Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Friday 27 January. [Ukrainian sources]

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NEWS:
Trump's admin said to have order to roll back Russia sanctions. Russian troops at Ukraine’s border demonstrate readiness for large-scale invasion at any time.  Theresa May has promised to support Ukraine by the British government.  Two of the Russians stopped at the airport had served in intelligence.  

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U.S. President Donald Trump's Administration is said to have prepared an executive order to roll back sanctions against Russia.

"DC sources say that Trump admin has an executive order ready to lift Russia sanctions. [President of the United States] @POTUS to talk to Merkel and then Putin on Saturday," senior research fellow at the Atlantic Council Fabrice Pothier tweeted late on Thursday, January 26.

DC sources say that Trump admin has an executive order ready to lift Russia sanctions. @POTUS to talk to Merkel and then Putin on Saturday

— Fabrice Pothier (@FabricePothier) January 26, 2017

"If confirmed, [this] would be biggest upset for years of patient Western efforts to stop revanchist Russia. Important Congress and Europe to react," he wrote. Editor of U.S.-based POLITICO Susan Glasser also mentioned that the executive order was said to be ready. "Hearing Trump world has [the] text of [an] order floating around to ease Russia sanctions," she tweeted on the same day.

Hearing Trump world has text of order floating around to ease Russia sanctions. Will they put out before Tillerson confirmed SecState?

— Susan Glasser (@sbg1) January 26, 2017

She later added that several sources were reporting that the proposed order would unilaterally lift the sanctions. The sources did not elaborate on the type of the anti-Russian sanctions. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, who was NATO Deputy Secretary General in 2012-2016, previously U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Russia and South Korea and Assistant Secretary of Defense, in turn observed that all the Crimea and Donbas sanctions can be lifted by an executive order unless Congress codifies them in legislation. Reuters reported on Friday, quoting the Kremlin, that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to talk by telephone this Saturday............

unian.info/politics

The Russian troops deployed along the border with Ukraine are a demonstration of readiness to launch a full-on military Russian incursion into Ukraine.
As reported by Censor.NET citing Channel 5, this was stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin.

"Russia maintains its military presence. It tries to destabilize the situation along the border by demonstrating that the Russian incursion can be of a much larger scale at any moment," he said.

Klimkin also sees no grounds for the soonest meeting in Normandy format. According to him, there are no reasons for negotiations as Russia is blocking implementation of the Minsk agreements.

"The roadmap implementation progress is way too far from that adopted by Russia during the summit in Berlin, where it was agreed that we will consistently work on the roadmap. The Russian side is blocking it now instead. Therefore, I see no chances today to hold a meeting at the political level - the level of the ministers - next week without certain position to discuss," the foreign minister said.

As reported, 10,500 strong military grouping and a large number of artillery was recorded in the course of the inspection of the 50-kilometer strip of the Russian Federation's Rostov oblast bordering with Ukraine.

ua.censor.net.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

Zalishchuk asked the prime minister to become an advocate of European security and peace in Ukraine to the US

British Prime Minister Theresa May at a meeting with deputies of Ukraine faction "Block Petro Poroshenko," co-chair of the group on interparliamentary relations with Britain Svetlana Zalishchuk Ukraine has promised support from the British government. This was reported by the press service of the Verkhovna Rada.
According to the report, the meeting Zalishchuk asked Mei to become the lawyer of European security and peace in Ukraine before the new American president in the context of her visit to the US. MP also drew attention to the fact that since the change in leadership after the British referendum on leaving the EU in July 2016 British Prime Minister had official meetings with the authorities of Ukraine.

During the meeting, Theresa May has promised to support Ukraine in the future.

Earlier Theresa May sounded the principles on which the US has, in its view, to build relations with Russia . She said that relations with Russia need to build the "position of strength", not forgetting the principle of "trust but verify."

ua.112.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

In the State Border Service suggest that detainees are hiding from persecution by the financial authorities.

Among the group of Russians today are not allowed at the time of the flight at the airport "Borispol" before the two men were fighting in the Directorate of Intelligence. As the Tsenzor.NET , reported State Border Service spokesman Oleg Slobodyan commented channel " 112 Ukraine".

