Ukraine News in brief. Monday 7 August. [Ukrainian sources]

MONDAY

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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
Tillerson: Russia shows a "certain readiness" to negotiate with Ukraine.  Trump's adviser: U.S. gives support to Ukraine, but looks for areas of cooperation with Russia.  Tillerson Tells Lavrov Russia's Election Meddling Created 'Serious Mistrust'.  US to respond to Russian diplomatic mission cut, - Tillerson.  US Embassy is currently not aware of a meeting between the Representative of the State Department Volker and Surkov.  Terrorists dressed the Russians killed in ATO in civilian clothes and thrown in the forest.  Siemens will require Russia to return turbines from the Crimea.  Erdogan said that Germany supported the terrorists.  Moody's warns of the outflow of capital from Russia through new US sanctions.  At the borders of Russia, the naval training of NATO countries began. Russia reduces aid to fighters DNR-LNR.  Rosneft spent twice as much money in the first half as earned. Timchuk told about the plans of the "DPR" militants to take shelter from civilians. There was a video of the brutal murder of a famous athlete in Russia.  In Russia detained members of Pussy Riot after a rally in support of the political prisoner Sentsov.

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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Russia is showing a "certain readiness" to begin talks on resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Tillerson reported this as a result of a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Philippines, AP reports.

Tillerson said the United States intends to coordinate action with all parties involved in resolving the conflict.

According to the US Secretary of State, despite the profound differences with Russia on the Ukrainian issue, the United States does not consider it a "good idea" to "break everything else because of this one issue."

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Serhiy Lavrov said that Kurt Volker , a spokeswoman for the US State Department on issues of Ukraine, will meet with Russian President's assistant, Vladislav Surkov.

hromadske.ua, Original in Ukrainian / на українському

U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser Army Lt. Gen. Herbert Raymond "H. R." McMaster says that the United States is already giving support to Ukraine to counter Russian aggression but simultaneously it looks for areas of cooperation with Russia, according to MSNBC.

"We're already giving support to Ukraine. A lot of this is really what kind of support they need to be able to prevent further invasions of their territory, to be able to prevent any kind of aggressive or offensive action against the rest of Ukraine," he said in an exclusive interview with MSNBC on Saturday evening. "What's useful to talk about is defensive capabilities. Does Ukraine desire, need – based on the situation there – greater defensive capability? I mean, I don't know what that is specifically. It really doesn't matter what it is specifically. But that's one of the things that we're looking at is what form of support Ukraine needs that's consistent with our interests and everyone's desire to insure that Russia doesn't undertake further destabilizing or offensive action that could lead to much broader conflict." In his words, the situation is dangerous. "We have to recognize it's a dangerous situation of Russia's creation. And so what we're endeavoring to do with our allies is to do everything we can to prevent that conflict from growing," he said.

According to him, the nature of the Russian regime is one person. "I mean you have an autocratic regime and an individual who's done an extraordinarily effective job at consolidating power. And you have – I think – someone who's acted in a way – I'm not the best judge of this maybe but – it is not in the interest of the Russian people," he said.........................

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

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he has told his Russian counterpart that Moscow's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election created "serious mistrust" between the two countries.

Tillerson, speaking on August 7 on the sidelines of a regional forum in Manila, said he emphasized in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that interference in the election was "a serious incident."

He said he tried to help Lavrov "understand just how serious this incident had been and how seriously it had damaged the relationship between the U.S. and the American people and the Russian people, that this had created serious mistrust and that we simply have to find some way to deal with that."



The chief U.S. diplomat also warned Lavrov that Washington was deciding on a response to the Kremlin's decision to order a substantial reduction in the size of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Russia, a move made in retaliation for a new set of sanctions slapped on Russia by the United States.

He asked Lavrov "several clarifying questions" about Moscow's retaliatory moves and warned his Russian counterpart that the U.S. would respond to these actions by September 1.

