Ukraine News. Tuesday 31 July. [Ukrainian sources]

TUESDAY HEADLINES:
"It's hard to imagine" - Prime Minister of Italy Conte on the lifting of sanctions against Russia.  The European Union has imposed sanctions on a number of Russian companies involved in the illegal construction of the Kerch Bridge.  The court in Greece allowed the extradition to Russia of a suspect in the hacking of Vynnyk.  Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation acknowledged that the harvest of grain in the occupied Crimea has halved. The compensation will be at the expense of the Russian budget.  In Ukraine, will build 310 rural clinics for 5 billion USD.

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Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte states that the sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 in response to her aggression in Ukraine will be preserved.

As informs Censor.NET, this is reported by Radio Liberty.

On July 30, at a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump Conte, he said that lifting these sanctions would be "unthinkable".

Some members of the coalition government of Conte and the prime minister advocated the lifting of sanctions and improving relations with Russia, but the Italian leader agreed with the recent extension of another six months of EU sanctions against Moscow.

Trump, widely criticized after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that US sanctions imposed at about the same time as European ones would also remain in force.

Relations between the West and Moscow worsened after the annexation by Russia of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula and the beginning of an armed conflict in the Donbass. After that, the EU and the US introduced economic sanctions against Russia, which increased and strengthened several times.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The European Union has imposed sanctions on Russian companies involved in the illegal construction of the Kerch Bridge.

As informs Censor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine, the decision of July 30th is published in the official EU magazine.

In particular, since July 31, two companies Arcadia Rothenberg - PJSC Mostotrest (MOEX: MSTT) and Budgazmontazh LLC are under European sanctions. Both companies have already been included in the US sanctions list.

Also under the EU sanctions were JSC "Institute Diprobudstomist - St. Petersburg", Joint Stock Company "Shipbuilding Plant" Zaliv", "Budgazmontazh-Bridge", Vaud AO" VAD".

The construction of the bridge and its official opening in May this year were "key symbolic steps in Russia's consolidation of control over the illegally annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, and the further isolation of the peninsula from Ukraine," the motivation behind the decision to impose sanctions is mentioned.

Recall that the Russian occupying power, which controls the Crimea, launched May 16 road traffic on the bridge across the Kerch Strait. According to the Ukrainian legislation, entry into the Crimea through ferries and cities is prohibited and qualifies as a violation of the order of crossing the entry into or departing from the occupied territory.

International organizations recognized the occupation and annexation of the Crimea unlawful and condemned Russia's actions. Western countries imposed a series of economic sanctions. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine officially announced the date of the beginning of the temporary occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia on February 20, 2014.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

In Greece, the court approved an additional request by Moscow to extradite a suspect in hacking Russian Alexander Vynnyk. His extradition is also required by France and the United States.

According to Radio Liberty, Vinnik's lawyer Ilias Spiriladis claimed on July 30 that the court in Thessaloniki satisfied the request filed by Russia: a 39-year-old man suspected of a million dollars in cyberattacks and cheating.

Earlier it was reported that the court approved a request from France for the extradition of Vynnyk.

Then, after a court decision in Russia, threatened with measures in response, but did not specify what exactly. Reflecting on the "unfriendly" decision of Athens to expel several Russian diplomats and the ban on several others entering, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia stated that the decision on Vynnika "Greek power continues to worsen the situation" in bilateral relations.

Earlier, the Supreme Court of Greece had already approved the extradition of Vynnyk to the United States - there he was accused of washing billions of dollars through the use of bitcoins.

Vinnik himself rejects all allegations of unlawful actions. He remains in custody in Greece until there is a final decision on his extradition.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Crop yields in Crimea doubled compared to last year.

According to the Censor.NET with reference to the Crimea. Realia, the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, referring to its head Dmitry Patrushev, reports this.

The Minister noted that the gross tax on July 30 amounted to more than 840 thousand tons versus 1.5 million tons last year.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, the area of ​​total destruction of agricultural crops in the Crimea amounted to more than 10 thousand hectares. Loss only for direct costs is estimated at more than 50 million rubles (about $21 million.)

At the same time, the head of the department of occupation says that Crimea will not suffer from a shortage of grain.

According to the press service, all losses of agrarians from drought have not yet been counted. The department sent documents to "Rosselhosptsentr" for an expert assessment of damage and compensation from the federal budget.

In June, in Crimea, occupiers announced a state of emergency due to drought in the Krasnogvardeysky, Nizhniy Girsk, Pervomaisky, and Soviet districts.

Ukraine provided up to 85% of the Crimean needs in fresh water through the North Crimean canal, which connects the main riverbed of the Dnieper with the peninsula. After the Crimean occupation of Russia in 2014, supplies to the peninsula were stopped.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The cost of a state subvention for rural development in 15 regions of Ukraine will be built by 310 rural outpatient clinics.

Appropriate construction projects have already been approved by the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Communal Services, said First Deputy Minister Lev Partskhaladze.

According to the deputy minister, projects of rural clinics in other regions of Ukraine plan to approve in the near future.

In particular, among the approved projects, it is planned to build 206 outpatient clinics for 1-2 doctors, of which 104 - with housing for doctors. It is also planned to build 94 institutions of group practice for 3-4 doctors, and 10 institutions - for 5-7 doctors.



"In medambulatorii there will be all necessary conditions and equipment for the provision of qualifying medical care", - noted Partskhaladze.

Previously, it was reported that the Ministry of Health will launch a pilot project on the reform of hospitals in Poltava Oblast, and in 2020 plans to implement reform throughout Ukraine.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український