Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Wednesday 10 February [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

Please scroll down to view news items added during the day

News -
Russian forces fire 45 times at Ukrainians yesterday.
No Ukrainian military dead or injured yesterday. Slava Ukraini!
3 former Berkut members charged with 48 counts of murder - Maidan.

Weather -
Very much a "northern English" winter. Some wind, some rain, some sun!
Today +1 now. High predicted of +7. Hard to predict - dependent upon the winds from the south.
Update - 1300. +6 where I am. Quite a pleasant day, hazy sunshine.

Prosecutor General's Office special investigations department prosecutor Roman Psiuk has provided information on the investigation into Maidan shootings on Feb. 20, 2014.

As reported by Censor.NET, this is announced by human rights activist, coordinator of Lawyers of Heavenly Hundred's families initiative Taras Hataliak on Facebook, citing Psiuk:

"Today, PGO special investigations department has sent an indictment on Maidan shootings on Feb. 20, 2014 to the Pechersk district court of Kyiv.

"The case numbers 186 volumes. Their copies as well as the scanned electronic copies of case materials have been given to all participants in the process.

"Berkut officers as well as their commanders, who were spotted on Instytutska Street on Feb. 20, 2014, have been identified. Radio intelligence registered operating mobile phones of 25 Berkut officers, who were moving up Instytutska Street, five of whom are in custody at the moment.

"Department's analysts have done a titanic work to identify bullets. To date, it has been established what weapons were fired and who owned these weapons based on their assignment to certain Berkut officers," Psiuk said.

censor.net.ua In Russian

http://espreso.tv/news/2016/02/10/nimechchyna_zaklykaye_ukrayinu_do_kompromisu_z_rosiyeyu_schodo_povernennya_quotborgu_yanukovychaquot
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Three billion dollars given by Putin to Yanukovich.

If Russian involvement in the making of French filmmaker Paul Moreira’s “Masks of the Revolution’ remains in question, there can be no doubt about the Russian propaganda drive now underway. The undisputed coup comes in the ‘human rights award’ to the creators of this film about Euromaidan and other events in Ukraine over the last two years “for courage and professionalism”.

It was specifically the lack of professionalism in Moreira’s film that prompted Sébastien Gobert, a French journalist working in Ukraine, to slate the “compilation of factual mistakes, exaggerations and misleading set-ups” and write that he felt insulted as a French journalist. He joined with 17 other French journalists in writing an open letter to Moreira criticizing the manipulation of facts, downright inaccuracies and unverified information in the film. They cite a number of specific examples where the viewer was misled, such as the use of video footage of a neo-Nazi march presented in the film as from Euromaidan. The film’s very slant is deceptive, aimed as it is at presenting Euromaidan as the work of paramilitary right-wing extremists.

Concern over the misleading nature of the film was expressed in articles in various French media, such as Le Monde, and in an open letter posted on Le Monde, from philosophers, journalists and one former ambassador to Ukraine, which called the Canal + film seeped in Kremlin propaganda against Ukraine. Even Charlie Hebdo called Moreira the latest « useful idiot made in France » after Gerard Depardieu, Nadine Morano and Thierry Mariani.

None of this is noticed by Russian and pro-Russian media. Sputnik Intl, for example, quotes *only “European Parliament Member Jean-Luc Schaffhauser” who believes that people are beginning “to see the true nature of the illegal formations supporting the regime in Kiev, and the nature of the coup orchestrated by the United States”. He suggests the film could change France’s “anti-Russia stance”. Schaffhauser is a right-wing politician linked with Marine Le Pen’s coalition, who was one of the ‘observers’ brought in to approve the so-called ‘referendum’ on May 11, 2015 in Donbas. He was also involved in negotiating a large Russian loan for Le Pen who has been unfailing in her support for the Kremlin and criticism of sanctions against Russia......................

To read further go to this link:  khpg.org

U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper says that Russia remains intent on pursuing an "assertive foreign policy" in 2016, including hampering Ukraine's Western aspirations, according to RFE/RL.

Despite reduced violence between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin will continue to maintain "long-term influence over Kyiv" and frustrate "Ukraine's attempts to integrate with Western institutions," reads the report.