"During the interviews it appeared that at least two of them served in the Armed Forces at the headquarters of intelligence. It was still the pre-war period. Nevertheless, we know that the former intelligence does not happen" - said Slobodyan.

According to the Speaker of the State Border Service, the purpose of their trip to Ukraine is trying to find out.

"Perhaps, indeed, they are being involved in the activities of a bank in Russia hide from persecution by the financial authorities. It's like a version, but in reality, it will be clear later."

Which is financial schemes concerned are not installed because they are a bit confused in the testimony.
"Some of them are still at the airport and then it will be decided to follow their fate. Their type can be seen from the video, which is published - these men the same age, one of them is among others also a former serviceman with a lot of tattoos on the body , among which there are also the swastika. he explains that the swastika did not let him move the military career because he retired, "- said Slobodyan.
As reported previously, January 26 in the capital's airports together with employees of the State Border Service SBU caught six Russian citizens who were trying to get into Ukraine. Among them were likely Russian military and was awarded the medal "For the return of the Crimea."

ua.censor.net.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

U.S. Senator John McCain warns that the Trump Administration is unprepared to counter Russian attempts “to influence elections in France and European countries in the coming months”.

As reported by Censor.NET, the Arizona senator said in audio obtained by the Guardian: "we don't have a policy and we don't have a strategy" for Russian cyber warfare.

He said "it is the one aspect of our confrontation where I believe our adversaries are ahead of us", adding "it is a hell of a lot of easier to offense in cyber than defense".

France is holding its first round of presidential elections in April and far right nationalist Marine Le Pen is leading in opinion polls. Le Pen's party, the National Front, is currently facing scrutiny over its ties to Russian banks and she has insisted that Russia's occupation of Crimea was legitimate. The 2014 invasion of Crimea drew international condemnation and led to international sanctions against Russia.

As reported, on Jan. 6, 2017, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence published a declassified version of a highly classified assessment of Russian activities and intentions in recent U.S. elections. The agency assessed the influence campaign aspired to help President-Elect Trump's chances of victory when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to the president-elect.

The U.S. intelligence community believes that in trying to influence the U.S. election, the Kremlin sought to advance its longstanding desire to undermine the U.S.-led liberal democratic order, the promotion of which Putin and other senior Russian leaders view as a threat to Russia and Putin's regime.

Earlier, Dec. 6, 2016, U.S. President Barack Obama instructed the U.S. intelligence agencies to make a comprehensive assessment of Russian activities and intentions in recent U.S. elections.

ua.censor.net.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

Lifting Russian sanctions is under consideration

Donald Trump is to speak with the leaders of Russia, Germany, and France on Saturday, the White House spokesman Sean Spicer has said.

The call to Vladimir Putin will be Mr Trump’s first chance to make good on his effusively pro-Moscow campaign rhetoric, which saw him boast — falsely — that Mr Putin had called him a genius; muse over lifting western sanctions against Russia; and vow to improve relations with Moscow.

Kellyanne Conway, Mr Trump’s counsellor, told Fox News that an immediate lifting of sanctions against Russia was “under consideration”.

The Kremlin has swapped the euphoria in Moscow that greeted Mr Trump’s unexpected victory — the Russian parliament gave him a standing ovation and Mr Putin later claimed that no one but Russia thought Mr Trump would win — for a wait-and-see attitude.

“This is the first phone contact since Trump took office. We’re hardly expecting substantive contacts across the board from this phone conversation,” Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin’s spokesman, told reporters. “Let’s see and stock up on patience.”..................

Access complete text of the editorial: ft.com  In English

nternational and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ and YEFZH) on Friday joined other human rights groups and international organizations demanding to withdraw the prosecution of those arrested in Russia Ukrainian journalist Nikolai Semen and Roman Sushchenko.

Reported Tsenzor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine .

"We urge the international community to join us and our partners in the call immediately remove the fabricated charges against the two journalists - wrote in a statement the president of the IFJ Philip Leryut. - We condemn the campaign of persecution of journalists and the media, which prevents the provision of independent information to citizens contrary to freedom of expression. "

IFJ President also requested the Russian authorities to urgently release Semyon M. patient treatment in Kyiv.

M. Simeon worked on "Radio Freedom - Free Europe" was arrested in the Crimea. Roman Sushchenko - Correspondent Ukrainian State Agency "Ukrinform" in Paris, was arrested in Moscow on a private trip.

