Ukraine News in brief. Thursday 3 August. [Ukrainian sources]

THURSDAY

Scroll down to view news items added during the day.

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
Vladimir Putin doesn't understand the limits of Donald Trump's power.  Donald Trump concerned Russia sanctions law may hinder peace efforts in Donbas.  Kremlin declared criminal group: Piontkovsky explained the significance of new US sanctions against Russia. Putin has decided to expel the refugees from Ukraine to the occupied Donbas.  Appeal to your Putin: in the Council, they clearly responded to the appeal of the mother of Ageev.  He is a crook: an odious Russian businessman told how Putin tries to fool Trump.  Putin must pay real price for occupying Crimea and destabilizing Ukraine, - McCain. Russia sanctions are "full-fledged economic war," - Russian PM Medvedev.  Siemens can incur up to 200 million euros of losses in Russia because of the scandal with the Crimean turbines.  Mass fight of servicemen in the Russian Federation: a hundred drunken contract soldiers attacked the garrison barracks.  US launches website for tracking Russia-backed fakes and propaganda on Twitter.  Volodymyr Klitschko announced the completion of a boxing career.      

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There are still many in Russia who take pleasure in watching the White House consumed by infighting and stumbling from one setback to another, most recently the failure to push through health care reform and the rapid hiring and firing of foul-mouthed communications director Anthony Scaramucci, according to an American weekly news magazine Time.

But the more common feeling around the Kremlin these days might seem familiar to many Republicans. After observing Trump in office for more than six months, there is a mix of disappointment and foreboding, Simon Shuster wrote in an article published August 1.

President Vladimir Putin seems particularly out of sorts. By now he has realized that betting on Trump represents a mistake he has made before with Western leaders, and his decision on Sunday to expel hundreds of diplomats and other personnel from the U.S. embassy in Moscow shows that he's ready to cut his losses. "There was nothing more to wait for," his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said in explaining the decision on Monday. "It was all pretty obvious."

And Putin should have known better. His closest alliances with the West have all gone the same way. Whether it was Jacques Chirac in France, Silvio Berlusconi in Italy or Gerhard Schroeder in Germany, each was built on a personal rapport with an incoming head of state, always another man, usually also a blowhard. Each collapsed when that leader was confronted by the limitations of democracy: term limits, a free press, an independent legislature, an unhappy electorate, or any of the other checks and balances built into their constitutions. But with each new attempt at a friendship with the West, Putin seemed to hope that his counterparts could override these curbs on their authority the same way Putin has done in Russia.

They have always let him down, though none quite as spectacularly as President Trump. The U.S. Congress sent Trump a veto-proof bill on July 27 imposing new sanctions on Russia for its alleged interference in the U.S. presidential elections last year, not even a month after the two Presidents met for the first time during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. To many in Moscow, the legislation proved Trump to be a feckless leader, unable to make good on his earnest promises to "get along" with Russia. "Since Trump cannot handle his own lawmakers, it means he is weak," the Russian political analyst Alexei Makarkin wrote in an analysis of the sanctions bill. But the point Makarkin missed was the one that Putin also seems incapable of getting his head around: that members of the U.S. Congress, including the Republicans, are not Trump's "own lawmakers." They represent a co-equal branch of government, much like the judiciary that has repeatedly blocked Trump's agenda on immigration. That confusion over the limits on executive authority goes back to the early years of Putin's presidency when he established control over the Russian media and began to assume that his Western counterparts could do the same in their countries. During a summit in 2005 with then-President George W. Bush, Putin refused to believe that the U.S. commander-in-chief does not have the power to muzzle American journalists. "Don't lecture me about the free press," Putin said, according to Bush's memoir. "Not after you fired that reporter."............................

Access complete text of the editorial:  unian.info/politics In English

U.S. President Donald Trump in a statement released August 2 after he had signed into law the so-called Russia sanctions bill, called on the Congress to refrain from using the Russia sanctions law to the detriment of the U.S. and EU efforts on Ukraine settlement.

