Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Wednesday 02 March. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

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News -
Russians hit Ukraine 47 times yesterday.
Likely at least 3 dead when figures are released. Car with soldiers hit mine Lugansk obl.
Update - sadly, 3 died, 14 wounded yesterday. Putin using more and more heavy weapons again.

Weather -
+4 last night. Sky a little lighter, but I heard rain last night.
Cooler today, and then warmer at the weekend. But plus every day. Update - +2

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/03/2/7100827/
The evening of March 1 occupied Donetsk thundered powerful explosion.
It is reported by the local site 062.
It is noted that the blast also felt residents Yasinovataya, Avdeevki, ..and Gorlovka...
===
No more details.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/03/2/7100836/
Special monitoring mission of the OSCE recorded a significant deterioration of the situation in the Donbass.
This is stated in the mission statement of 29 February.
Thus, states that on February 28 while in the center of Donetsk observers recorded 95 explosion on the west side of accommodations observers. At the same time the next day, while the central railway station in Donetsk, there were 174 explosions.
OSCE believes that the explosions were caused by the use of artillery and mortar rounds. The mission also recorded hundreds of rounds of small arms, light and heavy machine guns, 30mm guns and automatic grenade launchers. Fire conducted at a distance of 500 m to 10 km from the south, west, southwest, north, northeast and northwest of location observers.
In addition, on February 28-29 while in government-controlled Svetlodarsk Ukraine, OSCE observers have recorded 54 explosions and 50 unspecified single shots from small arms at a distance of 4 km southeast of their position.
February 29 in occupied Debaltseve observers recorded 10 explosions uncertain 8km from the northwest.
Violations of the ceasefire regime were registered in Oleksandrivka occupied by militants, in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk, Mar'yintsi.
In the vicinity Zaitsev for two hours mission has recorded more than 50 unspecified explosions and heavy fire with mortars, artillery and small arms.
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And where do all the shells come from? Putin, Lavrov and Cherkin and the Russian "brothers". Liars all.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35668596
===
Rather amusing report from Rosenberg - basically being harassed trying to do a report in eastern Russia.
Soviet practices are returning. He is clearly being followed now. Phones tapped, for sure.

http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-raises-electricty-rates-household/27583618.html
... When it comes to wasting energy, Ukraine is literally at the top of the global charts. The country's energy intensity -- the ratio of energy used relative to economic output -- is twice that of Russia and 10 times that of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average. According to the UN, there is no country in the world more energy intensive than Ukraine....
In 2014, Carl Bildt, then Sweden's foreign minister, said: "If Ukraine improved its energy efficiency to reasonably EU levels, I doubt it would need to import any gas at all."
Some experts say energy conservation makes more sense for Kyiv than increasing energy supplies – particularly supplies of natural gas, which account for about 40 percent of Ukraine's energy pie....
====
I would say that much is due to the very inefficient Soviet method of heating apartment blocks. And supplying hot water.
They heat the water somewhere, and pump it around the town. Most of the heat is lost in transit.

Admiral Michael Rogers told a cybersecurity conference in San Francisco that it is a "matter of when, not if" a foreign state launches a cyberattack on U.S. targets.

"An actor penetrated the Ukrainian power grid and brought large segments of it offline in a very well-crafted attack that both focused on knocking the system down but also focused on how was the provider likely to respond to that outage," Rogers said.

"Seven weeks ago, it was Ukraine. That isn't the last we are going to see of this, and that worries me."

Rogers said he is also worried about potential cyberthreats by terrorist groups such as Islamic State.......

rferl.org

"Against the backdrop of an increasingly deteriorating human rights situation in Russia the state of affairs with human rights, fundamental freedoms and rule of law in the Russian Federation merits closer attention by the UN Human Rights Council," Klimkin said during his speech at the 31st session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday evening.

