Ukraine News in brief. Wednesday 26 July. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

Please scroll to view news items added during the day.

HEADLINES:
A man with a USSR flag tried to disrupt the performance of Trump. Russia to take calm transfer to Ukraine of US lethal defensive weapons.  In Russia, in response to new sanctions, the US called for "not to be subjected to emotions". The Washington Post refutes Trump's statements about Ukraine's interference with the US elections. Pranksters from the Russian Federation contacted the US energy minister, impersonating Ukraine Prime Minister Groisman.  Russian pilots arranged a new air provocation in the Black Sea.  In the United States, a Russian citizen was taken off after a complaint by another passenger to the "invasion of Crimea".  New sanctions against Russia: the crash will happen absolutely accurately.  Analyst told whether Putin would go to a military exacerbation before the elections in Russia.  New US sanctions against Russia: $ 250 million will be allocated to the Russian Anti-Fraud Fund.  The State Department is concerned about restrictions on the admission of OSCE observers to the occupied territories of the Donbas.

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The protestor unfolded the flag of the USSR on the podium, hinting at the rumors about the conspiracy of Trump with Russia.

During a speech by US President Donald Trump in Yangtown, Ohio, a man unfolded the flag of the USSR, hinting at the conspiracy of Trump and Russia.

The video of this incident was posted on YouTube.

The incident happened on the live stream. Initially, a man in a red T-shirt launched a poster on the podium: "Trump and Pence should go." Subsequently, other participants of the rally attacked him, and then he curtailed and brought out the guard.

"Where, he, take it, took it", - just had time to ask surprised Trump.

At this time, the second protestor unfolded the flag of the USSR on the podium, hinting at the rumors of the conspiracy of Trump with Russia, the flag was quickly snapped, and then the man also brought out the guard.

"And he's young. He needs his mother - well, he'll have problems. I bet that his mother was voting for us, "commented the US president.



glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Russia will not react aggressively to the likely transfer to Ukraine of US lethal defensive weapons since Russia has more tanks in Donbas than all Western Europe countries have together.

In addition, the Russians deploy heavy weapons close to the Ukrainian border, Nastoyashcheye Vremya says referring to US special representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker as saying July 25.
.
The likely transfer of weaponry won’t affect the balance of power in the region, Volker said.

Former President Barack Obama banned the supply of defensive lethal weapons to Ukraine despite the approval by both houses of the US Congress. Pres Donald Trump’s administration is currently reevaluating the issue to give Ukraine a chance to defend itself against Russia’s further aggression, Kurt Volker said.

zik.ua

In Moscow, it was stated that sanctions are a step towards the destruction of prospects for the normalization of relations with the Russian Federation

In Russia, they responded to the strengthening of US sanctions and stated that this was a step towards eliminating prospects for normalizing relations with the Russian Federation. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Ryabkov, Tass writes.

"What's happening does not fit into the framework of common sense. The authors and sponsors of this bill are making a very serious step towards eliminating prospects for normalizing relations with Russia, "he said, adding that Moscow" is not emotional "and is ready to cooperate with Washington.

As previously reported, the US House of Representatives voted on July 25 for new sanctions against Russia, Iran and the DPRK, the draft of which was agreed in July. The bill, in particular, proposes to forbid the US president to weaken the sanctions or to substantially change the US policy towards Russia without the approval of the Congress.

Also, the draft provides for additional restrictions on the participation of American citizens and companies in cooperation with the Russian energy sector, in particular, in the construction of pipelines by Russia.

glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

An influential publication indicates that there is no evidence that Clinton's campaigners had contacts with the Ukrainian government

Statement by US President Donald Trump that Ukraine's intervention in US vibration to help defeat the Hillary Clinton Democratic Party is superficial.

An influential American publication The Washington Post in the rubric "Fact Checker" writes about it .

In a broad sense, the stories about Russia's and Ukraine's intervention in the US elections in 2016 seem similar, but if you go into detail, this comparison collapses, the publication writes.

The key difference is that in the case of Russia's intervention, US intelligence agencies discovered that Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated illegal hacking and theft of information in order to intervene in the US elections and undermine the democratic system. There are no indications of sanctions authorized by the leadership of Ukraine to influence the elections.

Statement by the White House that the American-Ukrainian of Ukrainian descent, Alexander Chalup, allegedly collected compromising materials on Paul Manaforth at the Ukrainian embassy for the transfer of Clinton's headquarters, is not supported.

