Ukraine News in brief. Wednesday 21 February. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY HEADLINES:
In the US State Department, a cyber-security office may appear on the backdrop of Russian threats.  EU ambassadors approved the continuation of sanctions against Russia because of the threat of sovereignty of Ukraine.  So far, NATO sees no threat from the Russian side, but if something similar to the Crimea and Ukraine happens, then the whole block will be the answer.  About 40,000 armed pro-Russian terrorists and Russian troops are now in the Donbas.  Russia has lost contracts worth more than $3 billion through sanctions.  Javelin will be part of US assistance, but much more.  The US State Department failed to confirm the shipment of Javelin to Ukraine.  The US State Department has no information about sending Javelin to Ukraine.  Anti-corruption legislation in Ukraine should be as rigid as possible.  Ukraine is ready to exchange Russian mercenaries for Ukrainian political prisoners.  Ukraine refused Russia in exchange of the sentenced mercenary of the Russian Federation Ageev.  

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The US Department of State plans to create a special cybercrime bureau

This was stated during a briefing by the spokeswoman of the American Department of State Heather Naurer.

Speaking about Russia's intervention in the US presidential election in 2016, she noted that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson publicly called on the Kremlin to stop such actions and not interfere in the next election.

Naurer also noticed that Russian bots are still functioning in the network, but the American authorities can not do their own eradication because they are not regulated by Facebook and Google.

"The secretary-general has been in contact with Congress on the creation of a new bureau in the State Department, which will deal with cybercrime," Naurer said.

She added that the bureau will be headed by an assistant to the Secretary of State.

-16 February special prosecutor Robert Mueller in ysunuv 13 citizens of accusations of interfering in the presidential elections 2016.

-The United States President, Donald Trump, said the allegations against the Russians did not prove the conspiracy of his campaign with the Kremlin.

-In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia called the "absurd" accusation of 13 Russians in interfering in the election of the president of the United States.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

Ambassadors of the European Union approved the prolongation of sanctions against individuals and companies that are responsible for violating Ukraine's sovereignty

A report by Radio Liberty in Brussels Ricard Yosvyak wrote about this in his Twitter account.

"EU ambassadors today have decided to extend for 6 months measures on freezing of assets and visa bans for 150 individuals and 38 companies responsible for actions against the territorial integrity of Ukraine," he emphasized.

Subsequently, this information was confirmed by the correspondent of the Ukrinform publication.

It is about 150 people who are Russian (including the close surroundings of Russian President Vladimir Putin), Crimean, separatist (in some areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine) figures.

EU ambassadors have today decided to prolong by 6 months the asset freezes and visa bans on 150 individuals & 38 entities responsible for actions against the territorial integrity of #Ukraine. #Russia #Crimea

— Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) February 21, 2018

It should be noted that these sanctions were introduced in 2014 against Russian economic activity in the territory of the annexed Crimea. According to them, Europeans and companies registered in the EU can not buy real estate or legal companies on the peninsula.

-In September 2017, the EU Council officially extended sanctions against individuals and companies involved in violating the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

NATO does not consider that there is a threat from Russia to any of the Alliance's countries.

According to Tsensor.NET , referring to Interfax-Ukraine , the Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said in an interview with the American Foreign Policy magazine.

"We do not see that Russia is threatening any of the NATO member states, so I'm always cautious in statements about hypothetical situations," he said, answering the question about what the bloc would do if Russia repeated about the Baltic states Ukrainian script.

At the same time, the secretary general added: "However, I can say that if something similar to the Crimea and Ukraine happens, then there will be an answer from the whole alliance, since NATO exists to provide defense and protection of its allies from any threats."

According to Stoltenberg, "NATO's idea is" one for all and one for all. "" To do this, for the first time in this part of Europe there are multinational combat units.

"This is a clear signal that NATO is there to protect allies. If any of them is attacked, NATO is already in place," the secretary general said.

He stressed that NATO's goal was "not to provoke conflict but to prevent conflict." It is in this way that "NATO has for 70 years maintained peace in Europe, providing credible deterrence."

"We have made the greatest increase in collective defense since the Cold War, increasing military spending, which was a direct consequence of Russia's aggressive actions. We are confident that nothing like this (Crimea and Ukraine - Ed.) Will never happen to our allies," - said Stoltenberg.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Today in the occupied territories of Ukraine there are about 40 thousand armed people.

This, as Cenzor.NET writes , was informed by Chief Military Prosecutor Anatoly Matios on the TV channel 112 Ukraine.



According to him, the number of armed people in the occupied territories fluctuates "during periods of escalation or decline, holidays." "But in total - about 40 thousand armed people who have the appropriate training at the expense of the officers of the Russian Federation. The contingent directly Russians in different periods ranged from 3 thousand military to 16 thousand," - he said.

The maximum contingent of direct military presence - 16 thousand people - on the territory of the Donbas, according to intelligence, was observed during the tragedy near Ilovaysk.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russia has lost more than $ 3 billion in contracts since the introduction of new sanctions under the US sanctions law (CAATSA).

Censor.NET informs with reference to ZN.UA , according to press secretary of the State Department of the USA Heather Noorte.

"Some countries have stopped purchasing certain products and goods, and we believe that we were able to stop transactions worth more than $ 3 billion." Terminating such deals is, in fact, punishable. Why? Because it means that less money goes to the Russian budget. Thus, it can be considered successful in terms of bringing Russia to justice, "Noorte said.

An official spokesman for the State Department also added that the United States warned countries around the world about a law that would extend anti-Russian sanctions (CAATSA) and warned against contracting with Russian enterprises in the defense and industrial complex. Noorte added that the United States will impose sanctions against countries, individuals and organizations that will conduct transactions that contradict CAATSA.

Recall that the "Kremlin Report" was promulgated on the morning of January 30th. Before the transfer to the US Congress, the list includes the names of 210 people, as evidenced by a document distributed by the US Department of the Interior. The Office issued only a fragment of the report - an unsecured part of it.

A group of international experts has formulated the criteria for selecting "faces" of the forthcoming "Kremlin report", which, according to law No. 3364 "On counteraction to American adversaries by means of sanctions" (CAATSA), may await the freezing of financial assets and a ban on entry into the United States. Article 241 of this law states that the report should consider the connections of these people with Vladimir Putin, establish their involvement in corruption, estimate the size of their wealth and source of income.

One of the signs of "proximity to the regime," experts note, is the involvement (open or hidden) of "aggressive (and illegal) acts of the Putin regime." These include Russia's intervention in the 2016 US presidential election; "military aggression" in relation to Georgia and Ukraine, in particular the annexation of the Crimea; bombing civilians in Chechnya and Syria; the murder of Yuriy Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Magnitsky, Boris Nemtsov and other opposition politicians, public activists, journalists, and lawyers.

As previously reported, on August 2, US President Donald Trump signed a law on new sanctions against Russia . On July 25, the House of Representatives of the United States of America voted for a bill that provides for additional sanctions against Russia, Iran and the DPRK. The Senate followed the House of Representatives approved this law. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that almost a unanimous vote on a draft new sanctions congress in Congress indicates "America's desire to see that Russia is taking steps to improve relations with the United States." He also expressed hope that cooperation with Russia on key global issues will continue, and sanctions imposed against the country will no longer be needed.

In particular, the law requires the United States financial intelligence to provide information about the assets of Russian politicians and businessmen close to the Kremlin located in the West within 180 days.

The document also reduces the maximum term of lending to Russian banks subject to sanctions, up to 14 days, and for oil and gas sector companies - up to 30 days. The US president can impose sanctions on individuals who intend to invest more than $5 million per year or $1 million in construction of Russian export pipelines once. The law obliges the US president to agree in advance with the Congress any mitigation or abolition of sanctions. The head of the White House will not be able to remove the restrictive measures by a personal decree, as it was before.

According to a new document, the US President's ability to lift sanctions is limited, and previous restrictions are fixed at the law.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Ukraine will be able to buy in the USA the weapons it lacks, and part of the aid will be free of charge.

As Tsensor.NET informs, the special representative of the US State Department for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, said in an interview with the " European Truth and".

He reminded that during the Obama administration, the United States also provided Ukraine with security assistance, but there was a clear limitation: there should not have been anything lethal. The Trump administration removed this Obama time limit. It expands US support for Ukraine.

"Javelin will be part of such assistance, but there is a lot more. Our goal is to fill the gaps in the Ukrainian Army, increasing the ability of the Armed Forces to protect its territory," Volker said.

Answering a question on whether the US will sell this weapon or Ukraine will get it for free, the Special Representative of the State Department noted that a combination of approaches is foreseen: "We keep security assistance that is provided free of charge, but at the same time Ukraine gets the right to buy the weapons that it has not enough".

"There is no task to return the territory with this weapon or to resolve the conflict - we have diplomatic talks for this, for which we have a deal with peacekeepers." The task is to help Ukraine defend itself as effectively as possible, Ukraine is being attacked, and there is a bitter war. Ukraine as an independent state has the right to protection, and we can support its ability to defend itself, "Volker said.

He also stressed that in the conflict on the Donbass there were no fundamental changes for three years: "I do not know if this means that it is already" cactized. "And, incidentally, the transformation of Donbass into a" frozen conflict "is also unacceptable, it will not satisfy anyone, nobody will stop at this."

"I hope that the conflict will be resolved in the end, but I emphasize: it will not be resolved in any way by the weapon, and it is impossible to solve it if we leave everything as it is." Our task is to make sure that ultimately everyone will benefit from the resolution of the conflict and residents of Donbass, in particular Russian-speakers, and residents of the rest of Ukraine - either Russian-speaking or Ukrainian-in order that Ukraine and Russia re-establish normal relations, so that Russia itself will benefit from it as sanctions related to Minsk will be lifted", - said Volker.