'Some Willingness'

Nevertheless, Tillerson said the United States still wants to work with Moscow and that it was "not useful" to cut all ties based on one issue.

"We should find places we can work together.... In places we have differences we're going to have to continue to find ways to address those," Tillerson told reporters.

"The fact that we want to work with them on areas that are of serious national security interest to us, and at the same time having this extraordinary issue of mistrust that divides us, that is just what we in the diplomatic part of our relationship are required to do," he said.

Tillerson also told reporters that Moscow had indicated "some willingness" to seek ways to move forward on matters related to Ukraine.

The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia in response to its seizure of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula in March 2014 and its support of separatist fighters whose war against Kyiv has killed more than 10,000 people in eastern Ukraine.

Tillerson noted that the United States has a new special representative for negotiations on the conflict, Kurt Volker, who traveled to Ukraine in July to assess the situation.

"We appointed a special envoy to engage with Russia but also coordinating with all parties. This is full visibility to all parties," he said. "We are not trying to cut some kind of deal on the side."

Hours earlier, Lavrov said he believed his U.S. counterpart was ready to continue dialogue with Russia on complex issues despite the bilateral tensions and the imposition of new U.S. sanctions.

"We felt the readiness of our U.S. colleagues to continue dialogue. I think there's no alternative to that," Lavrov said after what he said was a lengthy meeting with Tillerson.......................



Access complete text of the editorial:  rferl.org In English

The United States will find a way to respond to the Russia's decision to cut the U.S. diplomatic corps in Russia by Sept. 1.

This was announced by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Manila on Monday, Censor.NET reports citing TIME.

A day after sitting down in the Philippines with Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov, Tillerson said he'd asked "clarifying questions" about the Kremlin's retaliation announced last month following new sanctions passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has struggled to determine how the move will affect the U.S. diplomatic presence in Russia, as well as the broader implications for the troubled relationship between the nuclear-armed powers.

Despite the Russian move, which seemed to plunge the two countries even further into acrimony, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emerged from the meeting declaring a readiness for more engagement with the U.S. on North Korea, Syria and Ukraine, among other issues. Tillerson broadly echoed that sentiment, saying the two countries had critical national security issues to discuss despite deep disagreements on some matters.

"I don't think it is useful to just cut everything off on one single issue," Tillerson said following his first meeting with Lavrov since the new sanctions were imposed. "These are two very large countries and we should find places that we can work together, let's try to work together. Places we have our differences, we're going to have to continue to find a way to address those."

Tillerson also said that Russia has been showing "some willingness" to start talking about a resolution to the crisis in Ukraine, devoid of real progress for years. That assessment came as Lavrov announced that the Trump administration had committed to sending its new special envoy for Ukraine negotiations, Kurt Volker, to Moscow to discuss next steps.

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

The US Embassy in Ukraine does not yet have information on the meeting of the US State Department's Representative on Ukraine Kurt Volcker and Russian President's Assistant Vladislav Surkov.

This was communicated to the US Embassy in the United States in Ukraine.

The department noted that they do not have what to announce.

Also in the embassy, ​​it was reported that the information about the meeting will appear in advance.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Serhiy Lavrov said that Kurt Volker , a spokeswoman for the US State Department on issues of Ukraine, will meet with Russian President's assistant , Vladislav Surkov.

Also, on July 7, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appointed Kurt Volcker as a special envoy for Ukraine. This is a new post for the United States. Volker is planned to coordinate the efforts of the State Department for the settlement of the situation in Ukraine.

Later, Tillerson said that the United States had appointed a special envoy for Ukraine on Putin's request.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Germany of helping terrorists

Reuters reports.

The Turkish counterpart claims that the German government does not react to the thousands of files and extradition requests that Berlin has sent to Ankara. In this, according to the Turkish president, Germany's support is for terrorists.

"We sent Angela Merkel to the Chancellor of Germany, 4.5 thousand cases, but did not receive any answers," Erdogan said at a conference attended by his party members.

Recall that relations between Berlin and Ankara worsened after the failed coup attempt in Turkey last year.
After that, mass imprisonment of the Turks, who was charged with cooperation with the preacher Fethullah Gulen, began. His Turkish authorities consider the organizer to attempt a coup. He denies his guilt.

In April 2017, Erdogan held a referendum on the extension of the powers of the president , his proposal was supported by the majority of Turks.

In the same month, Erdogan said he intends to resume the death penalty in the country.

In response, Merkel threatened Turkey with the end of negotiations with the European Union.

espreso.tv , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

The cases of concealment of the participation of Russian native soldiers in the war on the Donbass are becoming more and more frequent.

This is reported by the press center of the ATO headquarters.

"So, recently, the command of the so-called 3rd motorized infantry brigade occupying Gorlivka cynically tried to hide the death of its militants who broke up on the mines during sabotage. By the decision of the brigade's leadership, the bodies of the dead were dressed in civilian clothes and left in the forest belt , Near the collision line, "the press center said.

Relatives from Russia claim from Russia that dead persons never served in the "LNR / DPR" army, and the military command "republics" did not belong to their deaths.

In this way, the leadership of the Russian occupation forces not only hides the fact of the participation of Russian mercenaries and military personnel in combat against the forces of the ATU, but also deprives families of victims of material assistance in connection with the loss of breadwinners.



TRANSLATION:
Summary of the press center staff ato status on 18.00 7 August 2017

The operational situation in the area of ato has been. Russo-Terorystychni group has has provokatyvni obstrily positions of the Ukrainian army. According to our operatyvnymy, the feds, this is connected to the weather weather and the ability to pozhezh the.

At the same time, on the prymorsʹkomu direction, full of silence. About 13 hours from a bullet of an enemy sniper died our fighter near near. Also the bandits released 2 mines in 120 millimeters in the positions of the ato on pidstupakh to shyrokynoho.

On the donetsʹkomu direction under the hranatometnyy fire, the Ukrainian oporni are in the area of strait.

It is possible to add that the the of the scenery to temporarily occupied areas all Russian Russian Russian.
Yes, recently, the command-3-Yi Brigade, hide is is is. By the decision of the dumbledore brigade, the bodies of killed peredyahnuly in civil clothes and left in lisosmuzi, off the coast of collision.

The Prybulym of Russia relatives were reported that the zahybli person never served in the army of " the / vympel ", and the military command " Republics " of the. In this way, the management of the Russian okupatsiynykh not fact.

espreso.tv , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

German concern Siemens will insist on the return of four turbines to Russia, which were sent to the annexed Crimea

Tass reports with reference to the employee of Siemens Philippe Yencha.

"Obviously, all four turbines have been moved to the Crimea in spite of the client's statements and contractual obligations, which is about the location of the use of turbines, namely the CHP plant in the Krasnodar Territory, Taman, all documents signed, provided with guarantees that they will be used there. We want to achieve this, "explained Yench.

In his opinion, the purchase of gas turbines, which were delivered to the annexed Crimea, could resolve the conflict.

"Technically, it might look like an agreement on the price one side is willing to pay to turn the turbine. From this point of view, this is a fairly simple operation," added Siemens spokesman.

At the same time, the German company is considering another option to turn the turbine - this is filed in the Moscow Arbitration Court suit.

Recall that due to the transfer of Russian gas turbines to the occupied Crimea Siemens stopped selling turbines to Russian state companies.

The EU has decided to extend sanctions against Russia because of a scandal with Siemens.

In Russia , they admitted that they supplied Siemens turbines to the occupied Crimea.

espreso.tv , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Experts from international rating agency Moody's predict a capital outflow from Russia due to expansion of US sanctions

This is reported by the Russian edition of RBC.

According to experts of the agency, in 2017 in Russia will be recorded for the first time since 2014, the GDP growth, but the strengthening of sanctions will disturb investors.