“[M]y Administration particularly expects the Congress to refrain from using this flawed bill to hinder our important work with European allies to resolve the conflict in Ukraine,” Donald Trump said in a statement published on the White House website. Trump has also appealed to the Congress not to use the law to hinder his administration’s “efforts to address any unintended consequences it may have for American businesses, our friends, or our allies.”.......

unian.info/politics

The Russian president has allocated a grant for the return of refugees to the Donbas

In Russia, the "Center for the Development of the Region" from the Krasnodar Territory won a presidential grant for the implementation of the program "Repatriation of refugees on Donbass".

The project is designed for Russia and the occupied parts of the east of Ukraine, Kommersant writes .

The total funding of the program is 654 thousand rubles., And within the framework of the grant will be allocated 471 thousand rubles.

"The project will be implemented throughout the Russian Federation" and the Russian-speaking space "(in the form of distance services and work), in particular, in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, with the exception of the line of contact between the warring parties", - the Russian newspaper writes.

According to the information on the project on the website of the Presidential Fund, the program "Repatriation of refugees to the Donbas" is aimed at "helping residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions affected by the conflict in Ukraine."

The organization argues that from 660 thousand refugees from Ukraine arrived in Russia in 2014, and more than 2 million people left the whole territory of the Donbas.

The authors of the project argue that the majority of settlers are ready to return to their homeland if they will be provided with work and housing "in safe areas", but social tensions emerge in places of compact resettlement of refugees, while the Donbas area "suffers from the outflow of the able-bodied population".

Krasnodar Regional Development Center proposes a program of assistance to refugees, consisting of three stages: conducting sociological research in the refugee environment, developing and publishing recommendations for repatriation, as well as organizational assistance for the return of refugees to the Donbas, including employment assistance.

"Center for the development of the region" was created in 2016 in the city of Hot Key (Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation). Co-founders of the organization are four citizens, the chairman of the board - Dmitry Epihin. The latter was previously headed by Semira Ltd., Altai Health Center and the Altai Center for Advanced Innovation.

glavcom.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Russian political scientist Andrew Piontkovsky believes that the strengthening of anti-Russian sanctions will strike across the entire ruling ranks of the Russian Federation.

He expressed this opinion in his column for the resource" New time".

Piontkovsky said that earlier Americans were not ready to exacerbate relations with Russians for political reasons.

"This is a blow to the very core of the Russian political system," explains the political scientist, adding that not only the assets of Russian billionaires from the list of Forbes 100, but also the political leadership of the Russian Federation are at stake.

"Not everyone still understood what really happened. All the political leadership of the Russian Federation was declared a criminal group", - says Piontkovsky.

apostrophe.ua, Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The mother of the Russian military Viktor Agieva, who was detained in the ATO zone on the Donbass, Svetlana Aheyevy should present a claim to the president of Russia, not Ukraine.

This was stated by First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, a representative of Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group Iryna Gerashchenko, reports "Channel 5".

She specified that it was the Russian president who sent him to kill Ukrainians and demand that the war be stopped from who started it - the Kremlin.

"... Regarding the woman from Russia, who visited her son here, which, unfortunately, she did not properly educate, she must also appeal to the president of her country, which her son, a military man, sent to Ukraine to kill the Ukrainians" , - said Gerashchenko.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Well-known Russian businessman Yevhen Chichvarkin is convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attempt to deceive his American colleague Donald Trump.

This opinion was expressed by the businessman in an interview with the "Apostrophe".

"But there is no doubt that Putin will definitely try to throw something out of the way before the elections to distract attention. He will start a confrontation with Trump, for example," says Chichvarkin.

At the same time, it is noteworthy that it is with Trump in Ukraine that NATO is being trained.

"And Trump has other combinations: he is a merchant, he will do whatever he considers to be profitable, Trump will meet with Putin, they will long-press each other's hands, and then Putin will put him on * bet and transfer all to another confrontation, more rigid" , - suggests the entrepreneur.

