Ukraine News in brief. Friday 20 October. [Ukrainian sources]

FRIDAY

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
US expects Russia, as initiator of Donbas conflict, to withdraw troops. This is a war: the United States made a sharp statement to Russia.  Peskov explained Putin's words about "massacre" in Donbas.  In the West, they said that it threatened Ukraine with the arrival of pro-Russian forces in the Austrian parliament.  RT did not comply with the registration requirement as a foreign agent in the United States:  Russian terrorists told about a quick "invasion" of the US Army to the Donbas. Ukrainian Deputies Send Immunity Bill To Constitutional Court In 'Small Victory' For Protesters.  Pro-Ukrainian Russian Activist Released After Two Years At Penal Colony.  Divided EU Declines To Act On Objections To Russian Gas Project.  The dead did not have a chance to escape: the network got a new video with the moment of a resonant accident in Kharkiv. Arrestovich told about a real threat to Ukraine from Hungary.

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Despite Ukraine's progress in the political package of measures within the Minsk agreements, Moscow does not fulfill even the first provision of the document - securing stable cease-fire.

This was stated by Chargé d'Affaires Harry R. Kamian in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on Thursday, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.

The Ukrainian government has implemented numerous political steps as stipulated by the Minsk agreements, including the most recent legislative activities on providing "special status" to the eastern areas of the Donbas after acceptable local elections, Kamian said. However, the Russian Federation was not able to support even the first step, the real and sustainable cease-fire, the U.S. representative said.

Kamian noted that Russia's activities go against the spirit and letter of the Minsk agreements. The situation remains fragile and unpredictable, and the risk of repeated escalation remains high, the U.S. diplomat said.

He said the OSCE SMM in Ukraine recorded sharp increase in the number of daily violations of the cease-fire in the Donbas since Oct. 11. On Oct. 14, the monitors witnessed a record number of explosions in the area - up to 300 during one day.

The United States expects that Russia, as a party that initiated the conflict, withdraws its troops, Kamian said.

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

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nicki Haley, said that the interference of one country in the election of other states is a way of waging war and arms that Russia prefers.

This was stated by Haley, speaking on Thursday, October 20, at a conference at the George W. Bush Institute, reports Associated Press.

"If a country intervenes in elections in another country, it means war." According to the diplomat, Russia's actions during the presidential campaign in the United States were aimed at creating chaos.

The American authorities are investigating the possible collusion between representatives of Russia and members of the campaign Trump.

Statement by the United States' Permanent Representative to the United Nations at the United Nations, Niki Haley, has posted on his Twitter page a journalist from the Kremlin pool Dmitry Smirnov.

"Haley: The Russians say why the US has imposed sanctions? Do not interfere in our elections, and we will not be anti-Russian. We need to be very rigid," wrote Dmitry Smirnov.

Хейли: Русские говорят, почему США ввели санкции? Не вмешивайтесь в наши выборы, и мы не будем антироссийскими. Нам надо быть очень жесткими pic.twitter.com/giNdvWF9Nk

— Дмитрий Смирнов (@dimsmirnov175) October 19, 2017

As reported by the "Apostrophe", representatives of Twitter met with US Senators from the Committee on Intelligence, whose competence is to investigate Russia's interference in the US presidential election.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

The Kremlin recognized that independent control at the Ukrainian-Russian border would deprive Russia of accusations of aggression against Ukraine, but continue to refuse its introduction.

According to Tsensor.NET with reference to UNIAN, the press secretary of the president of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov told journalists about it.

Asked why the deployment on the border of Russia and Ukraine of peacekeepers could lead to "slaughter" in ORDL, Peskov said: "The fact is that it is absolutely obvious that the Armed Forces of Ukraine can pass for observers, not only they can go, but detachments of extremists, well known for their inhuman actions".

Commenting on the fact that independent control will rid Russia of the accusations that Russia is an aggressor country, Peskov said: "This is the case, but this will not deprive residents of the Donbas of a mortal threat that is far more important."

At the same time, Putin's spokesman reminded that the "primary source" is the Minsk agreement, which specifies the sequence of conflict resolution in the Donbass.

"In terms of consistency, leaving someone to the border was not one of the last points," said Peskov.

As it was reported, on October 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would not allow the closure of the border with the occupied Donbas, but wants a good relationship with Ukraine.

"You understand what we are afraid of if we can say that we are afraid of something. If the granting of these territories a special status in accordance with a law approved by the Council and is now extended for a year, unless a law on amnesty is adopted, the closure of the border between Russia and unrecognized republics will lead to the situation on a par with Srebrenica, where there will be a massacre, we will not be able to tolerate it and we will never allow it, "Putin said.

September 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agrees to deploy UN peacekeepers only on the line of delineation in the Donbass to ensure the security of observers of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. At the same time, he noted that this issue can not be solved without direct contact with representatives of pro-Russian militants. After that, Russia sent a draft resolution on placement of peacekeepers in the Donbass to the UN leadership.

September 20, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko appealed to the UN Security Council on the deployment of a peacekeeping mission to the Donbas. In a speech at the general debate of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, he emphasized that the UN peacekeeping mission should be deployed throughout the territory of the occupied Donbas, including the border with the Russian Federation.

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

Western experts believe that the victory of the Austrian People's Party under the leadership of Sebastian Kurtz in the elections to the parliament of Austria may have a number of unpleasant consequences, in particular for Ukraine.

This is stated in the material "Apostrophe".

It is noted that Kurtz as Chancellor will become the youngest in the world leader of the state, while the right populists from the Austrian party of freedom, Euroskeptic and pro-Russian forces will be included in the coalition. This raises concerns about how the formation of such a government will affect the policy of Austria, in particular, on the Ukrainian-Russian issue.

For example, a German political scientist, a member of the Kyiv Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, Andreas Umland, believes it is difficult to predict the consequences.

"The party of freedom is really a pro-Russian party, and its ties with Russia are not limited to an inter-party agreement with the United Russia." The party, so closely associated with the Kremlin, has never become part of the government. Perhaps the crucial issue is whether she will be able to get the foreign ministry, "he said.

According to Umland, if the parties fail to do so, then the foreign policy of Austria will be determined by the conservatives, and the ways of influencing this rule-packed party will be limited.

In turn, the invited scientist at the Institute of the Humanities in Vienna and researcher in the European ultra-right movements, Anton Shekhovtsov, believes that Ukraine should not expect any significant changes.

"I think it will be a continuation of the current policy, if conservatives will retain the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Austria will follow the policies of the German-French bloc, and the Freedom Party will then have no leverage to influence the position of Austria in this matter. , which will become a spoiler for the general EU policy towards Russia, will not raise the issue of lifting sanctions - this is not in the political culture of Austria, "he stressed.

Thus, the only issue that promises to be the cornerstone of the Austrian dialogue with other EU members and the EU leadership is the restriction of immigration.

At the same time, according to Umland, the fact that Sebastian Kurtz as the OSCE chairman visited the Donbass is indeed a positive fact.

"One can only hope that this knowledge has given him a realistic picture of what is happening there, but he's so young a politician that it's hard to say something about how he will behave like a chancellor, especially since Russian influence is not only on The Party of Freedom, and in general, in the Austrian policy, is significant. Through all sorts of economic channels, first of all, I hope that in foreign policy it will be under the influence of the European People's Party - perhaps the most pro-Ukrainian power in the European Parliament, which includes its party - and not with may go far beyond its position", - added a political scientist.

It is noted that in another case, and so politically difficult for Kiev, the country can become even more difficult partner.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

The US Department of Justice has set the deadline for registration of the RT-TV channel (Russia Today) as a foreign agent in the US on October 17. Currently RT is not listed on the list of registered foreign agents.

CNN writes about it.

At the same time, neither RT nor the Department of Justice provided journalists with a copy of the notice that this deadline was officially announced to the management of the channel.

"Our lawyers are doing their best to avoid registering as an agent. And we continue the dialogue. We do not disclose details of this communication, on the advice of the lawyers, "- said the director of communications RT Anna Belkin.

If RT does not register as an agent, the US government will be able to even begin a criminal prosecution for spreading propaganda and work to foreign countries. However, just under similar charges over the past 50 years, seven criminal cases were instituted.

Lawyers do not exclude this possibility. In this case, the RT leadership may be penalized by a fine of $ 10,000 or more than five years in prison.

In the United States, Russian publications are accused of participating in propaganda campaigns in 2016, which were aimed at destabilizing the situation and actually supporting the presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would act adequately and take measures "fairly quickly" if it sees that somebody restricts the broadcasting capabilities of RT and Sputnik in the United States.

October 9 in Russia threatened to restrict the work of journalists "Radio Liberty" .

On October 4, Google has excluded Russia Today from offering advertisers on YouTube.

Earlier CNN showed a documentary about Putin's intervention in the US elections.

hromadske.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

Russian terrorists told about the threat of the invasion of the US Army to the Donbas.

According to Tsensor.NET , Russian mercenaries have posted a video on which allegedly a local resident tells about the distribution of postcards depicting US Secretary of Defense James Mattheys and the inscription "We will come soon."

"This I found postcards in our courtyard and on the territory of our site. The postal cards of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the inscription" We will come. "Soon. "On the other hand, the defense minister also wrote:" We live not far from the front of the 2.5 km, well, it's the first time, "the second floor of the building dropped down and the automatic balloons flew calmly, sometimes it whistled directly above the head. in general in 4 places found such postcards", - says a man on the record of terrorists.

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

Protesters calling for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to enact anticorruption reforms or step down notched a small victory on October 19 as parliament sent a bill on lifting lawmakers' immunity from prosecution to the Constitutional Court for review.

Hundreds of demonstrators aligned with opposition parties cheered the news when it was announced in front of the legislature, where they have been camping out in tents since October 17 to ratchet up pressure on Poroshenko to clamp down on what they see as rampant corruption in government.

Mustafa Nayyem, a reformist deputy and Poroshenko critic, called it "a small victory" for the opposition that is likely to appease the protesters for the time being.

Thousands of demonstrators have gathered outside the Verkhovna Rada in recent days in a mainly peaceful protest, though minor clashes with police have been reported.

In addition to setting up more than half a dozen tents in front of parliament, they have also managed to bring metal shields into the security area, echoing measures taken by activists in the massive Euromaidan protests that pushed Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych from power in February 2014.

Firebrand politician Mikheil Saakashvili and other opposition leaders are seeking the abolition of parliamentary immunity from prosecution and an overhaul of Ukraine's electoral law, as well as the creation of anticorruption courts and legislation on impeachment of the president.

They are also demanding legislation on impeachment procedures that would put pressure on the president and "hold Poroshenko accountable."

Saakashvili, the former Georgian president and governor of Ukraine's Odesa region who has been stripped of both his Georgian and Ukrainian citizenship, called for the demonstration last month after he returned to Ukraine in defiance of Poroshenko's government.

That call was backed by most of Ukraine's opposition parties, which sent prominent lawmakers, veterans of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and others critical of Poroshenko’s pro-Western ruling coalition to the protest.



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

A Russian activist imprisoned for Internet posts criticizing Russia's interference in Ukraine has been released from a penal colony after serving her two-year sentence.

Darya Polyudova was released on October 20 from Penal Colony #10 in the southern Russian city of Novorossiisk, where she was sentenced on charges of propagating extremism and separatism online.

Polyudova said upon her release that she will continue to engage in political activities after a short period of rest.

Polyudova conducted several hunger strikes at Penal Colony #10 to protest conditions there.

She was charged in 2014 for Internet posts in which she criticized the Russian government's illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and the Kremlin's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.........

rferl.org

Some European Union leaders have raised objections to Russia's plan to build a new gas pipeline to Germany at a summit in Brussels, but the bloc is divided on the matter and took no action, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says.

EU diplomats said the leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Denmark, and Latvia raised their concerns about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is slated to run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, during a discussion on security issues on October 19.

Eastern European and Baltic Sea states have expressed concern that the project would strengthen Moscow's hand by increasing European reliance on Russian natural gas, and have also objected that it would cut gas-transit revenues for Ukraine, damaging Kyiv's fragile economy.

Nordic states, meanwhile, have raised security concerns over the pipeline being laid near their shores under the Baltic, where Russia has bolstered its military presence.

But Germany and several other Northern European countries have sought an alternative to the current pipeline running through Ukraine, where disputes with Russia have led at times to the threat of gas cutoffs, and have defended the commercial gains their energy firms stand to see from the project.

Germany, the EU's biggest economy, in particular has embraced the prospect of taking delivery of 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Russia, and has said Brussels should not get involved with the project.

Juncker said on October 19 the European Commission aligned itself with members who raised objections to the deal and asked for a mandate from EU leaders to negotiate with Russia over the project.

