Ukraine News in brief. Friday 16 February. [Ukrainian sources]

FRIDAY HEADLINES:
a journalist who fled from Russia, broke the network by predicting Putin's death.  US State Department has made an important statement on sanctions against Russians from the "Kremlin list".  Pilots argued in Russia before the fall of the An-148 aircraft. The United States and Australia have also accused Russia of cyber attacks with the help of the NotPetya virus.  Russia has found explanations for the sudden "illness" of the Russian president.  Residents of the occupied Donbas will not be able to vote for Putin's elections.  US accuses Russia of global cyber-attack following similar allegations by UK.  Russians hanged a flag with a portrait of Stalin at the Olympics. We discussed the details of the deployment of peacekeepers in the Donbas, Nayyev, meeting with Volcker at the Munich Conference.  OSCE Secretary General Greminger discusses Volcker's exacerbation of the situation in eastern Ukraine. In the hospital of Moscow and St. Petersburg, three aircraft delivered from Syria dozens of wounded Russian mercenaries.

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Famous military journalist Arkady Babchenko predicted a scenario that will unfold after the death of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He outlined his assumption on Facebook's page, commenting on the unexpected illness of the Russian president.

Babchenko notes that after Putin is found dead in his office, a struggle for power will begin among his entourage, which will not do without bloody murders. According to the journalist's forecast, over time, former ideological adversaries will emerge on the streets of the Russian Federation and civil war will begin.

The situation will be used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which in a few days will free Donbass and regain control over the occupied Crimea.

Earlier, the writer and military journalist Sergei Loiko, in an interview with the "Apostrophe", spoke about what awaits Russia after Putin's death.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

State Secretary spokesman Heather Neuer said he would be surprised if the United States does not, at some point, impose sanctions on Russian representatives who fall into the so-called "Kremlin list".

Reuters reports.

The administration of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, was criticized after the "Kremlin list" was published, but no penalties were imposed on the individuals and legal entities that were in it. Neuer at a briefing on February 15 said that the State Department has staff that tracks transactions around the world and assess whether they can get sanctioned.

"As you know, we do not anticipate sanctions, but I would be very surprised if there were no sanctions in the future," said Heather Noyert.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The pilots of the AN-148 "Saratov Airlines", which crashed in Russia on February 11 with 71 people aboard, argued before the crash.

This is reported by the Russian edition of "Kommersant" with reference to its own sources.

At present, investigators of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, investigating the disaster, have attached to the case the data of parametric and linguistic recorders. In the SC refused to disclose the contents of the records of the language recorder, referring to the mystery of the investigation.

At the same time, the sources of Kommersant reported details of the conversations of the pilots, which were established as a result of the decoding of recorders.

According to Kommersant, the record had to be restored a few days due to severe damage to the black box. It is reported that the conversation between the two pilots turned out to be very short.

First, before departure from the airport "Domodedovo", pilots read a control card, actuating or verifying the operation of various devices and mechanisms.

At the same time heating of the receivers of full pressure (PDD), of which the readers of information read the speed, pilots do not turn on, although this action is recorded on the map.

"Shortly after take-off, pilots pay attention to the critically low and differing speed certificates on the devices. Humble, they are trying to solve this problem by increasing speed and tilting the plane to the ground. The collision with the surface is already happening to non-civilized cries of pilots", - the source of" Kommersant "reports.

Previously, experts named the main cause of the crash of the An-148 aircraft icing of full pressure sensors.

On February 11, a passenger plane crashed in Moscow-Orsk. The plane sank in a few minutes after the departure from the Domodedovo airport in Moscow.

On board An-148 there were 71 people - 65 passengers and six crew members. None of them survived . Ukrainians were not on board an aircraft.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The United States and Australia after Britain accused Russia of cyber attacks in June 2017, committed with the help of the NotPetya virus.

According to Reuters, the US states that in June 2017, "the Russian armed forces began the most devastating and expensive cyberattack in history," as well as that the cyberattack "was part of the Kremlin's efforts to destabilize Ukraine."

The White House promised an international response to the attack.

Australia after the United States has accused Russia of hacking the attack using the virus NotPetya, according to The Australian.

"Based on Australian intelligence information and after consulting the US and United States authorities, the Australian Government came to the conclusion that Russia's authorities supported those responsible for the incident," the statement said.

