Ukraine News. Wednesday 4 April. [Ukrainian sources]

WEDNESDAY HEADLINES:
In Russia, they talked about the Kremlin's strategic goal for Ukraine.  Violinist poisoning: Investigators were interested in a Russian who traveled to London with his daughter, the Violinist .  UK refutes Russia’s proposal for joint investigation into Skrypals poisoning.  What, again ?! In the network, they laugh at Putin's next victorious statement.  State Department of the USA assumes arrival of new diplomats of the Russian Federation.  I have not seen such poverty in my life: Kravchuk remembered how he traveled to Russia.  Moscow will send diplomats to foreign embassies of Russia instead of deportees.  The mercenary of the Russian Federation, a citizen of Hungary, who fought in the occupied Donbass, was sentenced to 2 years probation.  The Russian Federation conducts rocket tests over the exclusive economic zone of Latvia in the Baltic Sea.  US to allocate 173 million dollars to the Baltic States aid for defense and the fight against propaganda.  

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The Kremlin has a strategic goal to turn Ukraine towards Russia.

About this "Apostrophe" told Russian military columnist Paul Felgengauer.

According to the military observer, there are no grounds for changing Russia's policy in the Donbas. "In Moscow, it is hoped that the statehood in Ukraine will collapse in itself, for events such as the arrest of Savchenko and other similar things. So, according to the Kremlin's representatives," the Apostrophe "can not be fought," he stressed he.

"At the same time, the strategic task of deploying Ukraine to Russia has not gone away, and it does not go away," added Felgenhauer.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

British investigators became interested in Russian, who only for several hours flew to Britain with a plane with Julia Skripal.

This is reported by the British edition of Daily Mail with a link to its own sources.

According to the publication, a Russian arrived from Moscow by flight AFL2570 Aeroflot.

He arrived at Heathrow Airport on March 3 at 2:32 pm local time and, having spent only hours in London, returned to Moscow.

Such a brief period of stay in the country caused questions from investigators.

It is not known at this time whether a man is suspected of a possible delivery of nerve-paralytic substance "Novice" and whether it is associated with poisoning in some other way.

Britain could not establish the exact source of the poison in the case of the violinist.

On March 29, the daughter of the Violinist came to life.

Earlier, the Air Force, referring to doctors, reported that the state of health of Yulia Skripal "is rapidly improving" . Her father remains in a critical, but stable condition.

On March 28, the British police reported that the former intelligence officer of the Defender and his daughter Julia were poisoned in his home .

The British investigation believes that the poisoning of the former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal would hardly have been carried out without the approval of the Kremlin.

As of March 29, 146 diplomats of Russian diplomats sent 29 countries of the world.

On March 26, Ukraine, the United States and EU countries announced that they were expelled by Russian diplomats because of the poisoning of the Violinist in Britain. Russia threatened to respond to the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Ukraine. On March 27, NATO Secretary General announced the deportation of 7 Russian employees.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Teresa May announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the country in connection with the possible involvement of Moscow in the poisoning of the former intelligence officer Sergei Skripal. Also on March 26, it became known that Britain issued warrants for the arrest of Russian capital of dubious origin.

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 . British intelligence considers Russia involved in the poisoning of the Violinist.

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 transmitting to the Secret Intelligence of Britain evidence of Russian agents who worked under cover in the EU.

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

UK's delegation to Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says Russia’s proposal to join investigation into the Salisbury nerve agent attack is a is a diversionary tactic.
Censor.NET reports citing the statement by the British agency on Twitter.

Russia’s proposal for a joint, UK/Russian investigation into the Salisbury incident is perverse. It is a diversionary tactic, and yet more disinformation designed to evade the questions the Russian authorities must answer.

— UK Delegation OPCW (@UK_OPCW) April 4, 2018

As reported, Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and daughter Yulia Skripal, 33, remain critically ill in hospital, after they were found unconscious on a bench in the Wiltshire city on March 4. The UK government says they were poisoned with a nerve agent of a type developed by Russia called Novichok and PM Theresa May said she believed Moscow was "culpable."

UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats as part of a "full and robust" response – prompting Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to say it will "certainly" expel British diplomats in response.

On March 16, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance had "no reason to doubt the findings and assessments by the British government" which suggested Russian responsibility. He said the "UK is not alone" and Nato allies gave "strong political support" to Britain, following a joint statement from the US, France and Germany backing Mrs May's government and a pledge of support from Australia.

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said that the U.K.'s government believes that it was likely Putin's decision to direct the use of a nerve agent on the streets of the U.K.

On March 26, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the expulsion of 60 Russians from the United States, including 12 people identified as Russian intelligence officers who have been stationed at the United Nations in New York.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that the terrorist group "Islamic State" in Syria has been defeated.

