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

MONDAY

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

News -
35 attacks by Putin's war machine last night. Putin has clearly given the order to up the fighting in Donbass again.
Why? He must know that sanctions will be extended again. So little incentive to stop now for a few more months.
Update - 2 soldiers injured, but 0 deaths yesterday, according to Lisenko at the AP.

Weather -
+2 last night. Warmer than it would normally be during the day.
High today perhaps of +7. Normal would be zero. Amazing weather for late December.
Update - nearer +10, to judge by my thermometer, now at 1400.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/12/21/7093164/
Monday, December 21, 2015, 7:11
From 18:00 yesterday evening, militants carried out more than 35 armed provocations against the Ukrainian defense.
The press center reported ATO Staff page on Facebook.
At Troiskoi collision with a small group of militants, which lasted for an hour. Ukrainian military gave attackers resistance, they retreated.
"Near Stanitsa Lugansk, the second time in the past day, the militants have used prohibited agreements Minsk caliber of 120 mm mortars," - said in a statement.
Also recorded militants use 82-mm mortar shells at the outskirts Zaitsev and Krasnogorovka.

On Saturday I took a couple of photos on the road heading out of Kiev.
Yatseniuk is very unpopular. But then, any PM in his position would be. He has had little choice but to do what the IMF says -
Put up taxes, move gas prices towards a market price, balance the books, cut spending. Never popular.
On top of this he is fighting a war against Russia.
I noticed a couple of posters. 100% negative. Simply telling Yatseniuk to go.

The first one can be translated as "Run, Rabbit, run". Біжи, Кролик, біжи.



Because of his prominent teeth at the front, Yatseniuk is referred to by some as a rabbit.
He is also called "Senya". From the comedy programme, 95 Kvartal, I would think -



Apologies for poor quality. Light was getting low.
Сеня, давай до побачення Senya, goodbye.
Incidentally - notice. That was December 19. 100% NO snow.

I must apologize for missing this on Saturday.



Natalia Vitrenko - I think a Deputy in the Yanukovich era - with her supporters.
From the twitter of @vorobyov
Some comments
@vorobyov Freedom of speech, well done for letting them express themselves.
@migib20 exactly, also it's very useful: we can actually see the (miniscule) share of nutters in Ukraine
@vorobyov So, in her mind Eurointegration is slavery, but Russia's invasion and oppression is freedom. Amazing!

http://uatoday.tv/politics/militants-secretly-deploy-withdrawn-weapons-in-sloviansk-direction-intelligence-data-557708.html
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Putin - as of yet - absolutely no interest in abiding by the Minsk agreement.

11:31
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/12/21/7093196/
Monday, December 21, 2015, 11:31
"Batkivshyna" requires the general meeting of the coalition.
This was said at a meeting of the Conciliation Board BP on Monday by the leader Yulia Tymoshenko.
"The collapse of governance today is to be the subject of discussion at the general meeting of the coalition. We have over the coalition agreement a body ... which met only once when the coalition was created, and then never general meeting of coalition was convened ", - said Tymoshenko.
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Tymoshenko is looking for her opportunity to destroy Poroshenko, and take over as President.
I know this, because I know people who sit in on her meetings. They basically describe the way she operates as being like a dictator. )) Very strong.
According to their own polls they are now in the top 3 for parties. BPP, Opposition Block, and Tymoshenko (Batkiv). So she's started gunning for more control. (control in Ukraine = money)

www.bloomberg.com/energy/
Crude Oil & Natural Gas
INDEX UNITS PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE CONTRACT TIME ET 2 DAY
WTI Crude Oil (Nymex)
USD/bbl. 34.49 -0.24 -0.69% JAN 16 04:47:11
Brent Crude (ICE)
USD/bbl. 36.58 -0.30 -0.81% FEB 16 04:47:04

Just looked at the ruble to the dollar. 71.19. But the British pound down also, below 1.5.