But he told reporters in Brussels that leaders turned down his request in light of the split among members.

"There is no unanimity among member states to give the commission a mandate to discuss the matter with Russia," he said. "I don't think that we will have unanimity on this" anytime soon, he added.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo told reporters at the summit that "the political dimension of this project is obvious, but there are countries which say this is a purely commercial project."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told fellow leaders she understood they had political concerns, but she asked them not to muddy the legal waters, two diplomats told Reuters.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern, whose country like Germany has companies invested in the pipeline, said opposition to the gas pipeline should not be founded on a critical stance toward the Kremlin, a senior EU diplomat told Reuters.....................

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

A new video from CCTV cameras on the street of Sumy in Kharkiv, which are located near the place of a fatal accident and recorded a tragic moment, has been published .

The video was published on YouTube Evening Kharkiv.

Watch in fullscreen:


At marking 02:15 there is a moment of collision of two cars and death of passers-by. It is clearly seen in the frames that at the moment of the accident none of the pedestrians crossed the road, the car flew on them on the sidewalk. People did not have time to respond to the event somehow.

Recall that on October 20 in Kharkiv, a court session on the election of a preventive measure is likely to be the culprit of the accident in Helen Zaitsevoy. It turned out that on the eve of the tragedy the girl used opiates.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

Hungary systematically implements a policy aimed at fueling separatist sentiment in Transcarpathia, which forces the Ukrainian authorities to prepare for a possible conflict with the European Union and a member of NATO.

This was stated in an interview with "Apostrophe" by a blogger and military expert Alex Arestovich.

The expert noted that the dissatisfaction of a number of countries with the Law "On Education" is a reaction to the Ukrainian "growth over itself" and the acquisition of Ukraine "geopolitical subjectivity".

Arrestovich is also convinced that Hungary pursues a purposeful and independent policy towards Transcarpathia, while taking advantage of Moscow's support.

"The Hungarians are starting to work against us in the PACE and in other institutions, Hungarians say they will slow down our association with the European Union. The Hungarian foreign minister goes to Transcarpathia without permission and refuses to meet with our foreign minister, and the Hungarians announce the 13th anniversary of the rally about "self-determination of Transcarpathia." And this is against the backdrop of how the opposition opposes us in the center of Kiev. What is this? It is a concerted action ", - said the expert.

Arrestovich also emphasized that the military strategic situation in the Transcarpathian region resembles the Crimean.

"Here is the sweetness of Transcarpathia, which is almost the same as Crimea, and we are connected with Transcarpathia with two passages, and from Slovakia, Romania and Hungary it has a beautiful plain." Come and take, "Arrestovich said.

Therefore, the Ukrainian authorities now need to work out options for action in case of possible aggression in Hungary.

apostrophe.ua , Original in Ukrainian / Українською мовою

The relationship between Moscow and Washington will depend on the policy that Russia will adhere to, Sarah Sanders, spokeswoman for the White House, told journalists.

"Much (in our relationship) depends on Russia and what kind of relationship they want to have," she said in response to a journalist's question, whether US President Donald Trump Russia perceives as an ally, partner and adviser, reports Tsensor. NO of reference to Interfax-Ukraine.

"We intend to continue to try to work with them on certain issues, this is very important, for example, for national security, on issues like Syria, such as North Korea, we would like to work with them to deal with such threats, but it will depend on from the actions of Russia", - added the spokeswoman for the White House.

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

An official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Maria Zakharova said that Moscow calls on the international community to condemn the actions of Kyiv to introduce a new law on education.

Tsensor.NET informs about it , referring to the site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

"We were anxious to perceive information that has been misrepresented in many Ukrainian media,the fact that in the Law of Ukraine "On Education", which has already "become famous" for the whole world with its discriminatory character, new provisions will appear - allegedly, special preferences for the Hungarian language and other languages ​​of the European Union will be introduced. We are, of course, happy with our Hungarian partners that their compatriots will receive certain benefits. But immediately the question arises: what about the rights of millions of Russian-speaking people and other national communities? Is one of the nation-building peoples of Ukraine, Russian, losing the opportunity to acquire knowledge in a convenient and familiar native language, which he, and many Ukrainians, speaks and uses in everyday life for hundreds of years? This fact causes us serious anxiety. Otherwise, you will not call such steps as discrimination and linguistic racism. In short, the Kiev authorities only worsened the situation",

"We urge the international community not to defeat the rights of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine, condemn the actions of the Kiev authorities that violate the Constitution of Ukraine, their international human rights obligations (under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the European Charter on the Region onal and minority languages, the UN Convention against Discrimination in Education) and request them to ensure the rights of any and all nationalities living in Ukraine", - said the representative of a country-aggressor.

Recall that on September 5 the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on education, which begins the reform of education in Ukraine. On September 25, President Petro Poroshenko signed the Law "On Education", adopted by the Verkhovna Rada.

The law, among other things, determines that the language of the educational process in educational institutions is the state language. The new edition of the Law "On Education" stipulates that children who go to school from September 1, 2018, will have the opportunity to study in their native language only in elementary school - the first four years. From the fifth grade all subjects must be taught in Ukrainian. Persons belonging to national minorities are guaranteed the right to study in their mother tongue, in addition to the Ukrainian language, in separate classes (groups) of communal institutions of pre-school and primary education. At the same time, representatives of national minorities, who began their studies at the school by 2018, will continue to receive it according to the old norms, with a gradual increase in the number of subjects in Ukrainian.

Reservations against him were expressed by Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia and Moldova.

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania expressed concern about the law on education adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, and Hungary stated that it would cease to support Ukraine on the international scene. The head of the Ministry of Human Resources of Hungary, Zoltan Balog, addressed a letter to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Lilia Grinevich and asked for a personal meeting to discuss the new law on education. Later, the Hungarian parliament unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Ukrainian law on education, indicating violations of the rights of Hungarians in Transcarpathia. The Federation Council and the State Duma of Russia also opposed the Ukrainian law on education.

On September 28, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent the Law "On Education" for examination to the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission).

On September 28 the Law "On Education" came into force.

On October 4, President Poroshenko, commenting on the law on education, said: "The reform of education is important for the protection of national identity and language."

At the same time, the head of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to meet with Klimkin during his visit to Transcarpathia , and on October 9 he stated: "Hungary will demand to revise the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement on Monday."

On October 12, PACE held an urgent debate on the language article of the law on education. The PACE rapporteur on this issue said: " Ukraine has a legitimate right to defend the state language . "And the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Ariev, during the debate, said: "60% of Hungarian students were unable to compile foreign language lessons from the Ukrainian language and enter higher education . "As a result, the PACE adopted a resolution on education in minority languages ​​in Ukraine .

Poroshenko replied to PACE members in four languages ​​on the issue of education reform . In addition, the President of Ukraine promised to the PACE: "Ukraine will fully implement the conclusions of the Venice Commission on the law on education, but the study of the state language is mandatory."

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking about the influence of US authorities on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in order to prevent Russian athletes from attending the Olympics, implied participation in this, both by state and non-governmental organizations in the United States.

This was announced by Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov, reports Tsensor. NET with reference to Sport.ru .

"The president did not hint: the president openly said that we have the relevant information that testifies to this," said Peskov, commenting on Vladimir Putin's speech, in which he, according to the journalist, "hinted" that certain American authorities trying to influence the IOC in order to prevent Russia in the OI.

Peskov explained that Putin had in mind both state and non-state structures.

"State, including with the help of public, non-governmental organizations", - the press secretary of the president of Russia answered on the corresponding question.

Specify which departments could take part in this, Peskov did not.

In November 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issued a report that accused Russia of having state support for doping. The report noted that Russian intelligence services covered the systemic use of doping by Russian athletes, allowed "direct intimidation and interference" to work by the WADA anti-doping laboratory accredited in Moscow.

17 countries-members of the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations (iNADO) on September 14 called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to dismiss the Russian delegation from participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. On September 18, 12 more countries joined the demand.

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

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the administration of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, was trying to work with the congress on various issues, including the establishment of a dialogue with Russia, but the American parliament "entered the Russophobic ridge."

Tsensor.NET informs about this, citing Gazeta.ru.

"I see how the Trump administration is trying to work with the parliament, and we see how this normally normal process is trying to prevent those who use the congress at all to defend the interests of the United States, but to try to create insurmountable difficulties for Donald Trump himself and his administration", - said Lavrov.

According to him, while these games between Trump and Congress continue, it is unlikely that it will be possible to get an objective reaction to those or other agreements on the part of the US Parliament, "given the Russophobic rage in which he entered."

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