Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Wednesday 30 December. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

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News -
22 attacks by the Russian forces yesterday.
Update - no dead or injured today. Slava Ukraini.

Weather -
-10 this morning near Kiev. A good frost on the ground, but still no snow. So good for people who are going to work.
High today of perhaps -6. Similar to yesterday. Not too bad for this time of year.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/12/30/7094102/
Wednesday, December 30, 2015, 7:20
In total, during the last day invaders 22 times broke Mode "complete silence".
This is stated in the press center of Staff TU.
So, from 18.00 hours to midnight on Dec. 29 recorded 14 cases of weapons against militants ATU forces units. The vast majority of these attacks unsighted.
But at night the bandits opened aimed fire from heavy machine guns on our positions at Novotroitsk, 10 km north Volnovakha....
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One would think that the cold weather will make then think twice before going outside and trying to kill somebody.
And staying inside, they are likely to drink more vodka. And sleep, maybe. We can hope.

http://focus.ua/country/343079/
7:39
I don't expect anything further from this. Sanctions have been extended, so Putin will keep the war going for another 3 or 4 months, and then see if Europe backs down, and business picks up. It will be interesting if Putin keeps lying about no Russian troops in Donbass, after his press conference, when he confirmed there were "military operations". .. or something similar. Or will he go back to the denial phase of the past couple of years?

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http://zik.ua/news/2015/12/30/v_okupovanyy_donetsk_prybuv_kobzon_iz_zelenymy_cholovichkamy__fotofakt_658935
7:45
Tuesday, December 29, occupied in Donetsk came "People's Artist" DNR "Joseph Kobzon, who is prohibited from entering the territory of Ukraine.
Interestingly, the Russian singer, apparently, someone is very afraid, because the streets of the occupied city he was accompanied by gunmen with automatic weapons.
According to the newspaper 62.ua, Kobzon zayavyvsya to Donetsk to give pre-concert at the Circus "Cosmos". There, by the way, also on duty at the scene were armed militants.
Recall that the last time Kobzon came to occupied Donetsk was for a concert in November...

7:57
http://hvylya.net/news/digest/v-mide-obeshhayut-chto-v-2016-godu-ukraintsyi-budut-ezdit-v-es-bez-viz.html
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My best guess is by July.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-29/ukraine-expects-imf-to-rule-on-new-aid-disbursements-next-month
The funds, originally slated for this year, were delayed by months of wrangling over the budget and a new tax code.
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Hopefully the IMF will approve the budget and tax code, and give the money.
Certainly, with the major fall in gas prices, Ukraine must now be in a much better position financially. More through luck than judgement.

http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-odesa-reform-agenda-saakashvili--marushevska/27453606.html
...His tone grows more serious and frustrated. "But what is it, in reality? It's a city that's been run by a criminal syndicate for the last 25 years. It's a city full of poor people who've been brainwashed to believe you can't change anything."
Volodymyr Dubovyk, a professor of international relations at Odesa's I.I. Mechnikov National University, suggests that Saakashvili's greatest success has been to bring hope of a normal future. "If Saakashvili stays," he says, invoking the widespread belief that the governor's real designs are on Kyiv, "then maybe he'll really clean it up -- but it seems he has his eyes on a larger goal."...
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Long article, but a good read.

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http://www.rferl.org/media/video/yearly-vertical-the-costs-of-going-rogue/27445023.html
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A little longer than usual, but still under 4 minutes, a "Yearly vertical" from Whitmore.
This report more a summary of the past year, concentrating on Putin's wars, rather than any real analysis. But not bad.

http://zik.ua/en/news/2015/12/29/putin_cashes_in_on_democracy_in_ukraine_to_rock_boat__prof_haran_658643
Russia’s Pres Putin changed his tactics with regard to Ukraine, shifting his focus from the military conflict in Donbas to fanning internal feud inside the country, Prof. Olexy Haran said Dec. 29, speaking on Kanal 5 TV.
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Very short article.

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http://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-regions/1938708-teroristi-perekidayut-tanki-i-minometi-pid-donetsk-i-gorlivku.html
...."Additional mortar units deployed in the area Gorlovka, Donetsk Petrovsky district and district Sahanka - Zayichenko. Also at Sahanka - Zayichenko 7 fixed tanks of militants were placed and camouflaged along the border "- said he.
In addition, notes Timchuk, 2 more terrorists fixed tank southeast of Kominternovoho. .......

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I've also seen a report that one of the main "war" correspondents for Russia tv has been moved from Syria to the Donbass.
That is worrying.

http://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/ukraine-obyavleno-shtormovoe-preduprezhdenie-1451460819.html
10:09
"During the day on December 30 in the southern part wind gusts of 15-20 m / s, on country roads, in some places sleet," - said in a statement.
In addition, a storm warning announced in Kiev and Kiev region.
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Online штормовое - schtormovoe - translates obviously as "storm". But it seems to be used for all unusual weather occurences to me.
So I have translated the title instead as "weather warning".
As of now - lovely blue sky and sunshine, although about -8. 1030 am.
But I am sure that some snow may arrive during the next day, or week. But basically we have got through December without any real snowfall. Super.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3378524/Ukraine-lists-Russian-imports-ban-Jan-10-trade-row.html
The list, which was set out in a statement from the country's economy ministry, included meat and meat products, baby food, chocolate, fish, cheese, coffee, beer, tobacco, alcohol, herbicides, and railway hardware including locomotives.
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Cheese? There is no Russian cheese. Palm oil cheese, maybe.

Nelson wrote:http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-29/ukraine-expects-imf-to-rule-on-new-aid-disbursements-next-month
The funds, originally slated for this year, were delayed by months of wrangling over the budget and a new tax code.
===
Hopefully the IMF will approve the budget and tax code, and give the money.
Certainly, with the major fall in gas prices, Ukraine must now be in a much better position financially. More through luck than judgement.

There was NO wrangling. The delay was caused by the odious braided lip-pursing witch, Tymoshenko, the attention seeker, and her fellow plotters attempting to destablize Ukraine to the point where the IMF gave up. This, of course, would have opened the door to the witch in her attempt to become President.

If this ever happens, then God help Ukraine for she will make Yanukovych appear a small time crook.

Agree 100%.

http://news.yahoo.com/european-leaders-renew-support-ukraine-ceasefire-140317666.html
,,,The four leaders emphasised the need to follow through on the Minsk II peace accords over the coming year, including preparations for local elections in Donbass at the start of 2017.
Foreign ministers from the four countries are due to meet to discuss the peace process in greater detail by early February, the Elysee added...
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2017... So another year of Putin occupying the Donbass for sure.
I don't think anybody really expects him to withdraw his army from Ukraine. He's just waiting for the EU to drop sanctions. And then, likely, he will start the war big-time again.

Ukrainian citizens will be able to travel to the EU countries without visas starting from next year.

Director of the Department of Policy and Communications of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleksii Makieiev assured on air of Channel 5, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.

"Everyone including lawmakers, representatives of the executive power, and any Ukrainian who travels abroad and comes across a border guard, must show the return ticket and not to invent a story - it is the responsibility. This will work only if all the elements of the mechanism function properly," he said.

Makieiev noted: "The Ukrainians will travel to the EU without visas in 2016."

It should be reminded that the liberalization of the visa regime with the EU will give Ukrainians the opportunity to travel in another 57 countries around the world - from South Korea to Mexico and Uruguay - without visas.

censor.net.ua In Russian

After the incident with the downed Russian Su-24 bomber, Turkey became the leader of negative references by the Russian media, having outrun Ukraine and the United States.

RBC reports citing the study conducted by Medialogia, Censor.NET informs.

According to the survey, the Russian media mentioned Turkey as an enemy of Russia 322 times totally in November and 1487 in December. The number of negative references to the United States and Ukraine during the same period decreased from 2,401 and 1,990 cases in November to 1,019 and 859 in December respectively.

According to an unnamed employee of one of the Russian federal channels, there were no specific instructions issued concerning Turkey - the media representatives mainly looked up to public statements by President Vladimir Putin.

The attitude to Ukraine, which was heading the same rating in the first half of the year, was steadily improving in late 2015. According to the survey, neither the food blockade of Crimea, nor its blackout affected the reduction of negative attitude to Kyiv. The U.S. outran Ukraine in October, after the start of the Russian campaign in Syria: the number of publications, where the U.S. was called sponsor or ally of terrorists, has significantly increased since then.

It should be reminded that Turkey downed the Russian Su-24 bomber Nov. 24. One of the two pilots was killed as a result. Ankara insisted that the aircraft had violated its airspace while Moscow denied it. Vladimir Putin called the incident a "stab in the back" and accused the Turkish authorities of making profit from the oil trade with the "Islamic State".

censor.net.ua In Russian

On Wednesday, Dec. 30, Russian military aircraft attacked the city of Douma in Damascus province, controlled by the moderate opposition.

As reported by Censor.NET citing ZN.UA, the city was bombed four times over the day.

The town is populated by a large number of civilians, including refugees who came from the areas with ongoing fighting. The published video and photos evidence of serious destruction in the city, damaged infrastructure.

There is a large number of victims in Douma, including children. The precise number is being specified. As reported, three children have been successfully removed from the rubble.










censor.net.ua In Russian

Ukraine has enhanced the rate of gas transit for Russian gas monopolist Gazprom.
As reported by Censor.NET, Yurii Vitrenko, business development director at Naftohaz Ukrainy, wrote in Facebook.

"At last, Ukraine has dramatically raised the gas transit rate for Gazprom (in full compliance with European principles)," he wrote, adding that "the long-term efforts of Gazprom to bypass Ukraine met an adequate response."

As reported, previously the transit rate made $2.7 per one thousand cubic meters of gas per 100 kilometers.

censor.net.ua In Russian

The officers of Ukraine's Security Service and prosecutor's office have caught acting director of infrastructure and housing department of the Odesa regional state administration Tetiana Marchenko while receiving a large bribe.

Censor.NET reports citing Dumskaia.

Saakashvili's subordinate extorted and received UAH 1.5 million (approx. $60,108) from a representative of some private company.

As prosecutor general's assistant Vladyslav Kutsenko told Ukrainska Pravda on phone, the PGO and the SBU conducted a special operation, during which, the acting director of infrastructure and housing department of the Odesa regional state administration was apprehended while receiving a bribe of UAH 1.45 million.

The bribe was meant to secure a payment from the state budget in favor of certain development company.

"The operation lasted five days," Kutsenko said.

Criminal proceedings have been instituted under part 4, article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.




censor.net.ua In Russian

People's deputy Iryna Herashchenko unveiled some details of Normandy Four talks.

Censor.NET reports referring to Herashchenko's Facebook page.

She wrote: "During a telephone conversation in the Normandy format, the president called for launching an EU peacekeeping mission in the Donbas. Taking into account the European security and a fragile situation in the Donbas, such an initiative is becoming increasingly important.

"Moreover, militants interfere with the work of the OSCE, fire at observers, and deny their access to all areas within the occupied territory.

"Another topical issue: the release of all hostages held both in the occupied territory and in Moscow. It's terrible that the process of liberation has come to a stalemate and in spite of all the efforts by the Ukrainian side, captives are still far away from their families. The president notes that the humanitarian aspect of the Minsk agreements is one of the key priorities, all parties should make every effort for hostages to be released."

censor.net.ua In Russian

Russia has deployed about 100 troops in Kominterneve, the city in the no-man’s land captured by the rebels in violation of the Minsk agreements, Ukraine army says Dec. 29.

The unit of the Russian army stationed in Kominterneve is a company of the 9th infantry regiment from Russia’s Southern military district. Part of the troops are dressed in civilian clothes, passing off as locals.

Two more Russian army companies are deployed in Zaichenko and Nova Tavria, Ukraine army intelligence officer said.

The intelligence was passed by the army to the OSCE mission.

zik.ua In Russian

Rada lawmakers voted for a record military budget of Ukraine at UAH144 bn ($4.56 bn) or 5% of the GDP, National Security and Defense Council head Oleksandr Turchynov announced Dec. 29.

One of the priorities for Ukraine army in 2016 is to beef up the air defense capacity, Turchynov said.

By comparison, in 2015 Ukraine army got UAH5 bn ($0.2 bn) fto buy new weapons.

zik.ua

Vice-governor of the Kharkiv region Yulia Svetlichnaya, declared plans to implement a number of projects for the study and promotion of the English language during the presentation of “European Centre of Foreign Languages Head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration” on the basis of Semen Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics.

The project was created according to the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko‘s announcement the year 2016 as the “Year of the English language in Ukraine”. “Ukraine has chosen the path of European integration and, of course, when you know languages, you can communicate with the representatives of various countries, to learn something new and expand own horizons. Even 10-20 years ago you could boast that you are familiar with the English language, today – it is the need,” said Yulia Svetlichnaya................

To read further go to this link:   thekharkivtimes.com

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insists that terrorists should have no place behind the negotiating table on the Syrian crisis, and names two Syrian opposition groups Moscow considers terrorists, according to Russian news agency TASS.

"It has been also clearly stated that terrorists should have no place behind the negotiating table, and we have questions regarding some participants of the latest round of meetings, as they represent two groups that we believe are terrorist," he said in an interview with the Zvezda television channel, TASS wrote.

"Jaysh al-Islam regularly bombs the residential quarters of Damascus – it's them who hit our embassy by mortar fire. The second one is Ahrar ash-Sham, which directly grows from Al Qaeda, which is banned by the UN Security Council," Lavrov said. "But the Syrian saga all the same has a chance on the basis of that resolution, which, of course, should be specified," Lavrov said.

According to him, the way out of the Syrian crisis is written in the latest resolution of the United Nations Security Council.

"There is a way out. It is written in the latest resolution of the UN Security Council," Lavrov said..............

To read further go to this link:  unian.info

Russia could not complete the construction of a number of warships due to the fact that Ukraine did not deliver the required power units, Russian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of defense industry, Dmitry Rogozin, said in an interview with Russia-24 TV channel.

"The construction of several warships will not be completed this year due to the power units that are produced in Ukraine. We paid them, with some contracts estimated at $100 million intended for Zorya-Mashproekt state-owned enterprise (Mykolaiv)," Rogozin said.

According to him, Ukraine has not refunded the amount paid, nor has it delivered the power units.

Rogozin stated Russia is taking measures to set up as quick as possible own production of the needed equipment.

"It will take some time. 2017-2018 will be the years when we fully substitute the products that we used to freely import from Ukraine. Now we cannot do that, because 'the Nazis' came to power there," Rogozin said........................

To read further go to this link:  unian.info

United States Vice President Joe Biden has never been one to hold his tongue. He certainly didn’t in his recent trip to Kiev. In a speech before Ukraine’s Parliament, Biden told legislators that corruption was eating Ukraine “like a cancer,” and warned Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that Ukraine had “one more chance” to confront corruption before the United States cuts off aid.

Biden’s language was undiplomatic, but he’s right: Ukraine needs radical reforms to root out graft. After 18 months in power, Poroshenko still refuses to decisively confront corruption. It’s time for Poroshenko to either step up his fight against corruption — or step down if he won’t.

When it comes to Ukrainian corruption, the numbers speak for themselves. Over $12 billion per year disappears from the Ukrainian budget, according to an adviser to Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau. And in its most recent review of global graft, anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International ranked Ukraine 142 out of 174 countries on its Corruption Perceptions Index — below countries such as Uganda, Nicaragua and Nigeria. Ordinary Ukrainians also endure paying petty bribes in all areas of life. From vehicle registration, to getting their children into kindergarten, to obtaining needed medicine, everything connected to government has a price..........................

To read further go to this link:   reuters.com