"Chalupa may have worked with some officials of the embassy, ​​but there is no evidence that the Democratic Party Committee received and used the information it collected, or that the Ukrainians coordinated the investigation with the Committee," the Washington Post writes.

Moreover, the way to obtain compromising information is different. The American intelligence found that Putin had ordered hackers to break the computer systems of American political organizations. Chalupa, in turn, conducted an investigation on Manaforth on its own, not under the leadership of the Democratic Party, and information about the payments to Manaforth in the book of the Black Accounts of the Party of Regions was promulgated as part of the investigation in Ukraine, and not received illegally.

There is no evidence that Clinton's campaigners had contacts with the Ukrainian government. Meanwhile, there is documented evidence that the son of Trump Donald, son-in-law Jared Kushner and former head of the Manaforth campaign, met with a Russian lawyer in an attempt to get Clinton's compromise from the Russian government.

The publication also draws attention to another fundamental difference that lies in the fact that Ukraine is considered an ally of the United States, while Russia is an adversary.

Recall yesterday, US President Donald Trump declared sabotaging Ukraine of his election campaign.

According to Trump, sabotaging the campaign was aimed at advancing Hillary Clinton's candidacy in the presidential election. He also demanded investigations from the US Attorney General.

Source: Ukrainian Truth

glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Kuznetsov (Vovan) and Alexei Stolyarov (Lexus) called the US energy minister Rick Perry, presenting Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.

This is reported by RIA Novosti.

It is noted that the American official in the conversation, in particular, mentioned the issue of sanctions against the RF.

"The administration fully supports sanctions against Russia at the moment," he said.

In addition, Perry raised the issue of alleged cyber attacks of the Russian Federation to the United States. According to him, "there are many people in the world who are trying to penetrate different systems."

"I would not be surprised if such actions were involved in people in Russia," added the American minister.

He also spoke out against the project of construction of the pipeline "North Stream 2".

Clarifies that the columnists raised the question of a forthcoming visit to Perth in Kiev, which is scheduled for August. In this regard, the American minister expressed confidence that US-Ukraine cooperation in the energy sector will develop, especially on oil and gas.

Closer to the end of the conversation, the princesses began to play the American official more frankly, giving him absurd information. In particular, they said that the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko personally developed a new kind of biofuels, which he allegedly presented to US senator John McCain.



apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The British Air Force announced another air provocation by Russian pilots in the Black Sea.

It is reported by the press service of the department.

For example, the Typhoon Royal Air Force fighter flew from the Mikhail Kogelnichan Air Force Base, located near the Constant city on the Black Sea coast in Romania, to accompany the strategic bombers of Russia's Tu-22 Air Force, moving southward, near the NATO airspace.

It is noted that previously NATO's air traffic control and monitoring system revealed several traces of non-Allied military aircraft that flew over the Black Sea, subsequently identifying them as two Russian aircraft.

The Royal Air Force said that it was a normal operation, and it is no different from the activities that NATO aircraft carry out in other areas on a regular basis. At the same time the department added that it is normal activity for peacetime.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

In the United States, Delta's airline deprived a citizen of Russia of a flight because of a complaint by another passenger who accused him of occupying the Crimea.

A Russian journalist, Oleg Kashin, reported this on his Facebook page.



TRANSLATION:
A passenger of Delta Airlines, Andrei Andrew, reported to facebook that he was removed from Seattle, Atlanta, as the other passenger, when he found out he was Russian, accused him of "occupation of crimea".
That's what he wrote on his facebook page.

As the man pointed out, the man who brought charges against him said he wouldn't fly with him on the same plane. He reported that the airline had taken his side and the yerëminu had to fly another flight, which was later been.

"the passenger sitting next to me refused to fly with me because he said I was part of the occupation of Crimea as well as other Russian citizens", he wrote, adding that he had to fly 1588 Seattle-Atlanta (chuckles)

He said the Russians removed from the flight Kyiv - Atlanta after another passenger complaint.

"As a man, the man expressed accusations in his address, saying he will not fly with him on the same plane. He said that representatives of the airline took him aside and Yeriomin had to fly another flight that took off much later", - stated in Message

According to the site of the Russian television channel "Rain", the Russian embassy in the United States has already started checking information on this incident.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Western countries are not going to cancel sanctions imposed against Russia in response to aggression against Ukraine , and even intend to strengthen them. However, the main question for today is how effective these measures are. "Apostrophe" was aware of the situation.

