Ukraine News in brief. Wednesday 11 October. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
Russia may send out 155 more US diplomats from the country.  About 20 Russian "official military" killed in Syria in two weeks.  EU will reject the idea of ​​Hungary to revise its association with Ukraine.  Embassy of Ukraine receives apologies from the Czechs for the words of Zeman .  Deputy defense minister and head of ministerial department detained for suspicion of embezzlement of 149 million hryvnia.

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The Kremlin may send 155 more US diplomatic missions in response to disputes over Russian diplomatic property in the United States, including the closure of one of the US Consulate General.

This was stated by the director of the North American Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Georgiy Borisenko, Russian federal media reported .

According to him, while demanding earlier to reduce the number of American diplomats to 455 people, Russia took into account staff of the permanent representation at the United Nations in New York. However, they are not engaged in bilateral relations.

"We actually went to meet the Americans. Since they did not appreciate it, we have the full right to deduct from this figure 455 the number which corresponds to the number of employees of our permanent representation. Then the number of American staff in Russia should fall to a level of 300 people or lower ", - Borisenko said.

Recall that on July 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that 755 American diplomats will have to leave the Russian Federation.

Putin made such a statement in response to sanctions against the Russian Federation , which was supported by the US Senate. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives with a tightening of sanctions against the three countries .

August 31, the United States responded to the reduction in the state of American diplomats in Russia . Washington has announced the requirement to close the Consulate General of Russia in San Francisco. In addition, the United States called for a reduction in the number of diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation in Washington and New York.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

Over the past two weeks, about 20 Russian "official military" were killed in Syria, and three times more "non-official" fighters from private military companies.
This was stated by terrorist and formed so-called 'defense minister' of self-styled "Donetsk people's republic" Igor Girkin (Strelkov) on his page in VKontakte, Censor.NET reports.

He is citing a former fighter from Wagner private military company who had fought in the Donbas and Syria as saying that over the past week, three people were killed and many more wounded from his former detachment.

"Another my former subordinate is now in hospital in Odintsovo, wounded in Syria within Wagner's group. He's not alone - several people arrive every week," Girkin wrote.

"From a third source I know that estimated losses of "official military" over the past two weeks reached up to 20 people; private military companies lost, respectively, three times more. And those are minimum estimates.

"Such losses of regular military and mercenaries (who are contract soldiers in fact) are caused by rapid escalation of fighting against ISIS in Deir ez-Zor and Mayadin, where Russian private military companies (by 90% comprising Slavic people) are used as assault groups," Girkin wrote.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

Hungary's attempts to revise the Association Agreement with Ukraine through the law on education may be rejected by the EU Council.

On Twitter wrote a Brussels correspondent for Radio Liberty Ricard Yosvyak.

"Hungary will pass the Ukrainian law on education for discussion by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs on October 16. Attempts to revise the Association Agreement with Ukraine will be rejected, "- he wrote.

#Hungary will bring up the #Ukraine’s edu law at the Eu foreign affairs council on 16 Oct. attempts to review the Ukr AA will be dismissed

— Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) October 11, 2017

Recall, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Peter Syyjarto, said that on October 16, at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the member states of the European Union in Luxembourg, initiates a revision of the Association Agreement Ukraine-EU.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine took with surprise this statement , and emphasized that "decisions regarding Ukraine can not be taken without Ukraine, which pays an extremely high price for its place in Europe".

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

The Embassy of Ukraine in the Czech Republic receives the words of support and apologies from the Czechs for the words of the president of this country, Milos Zeman, about the "legalization" of the annexation of the Crimea by Russia.

This was stated in the social network by Ambassador of Ukraine to the Czech Republic Yevhen Perebyinis.

"I want to thank dozens of Czechs, often completely strangers, who today sent the words of support and ... apologies to the embassy. I know well that millions of Czech friends are in solidarity with the Ukrainians in our struggle against the Russian aggressor and occupation. Otherwise, it can not be in a country whose people gave the world Vaclav Havel, "the ambassador emphasized.