"Events in Ukraine raised Moscow's perceived stakes for increasing its presence in the region to prevent future regime change in the former Soviet republics and for accelerating a shift to a multipolar world in which Russia is the uncontested regional hegemon in Eurasia," Clapper said......

unian.info/politics

http://www.unian.info/politics/1260196-poroshenko-wants-to-fire-yatsenyuk-looks-for-new-pm-media.html
....Among the names being considered for the post of prime minister is Rada Speaker Volodymyr Groysman, NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov, and even Odesa Governor and ex-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili....
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Opiniion - Yatseniuk has had an impossible job implementing economic reforms demanded by the IMF - trying to convert Ukraine from a Soviet wastebasket to a viable western economy in a few weeks'. He will pay the price for this, I am sure - the poisoned chalice.
But nobody will want to replace him. What is next on the list? Some autonomy for Putin's Donbass? Another vote loser in free Ukraine.

http://en.censor.net.ua/news/373452/peoples_front_faction_ready_to_vote_for_removal_of_parliamentary_immunity_mp_yemets
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ha ha ha ha ha.... ad infinitum.
How many times have we heard this from politicians in the past ten years? And what happens? Nothing. Free to steal, free to bribe, free to break the law.

The budget for the US 2017 fiscal year and allocated $ 953 million to support countries that are struggling with the Russian aggression, above all, Ukraine, and other countries in the region.

This was said Tuesday at a briefing at the US State Department Deputy Secretary of State Heather Hihhinbottom , reports Ukrinform .

"Our request includes $ 953 million to support an integrated, free and peaceful Europe, including support for a democratic Ukraine, increasing energy independence and good governance to ensure the security and prosperity of the region", - said the Deputy Foreign Minister of the USA.

In the State Department comments that came out immediately after the briefing Hihhinbottom, states that this amount "to critical support Ukraine and neighboring countries in Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia to counter Russian aggression." This indicates that the support provided by both direct assistance and public diplomacy, as well as other programs, including health and the fight against terrorism.

As noted, funding is intended mainly to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, and Central Asian countries.

As highlighted in the US State Department, the program will focus on improving the sustainability of government "with an emphasis on promoting democracy and good governance, improving defense capabilities, to promote European integration, trade, economic diversification and energy security."

Recall for Ukraine in the US budget for 2016 provided 658 million dollars , of which - 250 million on defense.

gazeta.ua  In Ukrainian

7:50
http://tsn.ua/ukrayina/na-dnipri-krizhina-vkrala-30-vidchaydushnih-ribalok-587953.html
....More than 30 fishermen removed from the ice in Zaporizhzhya by rescuers. ..occurred at the Kahovka reservoir - thin ice suddenly broke away and began to carry people from the coast....
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Winter has gone before it arrived. But some people haven't realised this. It is amazingly warm for early February.

http://mashable.com/2016/02/09/moscow-demolishes-kiosks/#coVcK5W3e8qF
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Happened Monday night. Destroying small businesses, kiosks, restaurants, cafes during a recession - seems like madness to me - but such is Putin's Russia.
Probably the owners didn't pay enough in bribes to some of Putin's cronies.
Below - one of many many videos posted on youtube. A lot of people left without jobs today. 114 places nuked by Putin.

Pressure chart from www.weatheronline.co.uk for Saturday



Southerly winds for much of Ukraine - notably the western part. No chance of snow, rain much more likely.
So different from the typical weather pattern (of high pressure over Russia, drawing in colder eastern winds).
A cold spell for western Europe? Doesn't look like it will happen this winter. Reduced demand for gas, for sure.
Hard to predict temperatures. Typical computer programs will have factored in snow cover. But the ground is absorbing the sunshine, and that also warms things up.
Guess - +5 to +7 for the next week for Kiev. Night maybe +1 or 2. Warmer still further west. Amazing. Just amazing. Forget the skis. No snow.

Nelson wrote:http://espreso.tv/news/2016/02/10/nimechchyna_zaklykaye_ukrayinu_do_kompromisu_z_rosiyeyu_schodo_povernennya_quotborgu_yanukovychaquot
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Three billion dollars given by Putin to Yanukovich.

Surely the midget knows Yanukovych stole these funds (and much more) and therefore Putin should request reimbursement from the odious turd himself rather than Ukraine?

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/02/10/7098443/?attempt=1
Near Marinka, and the Ukrainian checkpoint a mini van exploded, .., killing two, the third - in the ambulance...
"Previously known that it happened at the checkpoint Marinka at about 7:30 - 7:50. Volkswagen Transporter made the rounds of all cars on the checkpoint completely ignored all the warning signs about the presence of mines and went to the side. ..." - he said.
"It happened in the gray zone of 600 meters from the checkpoint," - ...
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Apparently 3rd person died in ambulance. 5 in minibus. 3 dead.

This morning at www.xe.com

Hryvnia for one dollar / one euro / one pound
Inverse:   25.9249   29.2003   37.5615

Bureau de Change over 26 for one dollar now.
I think I saw 26.2 / 26.45 yesterday.
But the dollar has fallen a bit in recent days against the euro.
This again should help Ukraine - business with the EU. Ukraine must surely have the cheapest labour in the EU area (including free trade zone).

The Russian ruble down again
Inverse:   79.0040   88.9689   114.500
79 rubles to a dollar. It had recovered to around 75.

http://tass.ru/ekonomika/2653833
MOSCOW, February 10. / TASS /. The highest among the regions of the Russian Federation, inflation in 2015 was observed in the Crimea, where it was 26.4% versus 12.9% in the whole of Russia. This assessment is contained in the monitoring of the Ministry of Economic Development for the past year....
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Russian source. TASS.
And things will only get worse there. Remember these are official Russian statistics. Things are likely much worse.
Don't expect a lot of tourists in the Spring, that is for sure.

11:16
http://socportal.info/2016/02/10/u-stolitsi-zrosla-kil-kist-vikraden-avtomobiliv-v-4-razi.html
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And Ukraine has among the most expensive cars in the world, due to its ongoing Soviet style protectionism.

11:12
http://24tv.ua/aktivistka_pokazala_yak_pomiraye_okupovaniy_sevastopol_n656734
The video shows a half-hour walk downtown.
"...The city is dying.....The feeling of total hopelessness. Hopelessness crushes concrete slab. What will happen to us next? City dirty everywhere landfill, broken sidewalks, 70% of the shops are closed (broken windows, painted shutters), the corpses of the dead dog on the side of downtown ... "- said in the video description.
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The babushkas are no longer out on the streets chanting "Raseeeya, Raseeeya", for Shaun Walker and Putin's benefit, that's for sure.
Long vid. Lots of places closed down, or for rent (arenda). Serious depression. So different from the Sevastopol I used to know before the occupation.  



Looking at it a bit more, two things strike me -
1. the massive number of places to rent, or else for sale, especially small businesses, and
2. the train station. Amazing. Completely empty. When I was last there it was full of people, and taxis, and people offering rooms to rent.
And now. Nobody. As she says, "Nikavo nyeto. Abshea nikavo".
3. on 33.5 minutes amazing juxtaposition of a dead dog near the rail station, and a poster of Putin. Pure chance. Pure symbolism.
Putin has destroyed Crimea. Completely destroyed it.

http://glavcom.ua/news/360810.html
Today, at 11:10, "Commander in Chief"
The French representative producer of soft drinks Coca-Cola published a calendar with the schedule for the 2016 football European Championship with an error.
On the calendar, portrayed flag Ukrainian flag, turning colour upside down: blue at the bottom, and the top - yellow, write Ukrainian News.



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N.B. A few weeks' ago they produced a map showing Crimea as Russian.
Actually, looks like they've got the England flag completely wrong too! Goofballs. Les pinheads.

https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/zone-ato-sutki-1455099551.html
...In Donetsk and Mariupol directions continue fighting low activity with periodic use of heavy weapons....
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Slava ukraini! Putin Huylo!

From www.rbc.ua link above, but strangely map is in English!

http://ua.112.ua/suspilstvo/trom-eks-berkutivtsiam-inkryminuietsia-skoiennia-teraktu-na-yevromaidani-hpu-290911.html
Three former berkutivtsyam charged with committing a terrorist act in euromaidan - GPU
12:22, 10 February 2016
Gorbatyuk noted that signs of a terrorist act is the use of firearms to intimidate people
Three former employees of "Berkut" charged with committing a terrorist act in euromaidan. This was stated by the head of the Special Investigation Main Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General Sergei Gorbatyuk the briefing, which was broadcast channel "112 Ukraine".
Gorbatyuk noted that there are two men Regiment "Berkut" in Kiev and the deputy commander.
"The investigation has charged the three persons with 48 killings of protesters and causing 80 gunshot wounds. ...
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GPU = General Prosecutor of Ukraine
For some reason that I do not understand, it is translated in the background of the photo as
General's Office of Ukraine. ?!
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I cannot find briefing yet on youtube. Probably will appear with heading like
Брифінг начальника управління спеціальних розслідувань ГСУ ГПУ Сергія Горбатюка 10.02.2016
but that is a guess. nothing yet.
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Two thoughts -
1. How does Advisor to British Labour Party leader Corbyn, Stalinist Seumas Milne react to this, having said that armed Ukrainian fascists did the shootings?
(see our "journalists on ukraine" sticky topic for more on Milne and Corbyn and Putin propaganda.
2. Who really is guilty? The soldiers who were told to shoot, or the politicians in the Rada who voted for this all to happen? People like multi-millionaire Hanna German, who now sits in her fancy expensive Tymoshenko-like clothes, and gives interviews on tv about the good ol' days. Personally, I would charge her with accessory to murder.

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/323591.html
...Ukrnafta said that the main reason for the fall in production is the natural decline in fields' yield, which was accompanied by small investment into drilling of new wells and workover of wells last year....
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Prices have fallen a lot, but Ukraine needs to keep looking for gas on its own territory.

https://news.vice.com/article/paranoia-and-purges-the-dark-and-dirty-battle-for-power-in-rebel-held-ukraine
By Jack Losh, London kid, I think. By memory. Long article. Good read. Two brief extracts -
...Surkov, a shadowy figure and Kremlin ideologue, often characterized as the Rasputin of modern-day Russia, oversees Ukraine's rebel regions on Putin's behalf and is said to refer to Moscow's separatist proxies there as his "wards." According to an LNR insider, Surkov's secret visits to Luhansk in the past have been accompanied by city-wide cellphone blackouts, serving both as an extreme security precaution and a means of preventing leaks of confidential information...
"They broke my ribs, and my body was all black. They beat me during and in between interrogations with hands, feet, and weapons. They tortured me with electricity. They handcuffed me to a metal bed, put wires on my hands and regulated the current. They touched my head and genitalia with a metal rod charged with electricity..
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U of Bristol. Bit of cv here
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jack-losh-63a48b25

http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/323626.html
..."This bill has received a positive conclusion of the Constitutional Court that it complies with the Constitution; now the Verkhovna Rada has the ball in its court....
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The Rada will never pass a bill removing their own immunity from prosecution.
Would a thief actually ask to be locked up?

Amazing video on youtube of cluster bomb attack
Exactly one year ago during the attack by terrorists on Kramatorsk
Shaun Walker's "DNR guys" doing their work for their Fuhrer, Herr Putin.

The most powerful figure in Russia’s oil industry on Wednesday signalled his steadfast opposition to combining with Opec to reverse the crude price rout through co-ordinated cuts in production.

Igor Sechin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and head of Rosneft, the state-controlled oil company, told an energy conference in London that the world’s top producers would not give ground as they fight to hold on to customers................

To read further go to this link:  ft.com

Germany is asking Ukraine to propose a new offer to resolve a dispute with Russia over a $3 billion bond default after President Vladimir Putin’s government rejected a proposal put forward last month.
This is reported by Bloomberg, Censor.NET informs.

The Finance Ministry in Berlin, which is mediating talks between the two former-Soviet neighbors over the debt, is urging Ukraine to compromise, according a person with knowledge of the negotiations, who asked not to be identified because the details are private. The latest offer to resolve the dispute was "unacceptable" because it contained terms that were worse than those given to private creditors in a $15 billion restructuring last year, Russia's Finance Ministry said in an e-mailed response to questions Tuesday.

The mediation effort is a sign that Ukraine is trying to reach an out-of-court compromise to a dispute that's deepened the rift between the neighbors that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. The government in Moscow refused to take part in Ukraine's debt overhaul last year because it wanted to be treated more favorably than private investors. Bondholders accepted a 20 percent principal writedown as part of that agreement.

"An out-of-court settlement would be definitely preferable, as a court ruling and its subsequent implementation would likely be lengthy, complex and could additionally spoil Russian-Ukrainian relations," Gunter Deuber, an analyst at Raiffeisen Bank International AG in Vienna, said in an e-mailed note.

A spokeswoman for Ukraine's Finance Ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of mediation efforts.

censor.net.ua In Russian

According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ukraine's gross domestic product rose by 2 percent in the last quarter of 2015..

As reported by Censor.NET citing UNIAN, this was announced by Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Yuliia Kovaliv at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada committee on economic policy.

"While in Q1 2015, GDP fell by 17.2 percent, in Q4, its growth made 2 percent," she said.

censor.net.ua In Russian

Lawyer Peter Chihun appointed representative of the "DNR" in the International Criminal Court at the United Nations, on Wednesday, was detained in Moscow on suspicion of involvement in a major fraud, the newspaper "Kommersant" on Thursday.

According to the publication, in the near future representatives of the investigation intend to apply to Chertanovskaya Moscow district court with the petition for election to P.Chihuna preventive measure.

While he is in the status of a suspect, but is expected in the coming days, he was formally charged with attempted fraud on a large scale (v. 30 and v. 4, Art. 159 of the Criminal Code), said the newspaper.

The newspaper explains that it is an attempt to raider capture of the old mansion in Moscow, Gogol Boulevard, 3.

Previously in this case several businessmen were convicted, and several more, including associate P.Chihuna for "DNI" Dmitry Lysakovsky, are under investigation.

interfax.com.ua In Russian

This thread now continued for Thursday at
https://ukraine-english-news.forumotion.com/t2210-ukraine-crisis-news-in-brief-thursday-11-february-ukrainian-sources

or go to
https://ukraine-english-news.forumotion.com/
and select Ukraine news