"Such an outcome will further aggravate the already chronic underinvestment of Russia, which remains one of the main weaknesses of the Russian economy. The expansion of sanctions has become a negative signal for investors, especially foreign ones, who have just become accustomed to working under conditions of constant sanction pressure," said In Moody's report.

The agency notes that the law on new sanctions signed by Donald Trump will also lead to a temporary easing of the ruble and an increase in inflationary expectations.

According to experts, in the new conditions of Russia, it will be more difficult to attract foreign direct investment. At the same time, the Moody's report notes that even more than investments, Russia needs modern technologies needed to offset losses from reducing production in oil fields.

Earlier, the international rating agency S & P said that signing by Trump new sanctions law has not yet affected the sovereign credit ratings of Russia.

espreso.tv , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

In the territorial waters of the Baltic Sea of ​​Lithuania, the annual training of the naval navies of the Baltic States "Baltron Squadron Exercise 17/2", which are NATO members, was launched.

This is reported by Delfi.

The units involved in Lithuania, Latvia and Germany participate in the training, the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania reports.

The Latvian Navy is represented by a ship providing "Varonis" and an anti-personnel ship "Rusins", the German Navy - mine minerweeper "Pegnitz".

The Lithuanian naval forces take part in the training of the Jotvingis, the "Suduvis" and "Kursis" ships, the "Aukstaitis" and "Selis" patrol boats, the Sakiai search and rescue boat and the port boat, as well as Naval Force Submarine Team.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

Russia plans to cut back assistance to the illegal armed forces of the Donbas.

This was announced by the People's Deputy, coordinator of the "Information Resistance" group Dmytro Timchuk on his Facebook page.

"Among the middle-level commanders in the" 1st AC DPR "there are reports of the transfer of soon parts and units of the army corps" on the orders of the Russian command to a new organizational structure, which provides for a significant reduction in personnel, funding and Other types of security", - said Timchuk.

"According to rumors, this reform is due to a general reduction in assistance to militants from Russia," he added.