On October 10, the President of the Czech Republic, Milos Zeman, said he considers the loss of Ukraine Crimea "a completed case" and offered to settle it with the help of payments to Ukraine.

The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ukraine indicated that Ziemann in the PACE expressed a personal point of view regarding the annexation of the Crimea and advised to apply for a commentary to the Office of the President of the Czech Republic.

In turn, the Czech Prime Minister Bogusław Sobotka stressed that Zeman's statement contradicts the Czech foreign policy.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed its indignation over the statements of the Czech President.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) have revealed a corrupted scheme of state funds embezzlement in the amount of 149 million hryvnia ($5.62 million) for purchase of fuel for the Defense Ministry of Ukraine.
Censor.NET reports citing the press service of the NABU

On Oct. 11, 2017 NABU detectives together with SAP prosecutors conducted a number of raids that resulted in detention of two people suspected of embezzlement: deputy defense minister and director of State Procurement and Material Supplies Department.

Read more: Defense Ministry asking for additional 100 million on security of Armed Forces' ammunition depots

The investigation found that in early 2016, Tender Committee of the MoD announced a tender to buy liquid fuel. During a tender in April 2016, one of the contestants was chosen for most economically reasonable prices. In May 2016, MoD and the winner signed 14 contracts on fuel supply for state needs purchased at state cost in amount of 1 billion hryvnia.

In June-August 2016, the parties concluded additional contracts without any legal grounds and increased the price of the fuel by 16 percent. As a result, the supplier received additional budget funds from customer in amount of 149,339,000 hryvnia.

The investigation believes that the officials of MoD committed a crime under article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (embezzlement of property or abuse of office).

The investigation into the case started in September 2016.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

The Security Service of Ukraine has detained two citizens of Ukraine who planned to conduct a series of terrorist attacks against civilians in Mariupol as ordered by self-styled "ministry of national security" of "Donetsk people's republic."

SBU Head Vasyl Hrytsak told a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday, Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

"The Main Department of SBU in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions detained two citizens of Ukraine who were preparing a terrorist attack in Mariupol as ordered by self-styled "ministry of national security" of "Donetsk people's republic"," Hrytsak said.

He added that the detention of the criminals prevented them from conducting more terrorist attacks. The first target of the terrorists was Mariupol railway station and passengers of Kyiv-Mariupol train.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

The United States has full political support for providing Ukraine with lethal weapons.

According to Tsensor.NET , referring to Interfax-Ukraine , the deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze on Channel 5 broadcast.

"As far as I know from my trip to the United States, from the visit of the President of Ukraine to the United States, when he was negotiating and including, there is full support at a high political level for the provision of lethal weapons to the United States," said I. Klimpush-Tsintsadze.

At the same time, she stressed that the final decision on this issue should be taken by US President Donald Trump. "I hope it is not far off, and yet it will be adopted because of the full and bipartisan support of the Congress, and there is support at the level of leadership of both the defense and foreign policy department and the leaders of the Council of National Security of the United States," - said the deputy prime minister.

She noted that she would not name the date when this weapon could come to Ukraine. "But there is a very substantive discussion, which specifically deals with the specific types of weapons," added I. Klimpush-Tsintsadze.

ua.censor.net.ua/ , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

The Parliament of Denmark on Thursday, October 12, will discuss a new bill for the first time, which will enable blocking the project of the North Stream 2 pipeline.

This document is supported by the government and major opposition parties, reports Tsensor. NET with reference to Ukrinform.

"At the moment, such projects that use Danish territorial waters can only be blocked due to environmental concerns. According to the new law, the country will also take into account security, foreign policy, defense and political issues before giving approval," the report said.

It is noted that the law may come into force in January 2018, but it remains unclear whether it will be quick enough to block the expected application of the builders of the Russian gas pipeline.

According to the consortium Nord Stream, based in Switzerland and is the "daughter" of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, it plans to build a gas pipeline extending 1200 km along the Baltic Sea to Germany. The planned pipeline route should pass through the economic zones of Finland and Sweden, as well as through 139 km of Danish territorial waters, concentrating almost all the exports of Russian gas to Europe on one route.

ua.censor.net.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою