Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Wednesday 03 February [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

Please scroll down to view news items added during the day

News -
Russian forces attack the Ukrainian people 55 times yesterday.
Update - two more soldiers wounded.
Also see report - 22 down - that a soldier died, 4 injured. Trip wire. Lugansk.

Weather -
+7 now at 0700. Yes. Plus seven degrees centigrade. Wow. High expected near 9.
But cooler tomorrow. Maybe only +1 or 2. Way way above average. Cloudy. A little rain.

Footie -
Wed 24 Feb - UEFA have reduced ban on Dynamo. So people can now go to watch the game v Man City

http://iz.com.ua/ukraina/90606-v-kieve-hotyat-zakryt-ptichiy-rynok.html
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Probably would be a wise move. But Ukraine needs more control over animal health.
The bird market - I think - on one of the tram lines heading northwest out of the city. Towards Schevchenko Plocha. Tram 19.
(One of my favourite tram lines - after Schevchenka Plocha it heads into the country, through the woods. Super in summer, autumn.

https://informnapalm.org/en/feb02-donbas-osce/
...a chemical reagents plant in Donetsk located just in 7 km from Peski settlement and 15 km from Krasnogorovka.
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Should be 25km back, but clearly not the case. What will OSCE do? Probably nothing.
Big violation of the Minsk agreement by Putin.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/02/the-kremlin-cries-rape-for-propaganda-in-germany.html
...That Putin allies with all manner of fascist political groups on the continent, such as the British National Party, Le Front National, and Jobbik, impinges not at all on his philo-Semitic self-portrayal. ...[Not to mention Seumas Milne, Corbyn's Stalinist sidekick] ...
And externally, of course, they want to undermine Merkel over Ukraine.”
The EuroMaidan Revolution and its violent responses were occasions for trial balloons in the new era of “active measures,” an old KGB trick of planting fake stories in the international press in the hope of undermining democratic societies and splitting Western traditional alliances. Channel One led the way in this regard, the network having invented the most horrific allegation to come out of the Ukraine crisis.
On July 12, 2014, Channel One broadcast a claim that the Ukrainian army had “crucified” a small child after recapturing Slavyansk,...
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Hard-hitting article by Michael Weiss. Worth a read.

http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-putin-execution-corrupt-officials-cartoons/27528197.html
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Ironic that a man said to have stolen about 40 billion dollars from the country is made out to be "strong on corruption".
Only in the Russian media! The last sentence of the article above says it all -
According to Transparency International's 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index, Russia ranked 119th, in a tie with Azerbaijan, Guyana, and Sierra Leone.

http://www.unian.info/kiev/1253558-the-washington-times-uefa-cuts-dynamo-kyiv-racism-sanctions-before-man-city-visit.html
...UEFA has cut Dynamo Kyiv's sanctions for racist attacks by fans, clearing the club to allow spectators in when Manchester City visits in the Champions League, according to The Washington Times....
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If true, fantastic news.
Time for me to investigate getting a few tickets. Yo!!!

http://www.unian.info/kiev/1140601-bright-idea-for-russian-embassys-new-kyiv-address.html

Nemtsov street. ))

Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko has suggested to rename the street on which the Russian Embassy to Ukraine is located after Russian opposition leader and Vladimir Putin's vocal critic Boris Nemtsov, who was killed in Moscow on February 27, 2015.

http://www.uefa.org/disciplinary/
All the latest from UEFA competition disciplinary and match-fixing prevention cases.UEFA
Tuesday 2 February 2016 18.47CETUEFA
The UEFA Appeals Body has announced the following decision:
Match: UEFA Champions League group stage match FC Dynamo Kyiv v Chelsea FC (0-0) played on 20 October in Ukraine
Charges against FC Dynamo Kyiv
- Racist behaviour - Art. 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR)
- Crowd disturbances - Art. 16 (2) DR
- Stairways blocked - Art. 38 of the UEFA Safety & Security Regulations
The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body’s decision of 24 November 2015 is amended as follows:
1. To order the FC Dynamo Kyiv to play one (1) UEFA competition match as host club behind closed doors. As the club has already played one match behind closed doors during the UEFA Champions League 2015/2016 match FC Dynamo Kyiv vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC played on 9 December 2015, the club has already served this sanction.
2. To fine FC Dynamo Kyiv € 50.000.
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FC Dynamo Kyiv vs Manchester City FC Champions League match to take place at the NSC Olimpiyskyi in front of fans!
http://www.fcdynamo.kiev.ua/en/allnews/eurocups/match_ligi_chempionov_dinamo_kiev_ukraina_manchester_siti_angliya_sostoitsya_na_nsk_olimpiyskiy_so_zritelyami/

http://www.rferl.org/content/virtual-stalinism/27527993.html
....Kadyrov's menacing antics and the Popular Front's creepy execution cartoons are the latest illustrations that Putin's regime has indeed fine-tuned the art of creating a virtual Stalinism, a hybrid form of low-intensity terror designed to intimidate and sow fear....
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From the brilliant RFERL journalist, Brain Whitmore. Again.
Clone the man. And put him in Moscow with the BBC, Guardian, Telegraph. Replace the Putin zombies.

After watching the controversial film Paul Moreira "Masks revolution" of Ukrainian Independence, which was shown on French TV channel Canal +, local journalists have criticized the tape. This magazine writes Deutsche Welle.

So well-known journalist of the French newspaper Libération Sebastian Gaubert, who has lived and worked in Ukraine, said the film could harm journalists, who stayed in Ukraine.

Paul Gogo, who came to Ukraine in 2012 and worked in Kiev and Donetsk also said he was surprised by the film Moreira.

"I am, in principle, I look quite a lot of special investigations. But this report - it is something incredible. This is Russian propaganda, its purpose - to manipulation by those who tend to believe in conspiracy theories, on the principle that all mainstream media are lying, and I'll tell you the truth, "- said the journalist.

According to him, the film is not more suited Canal +, and Russian Russia Today.

Journalist Victini Benoit wrote in the newspaper Le Monde, that Paul Moreira showed "a distorted picture of the Ukrainian conflict."

"The newspaper Le Monde, where I work, would never have published material in the spirit of what made Moreira. All our journalists - experts in their field, to some extent - the experts, and they do not make such mistakes. We are proud that we submit information in the context, it highlights the perspective and working on all the details. And we do not have to play on the feelings, so our readers trust us "- he said.

Recall, February 1, despite the requirement of Ukraine to cancel the show propaganda film, French channel Canal + showed the so-called documentary film directed by Paul Moreira. The tape of the events in Ukraine in late 2013 and early 2014.

glavcom.ua In Russian

The "LC" relatives of the dead militants demanding monetary compensation from the leaders of the "republic." In the words of a sealed source, "administration" Igor Plotnitsky inundated with demands to start payments to widows, mothers and children dead "militants", according to "Informator".

In addition, the initiative group "widows" (it included representatives of all cities "LC") in social networks is collecting signatures on a petition to Vladimir Putin.

"There were plans to organize a protest. But after the repression of participants in "the business Maidan" under the walls of the regional state administration decided to limit letter, "- said the source.

As previously reported, on January 27 in front of the Luhansk Regional State Administration held a meeting organized by businessmen. The protest was fixed "siloviki LC."

The next day, the "siloviki LC" began to search for the organizers of this action.

glavcom.ua In Russian

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko believes that the Russian leader Vladimir Putin launched an information war against Germany. Poroshenko expressed his opinion in an interview with the newspaper Bild, published on Wednesday, February 3.

"For Germany, such shocking propaganda (lighting event girl Lisa F. from Berlin to Russian state-controlled media - Ed.) Began something new. But Ukraine has learned what it is, one and a half years ago, when the lies emanating from the Russian media, repeated as long as people do not start to believe it, "- said Poroshenko.

In this regard, the Ukrainian president said the discovery of an important European TV channel in Russian.

"Those who speak in Russian, can not only hear opinions and release, sounding of Russian state-run media," - says Poroshenko.

The president of Ukraine has warned Western countries to cooperate with Putin.

"Europe can not become a victim of Putin's pressure. We should not think that without it would be impossible to solve the Syrian issue, "- said Poroshenko.

He also said that from the economic point of view, Europe has become less dependent on Russia.

"The Russian market is not the same as he was a few years ago," - said Poroshenko.

Ukrainian politician also stressed the importance of the extension of sanctions against Russia. This, according to Poroshenko, "the question of values."

"For me it is indisputable that he who sees what is happening in eastern Ukraine, can not talk about the lifting of sanctions," - said Poroshenko.

glavcom.ua In Russian

The self-proclaimed "DNR" after the explosion unknown monument to Lenin in Donetsk continuing arrests.

We are talking about tens of arrested citizens. The most famous of the detainees became acting deputy of Donetsk regional council, the leader of the volunteer group "responsible citizens" Marina Cherenkov theologian and scholar Igor Kozlovsky. In dungeons MGB they hit on Friday.

Officially, they are listed as "missing." None of the structures of the self-proclaimed "DNI" has not publicly announced the arrest of these people, the more reasons not explained. However, at the time of arrest on Saturday night Cherenkov Marina managed to send an SMS to a friend: "I was detained by the MGB." Later on Saturday, following reports in the media resonance, given Cherenkov call my parents. In a conversation with them, it also confirmed that it is in the hands of the Donetsk State Security. And on Tuesday, February 2 Cherenkov came in touch with a colleague Eugene Shibalovym, saying investigators "MGB" asked all the members of the volunteer group "to come to talk about the activities of" responsible citizens ", according to Novaya Gazeta.

The building "MGB", "DNR" on the boulevard Shevchenko, 26, went to the four founders of the company - the brothers Dmitry and Evgeny Shibalovy Olga Kosse and Donetsk businessman Enrique Menendez. Shortly before his visit to "MGB" Menendez told "Novaya Gazeta" that the laws "DNI" local security forces can detain any person for 30 days on suspicion of committing a crime.

After a three-hour interrogation, the four volunteers were released from the building, "the MGB." Brothers Shibalovym Enrique Menéndez and ordered to leave the territory of the "DNR" in the shortest possible time. They were expelled. Olga Kosse allowed to stay.

"With us, all right, I can not tell you the details," - he told "Novaya Gazeta" Olga Kosse. According to her, currently mobile phones Shibalovyh Menendez and disabled for security reasons.

glavcom.ua

http://en.censor.net.ua/news/372244/zakharchenkos_thugs_eliminate_troya_unit_as_92_militants_gone_missing
...."On the same day, unknown military units arrived at Troya base on Dachna Street and undertook an attack. As it was a high security facility at the contact line, the reconnaissance company took the fight. As a result, in view of the significant superiority of the enemy, by midday Jan. 30, 2016, nine Troya fighters were captured by unknowns, seven men managed to break out from the encirclement, while the fate of 92 others remains unknown. ....
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Sounds like the wild west.

http://www.unian.info/economics/1253799-ukraine-finance-minister-decides-to-resign.html
Minister of Economy and Trade of Ukraine, ex-Lithuanian national, Aivaras Abromavicius, has decided to resign from post, stressing that the key reason for his resignation is the conflict with the deputy head of the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko, Ihor Kononenko....
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Interesting.
BUT - will parliament support his resignation?

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/02/3/7097730/
Яценюк: Деякі члени коаліції гірші за опозицію
He also criticized some factions of the coalition because of "politicking".
"If you politician who is very much in Ukrainian politics, you run away from responsibility. How do some factions of the coalition that the worst of the opposition. They run away from responsibility," - said Yatsenyuk.
Yatsenyuk accused these factions in the "struggle for ratings."
"One thing - talking and the other reality. The government took responsibility for all the unpopular steps that have not been done in 20 years. This assessment western partners who invest billions of dollars here," - said Yatsenyuk.
According to him, the western partners are ready to further assist Ukraine if the political elite "will continue to move forward and will not play in a cheap populist policies."
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Yes!

http://www.unian.info/politics/1254160-bloc-of-petro-poroshenko-readies-for-electoral-race-media.html
All the headquarters of the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko (BPP) faction were ordered to get ready for early parliamentary elections in September, according to Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda....
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Of course, all pure speculation.
Who would gain by an election? Tymoshenko has money. Her party might gain a few seats.
And then what? Basically the same position again. If they carry on like this, Yanukovich will be back in power.

http://www.unian.info/world/1254037-over-quarter-of-russians-admit-russia-invaded-donbas-poll.html

Answering the question whether there are Russian troops in Ukraine, 27% responded "yes," 52% - "no," while 21% could not answer.

In addition, 25% of respondents agreed there is a war between Ukraine and Russia, 65% had the opposite opinion, and 11% did not answer.

A total of 65% of respondents said the situation in the east of Ukraine was "tense," 14% said it was critical and explosive, 10% - calm, 2% - happy, and 9% could not answer.

At the same time, 44% of respondents believe that the situation in the east of Ukraine will remain unchanged within the next year, 13% believe it will improve, 27% say it will worsen, and 16% could not answer...........................

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Of course, on needs to remember an earlier poll, which said that just over 50% of Russians are frightened to answer with the truth at a poll.
Put the two together...

