Ukraine News. Friday 23 March. [Ukrainian sources]

FRIDAY HEADLINES:
Another European country sends Putin's diplomats through the Violinist poisoning.   Saakashvili's associate appreciated the idea of ​​a coup in Ukraine.  Putin suddenly praised Ukraine for threats from the West.  It became known about the delay with the deployment of the US missile defense system near the borders of Ukraine.  The EU has decided to withdraw the ambassador from Russia because of the Violinist poisoning.  In Switzerland, the case of illegal sale of weapons was opened to Putin's security forces.  Self-titled "LNR" offered "political asylum" for Savchenko.  Three minivans with British diplomats under the applause of the remaining colleagues left the territory of the embassy in Moscow.  Ukraine’s economy grew by 2.5 percent last year, objective is 5-7 percent.  In the Odessa region, it was yellow snow: experts found out how dangerous it is.  Destroyed tanks: The network told about a new defeat of Putin's troops in Syria.  The United States again accused Russia of transferring weapons to the Taliban.

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Latvia has decided to send Russian diplomats from the country in connection with the scandal surrounding the poisoning of the former intelligence officer Sergey Skripal and his daughter.

This was announced at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, according to RIA Novosti.

At the same time, the department noted that until the exact number of non grata persons has been determined: it may be only one person or several.

"Latvia, together with Great Britain and other EU countries, is now discussing what could be the steps for the Violence poisoning," the State Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

It should be noted that Britain sent out 23 Russian diplomats in connection with poisoning in early March in Salisbury former agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia. About 80 people leave Britain in total - these are expelled diplomats and their family members.

In response, the Russian Federation will send 23 British diplomats and will close all branches of the British Council in the Russian territory.

As reported by the "Apostrophe", earlier the EU countries expressed support for Britain and also decided to withdraw its ambassador Marcus Ederer from Moscow in connection with the position of the Russian Federation in the international scandal surrounding the poisoning of the former intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in Salisbury, March 4.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

A certain part of Ukrainian citizens is in favor of overthrowing the current authorities by undemocratic methods.

One of the leaders of the "New Forces" political party, David Sakvarearidze, stated this "Apostrophe".

"The mood of the people is so very tough, and it's just that the movement is civilized and peaceful, of course there is a part of the people who want hard, undemocratic methods to overthrow this power, Poroshenko and other klyptocrats who have settled in their offices. We, on the contrary, calm everyone and say that we must move in stages so that the transfer of power passes without sacrifices and blood. We do not need a new Heavenly Hundred, "- said the politician.

He also agreed with the words of the People's Deputy Nadezhda Savchenko that most Ukrainians are somehow thinking about the possibility of a powerful alternative to power change.

"We have long been trying to blame that we are preparing an armed coup almost for Putin's money that we are going with an explosive." This is a lame one. "I think that they will now make Savchenko the second time a hero because she correctly said that many Ukrainians really think about such a scenario that fades them when they look at the imitation of parliamentary activity and the imitation of power, "Sakvararelidze said.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The threats of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to the West on the hand of Ukraine, as they entail even more international isolation of the aggressor country.

This was stated by the People's Deputy, the head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Refat Chubarov, to the "Apostrophe".

"In the last two or three weeks, he (Putin - ed.) Has helped us a lot. Even his message to the Federal Assembly on March 1, and then a series of his interviews, where he blackmailed the world, showed allegedly very powerful types of Russian weapons and agreed to the fact that "if there is no place in Russia in this world, then why do we have such a world," he said.

According to Chubarov, in this situation, Putin himself is a factor that puts additional strain on relations between the West and Russia.

"God, that he (Putin - ed.) Continued and so, and then, perhaps, Western politicians will have more eyes open, they will not push for dialogue with Putin, but will support more rigorous means of pressure on Russia", - underlined Chubarov.

He clarified that if Putin continues to do so, it will accelerate his isolation.

At the same time, Chubarov noted that the resolution on the recognition of illegitimate elections of the Russian president in the annexed Crimea, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, gives Ukraine at least some instrument, albeit not very effective.

"One of my colleagues in the Verkhovna Rada said that the president and our diplomats should rely on this statement, and then we should try to bring Putin to greater isolation, and this is not an impossible task," the People's Deputy summed up.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Due to technical problems, the completion of the Polish site of the US missile defense system was postponed for two years until 2020.

This is reported by the Ministry of Defense of Poland, reports Reuters .

The missile defense element built on the Baltic coast of Poland near the village of Radzikovo is part of the NATO umbrella umbrella - from Greenland to the Azores.

It is noted that the US authorities have announced a delay in construction work in Poland due to the fault of the contractor - the Lockheed Martin Corporation, which is responsible for installing a ground-based AIGIS missile defense system.

Head of the United States Missile Defense Agency, Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, acknowledged the delay during the hearings in the Senate on Thursday, March 22.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The leaders of the European Union backed the arguments of Britain that the responsibility for the attempt at Salisbury to former Colonel GRU Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia is most likely to be borne by Russia.

This was reported by Reuters.

In this regard, at the EU summit, they decided to withdraw the European Union ambassador to Moscow, German diplomat Markus Ederer. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rütte, has specified that such a measure is not a sanction against Russia - the ambassador temporarily, for a month, recalls to Brussels for consultations.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that British Prime Minister Teresa May intends to ensure that EU leaders, following the example of London, announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats from their countries.

Previously, Tusk refused to welcome Putin to victory in the elections because of the Violinist poisoning.

March 14, British Prime Minister Teresa May announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats in connection with the poisoning of the former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal.

On March 20, deported Russian diplomats left Great Britain. They traveled to Moscow by plane IL-96 with flight number RA-96023. This liner also appears in the case file on the smuggling of cocaine from Argentina to Russia.

In addition, Britain has declared the freezing of Russian assets in the country. Sanctions can affect Putin's immediate surroundings.

Also, Britain has warned citizens about the danger of traveling to Russia . In addition, May announced the meeting of the NATO Council on Chemical Weapons in Russia.

Due to an international scandal, the Royal Family and British ministers will not go on World Cup 2018 in Russia . The British regulator in the field of broadcasting did not rule out the blocking of the Russia Today television channel operating in the UK. Russia in response threatens to ban British media in the event of Russia Today blocking .

March 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of 23 British diplomats "in response to Britain's actions." Also, the Russian Foreign Ministry has announced the closure of the British Council .

A United States spokeswoman at the UN, Nicky Hailey, said at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that Russia is responsible for a British chemical attack on Sergey Skripal and his daughter. The United States has supported the decision of Britain to send Russian diplomats .

Russian stock markets responded by a decline in Britain's statement.

A 66-year-old citizen of Russia Sergey Skrypal was hit by a hospital with severe poisoning on March 4. With him was his daughter .

Sergei Skripal, Colonel of Military Intelligence of Russia on retirement in 2006, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for espionage in favor of Britain. He was found guilty of giving testimony to Russian agents working under cover of the EU, the Secret Intelligence of Britain.

The former intelligence officer was fired in an exchange between the United States and Russia in 2010. He was pardoned by then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Then Russia, besides Violinist, sent Igor Sutyagin, Alexander Zaporizhzhya and Gennady Vasilenko to the United States. At the same time, 10 people were charged with espionage in favor of RF citizens, among them Anna Chapman. Soon, Violin became a political refuge in the UK.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The General Prosecutor's Office of Switzerland opened a criminal case against the state corporation RUAG on suspicion of imprisonment of a multi-million dollar contract for arms supply in Russia.

This is the publication of the Tribune de Geneve, reports Russian Novaya Gazeta.

The RUAG company says that it's about one of the managers who signed a contract with a non-government bank employee Julius Baer.

The Der Bund edition notes that a contract worth $ 15 million relates to the sale of Swiss equipment from the Federal Service for the Protection of the Russian Federation from 2011 to 2015.

In turn, the Handelszeitung publication, referring to criminal records, states that businessmen have been supplying sniper rifles and light weapons to the FSO of the Russian Federation. Moreover, the entrepreneurs were doing things secretly from their managers and paid through their bank accounts.

The General Prosecutor's Office of Switzerland believes that the said agreements could go against the provisions of the Swiss law on military-technical cooperation with other states.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Representative of the militants of self-proclaimed "LNR" at the talks of Minsk, Vladislav Deynoy, said that Nadezhda Savchenko, who was thrown in the preparation of terrorist acts and a coup d'état, could provide "political asylum" in the self-proclaimed "LNR".

He said this to the Russian edition of the Moscow Komsomolets.

Deine stated that Savchenko did not coordinate with the fighters. According to him, "Lugansk did not recapture Savchenko in his saboteurs and did not build any joint plans with her on the coup d'etat in Ukraine."

"If over the Savchenko hangs the threat of losing his freedom, he can turn to" LNR "for a political asylum. We promise to consider this issue, "he said.

The leader of the "DNR" militants Alexander Zakharchenko said on the eve that the arrest of Savchenko is "an internal affair of Ukraine".

March 23, Savchenko is choosing a preventive measure at the Shevchenkivsky court of Kiev. During the court session, Savchenko declared that he had begun a hunger strike.

People's Deputy Nadezhda Savchenko condemns the attempt to overthrow the constitutional system, encroach on the life of the president of Ukraine, prepare a terrorist act, promote the activities of the terrorist organization and illegal possession of weapons. All this imposes on life imprisonment.

Савченко itself denies intention to carry out a terrorist act and kill the leadership of the country. According to her, she knew about tracking for more than a year, therefore, she was "fantasized" under the record.

Nadezhda Savchenko went to Donbas Volunteer in the spring of 2014. There she was captured and spent almost two years in a Russian prison. In Russia, she was accused of involvement in the murder of Russian journalists in Lugansk region.