The US is preparing to introduce new sanctions against Russia, it is expected that the lower house of the US Congress will vote for the relevant bill on Tuesday, July 25. Previously, this document has already been approved by the Senate. It is unclear whether US President Donald Trump will sign the decision, but the White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders assured that he supports the new sanction package.

The document, in particular, provides for a reduction in the maximum period for market financing under the sanctions of Russian banks to 14 days (now 90 days), and oil and gas companies - up to 30 days. Sanctions, among other things, are directed against the construction of the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream-2, according to which fuel must be delivered to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine and Poland. In Brussels, the idea was ambiguous, recommending that the US consult with the European Union on such "sensitive issues". The sensitivity of the restrictions on Nord Stream-2 is primarily due to the fact that Germany is interested in the construction of the gas pipeline, while some other EU countries, including Poland and Slovakia, should be pleased with this turn.



At the same time, the European Union can introduce new sanctions against Russia because of the scandal surrounding the supply of Siemens gas turbines to the occupied Crimea .

Until now, the EU and the US have adopted sanctions against the Russian Federation almost simultaneously. To them, over time, other countries joined, including Ukraine. To date, under Western sanctions are about 150 people and 40 companies. Ukrainian affects almost 700 people and about 300 companies, including branches of all Russian state-owned banks.

Russia owed its debt and introduced counter-sanctions, banning a number of Western politicians from entering their territory. However, the most famous was the food embargo on the relevant products of the United States, European and other states, again, including Ukraine.

Anti-Russian sanctions in action
The imposition of sanctions, contrary to the statements of Russian politicians, has an impact on the Russian economy, and this influence is quite negative. The crisis in the Russian economy is confirmed by macro-indicators. GDP growth in 2014 was only 0.7% with the initial forecast of 2.5%. In 2015, the Russian economy collapsed immediately by 3%. In 2016, GDP continued to fall by 0.2%.

Sanctions also provoked a huge outflow of capital from the Russian Federation - in 2014 it amounted to $ 153 billion, in 2015 - $ 57.5 billion, and in 2016 - $ 15.4 billion. "The sanctions regime makes the international investment capital very nervous. Strict sanctions there is a flight of domestic capital and a colossal outflow of foreign capital, "Russian financier Slava Rabinovich said in a commentary to Apostrophe.

Because of sanctions, economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and other countries is declining. So, in 2015 the trade turnover between Russia and the EU collapsed by 40%. Cooperation with Ukraine is also on the decline - for three years of "trade wars" commodity turnover between countries fell five times .

At the same time, according to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, in 2014-2015, due to food counter-transactions, food prices in Russia rose by almost a third (31.6%). Especially noticeable was the jump in prices in 2015 (the Russian Federation introduced a food embargo in August 2014).

In general, sanctions significantly undermined the financial solvency of Russians. In particular, this is due to the collapse of the Russian ruble. December 6, 2014 entered the history of Russia as a "black Tuesday", when the ruble at the auction fell from the level of 60 rubles. / $ 1 to almost 80 rubles. / $ 1. Despite the fact that the Russian currency later played this fall somewhat, its rate could not return to the level of just over 30 rubles / $ 1, which was a year earlier, and Bloomberg called the Russian ruble the worst currency in 2014. For today, about 60 Russian rubles are given for the American dollar.

Because of the decline in real incomes, Russians have become less likely to travel abroad. According to official data, the tourist flow from the Russian Federation in 2015 fell by almost 20%. In 2016, he also fell, but more slowly - by 8%.

However, travel, especially abroad, is not a basic human need. But with the latter in Russia, big problems. According to a study by the Russian Center for Economic and Political Reforms, in Russia the families spend on the most necessary 70-100% of their salary budget . At the same time, according to the Institute for Social Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Science and Technology, about a third of all Russians risk falling into poverty .

Sanctions hit by sector
One of the consequences of sanctions is the inability to use the RF technologies necessary for it. Such restrictions are experienced by all spheres, but they are especially noticeable for the military-industrial complex. The Russian defense industry depends heavily on the components that were previously purchased from Ukrainian producers. For aviation, for example, these are the products of Motor Sich (Zaporozhye), which produces engines for aircraft and helicopters. In the space sphere of the Russian Federation, for many years, it was tied to missile launchers and missile systems developed by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (the Dnieper). Due to the stoppage of supplies of Ukrainian gas turbine units of Zorya-Mashproekt (Nikolaev), Russia can not complete the construction of a number of ships for its navy. As a result, ships will be sold to India,

In order to circumvent the sanctions, the Russian leadership often goes on deception, as it happened with the scandal around the Siemens turbines in the Crimea.