Interfax reports.

"This year, in the center of our attention, an issue of great importance for the entire international community: the prospects for the development of the situation in the Middle East after the defeat of the IDIL in Syria," reads Putin's message, which was read on April 4 by the secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Mykola Patrushev.

Another statement of the Russian president on victory over terrorists in Syria has caused a wave of jokes in the network.

"That was the merits of the old president, the new categorically lacks" victories", "2030. VKS of the Russian Federation defeated the ISIL... on the approaches to the Kremlin), ""Shoto of April 1 was delayed," bloggers write.

Recall, December 6, 2017 in the General Staff of the Russian Federation declared "complete liberation" of Syria's territory from the ISIL. On December 11 of that year, Putin announced the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The State Department has confirmed that the United States and Russia can replace the diplomats that were deported last week.

According to Cenzor.NET with reference to CNN, this is stated in a statement by the spokesman of the American diplomatic department.

It states that this process is a standard practice for cases when diplomats are declared non-gratuitous persons. The State Department, however, warned that any new diplomats would be "approved in each case".

"As in the case of similar incidents in the past, the Russian government can still request accreditation for vacancies in its mission," said the CNN State Department spokeswoman, "Any requests for new diplomatic accreditation will be considered in each case."

"The Russian Federation has not informed us that it intends to reduce the total number of personnel authorized to work in each of the two countries," added the spokesman. "So we understand the situation so that the United States can send new diplomatic staff to fill vacant posts instead of those who were sent."

Recall the investigation into an assassination attempt by Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia. Sergei Skripal, ex-colonel of the GRU stockpile, who lived in the UK 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 in early March.

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

Later, May announced London 's decision to send 23 Russian intelligence officers who are working on 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." On March 20, 23 employees of the Russian Embassy in London, as well as their families left Great Britain .

At the EU summit, which ended March 23, the European Union countries supported the United Kingdom. The deportation of Russian diplomats was announced by the United States, Canada and 14 European states, including Germany, France, Italy, Czech Republic and others. In the statements of Washington and Ottawa, the expatriate diplomats who were expelled were accused of having links with Russian intelligence and "abusing diplomatic powers." In addition, the Russian Consulate General in Seattle closed.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that 13 Russian diplomats are signing solidarity with their British partners and transatlantic allies and in coordination with the European Union.

The deportation of Russian diplomats was announced by the United States , Canada and 14 European states, including Germany, France, Italy, Czech Republic and others. In the statements of Washington and Ottawa, the expatriate diplomats who were expelled were accused of having links with Russian intelligence and "abusing diplomatic powers." In addition, the United States announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Seattle.

As of March 28, after the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in Great Britain, 28 countries and NATO have expelled 152 Russian diplomats suspected of working on Russian intelligence.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The first president of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, who earlier argued that Russia can only threaten , said that in life he did not see such poverty as in the regions of the Russian Federation.

He told about this in an interview with " Obozrevatel".

It is noted that Kravchuk traveled across different regions of Russia, up to the Urals, while studying at the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the CPSU.

"I have not seen such poverty as I did in my life. Come to the store, and there is a tulip and a vodka, and people all go drunk, asking them how you live, and they answer what's beautiful, you understand ?!" - he asked.

"This philosophy allows the authorities, in this case, the Kremlin, to act in the way they want." Therefore, in six hot spots in Europe and the Middle East, Russia is present with its troops, and it is actively pursuing a collision policy in Europe, for example, in the UK. elections in the US Everywhere, Russia acts adequately to its political vision, so their elections were predictable, "Kravchuk stressed.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow will necessarily send new employees to foreign embassies that had previously deported diplomats in connection with the so-called Violinist case.

Reported Tsenzor.NET with reference to Interfax.

Also read on "Censor.NET": "This is a misleading maneuver and another portion of misinformation," - the British delegation at the OPCW rejected the proposal of the Russian Federation in the case of the Skripar.

"Necessarily!" - said Ryabkov, answering the relevant question.

Speaking, in particular, about the Russian embassy in the United States, he noted that the diplomacy is largely deprived of the opportunity to work "on the meaningful content of bilateral relations." And, he added, despite the existing problems, especially in the political sphere, which "acquire an unprecedented scale."

"There is a question," the diplomat emphasized, "which can not be ignored, and they relate to practical cooperation - from the fight against terrorism to space, culture, science, and educational exchange, etc." - said the source. According to Ryabkov, "these issues were dealt with, in particular, by expelled diplomats, forced to leave the United States after the unwarranted and daring actions of the American side."

The Deputy Minister said that the staffing of the Russian embassies in the United States "sharply weakened as well as representation in New York." "Therefore, we need to fill these vacancies, we will do this," Ryabkov said.

Recall that an investigation into an assassination attempt by Sergei Skryptal and his daughter, Julia, continues. Sergey Skryple, former Colonel of the GRU stockpile, 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.

It should also be noted that on March 12, Prime Minister Teresa May announced that the British government had come to the conclusion that the responsibility for poisoning in Salisbury, a former GRG employee Sergey Skrypala and his daughter, is most likely to lie in 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".

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

At the EU summit, which ended March 23, the EU countries supported the United Kingdom. Some countries, including Poland, are considering the expulsion of Russian diplomats.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that 13 Russian diplomats are signing solidarity with their British partners and transatlantic allies and in coordination with the European Union .

The deportation of Russian diplomats was announced by the United States, Canada and 14 European states, including Germany, France, Italy, Czech Republic and others. In the statements of Washington and Ottawa, the expatriate diplomats who were expelled were accused of having links with Russian intelligence and "abusing diplomatic powers." In addition, the United States announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Seattle.

As of March 28, after the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in Great Britain, 28 countries and NATO have expelled 152 Russian diplomats suspected of working on Russian intelligence.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The court of the Hungarian city of Sexard condemned the mercenary of the Russian Federation, a citizen of Hungary, who fought on the Donbass on the side of terrorists, up to 2 years imprisonment conditionally.

The court in the city of Sexdard in Hungary on Tuesday, April 3, admitted 43-year-old Christian L. was convicted of "forbidden admission to an armed group involved in armed clashes," and sentenced to a probationary period, reports Censor.NET with reference to dw.com.

Christiana L. was detained last year at the Budapest airport, where he returned after participating in hostilities against the Ukrainian army in the Donbass on the side of the so-called "DPR". A former police officer traveled to the occupied Donbas area, where he joined illegal armed groups, trained and received a financial reward for "service".

Explaining a mild sentence, the judge noted that such a crime is being considered in Hungary for the first time and the defendant did not realize that it violated Hungarian laws. According to Hungarian law, groups of Russian mercenaries in the Donbas are considered illegal armed formations.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russia conducts rocket tests over the exclusive economic zone of Latvia in the Baltic Sea.
As informs Censor.NET with reference to the t 112 channel of Ukraine, according to Leta.

"Following Russia's announcement of missile tests, the Latvian Ministry of Defense has asked for as much information as possible about the test, in particular about which rockets will be tested and what measures will be taken to ensure security," the statement reads.

Russia responded that missile testing was part of military exercises and that all necessary security measures would be taken. Other issues remained unanswered.

Earlier, the Air Traffic Management Center of Russia informed Latvia that from 4 to 6 April the Russian Navy would test rockets over the country's exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

According to the results of the meeting in the White House of the President of the United States, Donald Trump with the Presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the United States promised to provide the countries of the Baltic about $170 million dollars for military aid and $3 million to combat misinformation.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to 112.

"The US plans to provide about $ 100 million for the purchase of large-caliber ammunition and more than $ 70 million for military training and equipment acquisition in order to increase the level of training of national armed forces in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania," the White House said.

The United States also intends to further strengthen the security system in the Baltic region through two special programs (FMF and IMET).

"The United States is committed to allocating $ 3 million to strengthen public and institutional resilience to disinformation by strengthening independent media, state television broadcasters and literacy media in the region," the statement said.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is necessary in order to try to reduce the level of tension in the international arena because of previously imposed US sanctions against Russia and the scandal surrounding the poisoning of the former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skrypal.

This was written by a Russian oppositionist Konstantin Borovoy in a column on "Apostrophe".

"To reassure Putin is the right task. The idea of ​​completely isolating it," putting it in a cage "and" torturing "with sanctions and symbolic actions like the expulsion of diplomats (after the poisoning of the ex-employee of the GRU of Russia Sergei Skrypal in Britain -" Apostrophe ") is perceived by many as dangerous behaviors: some talks and talks with Putin are needed, and hopes that these talks may change his position, his aggressive, very uncivilized behavior, why not use them, why not try?" - explains the opposition policy.

At the same time, according to Borovoy, a meeting of presidents will take place if the parties pre-come to some arrangements, due to which it will be some sense to conduct the meeting itself.

"It seems to me that the desire of Americans to get some counter action is a move in the right direction. From Trump's side, this is not just an invitation to meet in Washington, an invitation that is accompanied by some conditions. In any case, it was said that it makes sense to meet if It would seem that Putin or the diplomats who are preparing this meeting will reach some sort of preliminary agreement on possible actions. In this case, Putin's latest appeal - with missiles falling to Florida - with a statement on the use of nuclear weapons - was all that unpleasant for the West. I think such statements are not frightening, but unpleasant,"- he writes.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

A renewed spy war between the United States and Russia after the mutual expulsion of diplomats is likely to turn into heightened inspections of ordinary citizens and follow-ups of people who cause suspicions of intelligence services.

This is stated in the article by Vice-President of the Department of tactical analysis of the private American intelligence-analytical company Stratfor Scott Stewart, the text of which is at the disposal of "Apostrophe".

"Civilians who find themselves in the midst of an explosive reconnaissance war should expect more rigorous inspections, especially on trip agents, tourists, non-governmental organizations and journalists. Security services in the West will pay more attention to visitors from Russia, and in Russia, respectively, will do the same with western travelers, but even passport holders from other countries will become targets of such inspections, as intelligence officers often use identity cards of a third party For example, of the 11 Russian spies trapped by the FBI in 2010, four argued that they had Canadian citizenship, four were US nationals, two were Peru and one United Kingdom, "Stewart said.

He also assumes that serious suspects will be set up in suspects' involvement in intelligence activities, up to viewing their electronic correspondence. Some may even expect interrogation of special services.

"Suspected agents or anyone else who is in the field of Russian intelligence interests can expect them to be lured into a" honey trap, "regardless of their gender and orientation. Westerners in Russia will have to face what their hotels rooms will set up listening and hidden surveillance cameras, "- says the analyst.

According to Stewart, these realities will affect corporate security managers whose companies sponsor the FIFA World Cup or send executives to Russia for games.

"Foreigners coming to the United States, Britain and NATO will face additional testing if some facts in their biography can throw them suspicion of Russian intelligence. Western companies and organizations working in Russia, as well as their Russian counterparts, working in the West, will simply have to adapt to this new reconnaissance war, because the difficulties associated with it will quickly become a new normal", he said.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Journalist The Guardian Luke Harding is convinced that the main goal of Russia in the poisoning of the ex-spy Sergey Skripal and his daughter, Julia, was a demonstration of contempt for the UK and British intelligence.

He stated this on the air of the DW channel.

"I once again want to say that this is a demonstration, and I think this is a political matter." The Kremlin, on the official level, denies this, but in reality the Violinists were not the goal. They were instruments, but the goals were, firstly, the West and , especially Britain, a sign of contempt for the United Kingdom, to the British intelligence MI-6, "Harding said.

According to him, the Violinist poisoning had little to show to British intelligence that they could not provide security to their informants.

"In this case, it looks more like giving the impression that the FSB and the GRU have long hands. If you even forgot about it, then everyone will remember them and they will not forgive," the journalist also said.

"Кремль на официальном уровне отрицает это, но на самом деле Скрипали не были целью. Они были инструментом, а целями были, во-первых, Запад и, в особенности, Британия" - уверен журналист The Guardian, поговоривший с @ZhannaNemtsova. #НемцоваИнтервью: https://t.co/xLUz4l7sg8 pic.twitter.com/1xvrFchEYZ

— DW (на русском) (@dw_russian) April 4, 2018

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Mutual expulsion of diplomats from Russia and the United States may intensify the activities of agents who do not enjoy diplomatic immunity, which will eventually cause spy scandals.

This is stated in the article by Vice-President of the Department of tactical analysis of the private American intelligence-analytical company Stratfor Scott Stewart, the text of which is at the disposal of "Apostrophe".

"For counterintelligence expulsion of diplomats will facilitate work. Russian and American counterintelligence services will need to monitor for 60 people and one object less, that is, they can redirect their forces (agents, observation groups and technology) to other priorities: they will be able to control more closely installed objects and more actively hunt for agents who do not use diplomatic immunity, "- said in the material.

Stewart notes that reconnaissance and counterintelligence will feed itself. At the same time, he does not rule out that Russia went to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal to send a signal to the intelligence officers that if they betray them nothing will be saved.

"As illegal agents intensify their activities and counterintelligence services will receive more means of hunting for them, more and more of them will probably be exposed and detained, as in the case of the US operation in 2010 aimed at ending the Russian intelligence activities involving illegal officers, these arrests are likely to become the property of the general public and will almost certainly end with spyware exchanges, "the analyst said.

Speaking about the battle of intelligence of Russia and the West, Stewart notes that their positions are different. In his view, the West has the advantage of technical espionage. At the same time, Russian agents have an advantage in counterintelligence operations inside the country.

"Western scouts should play for" Moscow rules "in the Russian rear, while Russians in the West have relative freedom," - sums up Stuart.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український