Nelson wrote:http://www.unian.info/kiev/1140601-bright-idea-for-russian-embassys-new-kyiv-address.html

Nemtsov street. ))

Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko has suggested to rename the street on which the Russian Embassy to Ukraine is located after Russian opposition leader and Vladimir Putin's vocal critic Boris Nemtsov, who was killed in Moscow on February 27, 2015.

This is old news from October last year. Since we are now in February of the following year, did Klitschko actually follow this through? No? I thought not.

Fifteen pro-regime military officials, including four Russian generals, have been killed by opposition forces in northwestern Syria near the border with Turkey.

Syrian opposition sources said Wednesday, Censor.NET reports citing Anadolu Agency.

According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the slain military officials included four Russian generals and four Syrian generals who had met late Tuesday in Turkmen Mountain, in Syria's northern Latakia region, to discuss recent military developments.

One of the slain Russian generals, identified only as "Yuri", was reportedly coordinating regime attacks in Turkmen Mountain, the sources added.

Predominantly-Turkmen areas of northwestern Syria have been under attack by regime forces backed by Russian airpower since last year Nov.

Recent attacks in these areas have displaced thousands of Turkmen, a Turkic ethnic group concentrated mainly in Syria and Iraq, prompting many to seek refuge in southern Turkey.

censor.net.ua In Russian

The number of career servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, holding senior positions including in the armed groups of the "LPR"/"DPR" terrorist organizations, exceeds one thousand.

Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency Directorate Deputy Director Vadym Skybytskyi said in an interview to UNN, Censor.NET reports.

"This number exceeds one thousand. The senior executives, career servicemen, mercenaries - former Russian Armed Forces soldiers are in our territory (in the occupied Donbas - Ed.). All previous examples involved active military serving in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The overall presence of the Russian troops is very high. We are talking about more than 1000 people occupying different positions," Vadym Skybytskyi said.

According to him, the Russian command tries to hide the presence of its regular troops in Ukraine in every imaginable way.
"The Russian troops arrive in the occupied territory of Ukraine with already prepared cover and forged IDs with new names. Using these identities, they continue their activities as members of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps (Russian militants' Army Corps - Ed.)," he added.

Vadym Skybytskyi stresses that all senior positions in the militants' brigades and regiments are occupied by the career servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

"In some cases, the most important positions, such as, for example, commander of a reconnaissance platoon or regiment, are also held by career Russian soldiers. It has been confirmed by our scouts and testimony of captured servicemen from these 1st and 2nd Army Corps," intelligence agency representative said.

censor.net.ua In Russian

Militants continue shelling towns of Zaitseve and Maiorsk from 120-mm mortars.

As reported by Censor.NET, this was announced by the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) press center.

According to the HQ, Zaitseve control point was closed for passing today, Feb. 3, due to increased shelling of the town by pro-Russian terrorists, who are using Minsk-banned weapons.



"Representatives of the Ukrainian side to the JCCC have arrived to the scenes in order to record the shelling and gather evidence with the purpose of subsequent passing of them to OSCE mission representatives," the HQ noted.



It is also reported that between 8 and 9 p.m. of Feb. 2, 37 cases of fire from 120-mm mortars were conducted against front line positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Zaitseve town.

Read more: Luhanske and Zaitseve under militants' mortar strikes, - sector D press officer



"In addition, drone-conducted surveillance recorded one 82-mm mortar and three 120-mm mortars at positions close to the town and defenses of the Ukrainian army soldiers. Next to the mortars, used by militants, there were Ural 4320 trucks spotted, which prove the use of mobile mortar groups for shelling of civilians," the message reads.



"On Feb. 2, facts of rude violation of the Minsk agreements by terrorists were recorded by Ukrainian representatives to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC). 11 mines of 120-mm caliber have exploded in the yards of local residents.

censor.net.ua In Russian

More and more criticism is emanating in Ukraine about the installation by the OSCE of monitoring towers in the army-held territories in Donbas. Their cameras cover only the Ukraine army positions, not these of the rebels.

The army says the OSCE has ignored its reports of intensified rebels’ attacks in Zajtseve and other regions. This inaction encourages the rebels to step up their attacks, the army says.

The OSCE explains the absence of cameras in the rebel-held territories by the refusal of the separatists to let OSCE technicians enter their territories.

The OSCE mission is operating in the interests of Russia, political expert Yevhen Zherebetsky says but there is no alternative to it now.

The rebels are Russia’s puppets on the strings. So, to get them cooperate needs Russia’s consent, he says. As Russia prefers to distance itself, there is no alternative to OSCE now, he says.

First, it is no one’s secret that there are many Russian stooges in the OSCE, he says.

Second, there are many Russians in the OSCE mission in Donbas which is unacceptable since Russia and Ukraine are at war.

The Russians serving in the Donbas mission have been caught red-handed more than once when they handed over information to Russia, the expert says.

Germany and France are eager to quash the scandal, he says.

As regards the so-called encrypted signal from the OSCE cameras, there is no guarantee that the Russians have not decoded it – and know everything happening at Ukraine army positions.

If the rebels do not allow the monitors to cross into their zone, Ukraine should also ban them to do the same because the OSCE is not Ukraine’s ally, he says.

Meanwhile, ex-foreign minister Volodymyr Ohryzko points out that the OSCE is merely a monitoring, not conflict-settling, organization with heavy Russian domination.

Why aren’t the same cameras installed in rebel-held-territories? Ohryzko asks. Because all decisions within the OSCE are subject to consensus, with Russia obstructing the unfavorable ones.

“As far as I know, the OSCE reports are usually balanced,” Ohryzko said.

Still, the OSCE can be criticized for showing no determination in pressing the Russian authorities to give it access to Crimea, something the OSCE mandate prescribes, Ohryzko says.

There are many issues when international efforts to resolve the existing problems come to naught due to Russia’s obstruction. That is why the OSCE mission has such a small role to play, he notes.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s officials positively assess the role of the OSCE in Donbas. There are no reasons to say that the presence of the Russians on the mission staff makes it anti-Ukrainian, they say.

The isolated cases of spying for Russia exposed by Ukraine special services received adequate response from the OSCE, they say.

zik.ua

Nothing will be enforce the supposed cease-fire without direct UN peacekeeping force in place. The OSCE isn't capable of handling it. I don't see putting any pressure on the Kremlin and the UN won't raise their fist.

They're all afraid the Kremlin will start a WWIII, although they're in no position for them to afford one and the Russians themselves know it. But the weak bow to their intimidation. That's all it is, just trying to scare everyone. Putin know fully well what the final outcome is, if he started a war with the west. There will be no success whatsoever in one. He's more afraid of losing his supporters (what's left of them) in Russia than the west. So he keeps bullying them and they hide behind the door.

Is this what our taxes pay for?

he Pentagon will request $3.4 billion next year for additional troops and training to counter “Russia's aggression,” a fourfold increase from the current fiscal year that reflects administration and allied worries about Moscow's intentions in Europe.

The figure announced by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on February 2 is part of a $582.7 billion defense-budget proposal that Carter said is aimed at five major challenges faced by the U.S. military Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and the extremist Islamic State group.

The $3.4 billion would come under a program the White House is calling the European Reassurance Initiative. Carter said the program would bolster the U.S. military presence in Eastern Europe, including more U.S. units rotating into Europe, more training and exercises, more military equipment positioned in allied states, and more infrastructure improvements.

“We're reinforcing our posture in Europe to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia's aggression,” Carter said during a speech to the Economic Club of Washington, a private research organization

“We're taking a strong and balanced approach to deter Russian aggression,” he said. “We haven't had to worry about this for 25 years, and while I wish it were otherwise, now we do.”.....

ukrainebusiness.com.ua

Russian-occupied Crimea, Feb 3, 2016 (UBO) – Islamic leaders in Russian-occupied Crimea, who are regarded as responsible and reliable sources, have told RISU that on January 28, armed Russian security officers surrounded the mosque of the Islamic Cultural Center, on Mokrousov street 7, Simferopol and searched it. Even Muslims who came to pray were not let in the mosque.

The information was first reported by the Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine Ummah on his Facebook page.

“This is the third search in that mosque held by Russian security forces. Last time they planted several books that are considered forbidden in Russia, and therefore instituted the administrative proceedings. So imams had to check every corner, every shelf daily to see that no one planted anything,” he writes.

According to Mufti, during a search of the security forces “accidentally found” two books - the Muslim prayer book “Fortress of a Muslim” and “The Book of Monotheism.”

The Imam swears (and I believe him) that in the evening, when closing the mosque, he saw there were no these books on the site. There was a single book – the Muslim prayer book Fortress of a Muslim which contains the prayers of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him!). It is not clear why belief in a book of medieval classical prayers is listed among prohibited literature. It is insane. But we are no strangers to this, they forbade Quran there,” Mufti Said Ismagilov said....

ukrainebusiness.com.ua