The minister said that for the current Russian authorities it is just a normal pattern of behavior, a part of everyday life marked by curtailing the space for civil society, independent media and political opposition, as well as an unprecedented rise in violent extremism, aggressive nationalism, neo-Nazism and xenophobic manifestations..............

interfax.com.ua

"The constant presence of international organizations, including the UN, the Council of Europe and the OSCE must be allowed on the peninsula to monitor the status of human rights. Our Council should urge the Russian Federation as the occupying power to open Crimea to conventional and monitoring mechanisms of international human rights organizations," Klimin said during his speech at the first session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday evening.

According to him, a comprehensive evaluation of the human rights situation in Crimea should be measured only by legal standards in accordance with existing international legal instruments, not by political considerations of the occupying authorities. "In this regard, we consider that the recent mission to Crimea of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe may facilitate the permanent access to Crimea," Klimkin said.

To read further go to this link:  interfax.com.ua

Minsk hosts meeting of the trilateral contact group to resolve the crisis in the Donbas. This was reported in the Foreign Ministry of Belarus.

The next round of negotiations of the contact group was preceded by a meeting of the working sub-groups on security.

It is expected that the results of the meeting will be announced shortly.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Mariupol State University encourages students to call terrorists "militias." This was reported by the journalist Roman Koshmal on your page to Facebook.

It refers to a document of the University, entitled "Glossary of lexical units recommended for use in the professional activities of journalists."

Journalist provided these recommendations:



glavcom.ua In Russian

Today, March 2, at 12:00 in the information "Commander in Chief" agency will host a press conference on. "As the Crimean issue has divided Russian opposition on the eve of the election campaign"

Invited guests: Olga Kurnosova, Russian oppositionist, leader of the United Civil Front office in St. Petersburg, co-organizer of the "March of Dissent", the expert intelligence center Continental European Union club; Elena Galkina, Russian political scientist.

The press conference will analyze recent statements on the issue of Crimea opposition democratic forces of Russia on the eve of the election campaign, what to expect from the Ukraine "political opposition solitaire" whether Russian democracy ends where the Ukrainian (Crimea), the question begins.

Watch the live broadcast of the press conference:



glavcom.ua In Russian

Russian curators of the self-proclaimed "DNI" ordered the ringleaders of the so-called "republic" to acknowledge the Armenian genocide by Turkey. It is reported by a group of "Information Resistance".

"People's Council DNR" on the orders of Russian "curators" draft law "On the parliamentary hearings on the recognition of the" DNR "the fact of the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire in 1915", - the report says.

According to the "IP" of the group, its consideration of the bill is scheduled for March 4

glavcom.ua In Russian

In January, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk received allowances and bonuses twice the salary. This is stated in a reply to a query Ukrainian News .

According to the document, salary Yatsenyuk in January amounted to 8.3 thousand. Hryvnia, and salary averaged 25,715 hryvnia.

The 25 715 hryvnia counted: bonus per rank (160 hryvnia), allowance for years of service (2115 hryvnia), surcharge for a degree (1245 hryvnia), allowance for work with secret documents (1660 hryvnia).



It is notable that Yatsenyuk allocated a monthly premium of 20% of salary, which amounted to 1660 hryvnia, but the most numerical and higher salary became allowance for the "special nature of the work," it was 10 575 hryvnia, in simple words the extra charge for excess time limit work hours .

After deducting taxes 5014.43 UAH at the hands of Prime he received 20 700.57 UAH.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Over the past day in the zone of the antiterrorist operation in the Donbass in the fighting killed three Ukrainian soldiers, 14 were injured. This was announced today at a press briefing said the representative of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine for ATO Andrei Lysenko.

"Over the past day in the area of ​​the ATO, three Ukrainian soldiers were killed, 14 were injured," - he said.

According to him, the most difficult day yesterday turned out to be the direction of Lugansk. Around 11:00 under enemy fire hit the car Ukrainian Joint Mobile Group on combating smuggling of goods across the demarcation line. Gunmen opened fire from a grenade launcher on the opposite side of the Seversky Donets, when the machine is moving along the road Lopaskino - Trehizbenka.

Also on the road Gorskoe - Lisichansk an explosive device blew up a car with servicemen MAT.

At the same time directly on the front line in this area three enemy fire was observed.

In the Donetsk direction continue fighting a low intensity with occasional use of heavy weapons. The enemy has applied five times 82-mm and 120-mm mortars. The enemy provocations committed on all sectors of the front - Svetlodarsk arc edge Gorlovka, Donetsk airport.

the situation remains unchanged at the Mariupol direction. "The enemy is most active in the Maryinsky district, as well as in the area of ​​the front Chermalyk - Shirokino. At the same time the enemy thrice applied mortars. The most active shelling our positions lasted from 12:00 to 18:00, then set the silence ", - said Lysenko.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Russia once again tossed weapons, military equipment, ammunition and fuel Donbass terrorist forces. It is reported General Directorate of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

According to him, on Tuesday, March 1 through the checkpoints, which are not controlled by Ukraine, went:

in Ilovaysk - three cars of ammunition, two cars with tank engines and spare parts;

in Novoazovsk - two tanks, four BMP-2, four cars with the staff, two tanker;

to Sverdlovsk - the territory of the "Sverdlovsk machine-building plant" six trucks with 120-mm mortars and four trucks carrying ammunition to them.

Also set to arrive in Russia on the temporarily occupied territory of Donbass Russian military units and individual groups of Russian officers, inform intelligence.

"In the course of rotation of special forces in the area of ​​location of the 5 separate motorized rifle brigade (Donetsk) 1 AC unit arrived 24 separate brigade of special purpose (Novosibirsk) GRU General Staff of the Russian Federation", - said Gur.

Also, to check the status of combat readiness and logistics 3 separate motorized rifle brigade (Gorlovka) 1 AK commission arrived from the Center of the Armed Forces of the territorial troops (Novocherkassk, Rostov region).

glavcom.ua In Russian

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/03/2/7100892/
Wednesday, March 2, 2016, 14:32
Leader of the MFP Yuriy Lutsenko said that Ukraine has two weeks to form a new coalition and government, and 2-3 months for reforms.
He wrote on his Facebook, summing up the meeting with the European Parliament and the European Commission.
According to Lutsenko, European officials have noticed that in the EU there are serious problems with refugees who somewhat complicate the discussion on the abolition of visas for Ukraine.
In addition, "Dutch politicians need to stop all procedures to complete the referendum on visa-free regime for Ukraine."...
====
Ukraine is getting very little in return from the EU at the moment. Many people have been hoping for a visa-free regime. But it doesn't seem to be happening.
Meanwhile Ukrainian soldiers are dying every day keeping back the frontline with dictator Putin and the Russian terror machine.

http://www.unian.info/society/1280750-russian-prosecutor-demands-23-year-prison-term-for-savchenko.html
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Absolutely disgusting.
She was kidnapped. Putin should be charged for war crimes.
For foreigners - keep well away from Russia. You can be kidnapped and charged with anything in that wild lawless land controlled by Putin and his bandits.
Boycott Russia. All things Russian.

http://www.unian.info/economics/1280505-ukraine-reduces-gas-imports-by-twice-since-years-start.html
Ukraine reduced natural gas imports in January-February 2016 almost twice as compared to the same period last year, from 4.1 billion cubic meters (bcm) to 2.1 bcm, according to PJSC Ukrtransgaz, the operator of Ukraine's gas transportation system....
According to the report, Slovakia provided 90% of Ukraine's gas needs in February.
Russian gas imports have been suspended for 96 days, according to Ukrtransgaz....
====
Presumably the very very warm winter. And gas should be yet cheaper to buy in April. Next month.
Gazprom trying to commit commercial suicide.

http://en.censor.net.ua/photo_news/377270/are_you_a_journalist_or_a_presstitute_nadyia_savchenkos_sister_talked_to_author_of_story_about_boy_crucified



"Are you a journalist or a presstitute?" – Nadyia Savchenko’s sister talked to author of story about boy “crucified” in Sloviansk. PHOTOS
After today's hearing of the case of Ukrainian pilot Nadyia Savchenko, her sister Vera approached to the representatives of the Russian media, among whom was Yulia Chumakova - the author of the outrageous story about the boy, who was allegedly "crucified" in Sloviansk, shown by Channel 1.
Censor.NET correspondent witnessed their conversation.
Vera Savchenko came to find out why Yulia Chumakova forged such stories. Chumakova tried to avoid conversation by saying: "Appeal to the press-service of the channel."
"Are you a journalist or a presstitute?" - Vera Savchenko asked. ...
====
Russian scum "journalists". The Shaun Walker school of journalism for sure. Revolting woman, this Yulia Chumakova.

http://en.censor.net.ua/news/377219/ukraine_to_receive_visafree_regime_with_eu_in_2016_after_making_two_more_steps_hroisman
..."There are two decisions left to be made. This is the amendment to the law on declaration. Both European and our experts held consultations yesterday and today. I think that we will reach a decision. At least, my colleagues MPs, chairmen of the factions confirmed their readiness to support these amendments.
"The second issue is NACP (National Agency for Corruption Prevention), which is to be formed by the government. ...
====
The Rada deputies 100% will not want to make an electronic declaration. No way.
Looks like this story will run and run - just like "Deputy immunity" from prosecution. A licence to brake the law.

http://en.censor.net.ua/photo_news/377144/putins_aide_phoned_lpr_leader_on_day_of_savchenkos_capture_lawyer_photoaudio
...A voice examination has established that former Russian Presidential Administration official Pavel Karpov called former "LPR" leader Bolotov and controlled the transfer of Nadiia Savchenko to Russia. ...
====
Meaning Putin was directly involved in the kidnapping.

http://en.censor.net.ua/video_news/377157/everybody_tall_ablebodied_no_drunkards_russian_paratroopers_i_guess_ukrainian_soldiers_near_horlivka

Video at link

http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-renaming-lenin-lennon-decommunization/27585378.html
Imagine all the people, living for today. And ditching their Soviet past.
The 6,000 residents of Kalyny, in western Ukraine, hope to do just that. They have renamed Vladimir Lenin Street after the late Beatle John Lennon....
===
What a great story )

Vladimir Putin doesn’t want peace in Ukraine, US-based Ukrainian historian Oleksandr Motyl writes in “I” March 2.

Even if Kyiv reintegrates the occupied, politically dominated by pro-Putin followers and economically devastated Donbas, it will forever make Ukraine an eternal debtor and Russia’s puppet.

It will be a suicide for Ukraine. Kyiv must muster the courage to declare Donbas Russia’s occupied territory – and wash its hands of it, Motyl advises.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s patriotic rhetoric about Donbas being a part of Ukraine may burden Ukraine with such a millstone that its sovereignty will be crashed, the historian says.

It is now clear that Russia is unwilling to engulf Donbas with huge devastation and poverty of its residents.

O. Motyl agrees with renowned economist Anders Aslund that Ukraine must not pay for the restoration of Donbas.

zik.ua

www.stopmigration.kprf.ru
website. Unbelievable.
kprf - Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
via twitter Natalia Antonova

http://www.unian.ua/politics/1281144-stsenariy-vje-vidomiy-vizoviy-rejim-ukrajini-z-es-bude-skasovaniy-ne-piznishe-pochatku-2017-roku-posol-polschi.html
====
Every six months the date moves back six months ))
At this rate Ukrainians are going to vote for the return of Yanukovich. Europe is giving Ukraine nothing. Absolutely nothing.

While Donbas residents have to survive amid shelling, their separatist leaders and their families go on the loose in Kyiv’s expensive restaurants and night clubs, ZIK channel journalists say.

Valery Holenko, the ex-head of the Luhansk oblast council and Oleksandr Yefremov’s buddy, invited the Russian troops to Luhansk in 2014. He was recently seen and photographed by Luhansk activists in the Kyiv metro activists.

Another avid pro-Russian separatist is Luhansk lawmaker Arsen Klinchayev. He was caught and beaten up by the activists in Kyiv.

Klinchayev owns three apartments in Kyiv, one in a prestigious area where 1 square meter costs $3,000.

Activist Denis Kazansky says the separatists can be seen in posh Kyiv restaurants and night clubs.

Very often Kyiv restaurants readily arrange closed dinners for Donbas separatists who are criminals under the Ukrainian law. 

Ukraine’s security service SBU should do a better job by tracking down the separatists in Kyiv, Kazansky believes.

zik.ua

The meeting was also expected to be attended by the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Ukraine.

The Minsk peace accord of February 2015 was intended to put an end to fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

Kyiv claims Russia is violating the Minsk agreement by sending troops and weapons to back up pro-Russia separatists in the east.

But Ukraine has so far failed in its pledge to enact reforms that would increase autonomy for Ukraine's eastern regions and allow local elections there........

rferl.org

NATO's top commander warned that Russia and Syria have turned the refugee crisis into a "weapon" against the West at a time when it lacks resources to counter a "resurgent, aggressive" Russia.

U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, who commands the 28-member military alliance, said the flow of hundreds of thousands of migrants from war-torn Syria into Europe has had a destabilizing effect throughout Europe, from the Balkans to Scandinavia, and that has worked to Moscow's advantage.

"Together, Russia and [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's] regime are deliberately weaponizing migration in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve," Breedlove told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on March 1.

Breedlove said Moscow and Damascus are deliberately fueling the mass displacement of Syrians, including through Russia's indiscriminate bombing of opposition targets and the Syrian leader's use of barrel bombs in civilian areas.

"These indiscriminate weapons used by both Bashar al-Assad, and the non-precision use of weapons by the Russian forces, I can't find any other reason for them other than to cause refugees to be on the move and make them someone else's problem," said Breedlove, who is also the commander of U.S. troops in Europe.

"This is putting great pressure on the nations of Europe," he said...............

To read further go to this link:  rferl.org

The European Union has extended sanctions on Ukraine's ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych for one more year.

The Kremlin-ally fled office in February 2014 in the face of a mass uprising against his rule. He is believed to be in hiding in Russia.

The EU's decision will be formally adopted on Friday with the sanctions coming into force the next day. A number of other former high-ranking officials from Yanukovych's government are also on the blacklist, as is his son Oleksandr.......

uatoday.tv

A street in the rural village of Kalyna in Zakarpattia region of western Ukraine is being renamed after famous Beatles singer John Lennon.

The current governor of the region Hennadiy Moskal signed a decree approving the name change on March 2, according to his official website.

The affected street is located the village that is home to fewer than 6,000 people but a growing hotspot for green tourism, according to one travel agency........

uatoday.tv

The Moscow nanny suspected of beheading a child in her care says ‘Allah ordered her to commit the crime.' Uzbekistan native Gyulchekhra Bobokulova made that admission as she appeared in court. She went on to call herself 'Allah's messenger'.

Meanwhile, flowers continue to be laid outside the Moscow metro station where Bobokulova brandished the severed head of an infant on Monday. The 38-year-old is in police custody on suspicion of murdering the four-year-old child.

Muscovites say they are shaken by the brutal killing................

uatoday.tv

US welcomes the implementation by Ukraine of its commitments made in the framework of the Minsk agreements. This was during a Facebook conference, said US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft.

"Ukraine has fulfilled an excellent job of fulfilling its obligations of the Minsk agreements, including granting preliminary approval of complex constitutional amendments relating to the decentralization of political power. In addition, Ukraine has made reasonable proposals for selection mechanism, on which Russia and the separatists refused to participate constructively, "- he said.

He also stressed that the US was concerned about the OSCE reports that "the combined forces of Russia and the separatists are systematically denied access to OSCE observers, harass and intimidate them."

"The OSCE requires unhindered access to the Donets Basin, including the international border, to monitor the cease-fire and withdrawal of weapons", - the diplomat added.

glavcom.ua

Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation lays in the forecast until 2019 freeze public sector wages and funded pensions and the indexation of pensions by 4%, according to "Vedomosti", referring to the conditions for the forecast, which is prepared in the department.

Assumptions of the Ministry based on the fact that the price of oil four years will be less than $ 50 per barrel. In the basic version of its average price in 2016 - $ 35 per barrel in the next three years - $ 40, $ 45 and $ 45 per barrel, respectively.

"This is not a forecast, but just some of the conditions for discussion", - said the federal official.

According to the "basic hypotheses forecast", IEG suggests accelerating due to the developed countries of the world economy; preservation of sanctions against Russia and response antisanktsy prior to 2020, as well as reducing capital flight - with $ 35 billion in 2016 to $ 15 billion in 2019.

Continue saving on social spending, the newspaper notes. Pensions will be indexed annually to the target rate of inflation - 4%, and in real terms over the 2016-2019 years pension will be reduced by approximately 10%.

A reference "salary decrees" the president will be reduced by 12% the size of the average wage for the economy. Ministry of Economic Development comes from the fact that nominal salaries of teachers, doctors, teachers and other categories of state employees who by decree of the President rapidly increased wages, will not decrease. Indexation of salaries of other state employees, including civil servants, also frozen until the end of 2019, with an annual reduction of their numbers by 5%. Also, for all four years of frozen and accumulative part of the pension.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Russian human rights activist Sergei Saharchuk was detained in Odessa on charges of illegal stay on the territory of Ukraine. This was "the Television News" 24, " said a volunteer AQL" Right sector "alias Doc.

According to him, a few hours Saharchuk held at the Department of Migration Service Kominternovsky district of Odessa region, where it is considered a case of forced deportation.

Earlier, human rights activist appealed to the Ukrainian migration service to grant him refugee status or a person in need of additional protection, but the civil service to refuse to provide this status.

glavcom.ua In Russian

The economic crisis in Russia, reduced solvency of the population due to the reduction in real incomes return Russia to the Middle Ages, in any case, it occurs at the collection market, notes Bloomberg.

The agency notes that the debtors, especially borrowers of microfinance institutions (MFIs) are increasingly faced with the violent methods of debt collection. In the public space, this problem has got active after Ulyanovsk manifold cast into the house firebombed for the debt in the amount of 4 thousand. Rub., As a result of the fire damaged 56-year-old and two year old child. The loan amount was small, but the interest on the loan is 10 times the size of the loan.

Example with "Molotov cocktails" - not only to the agency, the collectors put pressure on debtors, tracking them in apartments, painting the walls in the hallways and personal vehicles of debtors. Moreover, the case when a couple from Novosibirsk confronted with messages from friends that the unknown pictures distributed with their small child and the mother of the alleged messages of readiness to engage in prostitution in order to pay back the loan. The family took a loan from a microfinance organization 15 thousand. Rub., But the interest on the loan turned out to be unfeasible for the family.

According to the National Bureau of Credit Histories (NBKI), with the global financial crisis of 2008, the volume of consumer loans has doubled and reached 10.3 trillion rubles. According to NBKI, 13% of MFI borrowers have more than one loan, and if you combine the lenders and banks, and MFIs - the proportion of those who are served by more than one credit rises to 30.22%.

glavcom.ua In Russian

Citizen of Uzbekistan Gyulchehra Bobokulova the interrogation said that the killing of the child in Moscow revenge Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war in Syria.

Fragment interrogation published on Twitter.

"Avenge the one who shed blood - Putin. Putin planes bombed Syria. Why are Muslims, why the bombs fly? Nobody says nothing. They, too, live even though it? Look, a small, small child ...", - said a suspect.

On the question "why did you kill the child," the nurse replied in the affirmative: "Yes, so revenge."

As reported by the "Observer", Samarkand regional mental hospital confirmed that the accused in the brutal murder of a child in Moscow Bobokulova was registered by a psychiatrist.

obozrevatel.com In Russian

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