Chichvarkin calls Putin a "crook" and says that he will try to cheat Trump in the coming months.

"It will be cheated in Syria, it will deceive Donbass, with another" Little Russia "will be cheated. Combinations of mass", - the businessman continues, noting that such actions of the Russian president are explained by his desire to control the territories that he considers his own.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime must pay a real price for attacking the U.S. democracy, violating human rights, occupying Crimea, and destabilizing Ukraine.

U.S. Senator John McCain said in a statement regarding signing of the new sanctions law by the U.S. president, Censor.NET reports.

"I welcome President Trump's decision to sign legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The enactment of this legislation, which enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, sends a strong message to friend and foe alike that the United States will hold nations accountable for aggressive and destabilizing behavior that threatens our national interests and those of our allies and partners.

"The concerns expressed in the President's signing statement are hardly surprising, though misplaced. The Framers of our Constitution made the Congress and the President coequal branches of government. This bill has already proven the wisdom of that choice.

"While the American people surely hope for better relations with Russia, what this legislation truly represents is their insistence that Vladimir Putin and his regime must pay a real price for attacking our democracy, violating human rights, occupying Crimea, and destabilizing Ukraine. On this critical issue of national security policy, it was the Congress that acted in the spirit of national unity to carry out the will of the American people. And that is why it is critical that the President comply with the letter and spirit of this legislation and fully implement all of its provisions. Going forward, I hope the President will be as vocal about Russia's aggressive behavior as he was about his concerns with this legislation," the statement reads.

On Aug. 2, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the bill on more sanctions against the Russian Federation. In late July, the U.S. Senate passed the new sanctions bill against Russia overwhelmingly and sent it to Trump for signature. Russia in response restricted U.S. diplomatic missions' access to several facilities and demanded to shorten the staff of the mission by 755 people by Sept. 1.

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

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the new sanctions imposed by the U.S. are a full-scale trade war.

Censor.NET reports citing BBC.

Writing on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Medvedev said the sanctions package "ends hopes for improving our relations with the new U.S. administration.

Second, it is a declaration of a full-fledged economic war on Russia. Third, the Trump administration has shown its total weakness by handing over executive power to Congress in the most humiliating way. This changes the power balance in US political circles," Medvedev wrote.

"The sanctions regime has been codified and will remain in effect for decades unless a miracle happens," the PM said.

Medvedev said he believes the relationship between Russia and the U.S. will remain extremely tense regardless of the composition of the Congress and the personality of the president.

"Lengthy arguments in international bodies and courts are ahead, as well as rising international tensions and refusal to settle major international issues," Medvedev wrote.

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

German concern Siemens may lose from 100 to 200 million euros of revenue in Russia due to illegal supplies of turbines to the annexed Crimea.

This was stated by director Dzho Kezer group informs Tsenzor.NET with reference to Reuters The .

According to him, the company has already taken steps to reduce losses, but now Siemens does not rule out new measures.

The concern stated that at least two gas-turbine units, which he supplied for the project in Russia, were delivered to the territory of the occupied peninsula against his will.

The ambassadors of the EU countries on July 26 agreed to expand the sanctions list against Russia after the scandal with Siemens gas turbines.

Berlin seeks to add four more legal entities and individuals from Russia to the list of entities whose assets in the EU are frozen. This package of restrictions, which now includes 150 people and 37 companies, is still valid until September 15.

Earlier, the German government already stated that the deception of Moscow, which, contrary to the contracts, brought the turbines of Siemens from Russia to the Crimea, will lead to further deterioration of relations between the two countries.

In Russia they said that the power stations for which the turbines were delivered will still be launched, as planned, in 2018.

censor.net.ua , Original in Russian / На русском

More than 150 servicemen fought in the military unit in the Urals. Mass wall battle on the wall occurred in the 473rd district training center for training junior specialists (military unit 31612) in Elani in the Sverdlovsk region. The conflict occurred between a group of 60 military from Tuva and about hundreds of employees Elanskogo Garrison, transmits Tsenzor.NET with reference to Ura.ru .

According to sources of the publication, three months ago from Tuva they sent about 60 contractors for the survival courses. On the last night before the departure, the soldiers bought alcohol to mark the end of their studies. After drinking, they remembered some insults that they had seen from the locals. Armed with knives and sharpening, visitors attacked the barracks: 60 Tuvans opposed the hundreds of fighters of the Elansk garrison. According to the source, 14 people were stabbed to death: 13 contract soldiers and one officer, who had already been transferred to a hospital in Yekaterinburg. All the wounded are from among the servicemen of the Elansk garrison.

censor.net.ua , Original in Russian / На русском

A website launched on Wednesday seeks to track Russian-supported propaganda and disinformation on Twitter, part of a growing non-governmental effort to diminish Moscow's ability to meddle in future elections in the United States and Europe.

Censor.NET reports citing Reuters.

The "Hamilton 68" dashboard (here) was built by researchers working with the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a bipartisan, transatlantic project set up last month to counter Russian disinformation campaigns.

The website, supported by the German Marshall Fund, displays a "near real-time" analysis of English-language tweets from a pool of 600 Twitter accounts that analysts identified as users that spread Russian propaganda.

The site was launched at a time when the Trump administration has shown reluctance to address Russian cyber attacks during ongoing investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Moscow during the 2016 election.

U.S. intelligence officials and lawmakers have warned that Russia will attempt to interfere in the 2018 congressional elections and the next presidential election in 2020.

Twitter accounts selected by the new website include those overtly involved in disinformation campaigns pushed by Russian propaganda outlets, such as RT and Sputnik, and users that share information promoting the Russian government.

It also includes automated bots and "cyborgs," or users identified as partially automated and partially human-controlled, that helped amplify Russian propaganda.

"We're not necessarily saying everyone in this list is getting a paycheck from the Kremlin," said J.M. Berger, a fellow at the German Marshall Fund, adding that the group had "very high confidence" accounts selected were spreading Russian disinformation.

U.S. intelligence agencies said Russia conducted a wide-ranging influence operation to discredit Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump, a Republican, win the 2016 election.

censor.net.ua , Original in Russian / На русском

Ukrainian boxer Vladimir Klitschko decided to finish his professional career.

He announced this on August 3.



So the battle-revenge against British Anthony Joshua, to which the Ukrainian lost in April 2017, will not take place.

Earlier it was reported that a revenge between Joshua and Klitschko could take place on November 11, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA.

Recall that on April 29, a fight between Volodymyr Klitschko and British Anthony Joshua, on whose side the championship belts IBF, WBA (Super) and IBO stood, ended with a defeat of Ukrainian in Round 11.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Sen. John McCain and other U.S. senators have reacted to the statement of President Donald Trump regarding signing the law on sanctions, where he expressed his discontent with Congress limiting his powers.

Censor.NET reports citing several senators' statements.

"The President's extended signing statement, however, demonstrates that Congress is going to need to keep a sharp eye on this Administration's implementation of this critical law and any actions it takes with respect to Ukraine," Senator Chuck Schumer wrote on Facebook. " This legislation shows its possible for the two parties to work together to rein in the President when he veers off track, and I hope it serves as a model for the future."

Schumer wrote it was a good thing to do for Trump: " The President signing the legislation into law today, although begrudgingly, was the right thing to do. It's a critical response to Putin's brazen attack on the cornerstone of our democracy - our elections."

Sen. John McCain wrote on Facebook: " The concerns expressed in the President's signing statement are hardly surprising, though misplaced. The Framers of our Constitution made the Congress and the President coequal branches of government. This bill has already proven the wisdom of that choice."

House Democratoic Whip Steny Hoyer posted on Facebook: | President Trump had no choice but to sign our bipartisan Russia sanctions bill into law, given the veto-proof majorities with which it passed the House and Senate. Americans from across the political spectrum are deeply concerned - and rightly so - about Russia's interference in our election and its aggression in Ukraine. Our sanctions bill will ensure that this President cannot take action unilaterally to benefit Russia without any change in its behavior."

censor.net.ua , Original in Russian / На русском

The export of Ukrainian products to European countries in January-June 2017 increased by 31.4%, or by $ 663.4 million, compared to the same period last year, and amounted to $ 2.7 billion.

This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine on issues of European integration Olga Trofimtseva, reports Censor.NET , citing the ministry's press service .

"Today, EU countries are consistently ranked second in the regional structure of our agricultural exports, their share was 34.9% in the first half of 2017. The total foreign trade turnover between Ukraine and EU countries also increased by 24 , Or 1%, or $ 739.3 million, compared to the same period in 2016, and amounted to $ 3,802.8 million. This is a concrete result of the FTA Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, "said Olga Trofimtseva.

Among the leading importers are the Netherlands, The share of which in the total exports to the EU was 17.6%, Spain (17%), Italy (13.5%), Poland (12.1%), France (6.8%), Germany (6.7% ), Great Britain (3.8%), Portugal (3.3%), Belgium (3%), Hungary (2.1%).

Read on "If we talk about specific goods, then an increase in exports to the EU in the first half was observed in corn, soybean, oil cake, sunflower oil, poultry meat and offal, margarine products, extracts Malt, groats, barley, fruits and nuts, honey, butter, chocolate, canned tomatoes.

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

A group of eight US senators appealed to the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) with a request to conduct a "transparent investigation" of working conditions at sports facilities for the 2018 World Cup. If this proves to be true, they propose to deprive Russia of the right to hold the tournament.

The corresponding letter is published on the website of Democratic senator Robert Menendez, reports Censor.No referring to the German wave .

Senators refer to media reports and human rights organization Human Rights Watch about the involvement of North Korean workers and violations of working conditions in the construction of stadiums for the 2018 World Cup. "The main sporting event should not be built on the backs of the most unprotected people in the world," the letter says.

If suspicions of violations are confirmed, the senators demand to deprive Russia of the right to hold the mundialya. In addition, the appeal calls for the expulsion of the DPRK from FIFA. "Government,

Which is one of the main violators of human rights in the world, should not receive international legitimacy and financial benefits from the most popular sport in the world. "Read on" Censor.NET": 43% of fans in the world against holding World Cup- 2018 national football team in Russia - poll The

chairman of the organizing committee "Russia-2018" Vitaly Mutko told the TASS agency on the same day that there are no violations on the construction sites of the arena for the 2018 World Cup. "There are no violations, it's time to close this topic, they (workers from Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Ed. ) Do not work on the World Championship facilities. I hope that FIFA will explain it to the Senators."

On May 25 the British newspaper The Guardian referring to the letter of the FIFA President Gianni Infantino reported that FIFA had found".

censor.net.ua, Original in Russian / На русском

New Zealand should impose sanctions on Russia for its aggressive actions and refrain from conducting negotiations with it on free trade.

This was said at the meeting of the President of the World Congress of Ukrainians Eugene Cholia and the head of the Department of Europe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, Rob Taylor, reports Censor.NET, citing VIDIA.

"Yevgeny Choliy discussed the importance of New Zealand imposing sanctions against the Russian Federation and refraining from negotiating with it about free trade until the Russian Federation stops violating its international obligations," the VKU reported.

The President of the World Congress of Ukrainians also drew the attention of the leadership of the island state to Russia's aggressive action and urged New Zealand to support Ukraine in protecting its independence and territorial integrity.

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

State Department spokesman Heather Naouert said that Russians themselves would be affected by Russia's decision to reduce the personnel of the US diplomatic missions.

As the Tsenzor.NET reported by Reuters The .

"As a result, the Russians themselves will suffer, this decision will hit their own citizens," she said.

We remind you that last week the US Congress approved the bill with new sanctions against Russia and sent it to Trump's signature. Russia responded by denying access to several of its diplomatic facilities in Russia and demanded a reduction in the staff of US diplomatic missions in Russia by 755 people .

censor.net.ua , Original in Russian / На русском

The US authorities do not rule out that in the future a decision may be made to supply Ukraine with defensive weapons.

This was stated on Thursday at a briefing by the State Department spokesman Heather Neuert, reports Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine .

Also read: The Kremlin already warns the US against the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine: It is necessary to avoid actions that can provoke tension

"We did not supply weapons (Ukraine - Ed.)," She told reporters.

"Nevertheless, such a variant exists," H.Noyert noted.

censor.net.ua , Original in Russian / На русском

The delegation of the Republic of Moldova in the Joint Control Commission (JCC) expresses concern and bewilderment in connection with the preparations for the holding of next military exercises on the territory of the unrecognized Transdniestria, in which military personnel from the Russian peacekeeping contingent will also take part.

This is stated in the communiqué issued by the Bureau of Reintegration of the Government of Moldova, reports Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform .

"Not far from the village of Ternovka, Slobodzeya district (Transnistria region), a significant accumulation of military equipment and special military equipment was recorded.The further work of military observers from the JCC was blocked by representatives of the command Peacekeeping forces in Tiraspol.While military observers were working, Russian and Transnistrian servicemen hurriedly evacuated military equipment and blocked access givers to the place where they should be held military exercises, "- said in a statement.

It is also emphasized that military exercises involving military personnel of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic and with the support of the Russian peacekeeping contingent grossly violate the charter of the peacekeeping mission.

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

In Siversk, Donetsk region, an arsenal of ammunition was found in the home of a local resident.

This information is provided by the Censor. NO with reference to the Department of Communication of the National Police.

More than 4,000 cartridges, ammonite, signal and imitation cartridges, RG-42 grenades, detonators and electric ignitors found in a house in Siversk. Ammunition local resident found in the utility room, when parsed things of the previous owner, a 68-year-old farmer.

The law-enforcers took more than an hour to count and remove ammunition.





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

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent a complaint to the international arbitration court because after the construction of the Kerch bridge some ships can not pass through the Kerch Strait because of too much precipitation, in addition, the losses of Ukrainian state ports for 23 days of overlapping shipping in the fall will amount to half a billion hryvnia.

This was stated by the Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan, reports Tsenzor.NET with reference to " 112 Ukraine".

Also read: "The Ministry of Justice, within the framework of existing lawsuits against Russia, identifies the problem of blocking the Kerch Canal," - Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Lavrenyuk

. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent a note of protest back to Russia in July, but no reaction, so they appealed to the international arbitration court. The restriction of navigation contradicts the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, "Omelyan said.

The situation was also commented on by the Speaker of the Foreign Ministry Marian Betz.

"We are now working out alternative routes, but again, it's wrong, We can not always adjust to the aggressor, which he wants, now he builds a bridge, then decided to build a dam.

Now, together with the Ministry of Justice, we are working to appeal to all international authorities with a view to a clear legal response that such a situation is unacceptable, "said Maryana Betza. Read on" Censor.NET ": Crimean Prosecutor's Office will involve NASA specialists in the investigation of Russia's illegal construction of the Kerch Bridge

The Foreign Ministry said that this case should be considered on the merits next year and this is not the only violation that was applied to arbitration. A package of documents is being prepared, in which, in particular, Construction of the Kerch bridge

As it was reported, After the construction of the Kerch bridge some ships can not pass through the Kerch strait because of too much precipitation. In addition, the losses of Ukrainian state ports for 23 days of overlapping shipping in the fall will amount to half a billion hryvnia. So the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine commented on Russian restrictions on navigation through the Kerch Strait in August and September 2017.

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