Earlier, the British Foreign Ministry accused Russian authorities of a massive cyberattack directed against Ukraine using the worm-worm virus NotPetya, which hit hundreds of thousands of computers in June 2017.

Recall, the attack on the NotPetya virus began on June 27, 2017. In Ukraine, ministries, banks, transport companies, mobile operators, energy companies and mass media became victims.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The disappearance of Russian President Vladimir Putin from the public space is linked to the massive loss of Russian mercenaries in Syria.

The Russian financier and blogger Slava Rabinovich told this "Apostrophe".

"More and more people are finding out about Putin's crimes, the events are summing up - there is a cumulative effect, and I think Putin has no reason disappeared from the radar, because he knows that when" cargo 200 "is a few hundred corpses, it simply does not dissolve in the air This is a situation in which the public will be required to answer.And Putin does not just love to keep an answer, he refuses to do so, he is 18 years old specializing in committing serious crimes and, in the same way, avoiding the answers to these crimes. Here is an explanation for you, why he disappeared [for a few days under See disease, which coincided with reports of losses in Syria],"- said the blogger.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The so-called "Central Election Commission" of the so-called "LNR" sent a request to the Central Election Commission of Russia to open polling stations in the ORLO during the presidential elections in Russia, which will take place on March 18.

This is reported by the Russian edition of Izvestia.

The CEC of the Russian Federation confirmed receipt of this appeal from "LNR", saying that the given question is in the process of thorough consideration".

"There is no specific position on this issue yet, this is a large group of voters, and we think of how to help them." It does not provide for the creation of polling stations, because Kyiv must formally consent to it, it will not allow it, in which case people will be able to vote at any polling station of the diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine - in Kharkiv, Lviv, Odessa or Kiev, but this is dangerous, and they have only the option - leaving to the territory of the Russian Federation: in Rostov, Orel, Belgorod or Smolensk, "said the member The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation Vasyl Likhachev.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The White House says the Russian military launched the most destructive and costly cyber-attack in history after UK government Thursday took the unusual step of publicly accusing Russia of being behind the attack.

In June 2017, the Russian military launched the most destructive and costly cyber-attack in history, a press secretary for the White House said in a statement on Feb. 15, Censor.NET reports.

"The attack, dubbed "NotPetya," quickly spread worldwide, causing billions of dollars in damage across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. It was part of the Kremlin’s ongoing effort to destabilize Ukraine and demonstrates ever more clearly Russia’s involvement in the ongoing conflict. This was also a reckless and indiscriminate cyber-attack that will be met with international consequences.

As reported by BBC, UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said Russia was "ripping up the rule book" and the UK would respond.

Moscow denies being behind the attack, calling such claims "Russophobic".

Ransomware, which threatens to delete the target's files unless they pay a ransom, is regarded as the fastest growing form of computer virus.

Experts believe about 2,000 NotPetya attacks were launched, mainly aimed at Ukraine which has been locked in a simmering conflict with Russian-backed separatists since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014.

In the NotPetya attack, businesses with strong trade links with Ukraine, such as the UK's Reckitt Benckister, Dutch delivery firm TNT and Danish shipping giant Maersk were affected. The attack is estimated to have cost companies more than $1.2bn (£850m).

Reckitt Benckiser - maker of Dettol, Durex and Strepsils - said the attack disrupted its manufacturing output and shipping capacity for up to two months.

"The UK and its allies will not tolerate malicious cyber activity," the foreign office said in a statement.

Russia, however, said the claims were "groundless" and that Russian businesses were among those whose systems were affected.

"It's not more than a continuation of the Russophobic campaign," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said: "The UK government judges that the Russian government, specifically the Russian military, was responsible for the destructive NotPetya cyber attack."

"Its reckless release disrupted organisations across Europe costing hundreds of millions of pounds.

"We call upon Russia to be the responsible member of the international community it claims to be rather then secretly trying to undermine it."

Mr Williamson warned that the West had "entered a new era of warfare, witnessing a destructive and deadly mix of conventional military might and malicious cyber attacks".

Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russian President Vladimir Putin in November of attempting to "sow discord" in the West by meddling in elections, spreading misinformation and engaging in cyber warfare.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russian fans in the hockey game of the Olympic Tournament in Pyeongchang during the game of Russians against Slovenia hung flags with Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and Russian President Vladimir Putin

The photo was posted on Twitter by Deputy Editor-in-Chief "Sport-Express" Dmitry Simonov.

