Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Wednesday 02 December [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

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

News -
Putin forces attack Ukrainian people 5 times last night.
Sadly 1 soldier died, and three wounded.

Weather -
Some snow still on the ground. Temperature +1. Both in Kiev, and Donetsk.
Very slowly thawing. But roads are all clear.
Update. Temperature up to 3. Snow disappearing gradually. Ground saturated. Wet everywhere.

8:25
http://censor.net.ua/news/363263/izza_nepogody_obestocheny_280_naselennyh_punktov_v_16_oblastyah_ukrainy_goschs
..."In the afternoon, December 1, a result of difficult weather conditions (rain, squally wind gusts) in 15 districts of the four areas (Ivano-Frankivsk - 5, Lviv - 4, Chernivtsi - 3, and Khmelnytsky - 3)
==
Western Ukraine.

8:29
До кримських «ватників» дійшло: На Новий рік туристів не буде (вСвіті)
http://vsviti.com.ua/newss/48626
=====
Amusing headline - ватник. Term used to describe pro-Russian types. Translates directly as "quilted jacket".
Article describes how it is dark at 4 pm. Battery on laptop runs out - nothing to do. Crimea.
====
According to the Russian linguist Hasan Huseynov, "Vatnik - a piece of clothing of poor, disadvantaged people who have nothing else and who are ready to wear it the rest of his days. He refers to primitive man, who is unable to rise up against those who oppressed him his entire life. ...
emerged on the background of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. [20] ... . Thus came the name "Vatnik" for the pro-Russian minded citizens - is not only a national coloring, but also social: jacket - a garment (or camp or work) [22] for not the highest strata of society, so it is also downplaying social status "[23].
[from ru wiki]

http://vesti-ukr.com/mir/126184-asad-zajavil-o-gotovnosti-ujti-s-posta-prezidenta-sirii
Syrian President Bashar Assad said he was ready to leave the post of president, if the Syrians did not vote for him in the election.
Now, however, he did not leave his post because of the difficult situation, RIA Novosti reported.
====
Clearly the Putin line.
The dictator wants "elections". It would be amusing, a dictator wanting an "election" [Putin style] in order to stay in power, if he hadn't killed 200,000 people. est.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/world/europe/power-outage-forces-crimeans-to-reconsider-their-enthusiasm-for-secession.html?_r=0
====
What a headline! Especially for the NYT. More like a British tabloid!
Not a bad article. Some people, of course, blaming "America"!! Shows that the Putin propaganda works.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/12/01/us-mideast-crisis-assad-idUSKBN0TK5N720151201
====
Assad growing in confidence, due to Russian support.

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/307954.html
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Can't see it in this article, but read that it is based on an exchange rate of 1 usd = 24 uah.

http://censor.net.ua/news/363270/fsb_rossii_nagryanula_s_obyskom_v_dom_predsedatelya_sudakskogo_medjlisa_chubarov
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Absolute repression in occupied Crimea.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russia-publishes-list-of-sanctions-on-turkey/551368.html
The ban applies to a range of Turkish products, including fruits and vegetables — such as tomatoes, cucumbers and apples — poultry products and salt, according to the list published on the government's website.
The ban will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2016, the statement said.
The order, which was signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, also formalized an earlier call to ban all charter flights between Russia and Turkey and announced restrictions on Turkish transport companies, among other measures.
====
A different type of war from Putin here - an economic one.
Many have suggested that this will mean cheaper fruit and veg for Ukraine. That would be welcome in winter, and early spring.
And also maybe cheaper holidays to Turkey.

Decree of November 30, 2015 №1296. In particular, it approved a list of agricultural products, raw materials and food, country of origin is the Turkish Republic, and are prohibited from 1 January 2016 to be imported into Russia.
http://government.ru/docs/20817/
Link to pdf file here
http://government.ru/media/files/GRARiHdNlWbl10wUg3LyPSAJPlDeTnLX.pdf
includes
8. The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation:
a) enter from December 1, 2015 ban on the air charter
transportation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, for
except for special flights for the return of tourists
located in the Republic of Turkey, ...
10. The Federal Service for Supervision in the sphere of protection of rights
Consumers and Human Welfare to provide control
implementation of tour operators and travel agents to refrain requirements
from the sale of the citizens of the Russian Federation of the tourist product,
includes a visit to the Turkish Republic.
===
This really does represent a massive economic war against Turkey.
Regarding food, I understand the "government" will decide what is banned. Probably depending on how much it affects Russia.
Personally, I would say that Turkey has nothing to lose now by retaliating. And banning all Russians from Turkey.

http://ua.racurs.ua/news/62013-rf-vystupaie-proty-rozshyrennya-misiyi-obsie-na-kordoni-z-ukrayinou
Russia sees no need to expand the mandate of the OSCE mission to the Russian-Ukrainian border....
Recall that special monitoring mission of the OSCE has not yet received full access to the uncontrolled border of Ukraine with Russia.
====
of course - Russia wants war, and pressure on Ukraine. The mad dictator Putin at work.

