Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Wednesday 29 June. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

Please scroll down to view news items added during the day

News:
51 attacks by Putin's Russian forces on Ukraine yesterday.
Update: no dead, but 4 wounded

Weather:
22 at 0900. The coolest morning for over a week; primarily because of rain and thunderstorms last night.
But it will warm up again. High maybe near 30 again today.
I've heard of several deaths in Romania due to the hot weather, but nothing in Ukraine thus far.

The Ukrainian Press:
Over the past few days the press here has been full of reports about Brexit - the UK leaving the EU.
Most reports concern how this decision will impact on Ukraine; people are obviously hoping that there will be no major impact.
Every day since Brexit there have been discussions on various tv channels concerning these problems.
This morning the big story is the terrorist attack at Istanbul airport. Many Ukrainians go to Turkey for holidays - no need for a visa.

Yesterday terrorists opened fire 51 times with mortars and artillery - Staff
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/06/29/7113109/
Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 7:18

Total for the past days in the area of ​​ATO recorded 51 cases opening fire with militants banned Minsk II weapons, and 24 in Donetsk and Mariupol and Lugansk 3 directions.
The press center ATO headquarters.
In Donetsk area bases at Pisky, Berioza, Luhansk and Trinity enemy fired machine guns and large-caliber grenade launchers of various systems, and under mortar fire near Avdeevki found themselves fortification, Nevel, questionnaire, Novgorod and Zaitsev.
Near Mayorska enemy fire led with BMP, and defenders of mine Putilov (Module) - with heavy mortars.
In Mariupol towards Russian invaders fired position forces ATU with small arms and grenade near Hnutovoho, Talakivky and Starohnativky and near Novotroitsk and double Lebedinsky close to 122-mm self-propelled artustanovok.
Also, under fire from the 82 and 120-mm mortar rounds fell near the bases and Shyrokynoho Krasnogorivka. Near Marinka enemy snipers were active....

9:20
Merkel: No obstacles to the continuation of sanctions against Russia
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/06/29/7113114/
Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 09:20

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that there are no obstacles for the continuation of sanctions against Russia.
She stated this at a briefing on Wednesday night after the first day of the European Council, Interfax-Ukraine.
According to her, she at the EU summit, which takes place in Brussels, together with French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday briefed his colleagues on the European Council on the implementation of the Minsk agreements....

Poroshenko and Erdogan discuss further cooperation of Ukraine and Turkey
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/353144.html
...during a phone call on June 27....

Ukrainian casualties in the terrorist attack in Turkey
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/06/29/7113111/
Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 8:21

As a result of the terrorist attack at the airport of Istanbul in Turkey injured Ukrainian - One person was killed, one wounded.
This "Ukrainian Truth" said Foreign Ministry spokesman Marian Betz.
"Unfortunately, we have sad news. According to some reports, a citizen of Ukraine killed and wounded people," - she said.
"We continue to review the information," - she added.
No other details have not yet provided Betz.
The Department of Consular Service of Ukraine UIC on his page in Facebook said that was wounded in the leg piece.
As you know, on Sunday evening, three suicide bombers carried out the attack at the airport in Istanbul "Ataturk". 36 people were killed, 147 injured....

AP: Yesterday no dead, but [four] wounded
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/06/29/7113150/
Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 13:02

During the day June 28 killed in ATO no, four military wounded.
Told AP spokesman for the ATO Andrei Lysenko.
"For the past day killed in army ranks no 4 military wounded", - he said.....
Lysenko also said that the most difficult battles take place in Avdeyevka "industrial zone".
"There's a fire going almost around the clock," - he said and added that the attacks last from two sides: from Spartacus and Yasinovataya.
"We We lead an active fire in response to the militants to stop aggressive actions", - he said.
Lysenko Intelligence data cited that with Russia on the occupied territories came to Sverdlovsk - 2 freight cars of ammunition and one also to Rovenky - 7 tanks of fuel and lubricants.

Government forecasts economic growth of 3-4% in Ukraine for next years
http://www.unian.info/economics/1391197-government-forecasts-economic-growth-of-3-4-in-ukraine-for-next-years.html
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine forecasts economic growth in Ukraine at 3% in 2017 and 4% in the next two years, with inflation targets of 8.1% in 2017, 5.5% in 2018 and 5.2% in 2019....

Volunteer soldier and Paris opera singer Wassyl Slipak killed at front line near Donetsk, - journalist. PHOTOS+VIDEO

"Let's bow our heads, citizens. A great Ukrainian was killed today while defending our land and all of us...

"Wassyl Slipak, globally renowned opera singer, who had lived and worked in France for 19 years, in the Paris opera, but abandoned his career and returned to defend Ukraine when Russian aggression started, was killed at the front line near Donetsk as a Right Sector fighter.

"Volunteer soldier Wassyl Slipak is an example of a patriot citizen," Butusov wrote.

http://en.censor.net.ua/video_news/395214/volunteer_soldier_and_paris_opera_singer_wassyl_slipak_killed_at_front_line_near_donetsk_journalist

Dnipro football team disbanded
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/353274.html
....According to the team's unofficial website (http://fcdnipro.com/), citing its own sources, businessman Ihor Kolomoisky has refused to pay off any of the team's debts and decided to disband the club....
===
Seems amazing to me. I am sure they played in the Europa league a year or two ago.

Russian FSB guard attacked U.S. diplomat outside Moscow embassy

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/russian-fsb-guard-attacks-us-diplomat-outside-moscow-embassy/2016/06/28/2c42c98c-3d7f-11e6-a66f-aa6c1883b6b1_story.html

In the early morning of June 6, a uniformed Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) guard stationed outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow attacked and beat up a U.S. diplomat who was trying to enter the compound, according to four U.S. officials who were briefed on the incident.

This previously unreported attack occurred just steps from the entrance to the U.S. Embassy complex, which is located in the Presnensky District in Moscow’s city center. After being tackled by the FSB guard, the diplomat suffered a broken shoulder, among other injuries. He was eventually able to enter the embassy and was then flown out of Russia to receive urgent medical attention, administration officials confirmed to me. He remains outside of Russia.

....Spokesmen for the both the State Department and the CIA declined to comment on the incident or whether or not the diplomat was in fact an undercover U.S. spy....

Dutch PM Demands 'Assurances' Before Ratifying EU-Ukraine Deal
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/dutch-pm-demands-assurances-before-ratifying-eu-ukraine-deal/573803.html
...Rutte is now seeking guarantees that the deal will not lead to EU membership for Ukraine, although says he is unsure of these assurances’ “exact form.” The Dutch parliament will not sign if a deal is not reached, he told reporters.
EU officials said that they hoped to solve the problems within the year, but the deal could fall through without the Netherlands’ ratification, Reuters reported.
===

Amazing. The country which lost so many when MH17 was shot down by Putin, now wants to stop Ukraine joining the EU.

"SBU and prosecutor's office have prevented another attempt by Russian secret services on destabilization of social and political situation in the state under the Kremlin scenario of the so-called 'quiet federalization' in the Kharkiv region. SBU officers obtained information that representatives of banned Communist party, namely former Communist MP Alla Aleksandrovska and her son Oleksandr, who took cover in Russia, attempted to bribe leaders and deputies of local councils of the region so that they adopted inquiries to the parliament and the president regarding making amendments to the Constitution on federalization matters. The Communists were offering $9,000 for signatures under relevant inquiries.

"Also, SBU has found, the Russian FSB allocated much larger amount for the bribes, part of which has been appropriated by the Communists," the press service stated.

The plan, SBU says, was to give Putin's diplomacy a chance to accuse Ukraine in front of the international community of ignoring its people's will, which is allegedly to federalize and allow wider powers to local governments, including a special economic region 'Slobozhanshchyna' (the Kharkiv region).

"On June 24, SBU officers detained an intermediary of the Communists in the city of Pivdenne, the Kharkiv region, during a bribe to a city council official for the federalization inquiry. Upon a request of the law enforcement agency, city deputies imitated putting the matter on the agenda - this helped the SBU gathering required evidence and detaining more persons involved in this operation of the Russian secret services," SBU added.

According to the agency, it was not the first attempt of 'buying' of legal initiative in the Kharkiv region. Similar attempts were made in late April in Zmiiv and Volchanka, which failed.

In the special operation, law enforcers have detained all known participants of the criminal group. Former MP Alla Aleksandrovska has been detained under article 208 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Her son, who is hiding in Russia, has been informed of charges and put on the wanted list.