Another important effect of sanctions is the restriction of Russian business access to so-called "cheap" money in Western banks. If in 2013 Russia attracted $ 46.4 billion on the Eurobond market, then in 2015 this figure decreased by almost 10 times - to about $ 5 billion. According to Slava Rabinovich, in Russia there is a catastrophic rise in the cost of what financiers call the WACC - weighted average Cost of capital (weighted average cost of capital). "With the introduction of sanctions, with the flight of investment capital, with increasing risks, the weighted average cost of capital multiply increases, accordingly, it becomes more difficult for companies to remain profitable." What we see now in Russia is a catastrophic decline in profitability, a catastrophic decline in the share of profitable companies, - the expert noted.

What's next
Despite the obvious effect of sanctions on the economy of the Russian Federation with a minus sign, the figures indicate that recently their influence has somewhat weakened. This shows that Russia was able to adapt to sanctions, Russian economist Dmitry Nekrasov said. "Especially at the first stage in 2014, when there was an outflow of capital of about $ 150-160 billion, the imposition of sanctions had a very strong impact on the Russian economy." In the medium term, the impact of sanctions is still there, but there are no horrible things to talk about. This holds back economic growth, but in general, the outflow of capital has greatly decreased, and many companies have learned to bypass all these sanctions, "the expert said in a commentary to Apostrofa, adding that in the long run"

If the US adopts a new sanction package, the implementation of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project will be in jeopardy - serious companies simply will not venture to participate in it.

In addition, the new sanctions will complicate the already tough borrowing conditions for Russian companies and banks. And this will further worsen the economic situation in Russia.

Slava Rabinovich predicts that the preservation of the sanctions regime will be a colossal blow to the banking system of Russia. According to him, several backbone banks have credited a significant part of the Russian economy, while Sberbank accounts for about half of the entire Russian economy.

"If the entire Russian economy begins to collapse in the form of massive bankruptcies of companies, this will be followed by a collapse of the banking system," the expert said. According to him, attempts to save backbone banks will necessitate the launch of an emission that "will lead to a collapse of the ruble, which in turn will lead to an end to the validity of the ruble as a unit of account in international trade, which will lead to the collapse of imports."

"What we are seeing is nothing more than shots of a delayed train wreck, they can only slow down or accelerate, but the train crash will happen absolutely," Rabinovich concluded.

economy.apostrophe.ua, Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Yulia Kurnishova, an expert in the Institute for Socio-Economic Studies, believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin can not take a significant risk on the eve of the presidential election in Russia.

She reported this in an interview with "Apostrophe".

According to her, the expansion of the conflict in Ukraine entails a high probability that it will turn into a large-scale operation.

However, Kurnishova noted that the appearance on the Donbass of the United States Special Representative for the United States of Ukraine Kurt Volcker testifies to the US desire to deal with the situation on the ground.

"His knowledge of the situation in the region will not allow for any hidden bidding behind Ukraine, saying it is too early because he is only familiar with the situation, but it is obvious that this will be a more rigid channel of negotiations with Russia than it was during the stay of Victoria Nuland and Vladislav Surkov ... Kurt Volker has less illusions about Russia ", - summed up the expert.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The US House of Representatives approved a bill to strengthen sanctions against Russia. In particular, the bill approved by the 419 votes "for", provides for the creation of a "Fund for counteracting Russian influence" and allocates to its budget $ 250 million for 2018-2019 fiscal years.

The press service of the Ukrainian embassy in the United States reports .

It also provides for the allocation of $ 30 million for the implementation of initiatives to support energy security in Ukraine.

Supported by the bill states that the United States policy is:

- support of the Government of Ukraine in restoring sovereignty and territorial integrity;

- Conviction and opposition to all destabilizing efforts of the RF Government in Ukraine;

- non-recognition of the illegal annexation of the Crimea by the RF Government or the exclusion of any part of the territory of Ukraine using military force;

- Assistance in reforming the energy sector of Ukraine and reducing dependence on Russian energy resources;

- continued counteraction to the North Stream 2 project.

The document also legally establishes the current sanctions against Russia. Provides for the possibility of introducing sanctions against state enterprises of the Russian Federation, which carry out operations in the metallurgical and mining industries, and in railway transport; Intensifies anti-Russian sectoral sanctions against the financial sector of the Russian Federation and Russian energy; Provides for the introduction of sanctions in connection with the activities of the Government of Russia in the direction of undermining cybernetic security.

The legislative initiative supported by the House of Representatives before the entry into force must be approved by the Senate and signed by the President of the United States.

As White House spokesman said, US Presidential Administration Donald Trump supports the bill on extending sanctions against Russia.

Recall that on June 14, the US Senate passed a bill imposing additional sanctions against Russia by an overwhelming majority .

We note that the feature of the bill is that the US president can not cancel the sanctions or withdraw from the restrictions of specific individuals by personal decree. For any relaxation of restrictions, it will be necessary to go through the conciliation procedure in Congress.

Earlier Trump said that sanctions against Russia would not be lifted until the problems of Ukraine and Syria were solved.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The US State Department is worried about the limited access for OSCE PMM observers to occupy pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine.

The press secretary of the US State Department, Heather Noorth, said during a briefing in Washington on Tuesday, reports Tsensor. NET, referring to Ukrinform .

"We have very serious concerns, and we have talked about it here (relatively limited - ed.) Of the ability of observers to carry out their duties. They are our eyes and ears in place that enable us to evaluate and provide us with detailed reports on the development of the situation."- said the representative of the State Department.

At the same time, she called the occupied eastern part of Ukraine "a very dangerous zone" where armed violence by the pro-Russian forces continues. Noerte also reminded of the last escalation on the eve: "Thirteen or even more Ukrainian soldiers were killed as a result of attacks under Russian leadership."

As reported, the United States Special Representative for the Ukrainian settlement Kurt Volker is conducting a series of visits to Ukraine and European countries involved in resolving the situation in the ATO zone.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko has commented on the House Representatives vote on the bill imposing sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

The president wrote on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.

"Important decision by the U.S. Congress on sanctions against Russia upon solid bipartisan support. Price for aggression shall keep rising!" Poroshenko said.

As reported, the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to extend new financial sanctions against key U.S. adversaries, including Russia. The bill should be also approved by the Senate and President Donald Trump.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському  

SBU has halted destructive activities of Russian journalist Mariya Knyazeva, who worked for Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24 TV channels from Ukraine under fake name of "Saushkina."

Censor.NET reports citing SBU press service.

SBU said the Russian woman was making use of her connections with pro-Russian media and experts in Ukraine, gathered information about the situation in the country, and activities of Ukraine's government bodies and security agencies.



Information gathered by Knyazeva was used for biased reporting about the situation in Ukraine.

"To prevent meddling by the aggressor country into the national media landscape, and to localize the threats in the information sector, M. Knyazeva was forcibly returned to Russia and banned from entering Ukraine for three years," the message says.

Earlier, SBU banned 140 Russian artists and celebrities from entering Ukraine.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Russia still poses a threat to the United States.

According to Tsensor.NET , referring to Interfax-Ukraine , the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Mike Pompeo, said in an interview with The Washington Free Beacon.

"We are still faced with the threat posed by Russians, or any active measures, propaganda, or attempts to form a public opinion with a variety of methods, some of which are known, and some of which are of a hidden nature," - he said.

Also read: New US sanctions against Russia could negatively affect EU energy independence - The European Commission

According to him, the Russian threat is a "challenge to the United States for decades." "The threat will be permanent, and we are obliged to resist, defeat, work to make it painful for them and to reduce the scale of what they are doing now," added the director of the CIA.

Speaking about cyber security, he called Russia's actions "aggressive"

"It is necessary to convey to them that it is unacceptable to continue their active actions against the USA, which we are following and for which we will answer," said Pompeo.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The U.S. Department of State said the issue of providing defensive weapons to Ukraine is not on the agenda, but might get there in the future.

This was stated by Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert at a briefing on Tuesday, Censor.NET reports.

Ms. Nauert was responding to a question about possible deliveries of defensive weapons to Ukraine.

"Sometimes the headline writers - you all would know this - will get ahead of the story. So there was a headline that implied that we were in the process of doing what you just described. We are not there yet. Let me take out the word "yet." We are not there. The United States has not provided defensive weapons nor have we ruled it out to provide to the Ukrainians," Nauert said.

Earlier, new U.S. Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker told BBC that Washington was actively reviewing whether to send weapons to help Ukrainians fighting against Russian-backed rebels.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Alarm among America’s old allies makes prospect of unified action against Moscow more complex

US lawmakers sparked an expected angry response from Moscow when they voted overwhelmingly to tighten the screws on Russia with stronger sanctions. Yet some of the loudest outrage has come from traditional European allies who fear the collateral damage to their own commercial interests.

A 419-3 vote in the US House of Representatives, and a previous and similarly all but unanimous outcome in the US Senate, have increased the likelihood of widely expanded sanctions against Moscow, part of Capitol Hill’s desire to punish Russia for its alleged meddling in last year’s presidential election.

Tuesday’s House vote left Russia warning there was now little hope for normalising relations with the US. “There are practically no chances that the situation will change for the better,” Sergei Ryabkov, deputy foreign minister, said in an interview with Interfax.

But it also raised hackles in the heart of Europe, showing how competing transatlantic priorities are making unified action against Moscow more complex.

“America-first cannot mean that Europe’s interests come last,” warned Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, on Wednesday. “The US bill could have unintended unilateral effects.”...................

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

MP, adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko unveiled information on why Mikheil Saakashvili was deprived of Ukrainian citizenship.

According to Tsensor.NET , he wrote about it in Facebook.

Gerashchenko said: "Mikheil Saakashvili is really deprived of the status of a citizen of Ukraine. This is done in strict accordance with the law on the basis of Article 21 of the Law" On Citizenship".

Recently, the General Prosecutor's Office of Georgia handed over to the Ukrainian side facts that were not known to her when making a decision to grant Mikheil Saakashvili Ukrainian citizenship and which Mikheil Saakashvili deliberately concealed.

The decision to abolish the citizen's status is adopted if the person who wishes to obtain the citizenship of Ukraine has provided knowingly false information, lied, provided false documents or concealed an important fact from his biography.

I considered and consider the mistake of giving the status of a citizen of Ukraine Mikheil Saakashvili. I think that Mikheil did not really appreciate this status.

Rather, he used Ukraine as a reserve airfield in hopes of returning to Georgia. Hope, which was shamelessly destroyed by him during the parliamentary elections in the fall of 2016.

This error has been fixed today.

Mikheil Saakashvili now has a chance to try to realize himself in the Netherlands or in the United States. But I'm afraid there are not so many gullible citizens ready to believe in the next messiah, which promises to everyone - everything, now and for free."

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

In Russia, an initiative group of residents of the Peninsula Taimyr submitted documents for the third time to the country's election commission, demanding a referendum on the return of the territory to the status of an autonomous district.

This was reported by the member of the initiative group Stella Koch, reports Radio Liberty.

According to her, at the same time, representatives of the Evenk District sent a statement to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation requesting an assessment of the Federal Constitutional Law on the Association of Regions.

On the basis of him, Evenkia and Taimyr joined the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

It is noted that the previous appeals of the initiative group at Taimyr did not bring results.

In the mid-2000s, Taimyr and Evenkia were annexed to the Krasnoyarsk Territory as municipal districts and lost the status of autonomous districts, which greatly complicated the lives of the inhabitants.

State institutions in these areas practically did not remain, and upon receiving a certificate or document, including a passport, the residents of Taimyr have to go hundreds of kilometers to Norilsk. In a similar situation, were residents of Evenkia.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The European Commission is concerned that possible new US sanctions against Russia in the event of their introduction could have a negative impact on the energy independence of the European Union.

This concerns was expressed by the European Commissioners during a meeting on Wednesday, July 26, writes Deutsche Welle.

The European Commission stressed that if the United States does not take into account the EU's remarks, the Union will put in place a response within a few days.

"The American bill may have unintended unilateral consequences that will affect the interests of EU energy security. Therefore, the Commission has decided today that if our concerns are not sufficiently taken into account, we are prepared to respond appropriately within a few days, "said Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission President.

At the same time, he stressed that the EU is fully committed to the regime of sanctions against Russia.

The European Commission noted that the bill adopted on the eve of the House of Representatives in the United States takes into account a number of remarks made earlier by Brussels.

"However, it provides for the imposition of sanctions against any company (including European ones) that is involved in the development, maintenance, modernization or repair of pipelines, which the Russian Federation exports of energy," the statement said.

Recall July 25, the House of Representatives of the US Congress agreed on a bill on new sanctions against Russia . According to the law, new sanctions against North Korea and Iran are also being introduced.

The Embassy of Ukraine in the United States reported that the adopted bill envisages the creation of a "Fund for counteracting Russian influence" and allocates $ 250 million to its budget for 2018-2019 fiscal years.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The Commission said that if Poland continues to "undermine the independence of the courts" - a country deprived of voting rights in the EU.

Reuters reports.

BREAKING: EU Commission says if Poland goes ahead undermining judiciary independence, commission will suspend Poland's voting right in EU pic.twitter.com/Dtmuu4UG7h

— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 26, 2017

Recall that on July 22 the Senate of Poland supported the law on the Supreme Court despite protests and criticism of the EU.

This bill provides for the release of all judges present Vehovnoho court and appointment of the Minister of Justice acting in their place.

Subsequently, the National Judicial Council should approve a new composition of the Supreme Court, which will be proposed by the Ministry of Justice. Also, the head of the ministry will have the right to appoint the heads of the appellate and district courts independently, without consulting the representatives of the justice system.

Earlier, the Polish parliament passed another controversial bill envisaging the reform of the National Judicial Council.

The judicial reform sought by the ruling "Right and Justice" nationalist party in Poland has caused sharp criticism on the part of the EU.

In Brussels, it is believed that it will put an end to the independence of the judiciary.

The European Commission threatened Warsaw with disciplinary measures in case of judicial reform. Instead, the party argues that reform will increase the efficiency of the work of the courts.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

In the EU, sanctions against Russia were agreed upon due to the supply of turbines from the German concern Siemens to the annexed Crimea.

It is reported the correspondent of "Radio Liberty / Free Europe" in Brussels Ricard Yozvyak.

Eu ambassadors agree to add 4 ppl & 3 entities to its #Russia sanctions list after the Siemens turbine scandal. #Crimea #Ukraine

— Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) July 26, 2017

It is noted that three Russian companies of the company and four individuals will enter the sanction list.

New sanctions must be approved by the EU Council.

Earlier, Reuters reported that sanctions would spread to Russian officials of the Ministry of Energy and the Russian company, which sent the turbines to the annexed Crimea.

Recall July 5 Reuters reported that Russia sent to Crimea gas turbines of the German concern Siemens, despite the EU sanctions. Concern Siemens denied supplying turbines to Crimea .

The German Foreign Ministry stated that the deterioration of relations with Russia through the Siemens turbines.

Siemens said that all 4 turbines delivered to Taman (Krasnodar Territory, Russia) were illegally transferred to Crimea.

At the same time, it was reported that Putin had promised not to import Siemens turbines to Crimea.

hromadske.ua, Original in Ukrainian / на українському

In Russia, Ukrainians Alexei Chiryuu, who was sentenced to 7 years in prison for Sentsov-Kolchenko, granted Russian citizenship without his consent.

This was announced by his lawyer Ilya Novikov on Facebook .

According to the lawyer, Chirnaya is in the Batay colony, he was transferred to a prison mode of detention.

"I was with him on Monday, July 24. Before leaving Alexei to me, I personally gave him a message reading that since his application for refusal to accept Russian citizenship, which he filed in Bakhchisarai on April 18, 2014, was not found, he would now be considered a Russian according to the law on the annexation of the Crimea », - said Novikov.

He noted that similarly the Russian authorities committed Oleg Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko, who were illegally sentenced to death.

The defender added that in Russia Chirny spent almost half of the term.

Illicitly, the "Sentsov case" officer Oleksiy Chirnia trafficked from the Lefortovo prison in Moscow to the Rostov region on September 28, 2016.

Candidate of Historical Sciences, professor of the Simferopol Institute of Culture Oleksiy Chirny was detained in the spring of 2014 in Crimea, along with director Oleg Sentsov, activist Oleksandr Kolchenko and Gennady Afanasyev.

The North Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to 7 years imprisonment for a strict regime on charges of preparing terrorist attacks in the Crimea.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The Russian propagandist Maria Knyazeva, who worked under the pseudonym Saushkin , was expelled from Ukraine and told about how she was taken to the border by SBU employees.

"After 5 hours of interrogation, I was immediately taken to the border with Russia, and I did not know where I was being taken. At that moment I was very scared, I began to smell, kick, beat, scream, they lifted the glass in the car," said She, adding that it was happening at night.

"I thought that they were being taken to the forest to kill, it turned out that one of them simply drove to eat. It was just scary," the propagandist said, which caused the anger of the Ukrainians.

Ukrainian political scientist Oleksiy Holobutsky answered Knyazevy that Russians should not come to our country at all, because they are considered enemies here and are not happy with them.

"But they themselves lied, they themselves believed in their lies, they are now on the go looking for snigers and" boys in panties", shaking - but they still climb. Though take and really start to be taken to the woods with a shovel to themselves dig in their size...", - he wrote on his Facebook.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському  

A well-known Russian artist Sergei Yalkin in the new caricature ridiculed Russian President Vladimir Putin's reaction to new US sanctions.

The corresponding image is located on the Facebook page of the artist.