"Why is the Russian team winning Slovenia in hockey, because with us STALIN," Simonov wrote.

In the match Russian hockey players defeated Slovene.

Earlier in Pyongchang detained a Russian fan who came to the snowboarding competition with the USSR flag and refused to roll it.



-Recall that through the creation of the Russian system of doping in sports, the International Olympic Committee has  banned the Russian team  to take part in the Winter Olympics in South Korea, but left the opportunity to compete under a neutral flag for those athletes who proved that they did not use doping.

-The IOC Executive Board also disqualified the Olympic Committee of Russia, and the former Minister of Sport of the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Vitaliy Mutko was permanently deprived of the right to attend the Olympics.

-Six Russian hockey players have been  dropped from all the Olympic Games  for doping.



espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

Mustafa Nayem, MP from the BPP, met with the US Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volcker in the fields of the Munich Security Conference.

He wrote about this in Facebook, reports Tsensor.NET.

"On the eve of the Munich Conference, the Anders Fogh Rasmussen Foundation published a report by the Hudson Institute on how the United Nations peacekeeping mission could be in Ukraine. It was clear from Volker's conversation that the format of peacekeepers' participation, set forth by the reporters, is surprisingly very close to the essence of real talks", - wrote Nayem and laid out those points that can already be discussed publicly.

Thus, the total number of contingents will be up to 30,000 people, including 5,000 people to actively monitor 409 kilometers of the international border between Ukraine and Russia, and 4,000 people of the police contingent.

The command of the mission will be either directly by the United Nations or by an independent international contingent. Peacekeepers from non-NATO countries can be members of the mission, acceptable for both Ukraine and Russia. In particular, it discusses the participation of forces from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, as well as Austria, Finland or Sweden, and a number of South American countries. Participation of some NATO member countries, which are friendly to Russia, such as Greece, is allowed.

Russia will need to provide a ceasefire by local formations and withdraw heavy weapons, and the "authorities" of self-proclaimed republics will have to publicly and openly accept the terms of work of peacekeepers.

As part of the field mission, humanitarian agencies, groups of lawyers and public administration experts and mediators to work with local communities on post-conflict reconstruction and reintegration into Ukrainian state structures should be deployed.

Read on "Tsensor.NET": Peskov refused to comment on "Rasmussen's report" on peacekeepers in the Donbass: First you need to get some details of this plan.

In addition, the People's Deputy noted that the peacekeeping mission should become a mechanism for coercion to implement the Minsk agreements.

"At the same time, the first clause of the Minsk Agreements - the ceasefire must be fulfilled before the deployment of the mission - holding local elections, implementing a special status and amnesty can only be carried out after the full deployment of a peacekeeping mission," he explained.

Nayim also told about the time frame. According to him, there will be several stages of the deployment of the mission: the beginning of the mission and provision of conditions for its deployment (up to two months), promotion and establishment of border control (from two months), and the beginning of the preparation of the infrastructure for holding local elections (up to six months) .

"What matters, so far, all parties agree that the decision to deploy a peacekeeping mission should be taken by the UN Security Council once for the whole period of the contingent's operation, rather than after each stage, which will not allow Russia, by imposing a veto, to suspend the mission at any stage", - he stressed.

At the same time, the People's Deputy said, the traditional version of the peacekeeping mission (without a mandate for the active use of force) can only be realistic if all the potential satellites of the "DPR" and "LNR" sincerely pledged to stop any violence that, in his opinion, unlikely.

"Therefore, the most likely option is the so-called" credible mandate, "which allows peacekeepers, in limited circumstances, to use force to hold back the forces of local satellites of the Russian Federation," he adds.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger discussed with the Special Representative of the US Department of State for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, ways to overcome the impasse in the situation in eastern Ukraine.

As informs  Tsensor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine , he wrote about this on his page in the social network.

"The meeting with the US Special Envoy for Ukraine on issues of Ukraine, Kurt Volker, is preceded by the Munich Security Conference, which discussed the escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine and ways to overcome the impasse in the political and security sectors," wrote Greminger.