During the lawsuit in Russia Nadezhda Savchenko declared a hunger strike. Meanwhile, she became a people's deputy, the Batkivshchyna party made her the first number of her election list in autumn 2014.

In May 2016, Nadia Savchenko was exchanged for two Russians Yevhen Yerofeyev and Alexander Alexandrov, who were captured in the Donbas.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Three minibuses with diplomats left the territory of the British Embassy in Moscow.
As informs TS Censor.NET, informs RIA Novosti.

It is noted that the rest of the embassy staff escorted colleagues to applause. In the courtyard of the department were attended by several dozen people.

Twenty-three diplomats from Russia left the territory of Great Britain in accordance with the demands put forward by the British authorities.

Recall that the ex-Colonel of the GRU stockpiles Sergey Skripal, who lived in the United Kingdom and was convicted in 2006 for espionage in favor of British intelligence services, was injured as a result of poisoning with an unknown substance at the Salisbury shopping mall.

Prime Minister Teresa May announced that the British government had come to the conclusion that responsibility for poisoning in Salisbury, a former employee of the GRU, Serhiy Skripal and his daughter, most likely, lies with Russia. She also reported that the victims were poisoned by the nerve-paralytic substance "Novachok", which was developed in the Russian Federation.

On Wednesday, March 14, May announced the decision of London to send 23 Russian diplomats who work for intelligence: "This will be the largest single expulsion in more than 30 years. This (this measure) reflects the fact that the Russian state is not the first time acting against our country".

March 20, 23 employees of the Russian Embassy in London, as well as their families left Great Britain.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman believes that the country's economy should grow by 5-7 percent annually to improve the living standards of Ukrainians.

"Ukraine’s economy grew by 2.5 in 2017. When I assumed prime minister’s post, the main task of our government was to stop its collapse. We did it and the Ukrainian economy started growing," he wrote on social media, Censor.NET reports.

However, the PM stressed that the government's goal was to reach 5-7 percent growth.

"It is perfectly clear for me that such rate is far from sufficient for the people to feel the difference in living standards. Our goal is sustainable economic growth of 5-7 percent and we are making every effort to achieve it," the senior government official said.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

In the south of Odesa region, snow was yellowish in color, causing local residents to worry.
This is reported by "Dumskaya".

Andrew Abramchenko, Mayor of Izmail, unveiled in Facebook a preliminary conclusion of experts from the Danube Hydrometeorological Observatory, who are investigating the causes of an unusual phenomenon.

"In connection with yellowish-colored precipitation, I report that snow samples were sent to the Danube Hydrometeorological Observatory and to the Odesa Laboratory Center of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection with a request for laboratory tests. Laboratory studies carried out by specialists from the Danube Hydrometeorological Observatory showed , that the acidity of the presented samples of snow is neutral, in the siege - a sandy-brown mixture, no harmful chemicals were found", - wrote Abramchenko.

Specialists of the Hydrometeorological Center say that precipitation does not pose a danger to people, animals and plants.

The conclusions of the Odesa Laboratory Center of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection will be later.



espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

Several dozen fighters killed on the side of President Bashar Assad, including Russian mercenaries, as a result of the air strike by the international coalition under the auspices of the United States, were killed in the Syrian province of Deir-ez-Zor .

This is the publication of the Euphrates Post with a link to its sources.

This blow was struck on Thursday, March 22.

Also, as a result of the coalition's strike, a large number of armored vehicles, including tanks and armored personnel carriers, were destroyed.

The publication writes that on Tuesday, March 20, the soldiers of Assad crossed from the west bank of the Euphrates River to the east, where they took new positions.

According to the sources of the publication, the reason for the blow of the coalition was a violation of the delineation of the sphere of influence in Syria. As a result of the attack of the international coalition, the forces that fought on the side of Assad retreated.

Also, a photo appeared on the network, presumably made after the coalition struck.



As reported by the "Apostrophe", an order to launch an offensive on February 7 of Russian mercenaries in the Syrian province of Deir-ez-Zor, which was eventually stopped by a US strike, was given by one of the Russian ministers.

 apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russia supports and even supplies weapons to the Taliban.

This was stated by the commander of the US forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson in an interview with the BBC.

According to him, there is a "destabilizing activity of Russians". Nicholson noted that Russian weapons smuggled into the Taliban to Afghanistan across the border with Tajikistan, but the general did not announce any figures.

Earlier, Russia denied such allegations by the United States, citing lack of evidence.

"We see the narrative used to significantly increase the number of IDIL militants (the" Islamic state ") here. Then this narrative is used by the Russians to legitimize some of the Taliban's actions and provide some support to the Taliban," said John Nicholson.

"We saw weapons brought to this headquarters and provided to us by Afghan leaders who said they had been handed over by the Russians to the Taliban. We know that the Russians are involved," added the American general.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український