Earlier, on June 28, Kharkiv SBU conducted search in the house of local Communist leader Aleksandrovska. After it became known that she was detained on suspicion of separatism and bribing.

censor.net.ua   In Ukrainian/український

Former first secretary of Kharkiv regional committee of Communist party of Ukraine (CPU) Alla Aleksandrovska has been detained on suspicion of separatism and bribing.

As reported by Censor.NET citing Interfax-Ukraine, this was announced by her lawyer Oleksandr Shadrin.

"She has been detained. She is charged under part 2 article 110 (violation of territorial supremacy and inviolability of Ukraine - ed.) and part 3 article 369 (bribing - ed.) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," he said.

According to the lawyer, his client deems the accusations groundless. He also stressed that legal foundation for the detainment, stipulated by the article 208 of Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine, was not fulfilled.

Shadrin confirmed that a search was conducted in Aleksandrovska's house on Tuesday.

"As of now, the search has ended. Investigation continues," the lawyer said.

censor.net.ua   In Ukrainian/український

The death of Vasyl Slipak was confirmed by Ukraine’s permanent representative to the Council of Europe, Dmytro Kuleba, in a Twitter posting on June 29.

Media in Ukraine cite Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers in the region of Donetsk as saying that Slipak was killed by a sniper on June 29 near the village of Luhansk.

A native of Ukraine's western region of Lviv, Slipak graduated from the Lysenko Music Academy in Lviv in 1997. He was then invited to join the Paris Opera, where he worked for almost 20 years as an opera singer.......

rferl.org

The guard, uniformed FSB, which stood at US embassies attacked the diplomat, who tried to enter the building.

The employees of the Russian special services in Moscow beat American diplomat told RFE official US. According to him, it happened on June 6 near the US embassy in the Russian capital.

According to the newspaper Washington Post, which first reported the incident, the guard, uniformed FSB, which stood at US embassies attacked the diplomat, who tried to enter the building. This fact was confirmed four official representatives of the US Embassy. As a result, the diplomat was found broken shoulder, and he was forced to leave Russia for treatment.

"It is certainly done deliberately," - said Radio Liberty, an American official.

Comments on the Russian side of the incident is currently no.

This week, US State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau announced the strengthening of harassment and surveillance by US diplomats in Moscow. She said the US Secretary of State John Kerry raised the issue during a recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in March.

In response, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the Russian said that US claims about cases of pressure on US diplomats in Russia negatively affect Russian-US relations.

In January, Washington stripped of five of the six honorary consuls of credentials by introducing appropriate measures after their harassment of diplomats. In response, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US of provoking Russian diplomats in the United States and other countries.

Relations between Moscow and the West deteriorated in 2014 after the Russian annexation of Crimea.

Ukraine and the West accused Russia of supporting pro-Russian separatists in Donbas. Moscow rejects these accusations, claiming that the Donbas no Russian military, but there are "volunteers."

glavcom.ua   In Ukrainian/український

On the possibility of convening NATO-Russia commission said in May after a meeting of foreign ministers of NATO member states.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced that Moscow has agreed to host NATO-Russia Council after the alliance summit to be held in Warsaw in July.

June 29, after a meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Paris, Hérault said that Russia wants to meet after the NATO summit to be time to assess the decisions taken during the event.

13 June NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberґ said that the alliance is considering holding a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council summit in Warsaw, but no specific date has not yet agreed.

Stoltenberґ said NATO expects a "more constructive cooperation with Russia."

On the possibility of convening NATO-Russia commission said in May after a meeting of foreign ministers of NATO member states.

The NATO summit will be held in Warsaw on 8-9 July.

glavcom.ua   In Ukrainian/український

It became aware of the two wounded men.

During the attack in Istanbul wounded three citizens of Ukraine, one Ukrainian died. These revised data published Department of Consular Service of the MFA of Ukraine.

Hospitals Istanbul are three citizens of Ukraine - two men and a woman, their life and health is not threatened. Affected visited Consul, Consulate General continues to keep the situation under control.

Previously reported one dead and one wounded Ukrainian.

glavcom.ua  In Ukrainian/український

That day mission did not give the task or offers any party in respect of any specific operations to verify the ceasefire.

Donetsk invaders lied that 8 militants, whom Ukrainian military caught in Shyrokynym June 27, allegedly engaged in mine clearance in coordination with the Special OSCE monitoring mission.

