Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Saturday 12 December [Ukrainian sources]

SATURDAY

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

News -
Putin's war machine fired about 50 times at Ukrainians yesterday.
Update - One soldier killed, two wounded at Pisky yesterday.

Weather -
Light snow falling. First time since the 1st of the month. Temperature about +1.
Temperature predicted to rise further, so hopefully the snow will disappear later in the day.
Update - not much warmer, but raining now. All the snow that fell has gone. Similar, I hear, in Lugansk, from a friend. Wet snow.

Footie -
I believe, draw for the finals of Euro 2016 today. Who will Ukraine get?
Draw at 1900, I think.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague (Netherlands) is preparing materials on Russian war crimes in the territory of Ukraine, including annexation of the country Crimea. This was announced by Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Vitaliy Kasko, transfers "UNIAN".

"Currently, the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC investigates the circumstances of crimes against humanity and war crimes by senior officials of the Russian Federation and the heads of the terrorist organizations," DNR "and" LC ", which led to very serious consequences and the mass murder of Ukrainian citizens", - said Kasko.

Together with this statement to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC Prosecutor General's Office transferred the collected pursuant to the said decision of the Ukrainian Parliament and the evidence base materials that contain information about the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the east of Ukraine and in Crimea, including the circumstances of occupation of the peninsula.

At the same time Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office is currently being prepared additional materials on the crimes against humanity and war crimes in the territory of Ukraine with the requirements of the ICC's deputy prosecutor general.

glavcom.ua In Russian

http://euromaidanpress.com/2015/12/12/ukraines-revolutionary-civil-service-law/
Ukraine just a adopted law that could fundamentally reform the bloated, rigid, corrupt and politicized governmental bureaucracy that has plagued it for years.
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time will tell

8:15
http://kriminal.tv/news/zaharchenko_nazhil_sebe_novyh_vragovza.html
Zakharchenko made it clear that he does not want elections in the occupied territory in the same way, they do not want them in Ukraine.
In particular, the leader of the DNI said that the opposition bloc can participate in the elections under the condition of repentance and "renunciation of the policy of Kiev." In other Ukrainian parties, even those no chance. By and large, this means only one thing - the prerequisites for the implementation of paragraph Minsk Agreement on local elections in the territories called terrorists DNR, LNR does not exist.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/12/12/7092284/

Saturday, 12 December 2015 13:07
As a result of fighting at pisky one Ukrainian soldier killed, two injured soldiers.
A briefing on Dec. 12 AP spokesman for ATO Alexander Motuzyanyk.
"For the past day killed one soldier Armed Forces, two more wounded. All three cases - due to the fighting, as a result of hostile attacks near the village of Sands" - said Motuzyanyk.
According to the ATO headquarters, militants have focused action at Donetsk area.
"In the near Donetsk airport, including towns Pisky, Opitnoe and Avdeevki militants carried out as sighting and point-blank shootings with the purpose to provoke a Ukrainian military on fire. Mostly gunmen used small arms, heavy machine guns and grenade launchers. Also on our positions at Pisky worked enemy sniper "- said Motuzyanyk.
The hottest point is Krasnogorovka area.
"Besides the weapons of the militants fired anti-aircraft installations, and twice used a 82 mm mortar," - said a spokesman for the AP.
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ATO map at the link above also.

http://uatoday.tv/news/poland-s-new-lng-terminal-receives-first-shipment-of-gas-from-qatar-552548.html
Poland's LNG terminal has received its first supply of gas from Qatar, opening the way for the country to diversify energy supplies and reduce its dependence on Russia.
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Good move. Russian gas supplies are notoriously unreliable - linked to political demands from nutcase dictator Putin.

http://www.rferl.org/content/daily-vertical-hey-look-at-my-nukes/27418788.html



In the Daily Vertical, Brian Whitmore points out that Vladimir Putin continues to make remarks about the Russian nuclear stockpile in his “adolescent need” to attempt to show strength when what he is really doing is emphasizing Russia’s weakness.
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Short video report. Whitmore, perhaps the most intelligent of all journalists reporting on Ukraine.

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-yabloko-leader-mitrokhin-arrested-protest/27422690.html
===
More and more protests against Putin's dictatorship. But - he just locks everybody up.
And then Kerry and Hollande go to Moscow to talk about Syria, and nobody cares at all.

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin (left) accused U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power (right) of introducing wrong elements into a Security Council discussion.

By RFE/RL, Dec 12, 2015

The United States and Russia traded accusations on December 11 over the conflict in Ukraine at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

Russia delayed the meeting for an hour and a half with an attempt to block testimony by UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic, prompting Washington to accuse the Kremlin of trying to suppress public discussion of facts about Ukraine's war with pro-Russian separatists in the east.

In the end, Simonovic spoke at the meeting despite protests from Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who said human rights discussions should take place in Geneva at the Human Rights Council.

Churkin accused U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, who is chairing the Security Council this month, of introducing wrong elements into discussion. Power also overruled Russia and China at a meeting she chaired on North Korean rights abuses on December 10.

Washington is playing a destructive role in Ukraine, Churkin said. Obviously, this is one of the reasons why political settlement is so difficult.

Power said Russia was the one perpetrating death and destruction, and accused the Kremlin of trying to suppress the facts.

“One does wonder what Russia seeks to hide” by opposing discussions of human rights in Ukraine, she said. “But we understand its very unfortunate desire to prevent the council from hearing inconvenient facts.”.............

To read further go to this link:   rferl.org

For much of the year, Russian bombers, warships, and submarines played chicken with NATO with provocative incursions into member states' sea and airspace.

And as the year drew to a close, Moscow finally got burned when Turkey's air force shot down a Su-24 warplane.

The incident, which has led to a tense standoff between Moscow and Ankara, wasn't necessarily inevitable -- but it was pretty predictable. Moscow has been trolling the world on so many fronts for so long that sooner or later a proverbial flame war was bound to break out somewhere.

Indeed, as Kremlin-watcher Andrew Kornbluth noted in a recent commentary for the Atlantic Council, Putin's Russia is not so much a rogue state as a "troll state."

Its aim is to "needle the West and cheer Russians," while at the same time advancing the interests of the ruling clique.

Russia's trolling, which kicked into high gear in 2015, has taken on various forms.

In addition to the provocative overflights, there have been a wave of cyberattacks hitting a range of targets including a French television network, a German steelmaker, the Warsaw stock exchange, the White House, the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. State Department, and The New York Times.

Moreover, three foreign hostages, kidnapped from their home countries -- Estonian law enforcement officer Eston Kohver, Ukrainian Air Force pilot Nadia Savchenko, and Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov -- were hauled before show trials in Russia, where they faced ridiculous charges.

Only Kohver has been released.

Russia this year also launched criminal cases against Lithuanian citizens who avoided serving in the Soviet Army -- and even asked the authorities in Vilnius to assist in locating and extraditing them.

The request was, of course, rejected................

To read further go to this link:   rferl.org

I just watched the draw on tv.
Group C
Germany - Ukraine - Poland - Northern Ireland
Quite a tough draw. On the other hand, Ukraine have chances.  
The top 2 go through in each group, plus the best four 3rd place teams.
Photo here of all the groups
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/35084078
Games in mid-June, 2016.
Just found this -
Group C: Germany, Northern Ireland (C4), Poland (C3), Ukraine (C2)
C3 v C4 (5pm, 12 June, Nice)
C1 v C2 (8pm, 12 June, Lille)
C2 v C4 (5pm, 16 June, Lyon)
C1 v C3 (8pm, 16 June, Saint-Denis)
C2 v C3 (5pm, 21 June, Marseille)
C4 v C1 (5pm, 21 June, Paris)

Electricity supplies from the territory of Russia's mainland Kuban to the occupied Crimea via the 'energy bridge' have been suspended due to repairs, according to a statement by the so-called 'government' of the annexed peninsula, the local Novosti Kryma newspaper reported with reference to energy operator Krymenergo and emergency headquarters.

"To carry out repair works, the Kamysh-Burun-Taman' 220kV transmission line will be disconnected, approximately from 23:00 Dec 11 to 7:00 Dec 12," - said in a statement......

uatoday.tv

Those spearheading Ukraine's ambitious broad reforms program are slowly making headway to overhaul a system plagued by corruption. But what about public concern of graft across the border in Russia? Do ordinary Russians hold President Putin responsible for the rotten apples among the Kremlin's inner circle? This is the question we're going to examine on the press review, thanks to Anna Nemtsova writing for The Daily Beast.

She writes, "In Ukraine, Joe Biden was flaming on ‘I don't think the Russian people understand fully what Putin is doing'… Actually, more Russians than Biden might think understand only too well what their President Vladimir Putin is up to, but Ukraine is not the top of their list of concerns at the moment. Before Ukraine, during Ukraine, and most likely after Ukraine their biggest concern will be corruption inside Russia and, related to that, the fight for reforms."

The Daily Beast article highlights opinion poll data published by the NGO Levada Center last month. The research found over a third of respondents believed Putin was liable for 'the full extent' of corruption. But how worried is the Kremlin leader about national views?

Nemtsova writes, "Now, Putin is no fool, and he's not deaf to public opinion, but he seems to think he can manipulate it while making few real changes. So there are no signs that the Kremlin is ready to prosecute or even fire top officials involved in high-level corruption. Indeed, standard operating procedure is still to accuse the accuser.".....................

To read further go to this link:   uatoday.tv

The United States and Russia blamed each other on Friday for the continued conflict in Ukraine, with Washington accusing the Kremlin of attempting to suppress public discussion of facts about the nearly two-year-old war.

The mutual accusations came during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Ukraine, a session that was delayed for an hour and a half after Russia insisted U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic should not brief the 15-nation council.

In the end, Simonovic spoke during the meeting, though Russian United Nations Ambassador Vitaly Churkin made clear his displeasure. He said human rights discussions belong in Geneva at the Human Rights Council.

Churkin also criticized U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power's handling of the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month, saying she has "introduced wrong elements."

On Thursday, China and Russia tried unsuccessfully to block a U.S.-organized council meeting on alleged human rights abuses in North Korea.

"Washington is playing a destructive role" in Ukraine, Churkin said.

Fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels seeking independence from Kiev erupted in April 2014. Violence dropped significantly in September, but Kiev and separatists continue to report daily ceasefire violations and casualties as a result of enemy fire.

Power said Russia was the destructive one and accused the Kremlin of trying to prevent the open discussion of facts.

"In arguing, as the Russian ambassador did earlier, that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should not brief, one does wonder what Russia seeks to hide," she said. "But we understand its very unfortunate desire to prevent the council from hearing inconvenient facts."

Power cited the latest U.N. report on Ukraine, which said arms and fighters were still pouring into eastern Ukraine from Russia, with the death toll from 20 months of fighting approaching 9,100.

"We are here because even today Russia continues to arm, train, support and fight alongside separatists in eastern Ukraine," Power said.

Russia denies arming and financing pro-Moscow rebels.

Simonovic said there continued to be fresh allegations of human rights abuses in eastern Ukraine - "killings, torture and ill-treatment, illegal detention and forced labor." He also cited allegations of arbitrary detention, torture and other abuses by the Kiev government.

Churkin said Kiev was continuing an economic blockade of eastern Ukraine and refused to engage in direct dialogue with the separatists.

Power encouraged Kiev to speed up efforts to ensure supplies and services make it to the east. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin blamed Russia for blockages.

channelnewsasia.com

Guerrillas from the "Front for the Liberation of Donbass" reported the successful elimination of several militant groups "DNR." In addition, they were able to fight off a strategically important outpost on the "Tochmash" in Donetsk.

According to intelligence reports, the militants, who were attacked by guerrillas on their checkpoint near the "Tochmash", was ordered to keep quiet about it and about the losses, too.

According to available information, the leadership of the militants were ordered by Russian curators knock out "Tochmash" partisans for 4 hours. If you do not succeed, then a corridor for the arrival of military equipment APU. And then, according to the Russian curators, Donetsk can be left as chance would not hold him.

glavcom.ua In Russian

As directed by the Command of the Armed Forces fighters advanced units in Donbass undermine the old places mine explosions and shells, to submit the OSCE Mission as a violation of the agreements by the ATO Minsk. Reported Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

"In line with the command of the Armed Forces Division 1 AK advanced tactics used to undermine the old places of mine explosions and shells that appear to the OSCE Mission as evidence of violation by the ATO Minsk agreements. At the same time, the used to justify attacks on Ukrainian products like fire in response, "- said the WTP.

Also, intelligence informs that on December 11 militants firing positions 61 Ukrainian troops.

glavcom.ua In Russian