Ukraine crisis. News in brief. Wednesday 17 May. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

Please scroll to view news items added during the day.

NEWS:
Terrorist Khodakovsky says five Russian mercenaries eliminated near Avdiivka.  Russian analyst described the mood in the leadership of the Russian Federation. Russian hackers put up for sale militants DNR personal data and Ukrainian military.  Ternopil region there was a conflict between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev and Moscow Patriarchate.  Poroshenko arrived in Strasbourg to sign visa-free for Ukraine. Moscow Church plans to hold a protest against its closure in Ukraine.  

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May 18 near the Verkhovna Rada held a prayer

Thursday, May 18, near the Verkhovna Rada held a prayer service for the purpose to urge MPs not to accept anti-religious laws. This at a press conference the chairman of the Synodal Information Department of the UOC Bishop Clement (dinner).

He said that on Thursday the parliament deputies plan to consider two bills number number 4128 and 4511, which, in his opinion, is absolutely repressive.

According to him, this situation disturbs the religious community of Ukraine.

"Today we know that almost all regions of the country, not only the parishioners of the UOC, and many people are outraged by this bill, collect signatures, wrote an appeal to MPs to not allow the adoption of this kind of infamous laws. And today we know that about 300 thousand signatures were collected two days to transmit their MPs. This may be a factor that will force MPs to listen to their constituents. On Thursday, when the planned adoption and consideration of these bills believers from many regions intend to come to Parliament to near the Verkhovna Rada of prayer to accomplish the instruction of our elected officials, "- said the bishop.

As you know, on April 22 in the Verkhovna Rada registered draft law by voting members who can put an end to the existence of the Moscow Patriarchate in the country. The bill is called №4511 "On special status of religious organizations, senior centers are located in the state recognized by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine the state-aggressor."

glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

During the visit, Poroshenko will meet with President of the European Parliament and Antonio Tajane key leaders of parliamentary factions

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko arrived in the city. Strasbourg (France) to participate in the signing ceremony of the President of the European Parliament and a representative of Malta EU presidency legislative decision on the introduction of European Union visa regime for Ukraine.

It is said in Twitter President.

"Already in Strasbourg. We'll soon be signing the historic document on visa-free for Ukraine! ", - said in a statement.

We also know that during the visit Poroshenko will also meet with President of the European Parliament and Antonio Tajane key leaders of parliamentary factions.

Recall, May 11, the EU Council adopted the final decision on granting Ukraine visa-free. And on June 11 the citizens of Ukraine will be able to travel without visas to 34 European countries.

May 17 in Strasbourg, in the premises of the European Parliament will be officially signed legislation granting Ukraine visa-free regime.

glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

The village Kynahivtsi Ternopil region there was a conflict between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kiev and Moscow Patriarchate.

This is stated in a message on the website of the National Police in the Ternopil region.

The incident occurred on May 15 in the region of 22:00. Pastor of the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (UOC-MP) guards reported that supporters of the Orthodox Church Kiev Patriarchate damaged his clothes, broken locks the front door and entered the church.

As the site ternopoliany .te.ua, village community Kynahivtsi Zbarazh district voted to transition from the UOC MP diocese of Ternopil Eparchy Kiev Patriarchate.

But when the congregation is presented solutions abbot of the temple, there was a conflict. Parishioners refused to let the temple, they pushed through prior and entered the church alone. Currently, representatives of the UOC-KP sealed temple.

The issue of making information to YERDR art. 126 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - deliberate attack, battery or other violent acts which caused physical pain but no bodily injury.

As reported by "Apostrophe", formerly Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill said that the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) will never agree to independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) from the Moscow Patriarchate.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

Hackers put up for sale data on eleven thousand persons involved in the war in Donbas: Action "DNR" staff Ukrainian secret service, Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers, including the former leader of the "Right Sector" Dmitry Yarosh.

Reported Life.ru.

1.5 GB of data hackers sold for 10 million rubles.

Among the information provided - the personal profiles of six thousand soldiers and officers: names, call signs, dates of birth, passport number. 2200 entries devoted to the military, "the Ministry of Defense of the NPT", 3800 - Security Service and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, the published information servants the 25th separate infantry battalion of the Armed Forces.

Another section of the base - passport data of five thousand "volunteers" and mercenaries from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries. So, base hit people who wanted to help the militias or to enroll in the ranks of militants "DNR" and "FSC".

According hackers urgent basis in April 2017.

In the Russian secret services do not exclude that the information received and put up for auction remained at large members of the hacker group "Humpty Boltay." Currently police check of information about sales information database.

Earlier, the Ukrainian hackers break made the latest Russian radio electronic warfare prototypes helicopters Mi-8MTPR-1 , based in the occupied Crimea.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

Management of the Russian Federation is preparing for the "planned evacuation" before the inevitable great social and political upheaval in the country.

It said Russian political analyst, professor MGIMO Valery Solovey on his page on Facebook.

As an example he cited the situation with their friends businessman, which asked senior security officials and proposed a scheme of withdrawal of large sums of public funds.

"He suggested funding mechanism for the project, subject to cash a large part of this amount. In the words of my friend that position, said - will soon begin a terrible mess, and we can safely escape with the money," - wrote Nightingale.

According to him, similar stories that he recently heard a few.

"I think the renovation of Moscow on the same level", - added the analyst.

Earlier, Valery Solovey predicted the beginning of a deep political crisis in Russia before the upcoming presidential elections in 2018.

[bapostrophe.ua] , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові[/b]

The Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated five militants in the vicinity of Avdiivka (the Donetsk region).
As reported by Censor.NET, chieftain of Vostok terrorist group Alexander Khodakovsky wrote on his page in the social media.

The terrorists' leader reported that five militants were allegedly killed by 152 mm shells during artillery strike on the outskirts of Yasynuvata. Khodakovsky claimed that Ukrainian Armed Forces violated truce and urged his commanders to withdraw those taking fatal decisions from the forefront.

The terrorists ' chieftain said that the "DPR" ran a campaign against its numerous independent commanders. However, he has not seen such a perfect mess in the "DPR" at its worst. Khodakovsky says that most of the commanders are scoundrels as some of them give orders to respect truce and provide no ammunition while the others on the same section of the front carry out any combat operations they like.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani has signed a document allowing Ukrainian citizens traveling to the EU without visa.

As reported by Censor.NET citing Ukrainski Novyny, the agreement was signed in Strasbourg (France) on May 17.

The document was also signed by Minister of Home Affairs and National Security of Malta Carmelo Abela since this country holds presidency of the Council of the European Union. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko took part in the signing ceremony as well.

The decision on a visa-free travel will come into force after its publication in the official journal of the EU (approximately on May 22) simultaneously with the visa suspension mechanism. The visa waiver will actually become operational 20 days after its publication - approximately on June 11.

On May 11, the Council of the European Union adopted a resolution to grant Ukraine a visa-free regime with the EU.

On April 26, the EU ambassadors approved a visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens.

Earlier, the European Parliament voted to grant Ukraine visa liberalization with the EU. 521 MEPs supported the decision, 75 opposed it, 36 abstained.

[bua.censor.net.ua] , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові[/b]

The EU’s visa waiver program for Ukrainian citizens will become operational on the night of June 11.

As reported by Censor.NET citing 112 Ukraine TV channel, this was stated by Presidential Administration Deputy Head Kostiantyn Yelisieiev in Strasbourg after the visa liberalization agreement had been signed.

"We expect that the visa-free regime will enter into force de facto and de jure on the night of June 11 and our citizens will be able to travel there using biometric passports only," he said.

"We must go beyond this, because we still have many objectives in terms of European integration since no one has cancelled the goal of integration into the EU. We are entering EU's internal market not by means of an abstract integration but realistic, sectoral one carried out through the Association Agreement. We are gradually integrating into the EU's area of freedom, security, and justice through the signing of documents on visa-free travel," Yelisieiev said.

On May 11, the Council of the European Union adopted a resolution to grant Ukraine a visa-free regime with the EU.

On April 26, the EU ambassadors approved a visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens.

Earlier, the European Parliament voted to grant Ukraine visa liberalization with the EU.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українській мові

The head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina said that some Russian credit institutions falsify their reports to the Central Bank, and are in a pre-bankruptcy state.


According to Nabiullina, the Central Bank will continue to actively revoke banking licenses during the next 2 to 3 years.

“We have already got rid of a few banks whose business model was built on conducting doubtful operations, but there are still banks that falsify the reports they provide to the Central Bank, and their real condition is close to bankruptcy,” Nabiullina said.

According to her, the Central Bank does not have a clear estimate on the number of banks that should eventually remain on the market.

After Nabiullina headed the Central Bank of Russia, the regulator began to massively revoke licenses from commercial banks as part of a reorganization of the banking sector. Among the organizations that lost their licenses, there were several institutions from the Russian Top-100. In particular, the license was revoke from one of the country’s largest credit institutions Master Bank.

realrussiatoday.com

The United States should impose new sanctions and move more aggressively to "shape Russian thinking" in response to Moscow’s actions in Ukraine and elsewhere, former top State and Defense department officials said.

Michael Carpenter, who was the Pentagon’s top Russia official until January, said the measures Washington should take should include deploying an armored brigade permanently to the Baltics and restricting some Russian surveillance flights over U.S. territory now authorized under the 2002 Open Skies treaty.

"If we do not check Russian aggression with more forceful measures now, we will end up dealing with many more crises and conflicts, spending billions of dollars more in the defense of our European allies, and potentially see our vision of Europe whole and free undermined," Carpenter told a hearing of the U.S. Helsinki Commission on May 17.

Carpenter, along with former State Department arms control director Stephen Rademaker, also suggested that the United States should consider returning intermediate-range cruise missiles to Europe, in response to Russia’s alleged violations of a key Cold War-era arms agreement.

Rademaker told the commission that Russia will comply with important treaties like Open Skies, Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, and Conventional Armed Forces in Europe but only when it is in Moscow’s interest.

When it isn’t in Moscow’s interest, "it will seek to terminate them…or violate them while continuing to play lip service to them...or it will selectively implement them," he said.

Russia, for its part, has repeatedly denied violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty and instead accuses the United States itself of violating the agreement.

Carpenter called for more financial sanctions that leverage U.S. dominance in financial markets, for more pressure on top Russian officials, and he said that the so-called Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that puts restrictions on alleged Russian human rights offenders, had been "vastly underutilized."

Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said the list should be expanded to include relatives of Kremlin-connected oligarchs and other powerful government officials, for example, to keep their children from enrolling at U.S. colleges and universities or spouses from "going on London shopping trips."................

rferl.org