Recall Olexandr Hug, deputy head of the OSCE monitoring mission to the Donbass, on Friday declared a new escalation of hostilities in eastern Ukraine.  

ua.censor.net.ua    In Ukrainian/український

Information about the wounded came after the February 7 battle near the Syrian city of Deir Ez-Zor, where, according to US officials, coalition forces led by the United States were attacked by Assad forces.

According to the sources of Reuters, who are aware of the issue, the wounded people, who were taken from Syria in recent days, have been taken to four Russian military hospitals, according to Cenozer.NET, referring to Voice of America . Among them are the Third Vyshnevsky Hospital in Krasnogorsk, the Burdenko Hospital in Moscow, the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg.

A military doctor working in the Moscow military hospital and directly involved in the treatment of the wounded, evacuated from Syria, told Reuters that, as of Saturday evening, his hospital had more than 50 such patients, of which about 30 percent were seriously injured.

A doctor who spoke on anonymity terms because he was not allowed to disclose victim information, said at least three wounded planes were taken to Moscow last Friday and Monday morning. He said they were delivered by specially equipped military cargo aircraft, each containing two or three intensive care rooms for serious injuries and several dozen light wounded patients.

Reuters reports that his correspondent, who tried to visit the Burdenko hospital on Wednesday, did not say anything about the evacuees from Syria. In the passage to the hospitals in Krasnogorsk and Balashikha, Reuters was denied.

Information about wounded Russian mercenaries was received after the February 7 battle near the Syrian city of Deir Ez-Zor, where, according to US officials, US-led coalition forces were attacked by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russian officials said five were killed, but they are not related to the Russian armed forces. According to Reuters, the number of victims shows that Moscow is much more involved in Syria from the military point of view than it is recognized at the official level and risks facing a direct confrontation with the United States.

The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, reported earlier that five Russian citizens were killed, but they were not Russian servicemen . According to her, reports of dozens or hundreds of Russian victims were disinformation inspired by opponents of Russia.

Recall that on the night of February 7th-8th, US troops destroyed a column of Russian mercenaries, according to various estimates, from 300 to 500 people with tanks, artillery, and light armored vehicles, aimed at capturing oil fields near the Syrian Deir Ez- Zora

The Assad News Agency and the Ministry of Defense of Russia confirmed the attack of the American forces on a column near the city of Deir-ez-Zor in Syria. Also, information about the fight has been confirmed by the US Department of Defense.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia called absurd accusations against 13 Russian citizens and three Russian companies on the case of interference in the election of the US president in 2016.
This information is provided by Censor.NET with reference to the Facebook page in the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"They turned out to be 13, according to the US Justice Department, 13 people intervened in the US elections? 13 against billions of special-purpose budgets? Against the latest developments and technologies? Absurd Yes. But this is a modern American political reality, " Zakharova wrote .

We remind you that on February 16, the US Department of Justice published a document that accused 13 citizens of Russia of interfering in US presidential elections.

censor.net.ua  In Russian/русском

The United States has charged 13 citizens of Russia with interference with the US presidential election

Nick Merrill, spokeswoman Hillary Clinton, said that the charges made by Muller's special prosecutor to 13 Russians confirmed what the Democrats "knew for a long time."

He wrote about this on Twitter.

"Over time, we will learn more, but Russia has gone very far, undermining our democracy, and the president will not protect us. Regardless of politics, this is an anti-American approach. We face an enemy who laughs over us and will act again, "Merrill wrote.

Today's revelations confirm what we've long known. Time will tell us more, but Russia went to great lengths to undermine our democracy, & the President won't protect us. No matter your politics, it's un-American. We have an adversary that is laughing at us, who will act again.

— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) February 16, 2018

Earlier, the United States President, Donald Trump, commented on the nomination of 13 Russian accusations of interference in the presidential election in 2016.

Recall that on February 16, the United States has charged 13 citizens of Russia with interference with the US presidential election.

All the accused are employees of the "Agency of Internet Research" - a "factory of trolls", whose employees write paid comments in support of the Russian authorities.

Among the accused are businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, close to Vladimir Putin's Russian president.

According to the charges brought in Washington, the "Internet Research Agency" and other suspects began their work in 2014 to intervene in American elections.

The American investigation believes they used fake individuals and social networks, as well as arranged political rallies and chatted with "unwanted people" associated with the Trump campaign.

Earlier it became known that the US published 200 thousand tweets of Russian trolls.

glavcom.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The main countries that provide groups for cyber-attacks against the US are Russia, China, Iran and North Korea

In the year 2016, the US economy lost up to $ 109 billion because of attacks by organized hacking groups supported by, including, the governments of Russia, China, the DPRK and Iran.

This is stated in the report, promulgated on Friday by the White House, - Ukrinform informs.

"According to our estimates, the harmful Internet activity cost the US economy in 2016 from 57 to 109 billion dollars," - said in a document.

It specifies that hacking activities were directed against public and private organizations in the United States, which caused violations of business activity, the abduction of personal data and intellectual property, as well as sensitive financial and strategic information.

The report also explicitly states that Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are the main countries that provide groups for cyber-attacks against the United States.

"These groups are well funded and often carry out complex target attacks," the document said.

It is indicated that such actions are usually motivated by political, economic, technical or military programs, and they have specific goals that can vary at different times. In addition, it is about the efforts of industrial espionage.

"If they need funding, they can conduct attacks with extortion, as well as steal funds online," said the US administration.

glavcom.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russia began its campaign against the US in 2014, Trump said

The United States President, Donald Trump, commented on bringing charges to 13 Russians to intervene in the presidential election in 2016.

Trump wrote on Twitter on this.

"Russia started its campaign against the United States in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for president. The election results were not fake. Trump's campaign has done nothing wrong - no conspiracy! "- said the president of the United States.

Recall that on February 16, the United States has charged 13 citizens of Russia with interference with the US presidential election.

All the accused are employees of the "Agency of Internet Research" - a "factory of trolls", whose employees write paid comments in support of the Russian authorities.

Among the accused are businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, close to Vladimir Putin's Russian president.

Among the accused are the "Agency for Internet Research," also called the "troll factory", and its employees. According to the charges brought in Washington, the "Internet Research Agency" and other suspects began their work in 2014 to intervene in American elections.

The American investigation believes they used fake individuals and social networks, as well as arranged political rallies and chatted with "unwanted people" associated with the Trump campaign.

Earlier it became known that the US published 200 thousand tweets of Russian trolls.

glavcom.ua  In Ukrainian/український

USS Ross is one of the destroyers that hit the Tomahawk cruise missile at Syrian airfield Shiyat

The USS Ross missile destroyer USS Ross entered the Black Sea to support Allies.
This is stated in the Twitter account Yoruk Isik, who reports on the movement of warships.

USS Ross is one of the destroyers, of which April 7, 2017, the United States hit a Tomahawk cruise missile at Syrian Shiyat Airfield. Then 59 rockets were released.

.@USNavy boosts the BlackSea patrols amid tensions in the region: #FWDdeployed to Rota & on its 6th patrol in support of regional allies, Arleigh Burke-class AEGIS guided missile @USNavyEurope destroyer USS Ross DDG71 transits BlackSea-bound Bosphorus in the dark #steadypresence pic.twitter.com/1mMs6V7kWU

— Yörük Işık (@YorukIsik) February 16, 2018

The strike was based on a base from which, according to US intelligence, Assad's troops organized attacks using chemical weapons, including the bombardment of Idlib, in which more than 80 people died.

glavcom.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Several people from the list of accused by the US Justice Ministry interfered in the presidential election in 2016, visited the US during the preparation of operations

This is stated in the accusatory document of the Ministry of Justice, reports Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Uk.

"Some of the accused came to the United States under false pretexts to collect information and prepare operations, and the accused used computer infrastructure partially located in the US to hide the involvement of their activities in Russia and avoid detection by US regulators and law enforcers," says the accusative document.

On February 16, the US Department of Justice published a document that accused 13 citizens of Russia of interfering in US presidential elections.

According to the investigation, all the accused are employees of the Internet Research Agency, based in St. Petersburg. Among the accused are also businessman Eugene Prigogine, whom the US is associated with the agency. Meanwhile, E.Prigozhin denies the connection with the company.

The indictment document also lists three legal entities: the Internet Research Agency, the Concord Management and Consulting Evgeniy Prigozhin company, and the Concord Catering company associated with it.

These individuals are accused of "conspiring to fraud against the US", as well as "collusion for fraud using electronic means of communication and for bank fraud", as well as the theft of personal data under aggravating circumstances.

The decision on the guilt of the accused was made by the jury of the District of Columbia jury.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український