TRANSLATION:
Despite the general decrease in the number and intensity of shelling from heavy weapons during the past weekend, Russian occupation forces in the Donbass continue to shell the positions of Ukrainian troops, as well as settlements near the line of delimitation, including those that are under their control (Mainly fire is fired from automatic small arms, including large-caliber machine guns, grenade launchers, 82-mm mortars and ZU-23-2 are also used).
In addition, the high activity of the sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the invaders and their snipers on separate sectors of the front remains.
During the firing of the advanced positions of the APU to the south of the section of the Donetsk ring road (area 2 nd rate) of 82 mm mortars, several hits were also recorded from the 120 mm mortar.
In the area to the south of Zhelobka, the occupants from the firing positions in the beams released up to 30 82-mm mines, and several shots from a 120-mm mortar were also recorded.
From the south-western outskirts of Sakhanka, BMP-2, maneuvering, launched at least 20 and 30-mm shells from the standard automatic cannon towards the advanced positions of the APU. In the area of ​​Shirokino, 120-mm mortar shells were used by the militants.
In the Donetsk area between the Donetsk-Severny and the Agro-Naftoy stations, positions of new enemy fire weapons were fixed in the landings - at least one 120 mm mortar deployed in position, one more in the marching position (on the trailer), no less than 3 army trucks with manpower, a little further, closer to the highway (west of Dacha passage) among the buildings there are at least 3 disguised and sheltered armored vehicles (BMP-1 \ 2).
Through Shakhtersk to the north (towards Yenakiyevo) 2 units of SAM were transferred to trailers (type specified), accompanied by 2 Ural and Kamaz with a trailer (DES).
In the vicinity of Donetsk, the command of the occupiers continues to consolidate the combat formations of their formations on the site. The second site is the Abakumov microdistrict ("the settlement of the mine named after E.T. Abakumov"). The installation of new and renewed mine-blasting fences has been fixed both in the areas adjacent to the unfinished section of the Ring Road and in remote landings in this direction. During the day, several groups of enemy sappers were observed at the same site, installing mines under the guise of small infantry groups of occupants.
Among the middle-level commanders in the "1st AK DNR" are recorded rumors about the transfer in a short time of the units and units of the "army corps" on the orders of the Russian command for a new organizational and staff structure, which calls for a significant reduction in personnel, Other types of security. According to rumors, this reform is due to a general reduction in assistance to militants from Russia.
Employees and agents of the MGB of the People's Democratic Republic of Russia are conducting another information security operation aimed at increasing the combat spirit of the militants, as well as improving the moral and psychological state of the local population. In particular, both in the divisions of the "1st AK DNR" and among the civilian population (in stores, markets, public transport stops and other public places in Donetsk, Gorlovka, Enakievo, Makeyevka, etc.), rumors of The fact that "a significant number of armed forces are ready to surrender even tomorrow, and are waiting, will not wait for the Novorossi offensive." Spreading these rumors, the agency, as a rule, acts as a "primary source" (referring to the allegedly available personal experience of communicating with the Armed Forces troops during trips to unoccupied territory).
Following "ЛНР", in "ДНР" the next campaign on "inventory of an empty housing stock" sharply became more active. "Law enforcers of the DNR" together with representatives of the "administration of the head of the DPR" A.Zakharchenko and "Minister of incomes and fees of the DNR" A.Timofeev ("Tashkent") are looking for "abandoned" apartments and houses (whose owners for a long time are absent), for the purpose of further " Nationalization ".
In the n. Sedovo Novoazovskogo district of the Donetsk region recorded an increase in the level of protest sentiment among the local population, which is due to the criminal activities of the militant with the call sign "Semyon", which with a group of Russian mercenaries arrived in this locality at the end of July this year. As directed by the head of the "DPR" A. Zakharchenko as a "watcher". The group "Seeds" is actively engaged in extortion, detention under various pretexts of representatives of the local population with the use of torture, appropriation of property of citizens. The "official" version of the group's activities is "strengthening the power of the DNR" and "fighting Ukrainian agents and saboteurs".
The leadership of the "LNR" expressed its complaints to Russian supervisors regarding the further reduction of funding from the Russian Federation to the "social component", in connection with which the amount of pensions and social benefits in "LNR" continues to decrease even in comparison with the "DNR". So, at the beginning of August this year. The size of the minimum pension in "LNR" is 2500 rubles., That's 100 rubles. Less than in the "DPR", and cash payments to disabled people are 1999 rubles. Against 2100 rubles. In the "DNR". In addition, the "LNR pension fund" states the fact of shortage of funds from the Russian Federation, stipulated by the "budget for 2017" (for a number of social payments, the funds have not been transferred since May 2017). Financing of the "social component" of the "LNR" is carried out through the "Fund for the Support of International Humanitarian Projects", sponsored by the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation (Moscow, Pyzhivsky lane 5/1, INN 7706431844,
In the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region, in connection with Ukraine's refusal to supply electricity to the ORDLO, there is a sharp deterioration of the situation in the energy sector. In particular, as of the beginning of August this year. In the occupied part of the Novoazovskiy district, in electric networks, it is barely possible to maintain the voltage at the level of 170 V. With the beginning of the winter period, if this situation continues, automatic power outage in most of the occupied territories of Novoazovsk, Boykovsky and other areas is possible in connection with expected peak falls Voltage in the network. The functioning of the Novoazovskiy wind park (Novoazovskaya wind farm, wind power station), which previously functioned and was closed on the unified energy networks of Ukraine, is impossible due to the fact, That in January 2017 representatives of the "9th separate assault regiment of the Marine Corps 1 AK DPR" intentionally destroyed the infrastructure of the said enterprise. Currently, the complex does not work, two wind generators have been damaged, the administrative building and the control room have been completely disabled (recently used as barracks for the "DNR" fighters), the electric substation of the enterprise was partly disabled and scrapped.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському  

Rosneft's burning rate is more than $ 32 million a day, analysts have estimated.