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11:33
http://finance.obozrevatel.com/trends/86943-budet-tolko-huzhe-ekspert-obyasnil-effektivnost-blokadyi-kryima.htm
I remind you that last Monday Turkey stopped a ferry to the Crimea, and this was one of the loopholes, which insured the Russian authorities got food supply to Crimea ", - he said .

11:42
http://censor.net.ua/news/363295/terroristy_vedut_drujestvennyyi_ogon_drug_po_drugu_est_ubitye_i_ranenye_gur_minoborony
"As a result of the opening of" friendly "fire from separatists there is a loss - 29 November in Donetsk Regional Hospital Kalinin delivered four of the wounded soldiers and the bodies of three dead," -

www.bloomberg.com/energy/
1 minute ago. 1225 Ukraine time

Crude Oil & Natural Gas
INDEX UNITS PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE CONTRACT TIME ET 2 DAY
WTI Crude Oil (Nymex)
USD/bbl. 41.52 -0.33 -0.79% JAN 16 04:51:45
Brent Crude (ICE)
USD/bbl. 44.02 -0.42 -0.95% JAN 16 04:52:19
Natural Gas (Nymex)
USD/MMBtu 2.20 -0.03 -1.48% JAN 16 04:51:24
====
Good. Each month this lasts puts more and more economic pressure on Putin's war machine.
Gas prices are particularly low. I remember 3.98. And now 2.20.
Gas prices for Ukraine should continue to fall.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/12/2/7091047/
Wednesday, December 2, 2015, 12:47

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-warns-penalties-kyiv-after-failed-trade-talks/27401805.html
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin criticized Russian negotiators for delivering new demands just before the negotiating session on December 1, some of which he said were "unacceptable."
Malmstrom also said she was "a bit surprised" when "Russia came unexpectedly with a very, very long list of amendments that they presented at the table."
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It's like the Russians simply don't want an agreement. I like this bit -
Russia maintains that the Ukraine-EU deal could .... damage the competitiveness of Russian exports to Ukraine.
I don't know anybody who buys anything Russian in Ukraine - except for gas and coal occasionally. Putin did all the damage himself.
Many people now make a point of not buying Russian goods.

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

http://www.rferl.org/content/russis-not-so-splendid-isolation/27400469.html
...As a result of the Crimea annexation, the Donbas intervention, and the downing of MH17, Moscow has no true allies west of Smolensk.
It has lost any vestiges of goodwill in Europe. Germany has been transformed from a close partner into a harsh critic. Traditionally neutral Sweden and Finland are considering joining NATO.
Russia has turned Ukraine from an erstwhile friend into a bitter foe, perhaps for generations....
====
Good clear writing.
None of your bbc bullsh@t from rferl.

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_125371.htm
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that NATO is committed to supporting a peaceful, diplomatic end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He cautioned that while there has been some progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements, “there is a real risk of a resumption of violence.” He noted that Russian-backed separatists have yet to withdraw their troops and equipment, and Ukraine has not been able to re-establish control over its border.

Jens listening in on Klimkin and Kerry -



====
Straight from the Nato website.
This also - general, before the press were asked to leave -
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_125572.htm?selectedLocale=en

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, with his Ukrainian counterpart, Klimkin, and Jens -



"That plane was smokin' !!! "

Klim - "Playin' chicken with Putin? "
Cavu - "Nah - it was a turkey-shoot".

"How could you shoot down a "defenceless" bomber? "

Twitter full of comments after mis-quote by Russian media describes the Russian bomber as "defenceless" -

Quote - There was no need to shoot down the defenceless Russian bomber



Background -
Putin ... added that other leaders “listened attentively and the majority share at least the thesis that there was no need to attack the unprotected (nezashchishchyonny) Russian bomber, which was no threat to Turkey."
RT was one of a number of media outlets that misquoted Putin. In a Russian-language news item, RT quoted him as saying the Russian bomber was “defenseless” (bezzashchitny) -- which struck many as an unusual way to describe a heavily armed warplane.

http://tyzhden.ua/News/152952
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Russians getting excited with no electricity, one presumes ) Apparently the situation is "stable". Happened about 2000 last night.

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15:28
http://gazeta.ua/articles/politics/_referendum-schodo-nato-treba-provoditi-negajno-kravchuk/663352
Another way to ensure the peaceful life of our people I do not see ", - he said.
====
Looks like Putin has even converted the old Soviet Kravchuk to Nato!

From 1 January 2016 280 thousand households that use gas for heating water and do not have the counter may remain without power.

It is reported by the press service of "Naftogaz Ukraine".

"According to the requirements of Ukrainian legislation with the January 1, 2016 the gas supply for households using gas for water heating should be carried out only when the meter", - the company said.

As noted, on November 1, the counters have been installed in 75% of households in this category; 280 thousand households that use gas for heating water, still do not have a counter.

According to the company, as of November 1, 2015 in Ukraine gas supply about 13 million apartments and private homes (excluding data Crimea). Of these gas meters is equipped with about 9.4 million households, or 72% of household consumers.



"In almost all consumers who use gas for heating and require the greatest volume of fuel, get it according to counters. As a result, about 93% of the gas used by households and implemented according to the counters, and 7% - according to the standards ", - the press-service.

"In October 2015, in a residential Fund of Ukraine was established 22 200 meters of gas, which is 6% more than in September. Since the beginning of 2015 on November 1, it was installed 235,600 gas meters ", - reported in the" Naftogaz ".

glavcom.ua In Russian

NATO and Russia will not return to the «business as usual» (relations as usual).

This was stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin during a press conference in Brussels.

So he commented on the statement of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the active use of NATO-Russia Council.

"Yesterday there were discussions about the possibility of dialogue with Russia. I understand that the Alliance was not talking about the resumption of cooperation with Russia, as usual, "- Klimkin said.

"At least in this convince me one of the ministers (Foreign Affairs)," - he said.

"As I understand it, we are talking about the necessary level of cooperation between Russia and NATO, especially in the military sphere. Because incidents involving military aircraft Russia were a direct threat to NATO countries ", - he stressed the head of the Foreign Ministry.

Earlier it was reported that the Alliance plans to make greater use of NATO-Russia Council to maintain ties with Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also commented on possible cooperation.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Ukraine is ready to increase the export of maize, wheat and oil to Turkey 2-3 in the case of restrictions of supplies from Russia, the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Alex Pavlenko.

"If Russia will restrict the trading activities (the Russian Federation is one of the suppliers to the market of Turkey), we are ready to provide food security and are ready to increase 2-3 times the export of maize, wheat and sunflower oil," - the minister said after a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers .

According to Pavlenko, the export of Ukrainian products in Turkey for 2014 was $ 500 million, for 10 months. 2015 - $ 560 million.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Russia is demanding postponement of the introduction of European technical and phytosanitary standards for 10 years, but Ukraine will not do. This was stated by Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a government meeting.

"Yesterday, the Russian Federation has put forward deferred for 10 years the implementation of technical and phytosanitary standards," - he said.

Premier has once again stressed that Russia is trying to prevent the possibility of the Ukrainian economy to develop, but the agreement on free trade zone in any case will take effect from the beginning of 2016.

"The reasoning of Russia does not hold water. We have offered full cooperation to the Russian Federation understood that the agreement will come into force in all circumstances on January 1st. Second - if Russia has any questions that she could not find the answers ... we are ready to them once again to translate this agreement, once interpreted continue to hold another meeting on the introduction and implementation of this agreement, "- said Yatsenyuk.

glavcom.ua In Russian

This is a clear sign on how much the Kremlin fears of not only losing any kind of influence on Ukraine, or any chance of luring it back into its sphere. This is a huge concern to them. Perhaps many now will realize how important Ukraine is to the western world. If he didn't want Ukraine to put this off for now, he wouldn't be giving the west so much grief. The west is assisting Ukraine monetarily, in many ways, to stop the Kremlin from getting its way, which is to bring down Ukraine to its knees.

Once Ukraine's Association Agreement goes into play, the next move will be to become a NATO member. That'll really get Putin's hair up. This is a CLEAR sign that the Kremlin no longer has the power it once had. If the Kremlin wants to build its military, seeming its economy's in tatters currently, they'll have to take the food out of the mouth's of Russians and that won't go over well. With the oil price sinking, and the Rouble also losing its value, which it has lost 50% in one year, there's no bright future for the Kremlin.

www.bloomberg.com/energy/  2 minutes ago.

Crude Oil & Natural Gas
INDEX UNITS PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE CONTRACT TIME ET 2 DAY
WTI Crude Oil (Nymex)
USD/bbl. 40.21 -1.64 -3.92% JAN 16 13:40:48
Brent Crude (ICE)
USD/bbl. 42.84 -1.60 -3.60% JAN 16 13:41:34

Natural Gas (Nymex)
USD/MMBtu 2.16 -0.07 -3.14%
====
Well - here we go again - approaching 40.00 dollars for WTI.
But - will it drop to 39? it's been here a couple of times before last month - but never made it to 39...
====
Admin sent me to the mall to check on exchange rates - now - 25 to a dollar.
24.75 / 25.20 I saw about an hour ago.
====
Back to oil
WTI Crude Oil (Nymex)
USD/bbl. 40.12 -1.73 -4.13% - down over 4%.
Putin's war machine won't be able to expand like he wishes at this rate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in the Crimea for energy involved a lot of new equipment may be failures, but to work rhythmically, RIA "Novosti".

"Now we are launching the first circuit, there are a lot of new equipment that is used, so you should still donastraivat. And we must warn consumers - residents of the Crimea, which are possible even some failures. But in general, the first chain must work steadily, is 200 megawatts, "- the president said.

He also expressed the hope that the second circuit will be launched by December 15.

He noted that through these measures can be completely replace the supply of electricity from Ukraine.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the start of the first line of energy bridge in the occupied Crimea stated that the gas to the peninsula will be supplied from the territory of the Caucasus.

Broadcast start electricity supplies led the TV channel "Russia 24".

Earlier it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has started the supply of electricity on the energy bridge Kuban - Crimea. As noted, the event was held in the building of "Krymenergo."

glavcom.ua In Russian

They forced Ukraine to continue supplying Crimea's energy needs, while they try to figure out how they're going to be able to afford the annexation. Now they see, they've been sitting on their asses, while it's not helping them keep their supporters, which aren't many now, as many Crimeans have left Crimea and have headed to the Ukrainian west.

This, along with the cost of supporting Crimea will cost them, in order to get electricity and gas, at a time when it's the most needed (winter time).

How do these dumb-asses in the Kremlin think, when making these plans for years that have all failed tremendously? Knowing how far Putin would go, I'm surprised he hasn't executed all those brainless wonders.

Today, close to the night planned trial run first line of so-called energy bridge from Russia to the occupied Crimea. Kerch had been brought in federal mass media journalists, reports "News of the Crimea."

According to the publication attempts to start the energy bridge now been many times, but for technical reasons fails.

At 20:00 on the Kerch were invited journalists of federal mass media, which have been recorded start of the first stage, but then something broke and the guests went to shoot the accompanying facilities.

Just this afternoon rumors that given the importance of the events alleged by the president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will unveil the launch, but officials deny this information.

glavcom.ua In Russian

National Board of Review USA has compiled a list of the best movies of the year. Work Miroslav Slaboshpytsky "tribe" was included in the top five films in a foreign language. This was reported on the official website of the Board.

In addition, the best foreign film recognized as "Mediterranean" (France), "Phoenix" (Germany), "second mother" (Brazil) and "Good night, Mother" (Austria). The award ceremony will take place on January 5th.

Drama "The Tribe" tells the story of deaf teenagers in boarding school, their relationships with each other and with the outside world. The main roles are played by non-professional actors are deaf, all the characters use sign language.

The film has collected a rich harvest of awards at various international competitions and festivals. At the same time the fall of 2014 from the Ukraine for the film award "Oscar" was nominated movie "Wrangler", after which the director and producer of the film "The Tribe" said they were not satisfied with the composition of the Oscar committee and consider the decision unfair.

At the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. The film "tribe" received three awards section Week criticism of the four possible, breaking all records for the 53-year history of the event. The European Film Academy awarded the prize in the category Slaboshpytsky "European Open". Also "The Tribe" was the best Ukrainian film of 2014 according to the Union of Cinematographers, and in 2015 won the Russian film award "Nika" in the nomination "Best Film of CIS and Baltic states."



glavcom.ua In Russian

Russia on Wednesday said it would be forced to react to NATO expansion after the US-led alliance invited Montenegro to become its 29th member.

The invitation to the small Balkan country comes with the West at loggerheads with Moscow over a host of issues, as NATO has responded to the Ukraine crisis with a military upgrade to reassure nervous ex-Soviet states they need not fear a more assertive Russia.

"On all different levels Moscow has always noted that the continuing expansion of NATO, the military infrastructure of NATO, to the east of course cannot but lead to reciprocal actions from the east, that is from the Russian side, in the interests of providing security and supporting the parity of our interests," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Announcing the move at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted the "historic" invitation to Montenegro was no one else's business and "not directed at anyone."
"It is extremely important to underline once again that every nation has the right to decide its own path, its own security arrangements," Stoltenberg said. "No one else has the right to interfere in that decision."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has bitterly complained of what he sees as NATO encroachment.............

To read further go to this link:  news.yahoo.com