So, on the caricature one can see the head of the Kremlin, who only learned about the new American sanctions. At the same time, the inscription on the image says: "Obama did not have that."



It is worth noting that the caricature is actively commented on the net.

"God, it will not last (sanctions - ed.)," Waiting for the stickers "Obama, come back!", "Trump!" - write on the Internet.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

US sanctions contravene international law through extra-territorial coverage, according to the French Foreign Ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France considers the new US sanctions against Iran, Russia and North Korea to be contrary to international law through their extra-territorial coverage.

Reuters reports .

"New US sanctions against Iran, Russia and North Korea were contradictory to international law because of their extra-territorial coverage," the statement said.

The statement of the Foreign Ministry states that French and European laws will need to be adjusted in response.

The ministry also noted that due to these sanctions, discussions at the level of the European Union would be necessary due to the potential impact on citizens and firms in Europe.

As previously reported, the US House of Representatives voted on July 25 for new sanctions against Russia, Iran and the DPRK, the draft of which was agreed in July. The bill, in particular, proposes to prohibit the US president from weakening sanctions or significantly altering US policy towards Russia without Congress approval.

Also, the draft provides for additional restrictions on the participation of US citizens and companies in cooperation with the Russian energy sector, in particular, in the construction of pipelines by Russia.

A few days ago, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called on European parliamentarians to discuss possible EU responses to US approval of new sanctions against the Russian Federation that could affect EU interests.

Instead, the president of Lithuania supported new US sanctions against the Russian Federation despite criticism of the European Union.

Source: Ukrinform

glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

According to Terrorist Zakharchenko, the final decisions on "Little Russia" have not yet been taken

Oleksandr Zakharchenko, the leader of the "DNR" militants, said that the final decision on renaming separatist education to "Little Russia" has not yet been approved.

This is reported by "Espresso" with reference to the Russian media.

"Yes, not everyone supported the idea of ​​the name" Little Russia ". The composition, format and time for convening meetings to be represented by the regions are also discussed. In other words, the final decisions have not yet been taken, "Zaharchenko said in a statement.

According to him, this idea requires concrete proposals, and separatists will continue to work on them.

Recall that on July 18, the leader of the "Dnieper" Alexander Zakharchenko announced the creation of a new "state" - "Little Russia". According to him, the "capital" of pseudo-formation will be Donetsk, and the idea was supported by "LNR" and representatives of the regions of Ukraine. It is noteworthy that "LNR" has already refuted information on the creation of "Little Russia".

Subsequently, Yevhen Marchuk commented on the statement by Terrorist Zakharchenko about the creation of "Little Russia" .

In the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the initiative of Zakharchenko was called "the ill fantasy of Russian puppets".

Secretary of RBNO Alexander Turchinov called Zaharchenko's statement a perverted lagoon , written in the Kremlin, and testifies to the desire of Moscow's "strategists" to resume the advancement of military aggression to the west again.

The speaker of the Russian president called the statement on the creation of "Little Russia" by the personal initiative of the leader of the self-proclaimed "DPR".

The German government condemned Zaharchenko's statement and expects the same step from Russia. France has called on Russia to condemn the statement by the leader of the self-proclaimed "DPR" on the establishment of a new state under the name "Little Russia"

Russian mass media write that Zaharchenko's idea of ​​the "State of Little Russia" was the initiative of his entourage and became a surprise to the Kremlin.

glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The principled position of the US Congress is a serious signal for Russia, Grybauskaitė said.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė on Wednesday congratulated the US plans to introduce new sanctions against Russia.

Delfi reports.

This position of the President of Lithuania is against the expressive official representatives of Brussels with concern about the measures approved by the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

"The principled position of the US Congress is a serious signal for Russia that there will be no sympathy for the energy projects of the Kremlin and interference in the internal policies of other countries," said Grybauskaitė.

In addition to the European Commission, which promised to take action if new sanctions were to harm the interests of the EU, Germany, France and Austria criticized the new restrictive measures.

As previously reported, the US House of Representatives voted on July 25 for new sanctions against Russia, Iran and the DPRK, the draft of which was agreed in July. The bill, in particular, proposes to forbid the US president to weaken the sanctions or to substantially change the US policy towards Russia without the approval of the Congress.

Also, the draft provides for additional restrictions on the participation of US citizens and companies in cooperation with the Russian energy sector, in particular, in the construction of pipelines by Russia.

A few days ago, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called on European parliamentarians to discuss possible EU responses to US approval of new sanctions against the Russian Federation that could affect EU interests.

glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському