crimea is given as part of the Russian Federation.
As reported by Censor.NET, this is announced by the Ukrainian Embassy in the UK on its Facebook page.

"Ukraine's Embassy urges the publishing house to correct mistakes immediately as such grave mistakes may bring The Oxford University Press into disrepute," the statement reads.




censor.net.ua In Russian

It should be expected, as Churchill never brought up to Stalin about Holodomor, during Ribbentrop (10 million Ukrainian starved to death by Stalin. 7 million in one year) and turned their backs on Ukraine. And they also declined to consider Holodomor a genocide, as the US did accept it, along with many others. Along with Chamberlain gave Ukraine as a sacrificial lamb.

So, it doesn't faze me a bit that Oxford would do this, as it seems they have a twisted knowledge of history.

Moscow City Court has delivered a verdict against 73-year-old resident of Poltava Yurii Soloshenko, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry considers to be a political prisoner. The Ukrainian pensioner is convicted of espionage and sentenced to six years in a penal colony.

The details of the case remain unveiled due to its secrecy. However, the court mentioned that the security services seized some equipment from Soloshenko, which has been given to a military unit, Censor.NET reports citing RAPSI.

For a long time, Soloshenko led Poltava-based Znamia plant producing vacuum-tube components for radio-electronic warfare. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, plant's destiny became highly contingent on orders from Russia. In 2010, Yurii Soloshenko retired.

Soloshenko was arrested on Aug. 5, 2014 in Moscow, where he arrived at the invitation of his Russian longtime colleague in the defense industry to test some equipment for remuneration. It is assumed that the Moscow friend purposefully "lured" the ex-director of the Poltava plant to Moscow and handed him over to the FSB.

All this time, Soloshenko was held at Lefortovo Prison. As reported, the Ukrainian admitted his guilt and will not appeal the verdict. The prosecutor asked for 10 years for Soloshenko. This is the lower limit under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation providing for 10 to 20 years in prison. Six years is a sentence below the lower limit.

censor.net.ua In Russian

By Paul Goble* for “Window on Eurasia”:

October 12 – Over the past six month, polls show that Ukrainian attitudes toward Russians have improved slightly but this does not mean that more of them want to be integrated in any entity dominated by Russia. Instead, it represents a sobering up from the earlier euphoria about Europe and a desire to become a normal independent country.

Oleksiy Haran of Kyiv’s Mohyla Academy says that these shifts represent “the concluding stage of saying goodbye to the Soviet past. In the future, [Ukraine and Russia] will each go along their separate paths. An enormous number of [Ukrainians] are for better relations with Russia”

“No one wants to fight with a neighbor, but no one wants to put up with his outbursts either,” the Ukrainian scholar says. Instead, it has become finally clear that we will not be able to live in one apartment. We are neighbors, but from the point of view of Ukrainians we no longer can be called fraternal peoples or strategic partners.”

Haran’s conclusions are quoted by Tatyana Ivzhenko of Moscow’s “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” today in a report about new research that has been carried out by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology and the Kucheriv Democratic Initiative Foundation concerning Ukrainian attitudes about Russians and Russia.

The two institutes found that despite a somewhat more positive view of Russians than six months ago, Ukrainians do not want to be part of any Russian-dominated entity let alone part of the Russian Federation.  The share of Ukrainians favoring membership in the Russian-dominated Customs Union remains unchanged at 18.6 percent.

Half of all Ukrainians back developing closer relations with the European Union, but slightly more than a quarter of all Ukrainians – 27 percent – now oppose having their country join either the Customs Union or the EU, the former because of Russian dominance and the latter because of recent disappointments at the level of help Ukraine has received.

Until 2014, the researchers say, “Ukrainians always were more positively disposed to the Russian Federation than Russians, according to Levada Center polls, were to Ukraine. But now the attitudes of Ukrainians to Russia and Russians to Ukraine are almost equal in terms of positive and negative attitudes.

About a third of each nation has a positive attitude toward the other’s country, and just under 60 percent in both has a negative one. Those global attitudes track as well on the views Ukrainians and Russians have about the implementation of a visa regime between the two countries and other such measures.

But the most striking and important change in Ukrainian attitudes toward the Russian Federation is this: In 2009, 23 percent of Ukrainians supported the idea of some combination of Ukraine and Russia into a single state. Now, fewer than ten percent do – a figure identical to the percentage of Russians who would like to see a common state.

ukrainebusiness.com.ua

The Netherlands will hold a referendum on the EU-Ukraine association agreement, the Dutch electoral council confirmed on Wednesday (14 October).

It said it had verified the validity of the signatures collected by a citizens' petition.

It received 472,849 requests for the referendum. Base on a sample, it determined that 90.6 percent, or 427,939 of the requests, are valid.

“With this, the legal threshold [of 300,000 required signatures] has been passed amply, so a referendum will take place”, council president, Henk Kummeling, told a public hearing.

He called it a “special day” and a “historic moment”.

The event will mark the first time the country holds a citizen-enforced referendum.

The vote was made possible by a new law, in force from 1 July, which allows Dutch people to call for a consultative referendum on recently adopted laws.

ukrainebusiness.com.ua

On the territory of Ukraine may not be the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

This was stated by the European Commissioner Vera Yurov speaking at the debate on the situation in Ukraine, according to "Ukrinform".

"There should be no Russian armed forces on Ukrainian soil. Ukraine needs to regain control of the area 500 kilometers on its borders, which was abolished by force," - said the commissioner.

Yurov also drew attention to the fact that the situation in Ukraine is still poor.

"The shelling continues. People are dying. Internally displaced persons can not return to their homes", - she said.

obozrevatel.com In Russian

People involved in the collapse of the Boeing flight MN17 in Donbas, quickly hand over Russian President Vladimir Putin, if you realize that it had run out of money or if you declare that there is another, better grip.

He writes about this in his blog Vitaly Portnikov.

"Russian leaders need to think it is the opinion of the judges. Fellow with the" Uralvagonmashzavoda "hand over them as soon as it will cause interruptions with a salary, food and drink and once from Moscow informed that now in Russia a new," better "power, and Activities Comrade Putin found not only a positive but also a negative side. surrender like all Russian rulers handed over to Vladimir - and even spit on the grave "- says Portnikov.

Further, "Observer" journalist cites the opinion entirely.

"Day of the publication of the Security Council of the Netherlands, the results of the investigation of" Boeing "does not answer the question about who is directly responsible for the tragedy. But do not allow more than tell stories about the Ukrainian participation in it, which is different Russian side. After the publication of this report will be quite obvious Russian involvement - and further investigations will take place exclusively in terms of finding the exact place of the rocket launch search for the perpetrators and bring them to justice. This is in Moscow and fear. Therefore started a ridiculous story with the publication of the results of the experiment "Almaz-Antey" - as if the views of interested parties can compete with the solution of international experts.

However, the appearance of the "diamond-anteynyh" fakes can be explained today in the "Time" is this news will be a major, when the speaker will talk about the investigation of "Boeing" and the Dutch findings will appear in the section "here we throw." Of course, the psychological comfort of Russian viewers - those eternal hostages of their own propaganda, and dishonesty - care must be taken. But that's just trampled their own human dignity and ready to deceive both himself and the world for the sake of an imaginary "greatness" of Putin's Russia electoral product "Uralvagonmashzavoda" - is not the judge of the International Tribunal.

But Russian leaders need to think it is the opinion of the judges. Comrades "Uralvagonmashzavoda" hand over them as soon as it will cause interruptions with a salary, food and drink and once from Moscow informed that now in Russia a new, "better" power, and in the activities of Comrade Putin found not only positive but also negative side. Surrender as all the Russian rulers handed over to Vladimir - and even spit on the grave. "Turned out to be our father was not his father, and sukoyu" - there is not folklore, I apologize. This is the conclusion of the ruling People's Party Congress - once told authorities that sukoyu - means sukoyu. And what - we humans are small, but we would have paid on time. What we decide that we know?

Therefore I were Putin and his entourage would not have thought about potential traitors, consisting of his wonderful patriotic electorate, and of the potential judges. And I would have left alone bungler of "Almaz-Antey" - let them blow up airplanes and not to tell anyone. In place of Russian leaders, I thought would be a plausible version of its own involvement in the destruction of civil aircraft.

The chance to explain what happened an accident, negligence and thoughtlessness - and to find a scapegoat in its ranks, which may be indicative punish or ruin in a car accident at the Kremlin still have accomplices.

obozrevatel.com In Russian