During the first six months of 2017 Rosneft increased its debt against the backdrop of worsening of all key financial indicators. This is what analysts at Finanz.ru say with reference to the company's report.

Despite the increase in mining by 12% and the increase in the Urals oil price by one third, the net profit of the largest oil company of Russia for the six months fell by 20% - to 80 billion rubles. (Approximately $ 1.33 billion).

Rosneft received a net cash flow of $ 204 billion from operating activities. (Almost $ 3.4 billion) - for such an amount of proceeds from the sale of oil, gas and petroleum products exceeded the costs of extraction and production.
However, investments and investments "eaten" twice as much as it was possible to generate - 407 billion rubles. ($ 6.78 billion). Another 126 billion rubles ($ 2.1 billion) was spent on financial articles.

"As a result," Rosneft "again spent more than earned, and the gap was financed by the accumulated" cash cushion", which melts for the fifth consecutive quarter," analysts say.

The financial reserves of Rosneft have halved in the six months, the report said.

The speed with which the Russian oil producer burns cash has reached 1.93 billion rubles a day (more than $ 32 million), or 80 million rubles per minute ($ 1.33 million).

According to the results of 2016, the total debt of Rosneft was 3,585 trillion rubles. (Over $ 61.74 billion).

The debt of Rosneft grows practically without stopping all the time that the company exists. Over the past 13 years, it has increased 34 times, says in a message.

gordonua.com , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

On the control of the militants of the "DPR" territory has intensified the next campaign on "inventory of an empty housing stock."

This was announced by the People's Deputy, coordinator of the "Information Resistance" group Dmytro Timchuk on his Facebook page.

According to him, "law enforcement officers of the DPR" together with representatives of the "Administration of the head of the Dnieper" Alexander Zakharchenko and the "Minister of Income and DPR" Alexander Timofeev (known as "Tashkent") are engaged in the search for apartments and houses, the owners of which for a long time absent, in order to Further "nationalization".

Recall, earlier the fighters "DPR" have already stated that they will "nationalize" the apartments, whose owners do not reside in the ORDLO.



apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському  

In Yakutsk, after holding the action on the eve of the action in support of the Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, who is in the Yakutsk colony, detained members of the Pussy Riot Maria Alyokhin and Olga Borisova.

It is reported by Meduza.

The participants were taken to the police department to conclude a protocol for an uncoordinated action, told Alyokhin.

The arrest took place the next day after the Pussy Riot held a campaign in the city in support of director Sentsova.



Earlier, participants of the Russian Pussy Riot Theater, Maria Alekhina and Olga Borisova, staged a rally under the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow in support of Oleg Sentsov .

Recall that in August 2015 the court in Russia recognized Oleg Sentsov and Alexander Kolchenko guilti of establishing a terrorist organization in Crimea, committing two terrorist attacks and preparing another one, as well as attempting to purchase explosive devices and illegal possession of weapons.

Sentsova was sentenced to 20 years of colony, Kolchenko to 10 years imprisonment.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському

In the network there was a video of the brutal murder of a 20-year-old athlete, an international class wrestler of free-style wrestling and a two-time European champion in juniors Yuri Vlaska.

The incident occurred on July 29 in Buryatia, in the village of Goryachinsk on the shore of Lake Baikal.

On the video the attackers beat Vlaska. The athlete resists, but then falls and gets a series of beats on the head.

As previously reported, in the beginning of the fight Vlasko received a knife injury in the chest, after which - a few bumps on the head, including a metal rod. As a result of injuries the athlete died.

It is known that killers have already been set up. Both offenders are in custody.

Carefully! The video contains violent scenes of violence!



apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / на українському