This is stated in the comments of the Special Monitoring Mission, published on the official page on Facebook.

"In response to reports of operations June 27 in the area Shyrokynoho that allegedly carried out the recommendation or agreement with SMM, SMM OSCE has not received any information from STSKK (Joint center for control and coordination ceasefire - Ed) or someone else to conduct demining or requests to monitor such work June 27 Shyrokynoho area ", - stressed in the Mission.

"In that day mission did not give the task or offers any party in respect of any specific operations to verify the ceasefire," - added to SMM OSCE.

glavcom.ua   In Ukrainian/український

June 29 in his office found the military prosecutor of the Sumy Prosecutor gunshot wound to the head.

This was reported by the press service of the Military Prosecutor of the Central region.

Previously found that Justice Major was gunshot wound of the head-issue weapons.

"Continuing examination of the scene, interviewing witnesses and potential witnesses. Also appointed forensic medical, forensic ballistic examination," - said in a statement.

We study the possible versions of careless handling employee with weapons, suicide and other versions.

Military prosecutors Central region of Ukraine started preliminary investigation into the fatal injury prosecutor.

ukr.obozrevatel.com   In Ukrainian/український

Council northern region of Liguria in Italy approved a resolution calling for the government and parliament for review of EU policy towards Russia, and annexed the Crimea.

Reported Genova24.

Regional Secretary of the party "Lega Nord", which was initiated by the author, Edoardo RICS said that the resolution voted by all deputies present at the meeting, including representatives of the center-right majority.

"The unanimous approval of our resolution Liguria regional council gives additional strength to our region in the fight against the absurdity of sanctions against Russia, which affected our small and medium business", - said Rix.

The approved resolution authorizes the Board of Liguria actively cooperate with the government, parliament and the European institutions to review relations between the EU and Russia to promote the creation of a committee that will take to lift the sanctions, to encourage the Italian government to condemn EU policy on non-recognition of the annexation of the Crimea.

As reported by the "Observer" was the second Liguria region of Italy, which recognized the Ukrainian Crimea part of Russia. May 18 regional council of the northeastern Veneto region of Italy supported the resolution on recognition annexed Crimea part of Russia and calling for the Italian government to lift the sanctions against the aggressor country.

But on June 27 the Italian Senate rejected two resolutions Parties "Movement 5 Stars" and "Northern League", which contained calls to lift the sanctions against the Russian Federation.

ukr.obozrevatel.com  In Ukrainian/український

Pro-Russian terrorists can not break through the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of ​​ATO in Donbas, so they are going to use heavy artillery prohibited Minsk agreements.

The video published Military TV Ukraine on Youtube.

"Here is this brilliant green is considered a gray zone, but in fact they're often sit. Got eight we arrived. They see that as usual they are not with us cope and try to use guns, especially not hesitate," - said the serviceman of the leading positions in Mar'yintsi Donetsk region.

According to him, the locals are well aware that these shells to arrive from Russia occupied territories of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

We note at the end of the video you can see footage of fighting.

ukr.obozrevatel.com  In Ukrainian/український

The bombardment by Russian troops occupying positions Armed Forces of Ukraine unabated.

During the last day the enemy opened fire 66 times, including 28 in Donetsk, Mariupol and 21 to 17 at the Lugansk areas. Brazen violating the Minsk agreement, the enemy continued shelling fortifications forces ATO prohibited types of weapons, the press center ATO.

In Donetsk area hardest Lugansk was near where our strong points found themselves under fire from heavy mortars, tanks and self-propelled artustanovok. Heavy enemy mortar used and the point in the area Novoselivka second and birch and also near Trinity artustanovky 122 mm. For Avdeevki defenders and mine Putilov (Module) led enemy fire from machine guns and automatic grenade launchers, and near the heater - with anti-aircraft installation.

In Mariupol towards strengthening our close Shyrokynoho, Starohnativky, Pavlopolya and Talakivky Russian invaders fired with small arms and grenade launchers, and next Novotroitsk addition even with the caliber of 120 mm mortars.

In Lugansk direction on the strongholds of forces ATO near Novozvanivky enemy hatyv with automatic grenade launchers and heavy mortars. Also conducted point-blank fire from mortars caliber 82 and 120 mm and 6 shelling was carried out with 122 mm self-propelled artustanovok with the purpose to provoke our men to fire.

glavcom.ua   In Ukrainian/український