IFJ and YEFZH note that earlier in the protection of these journalists were the PACE and OSCE.

ua.censor.net.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

Move towards rapprochement could unsettle allies and congressional Republicans

Donald Trump will wade into the most contentious foreign policy issue of his tumultuous young presidency on Saturday, when he speaks to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he considers whether to lift Obama-era sanctions against the Kremlin.

The call to Mr Putin, scheduled the same day as Mr Trump’s first White House calls with the leaders of Germany and France, will be his first chance to make good on his pro-Russia campaign rhetoric, in which he falsely boasted the Russian leader called him a genius and praised Moscow’s Syrian offensive as a forceful counterterrorism campaign.

During the campaign, Mr Trump raised the prospect of scrapping sanctions imposed on Moscow for Mr Putin’s support for Ukrainian separatists and his annexation of Crimea. Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House aide, said the move was being evaluated.

“All of this is under consideration,” Ms Conway told Fox News.

According to senior congressional staffers, a member of Mr Trump's team has already drafted an executive order to lift sanctions on Russia. The staffers said they had learned of the report from concerned career personnel at the National Security Council, who privately sounded the alarm.

While scrutiny about possible ties between Mr Trump and the Kremlin coloured the presidential race, concerns intensified after the US intelligence community concluded Mr Putin had ordered a propaganda campaign to undermine Mr Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, including the hacking of campaign computer servers.

Mr Trump has the power to revoke many of the US sanctions as most were imposed through executive action rather than by Congress.

EU sanctions imposed in concert with the US are not due to be renewed until July, but European diplomats worry the EU’s already fragile consensus on maintaining them could quickly crumble following a unilateral White House decision.....................

Access complete text of the editorial:  Financial Times In English

Donald Trump should remember that Putin wants to undermine US national security interests.

As Tsenzor.NET about this on his page in Facebook said Republican Senator John McCain.

"The day before the scheduled call Donald Trump Vladimir Putin rumors that the White House is considering lifting sanctions against Russia. In the past three years under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russia invaded Ukraine, annexed the Crimea threatened NATO allies and carried out military intervention in Syria, leaving a death, destruction and a series of broken promises. The war of Russia against Ukraine claimed the lives of more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. Russia supplied weapons, which was shot down over Ukraine airliner that caused the death of 298 innocent people, "- said US Senator.

"Each of our last three presidents had high hopes to build partnerships with the Russian government. Each attempt failed not because of a lack of good will and effort by the US, and therefore, Putin wants to be our enemy. he needs us as their enemy. he will never be our partner, including in the fight against ID. he believes that the strengthening of means of weakening America. President Trump should remember this when he speaks with Vladimir Putin. He has to remember that the person on the other end of the line is a murderer and a bandit who seeks to undermine US national security at every turn. to think otherwise would be naive and dangerous to our supreme commander "- said McCain.

ua.censor.net.ua , In Ukrainian / на українській мові

The first leader of the illegal armed groups of the "Luhansk People’s Republic" terrorist organization, Valery Bolotov, has died, that's according to the Russian publication RBC referring to the former self-proclaimed "prime minister" of "DPR" Alexander Boroday and another source close to Bolotov.

Boroday said that he learned about the death of Bolotov from his family, adding that he was not aware of the details of Bolotov's death. RBC Source close to Bolotov confirmed the death of the former head of Luhansk terrorists. RBC reports that the causes of death are yet unclear.........

unian.info

Former member of Russia's State Duma Ilya Ponomarev, who fled Russia after disagreement with the annexation of Crimea by his country and who has recently testified in former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's treason case, has explained why Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to "disown" Russian proxies in Donbas, according to the Ukrainian news portal Apostrophe.

Ponomarev claims Russia does not need the territory of Donbas, but it wants to exchange it for the lifting of sanctions, Apostrophe wrote. Ponomarev also advises that Ukraine should outbid Donbas militant leaders to win them over.

In his view, Russia would not want them back because it would be unprofitable. The Russian politician said that the strategic interest of the Russian Federation was the Crimean peninsula, but "it's a different story." In his opinion, Ukraine must first settle the Donbas crisis, and then retake Crimea after its positions are stronger.....

unian.info