Ukraine News. Tuesday 25 September. [Ukrainian sources]

TUESDAY HEADLINES:
We have "good information" about the Russian military in the Donbas.  US Special Representative Volker called the countries that are ready to send peacekeepers to the Donbas.  Attack on activist in Odesa: police arrested suspects - citizens of Georgia.  Ex- "minister" of terrorists "DPR" fled to Ukraine to testify about crimes of the Kremlin.  "It's time for this Ukraine!" - pro-Kremlin journalist Leontyev regrets that the "fraternal people" survived in 2014.  Tymoshenko has a significant gap from rivals in the first round - the poll "Rating".  In the west of Ukraine, a military equipment column was noticed.  The EU will continue financial cooperation with Iran to circumvent US sanctions.  

WEATHER:
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The United States Special Representative for Ukraine, Kurt Volcker, said that the United States has information about the Russian army on the territory of the Donbas.

As Censor.NET report , he stated this in an interview with "Echo of Moscow".

"We have very good information about the commanders, the chain of command, the types of troops, their funding, the number of regular Russian army troops, the number of specialized units, and most of the forces are contract personnel," he said.

At the same time, he noted that the US did the same in other places where contractors were used as a supplement to US military operations.

"There is direct Russian command and control through a chain of command involving regular troops, regular officers, but most of the forces are contractors paid by Russia," Volker said.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Sweden, Finland, Austria, Belarus, Serbia and Turkey have already announced their readiness to participate in the UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbas.

This was reported by the special representative of the US State Department for Ukraine Kurt Volker in an interview with the Russian radio station "Echo of Moscow".

Volker noted that he could not answer the question about the number of peacekeepers required for a mission in the Donbas.

At the same time, he said, a number of countries are ready to take part in this mission.

"This was stated by Sweden, Finland, Austria, Belarus, Serbia and Turkey. In my opinion, this is a good range of countries, which includes several states that are considered in more than part of the West, and several states that are considered in the West as more than a part of the CIS, and I believe that a sense of balance would be logical,"- said Walker.

He also added that the options for introducing a mission to the occupied Donbas are currently under consideration.

"If we can achieve the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, before Ukraine sends its troops to return the territory under its control, there will arrive forces with the mandate of the UN. They will take control of Russia. They will establish security, ensure that people are protected there and take care of them, and then we would implement these political steps under the Minsk agreements. So it's not about the entire territory of Ukraine, but about all areas of the conflict, "said the US Special Representative.

Earlier, Kurt Volcker told reporters that the US has detailed information on the types and number of regular Russian troops in the Donbas.

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Stephen Pifer told the Gromadsky that, in his opinion, Russia would wait for the end of the election in Ukraine before settling the UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbass.

Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen previously told the Civic that UN peacekeepers are the only instrument to guarantee peace in the Donbas.

Earlier, US Secretary of State for National Security, John Bolton, said Russia's participation in the discussion of peacekeepers in the Donbas is a possible recognition that Russia is part of the "problem".

The idea of ​​the introduction of peacekeepers was supported by Andrzej Duda, President of Poland.

Earlier, President Petro Poroshenko said that more than 40 countries are ready to participate in the peacekeeping mission on the Donbas.

As reported, Turkey supported the introduction of UN peacekeepers in the Donbas.

Earlier, Poroshenko said that Ukraine is ready for talks on the implementation of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbass. However, for this, according to him, it is only necessary to "squeeze Russia".

The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine reported that peacekeepers should gradually take control of the Donbas.

The UN expert report said that the organization should consider attracting 20,000 non-NATO peacekeepers and 4,000 other policemen to help resolve the conflict in the Donbas.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

U.S. officials hope Russia would reconsider deployment of the S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he expects to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York amid concerns expressed by Washington over Moscow's plans to supply Syria with the S-300 surface-to-air missile system.

As reported by Censor.NET citing Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pompeo made the remarks on Sept. 24, just hours after Russia announced that it was supplying the S-300 missile system to improve Syria's defenses and help prevent a repeat of the downing of a Russian warplane by Syrian forces a week ago.

Anticipating a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which opens on Sept. 25, Pompeo said "I’m sure Sergei and I will have our time together."

"We are trying to find every place we can where there is common ground, where we can work with the Russians," Pompeo said, adding that Washington will hold Moscow "accountable" for many areas where Russia is working against the United States.

U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton said on Sept. 24 that Russia's decision to deploy the advanced antiaircraft missiles to Syria was a "major mistake" and a "significant escalation" in Syria’s seven-year war.

Bolton also said U.S. troops will not leave Syria until Iranian forces leave.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Sept. 24 that Moscow will deliver the S-300 within two weeks and will provide Syrian government forces with updated automated systems for its air-defense network.

This will improve Syrian air-defense operations and "most important, the identification of all Russian aircraft by Syrian air-defense systems will be guaranteed," Shoigu said.

Syrian government forces shot a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane down off the northwestern province of Latakia on September 17, killing all 15 servicemen aboard.

Shoigu's ministry angrily blamed Israel, accusing the country's military of using the Russian plane as a cover to dodge Syrian air-defense systems.

President Vladimir Putin took a softer approach, saying last week that the shoot-down appeared to be the result of a "chain of tragic accidental circumstances."

But Putin announced that Russia would take visible measures to protect Russian military personnel in Syria.

In a statement on Sept. 24, the Kremlin said that Putin told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of the decision during a telephone conversation initiated by Assad.

Putin "informed [Assad] about the decision to take a number of additional measures with the aim of providing for the security of Russian forces in Syria and strengthening the country's air defense, including the delivery of a modern S-300 air-defense missile complex to Syria," the statement said.

Russia has given Assad crucial support throughout the war in Syria, which began with a government crackdown on protesters in March 2011.

Moscow helped protect Assad from possible defeat and turn the tide of the war in his favor by launching a campaign of air strikes in 2015 and stepping up its military presence on the ground.

Much of Syria's air-defense network has been provided by Russia but consists of weapons that are older and less effective than the S-300.

Russia suspended the supply of an S-300 system at an earlier stage in the war, amid Israeli concerns that it could be used against it.

Shoigu said that "the situation has changed, and it's not our fault," adding that the supply of an S-300 would "calm down some hotheads" whose actions "pose a threat to our troops."

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Russia's decision to deliver an S-300 was not targeted against anyone and was aimed solely to protect Russian troops in Syria.

The reconnaissance plane's downing "was indeed preceded by a chain of tragic accidents," Peskov said, but this chain was set in motion "largely by the deliberate actions of Israeli pilots."

Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that supplying S-300s to Syria is Russia's "right" and voiced confidence that this would not hurt Russian ties with Israel.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

In Odesa, police detained three suspects in an attack on activist Oleg Mikhailik.

This is reported by the Odesa edition of "Dumskaya".

One of the suspects seized a revolver from which he allegedly shot the activist.

According to the publication, all three - citizens of Georgia and professional "bartenders" (thieves who specialize in the theft of things from cars). One of the suspects is currently hospitalized at the Jewish Hospital, and the Georgian Consul General has arrived. At the same time, Mikhailik is in the same hospital.

The publication notes that the hospitalized suspect called Tornike G. He is currently guarding special-appointed. Doctors say they can not be sent to a prison cell. The lawyer of the suspect, Vladimir Poyarkov, said that his client denied involvement in the attack. According to the lawyer, Tornike G. was next to the crime scene, and law enforcement officers tracked him down on the traffic of the mobile phone.

The lawyer also claims that, knowing that he is being sought, his client allegedly himself came to the police, accompanied by his brother and friend. After that Toronick was evil and he was hospitalized. Brother Suspect says he is paralyzed. Also, a suspect's representative stated that his client had no weapons and had no weapons, and he himself had the 1st disability group.

espreso.tv    In Ukrainian/український

Former "Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of the DPR" fled to Ukraine, fearing for his life through the struggle for power in the occupied territory of Donetsk Region after the assassination of Alexander Zakharchenko's terrorist leader.

This is reported by the SBU press service.

"Thanks to the successful special operation of our counterintelligence, another" official "was removed from the ORDLO, which is about the former" Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of the DPR". What made him run away from a" promising young republic "? It's all banal - he just became" uncomfortable " the terrorists themselves, and for the Kremlin's curators, "the report said.

According to the intelligence service, after another criminal deployment for the redistribution of spheres of influence, terrorists accused their "minister" of possession of weapons, abuse of "official position" and the theft of property in particularly large quantities for a while even sent to prison.

-On September 24, the Security Service of Ukraine announced interception of Dmitry Trapeznikov, Oleksandr Kazakov and Denis Pushilin's interrogators who, after the assassination of Alexander Zakharchenko, discussed the distribution of positions and are waiting for the decision of Vladimir Putin's adviser, Vladislav Surkov, about the new head of the terrorist organization.

-Earlier, Russia's representative in the Tripartite Contact Group Boris Gryzlov casually admitted that Russia was responsible for preparing illegal "elections" in the occupied territories of the Donbas.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

"The statement of Mikhail Leontiev is exactly the same as that of the Third Reich, ideologues of 80 years ago, for example, in his book Alfred Rosenberg in the same book called to destroy Poland. Hitler to Czechoslovakia... And here in a state that boasts of what has won fascism, now in the federal media all over the country there are calls to end the Ukraine in the same way, and they are not voiced by any random margins from the gateway, but quite the official ones, "said the blogger.

In addition, he emphasizes that it is with such Russia that we are offered to establish relations and friendship with our home-grown "peacekeepers", such as Muraev and Medvedchuk.

"I am convinced that only those people who share the Nazi, humorous views of the Russian rulers can call this state a brotherly and call for rapprochement with it," Kazan concludes.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

According to another poll, in the second round of presidential elections, with a significant margin, Tymoshenko passes, showman Zelensky - in second place
Such poll results were published by the sociological group "Rating".

In particular, 42% of respondents said they would look for an alternative among the new parties in the upcoming parliamentary elections, while 38% said they would vote for parliamentary political forces. At the same time, 61% of people believe that the 2019 elections will not be honest. The opposite opinion is at 16%.

Almost half of the respondents (44%) believe that the president should become a new person even without the experience of public administration, the other half (43%) - who has a candidate with significant country management experience to lead the country.

As for the presidential rating, Yulia Tymoshenko became the leader (13.2%), while Volodymyr Zelensky (7,8%) took second place. Five are arranged by Petro Poroshenko (6.8%), Anatoly Gritsenko (6.6%) and Yuriy Boyko (5.7%).

The five percent barrier managed to overcome Vadym Rabinovich (5.4%), Oleg Lyashko (5.2%) and Svyatoslav Vakarchuk (5%).

4.9% of the respondents would like to see another presidential candidate, 17% of the people are hard to answer, and 12.6% are not going to take part in the elections.

The "second choice" rating shows that, in theory, Gritsenko, Tymoshenko and Zelensky could still support up to 5% of the respondents, provided their main favorite is not to take part in the elections. Vakarchuk under such conditions could support another 4.4% of voters, Rabinovich - 3.8%, Sadovyi - 3.4%, Lyashka - 2.8%, Nalivaychenko - 2.2%, Shevchenko - 2.2%.

The first stage of anti-rating was consolidated by Poroshenko (50%), Lyashko (26%) and Tymoshenko (25.8%) placed on the second and third stages with a large margin. In Boyka and Rabinovich, this indicator is 23.6% and 16.2% respectively.

The smallest anti-rating is by Roman Bezsmertnyi (2%), Oleksandr Shevchenko (2%), Valentina Nalyvaichenko (3.4%) and Andriy Sadovy (3.8%).

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

To the Transcarpathia from the side of Starosambirschyna (Lviv region) was followed by a column of military equipment.

The corresponding video posted on her Facebook page by a local resident Anna Kulchytska.

In the comments, users of the network assume that the column is moving towards training ground for future military exercises, while others, on the contrary, argue that this is almost not a "special operation", however, neither the Ministry of Defense nor the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has yet to confirm such data.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The European Union will set up a special institution to carry out financial transactions with Iran, bypassing the United States sanctions, believes Iran fulfills the terms of the "nuclear deal".

This was stated by Federal High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Federica Mogherini at a meeting with representatives of Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran in New York on September 25, according to Deutsche Welle.

The future office will be set up in order for European companies to be able to engage in economic cooperation with Iran without the risk of being subject to US sanctions.

Earlier, the EU has allocated EUR 18 million to help Iran despite the resumption of US sanctions.

On August 30, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that Iran continues to comply with nuclear agreements , despite the fact that the United States has withdrawn from them and announced the resumption of sanctions against the country.

Recall that on May 8, US President Donald Trump said the United States would withdraw from an agreement on Iran's nuclear program and resume sanctions against Iran through the disclosure of "secret documents" on the continuation of Iran's development of nuclear weapons.

Iran called the US withdrawal from the nuclear program "illegal".

The EU is concerned about the release of the United States on the nuclear deal and the announcement of new sanctions against Iran.

The UN is "deeply disappointed" with the US withdrawal from a nuclear deal with Iran.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced the disclosure of "secret documents" , according to which Iran violated the nuclear deal and continued to develop weapons. After that, Israel turned troops into a state of increased combat readiness due to the Iranian activity in Syria.

The White House supported the statement by the prime minister of Israel that Iran had violated the nuclear deal.

Later, French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump have announced plans to work out a new agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned the United States that they will face a "big regret" if Donald Trump withdraws from the 2015 nuclear deal.

In 2015, Iran entered into an agreement with the US and the leading countries to refuse to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for lifting some economic sanctions, including the ban on international oil trade.

The governments of the leading European countries consider the agreement with Iran an important condition for international security.

At the same time, a number of countries, in particular the current US and Israeli administration, express fears that the agreement does not provide firm guarantees for Iran's refusal to develop nuclear weapons.

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український