"Russia seriously miscalculated when this conflict began - it was surprising to realize how Ukrainians react to Russia's invasion, and it's hard to imagine that Ukraine will ever be the same after the conflict," he summed up.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The State Department of the United States said that they have no information about sending Javelin anti-tank missile systems to Ukraine.

This was stated by the official representative of the State Department Heather Noyert.

"Another point in the list of rigid actions of the administration against the Russian Federation, it is likely that there may be a decision to send Javelin to Ukraine. Has this already happened? They are already in Ukraine?"- asked the journalist.

"I need to check, I'm not sure. Even if they were set up, I'm not sure if we could confirm it, "she replied.

At the end of January, it was reported that the United States began preparations for the transfer of Javelin anti-tank missile systems to Ukraine.

Recall that the State Department of the United States declared a willingness to provide Ukraine with defense weapons . At the same time, US media outlets said the United States was concerned about the possible introduction of weapons to Ukraine by militants.

President Poroshenko said that Javelin anti-tank systems will be supplied to Ukraine at the expense of the United States.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The US Department of State has no information about sending Javelin antitank missile complexes to Ukraine.

This was announced during a briefing State Department spokesman Heather Noyert, reports Tsenzor.NET referring to zn.ua.

During a briefing, one of the journalists asked the question: "Another point in the list of tough actions of the administration against the Russian government is likely to be the decision to send Javelin to Ukraine. It has already happened, in terms of terms, they are already in Ukraine?"

Also read on "Tsensor.NET": The transfer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the Javelin PTRK passes the approval procedure in the US Congress - Jovanovich

In turn, Noorte replied that he did not possess such information.

"I need to check, I'm not sure. Even if they were put in, I'm not sure we could confirm this," she said.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Ukraine needs the most rigorous anti-corruption legislation.

According to Centsor.NET , Kurt Volker, US Special Envoy for Ukraine, said in an interview with "European Truth."

"I think that there is no person in Ukraine who says:" We have already done everything, corruption is defeated. "Of course, no, the problem remains. So, Ukraine has really made a serious progress in this direction. A lot of reforms have been made, but there is still more In particular, I'm talking about the law "On the Anticorruption Court." His draft is already in parliament, and I am confident that it will be changed, strengthened and approved, "he said.

Volker noted that the perception of history with the Anti-corruption court as a dispute between the West and President Peter Poroshenko is false.

"Ukraine itself needs this legislation, and not us, it is necessary for you to turn Ukraine into a successful, prosperous country! And that was what Secretary Tillerson said in the quote you put (" There is no point in defending Ukraine's body on the Donbass, if it is lost his soul because of corruption."- Ed.) Anti-corruption legislation should be as rigid as possible, and Ukrainians must make it acceptable for the good of their country," Volker said.

At the same time, according to him, Ukraine's steps in this direction can hardly be called incorrect.

"The path is correct, just have to go further," added Volker.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The Ukrainian side is ready to exchange detained Russian citizens for Ukrainian political prisoners.

This was stated by Irina Gerashchenko at a meeting with relatives of political prisoners near the Presidential Administration.

However, according to Gerashchenko, Russia opposes such a scenario. She stressed that only one person could decide on such an option - Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Heraschenko also assured that the affairs of Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia are under the personal control of President Petro Poroshenko.

On February 21, relatives of prisoners in Russia, Ukrainians, held an action near the Presidential Administration. They demand a meeting with Poroshenko and the creation of a special group or person's appointment to monitor the affairs of political prisoners.

During the action, the representative of the secretariat of the AP went to his relatives, and assured that the appeal would be passed to the president.

Recall that the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, confirmed the information about a recent telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they talked mostly about the exchange of hostages and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbas.

Earlier, spokesman for Ukraine's representative to the TGK, Dark Olifer, reported that the Ukrainian side in the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in the Donbass is counting on another exchange of hostages held by militants in the occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Deputy Prosecutor General - Chief Military Prosecutor Anatoly Matios states that Ukraine refused Russia to exchange sentenced Russians Victor Ageev.

Reported Tsenzor.NET with reference to Ukrainian News.

Also read on "Tsensor.NET": The Kremlin uses the exchange of captives for political purposes only, - Polozov

"At all the requests of Russia to exchange it did not exchange," - said Matios.

He stated that the military prosecutor's office did not indicate in the indictment that Agiev was involved in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, as the Russian Ministry of Defense, at the request of the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, reported his release from military service.

Matios considers the verdict of the prosecutor's office to be up to 10 years in prison for a Russian citizen and states that he has entered into force.

Recall, Russian Victor Agiev received 10 years of imprisonment on charges of terrorism.

As reported by Tsensor.NET , on June 24, 2017, near the village of Zholobok of the Slavyanoserbsky district, Ukrainian military detained a sabotage and reconnaissance group of terrorists. Four militants were arrested, one of them was the current military officer of the Russian Armed Forces on a contract by V.Ageev.

The RF Ministry of Defense stated that V.Ageev was in temporary service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, after which he retired in the reserve in May 2016. V.Ageev himself confirmed that he was sent to the east of Ukraine after signing a contract for service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український