12:15
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/12/21/7093210/
Meanwhile, the Kremlin spokesman said that Minsk agreements are not made through no fault of Moscow, but because of Kyiv.
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And the moon is made of cheese, Putin never lies, and Shaun Walker and Graham Phillips are good "journalists". ha ha ha...

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/12/21/7093225/
13:21
Defence Intelligence announces the death of three Russian soldiers on the territory controlled by the militants of Donbass.
This is stated in the message of the Main Intelligence on Monday.
According to a report in a nameless district Novoazovsky explosion killed two personnel of Russian officers, "who performed duties as military advisers in 9th motorized rifle regiment (Novoazovsk) 1 AK".
"In order to investigate the circumstances of the incident to the location regiment arrived commission headed by Commander AK 1 Territorial Center of Southern Military District of the Armed Forces. Personnel of going beyond the limited military unit," - noted in intelligence.
In addition, the intelligence reports that as a result of "friendly" fire one of the units 1 Army Corps was killed and six wounded four soldiers. Among them was a military personnel of the Armed Forces with the rank of "major".

http://www.unian.info/politics/1217945-putin-russia-cant-leave-russian-speakers-of-donbas-at-mercy-of-nationalists.html
"It is not our job to go on an offensive anywhere, or insist on anything, we only believe that we cannot leave at the mercy of nationalists those people who live in the south-east of Ukraine," Putin said, adding that it is about all the Russian-speaking population of Donbas, "which focuses on Russia."
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Looks like he plans to leave his army of occupation in the Donbass for ever. Just like the Soviet Union.
Sad for the people there. Absolutely no hope if Putin's thugs stay in control.

http://www.unian.info/politics/1217856-poroshenko-visa-free-regime-with-eu-to-allow-unhindered-travel-to-another-57-countries.html

"The issue of signing the visa-free regime with the EU, the countries of the Schengen area, opens for us new opportunities with the so-called Schengen "white list," which includes 57 countries, as well as travels to many countries, ranging from South Korea to Mexico and Uruguay..." he said.

Poroshenko also said that "a visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU facilitates talks on simplification of a visa regime with the U.S., Australia and Canada," he said.......................
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"unhindered" - I think not. Other documents needed, I understand. Return ticket, hotel reservation etc. We will see.

http://www.unian.info/economics/1217985-ukraines-gas-stocks-shrink-by-500-mcm-within-week.html
Natural gas reserves in Ukraine's underground storage facilities (USFs) decreased by 500 million cubic meters (mcm), or 3.3%, to 14.8 billion cubic meters (bcm), in the period from December 12 to December 19, according to PJSC Ukrtransgaz, the operator of Ukraine's gas transportation system.
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3.3% in a week. Not too bad.
And this current week will be very warm. Forecast for today was 7, but it is nearer +10, to be honest, and bright sunshine. Amazing.
More gas may be needed in mid-January maybe. It all depends upon the weather. El Nino year.

Russia's decision to suspend the free trade area with Ukraine was "an element of pressure" in tripartite negotiations that finished in Brussels.

RBC reports citing the statement of the European Commission, Censor.NET informs.

Russia's actions have "violated the terms," agreed by the ministers to participate in talks, the European Commission noted.
According to the statement, any threats or retaliatory measures by Russia were contrary to the purpose and spirit of these negotiations.

The European Commission, in turn, offered to hold another meeting of the tripartite working group after Jan. 1, 2016, to "find practical solutions to specific problems raised by Russia".

The EC has also set the condition for holding of the new negotiations, according to which Russia should not take further retaliatory measures against Ukraine.

censor.net.ua In Russian

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said that there is any reason to carry out further trilateral EU-Russian Federation-Ukraine negotiations at the ministerial level on implementation of the economic and trade chapter of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

"We see no reason now to continue the ministerial talks. With regard to expert [level] advice, the question is still open," the Minister of Foreign Affairs said in Brussels on Monday after the last round of trilateral EU-Russian Federation-Ukraine negotiations.

"The consultations ended without result. It has fully been confirmed by the European Commission, confirmed by our side. There were some certain solutions but the Russian side has simply turned them down. The Russian side needs no practical solutions today," Klimkin said.

According to him, the tripartite talks on Monday "were pretty much surreal, as they took place on the background of the famous decree of the President of Russia."

Klimkin also added that Russia's prime minister signed a decree banning the export of agricultural products to Russia during the negotiations. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that Moscow strived to prevent Kyiv's rapprochement with Europe and the European Union.

censor.net.ua In Russian

The countries of the Eurasian Economic Union - Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia - Russia did not support the waiver of a free trade zone with Ukraine, which operates within the framework of the CIS.

As a result, from January 1, 2016, only Russia and Ukraine suspended ZTS transmitted by the Russian information resources.

"During that six months have to be worked out, and the legal mechanisms that enable national governments to exercise their rights enshrined in the Union, namely the right to the unilateral national level in the framework of a supranational system, when there is the right to take retaliatory measures, which should correspond to the effective the mechanism of the administration ", - said chairman of the board of the Eurasian Economic Union, Viktor Khristenko, after meeting the presidents of the EAEC in Moscow.

According to him, "during this period will be carried out not only the monitoring of the effects of the Agreement Ukraine and the EU, but also to develop tools such as legal, and technical and technological nature in regard to the exchange of information."

At the same time, the president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that the issue of implementation of the agreement on free trade zone between Ukraine and the EU discussed in the narrow part of the presidents of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union.

President of Belarus stressed that a January 1, 2016 will start to operate the agreement on free trade zone between Ukraine and the European Union. And so, in his opinion, a serious situation develops in relation to the CIS free trade zone. Not only Russia, but also all the members of the Union, there are some concerns about this.

According to Lukashenko, the "Eurasians" there is a fear that the "product of the EU at zero duty, once in Ukraine on CIS free trade zone falls into the territory of the CIS."

glavcom.ua In Russian

The refusal of the European Union from the "North Stream-2" would be "shot up" to the EU, told reporters Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev, reports RIA "Novosti"

"Of course, the failure of it (the project) formalization and implementation would be what is called a" shot in the foot "by those who wish to do so, because it is (aimed at) the energy balance in Europe, is to ensure security of supply, it questions of fundamental importance, "- said Ulyukayev.

Recall, "Nord Stream-2" criticized Poland and the Baltic countries, they have demanded from the EU to discuss the project. They are also joined by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who has accused Germany of supporting a project that violates the spirit of the sanctions and undermine European unity.

December 18, President of the European Council, Donald Tusk said that the project of the second stage of the pipeline does not correspond to the rules of the EU energy supply diversification. The document at the summit of the European Union states that "any new infrastructure project has to fully comply with the Third Energy Package and other EU legislation as well as the objectives of the Energy Union." Sources told Reuters that under the "new infrastructure projects" meant it "Nord Stream".

The agreement on the construction of the second phase of "Nord Stream" was signed in September between "Gazprom" and a consortium of five European companies - the German E.ON and BASF / Wintershall, the Anglo-Dutch Shell, Austrian OMV and the French ENGIE.

Earlier, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said, "North Stream-2" can lead to what will be destroyed Ukrainian and European energy security.

In early December, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseny Yatsenyuk asked the EU with a request to block the project "North Stream-2", which causes great damage to the countries of Eastern Europe.

Earlier it was reported that the government of Greece and the Czech Republic decided not to sign the appeal of Governments of seven countries in Central and Eastern Europe to the European Commission demanding the closure of a project to build Nord Stream-2 - a gas pipeline to be laid under the Baltic Sea to the German coast.

Recall that an appeal has been initiated by the governments of Poland and Slovakia. In addition to the governments of these countries joined by Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. As conceived by the initiators of the issue of blocking the construction of "North Stream-2" should be included in the agenda of the December EU summit.

glavcom.ua In Russian