Ukraine News. Friday 28 September. [Ukrainian sources]

FRIDAY HEADLINES:
Sanctions against the RF will remain in force until Ukraine returns control over Crimea - the US mission under the OSCE.  US calls on Russia to stop harassing international shipping in Azov Sea.  Poroshenko: Ukrainian government received over $1B in security assistance from US.  US Embassy in Ukraine called on the Russian Federation to stop the spread of destabilizing propaganda.  British intelligence identifies third Russian spy involved in Skripals' poisoning.  Russian prisoners took Sentsov from a colony to a hospital for a "routine examination".  Constantinople publishes centuries-old documents confirming its canonical and legal jurisdiction in Ukraine.  Tymoshenko made a loud statement on Naftogaz.  Special services of the Russian Federation sent fake messages with malicious software to Ukrainian state agencies.  

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Sanctions against Russia will remain in force until Ukraine returns full control over the annexed Crimea.

US Ambassador to the OSCE Harry Kamian said this during a speech in Vienna on September 27, the OSCE press office reports.

Kamian reminded that the United States strongly supports the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

"The United States again urges Russia to stop the campaign of repressions in the occupied Crimea and to regain control over the peninsula of Ukraine. We will never recognize the annexation of the Crimea. We join our European and other partners, arguing that our sanctions against Russia for its aggression in eastern Ukraine will remain until Russia fulfills its obligations under the Minsk Agreements, "the diplomat said.

On September 20, the State Department of the USA imposed sanctions against 33 representatives of the Russian Federation from the sphere of defense.

Recall, President Donald Trump signed a decree on strengthening sanctions against Russia because of aggression against Ukraine.

Also, the US plans to introduce new "severe" sanctions against Russia because of the Violence poisoning.

August 8, the United States announced new sanctions against Russia because of the poisoning in Great Britain of the former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia.

It should be noted that, in accordance with American law on the control of chemical and biological weapons, US authorities are obliged to stop the sale of weapons and technology related to national security, a country using chemical or biological weapons.

On August 24, the United States issued a list of sanctions against Russia through the use of chemical and biological weapons. On 27 August, these sanctions came into force .

Sanctions cover 5 points:

1. Termination of Russia's foreign assistance, except urgent humanitarian aid, food, agricultural products or products (in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961).

2. Termination of arms sales to Russia of any defense goods, defense services or design and development services; termination of sales of licenses for export to Russia of any items in the list of US ammunition (in accordance with the Export Control Law).

3. Termination of all military financing for Russia (in accordance with the Law on Export Control of Weapons).

4. Refusal to provide any loans, credit guarantees or other financial assistance to any United States Department, agency or government organization, including the United States Export-Import Bank.

5. Prohibition on the export to Russia of any goods or technology "sensitive" in terms of national security of the United States.

Russia has called unfounded accusations by the United States of involvement in the poisoning of the former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in Great Britain.

The Russian Foreign Ministry described the actions of the US as "hypocritical", relying on the fact that the United States "is in no hurry to destroy its chemical weapons arsenal and remain the only member-state of the OPCW (the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons - Ed.), Which has significant chemical reserves."

hromadske.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The U.S. called on the Russian Federation to cease its harassment of international commerce and shipping in the Sea of Azov.

As reported by Censor.NET citing a statement by the U.S. mission to the OSCE, this was said by Chargé d’Affaires, Harry Kamian as he dekivered his speech to the Permanent Council in Vienna Sept. 27

"Since April, Russia has delayed hundreds of commercial vessels attempting to reach Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov via the Kerch Strait for extended periods and at great costs," he said.

"The United States condemns Russia’s harassment of international shipping and supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," the U.S. diplomat stressed.

"We call on the Russian Federation to cease its harassment of international commerce and shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait," Kamian said.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko noted a significant contribution of the United States to the development of the Ukrainian Army.

"So far, we got over $1 billion in security assistance from the U.S. In support of the reforms of the Ukrainian national security and defense sector, support of the national security law and its implementation, which ensures interoperability of our army with that of USA and NATO," the presidential press office quoted Poroshenko as saying during his visit to the U.S. Coast Guard "Baltimore" within the working visit to the United States of America, Censor.NET reports.

"We appreciate a recent decision by the U.S. Congress even to increase this assistance. This is very supportive to our military allocations that already exceeded 6% of GDP," the head of state stressed.

According to him, this gesture of support has boosted defense cooperation between the nations and proved to be a robust measure to contain the growing Russian aggression.

"And I would like to repeat once again – today the best way to protect the Free World is to protect Ukraine with new defensive systems, with robust support in reforms, as well as with new targeted sanctions and with persistent diplomatic pressure over Russia," the president noted.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The US Embassy in Ukraine has called on Russia to stop the spread of destabilizing propaganda.

As informs Censor.NET, this is stated in the message of the US Embassy in Ukraine on Twitter.

"Today, on the International Day of Universal Access to Information, we call on Russia to stop the spread of destabilizing propaganda. We highly appreciate the work of independent journalists and NGOs that give the Ukrainian public access to true information," the report said.



ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Counter terrorism police and the security services identified a third Russian military intelligence (GRU) officer who carried out a reconnaissance mission before the poisoning of Sergei Skrypal.

As reported by Censor.NET citing UNIAN, the GRU agent is believed to have visited Salisbury to help plan the attack before two of his colleagues brought military-grade nerve agent into the UK, according to the Telegraph.

It is understood that the man has now been identified by those investigating the planned hit in March, which inadvertently led to the death of local woman Dawn Sturgess.

It came as Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, said he believed the Russians had made the attempt to kill the former spy because they felt they "got away" with the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2005.

"That's why Theresa May's reaction this time has been very different," Mr. Hunt told Sky News.

He said the Kremlin would not have expected 28 countries around the world to expel more than 150 Russian diplomats. His comments come after Ruslan Boshirov, one of the would-be assassins, was unmasked as highly decorated GRU colonel Anatoliy Vladimirovich Chepiga.

The true identity of Alexander Petrov remains unclear, though the Telegraph has established that he was using his real first name and an alias as a surname.

Now a third agent has been tracked in Salisbury and it is thought that he fed information back to Col Chepiga and Petrov. It comes after it was revealed by investigative journalist group Bellingcat that the numbers on the passports issued to Col Chepiga his accomplice in fake names were part of a series that have been linked to other GRU officers.

It is believed that the apparent blunder could have led to their international movements being traced and identities exposed. A reconnaissance mission would have been essential as an attack which saw nerve agent smeared on a door handle would not have been decided on a whim, security experts say.

The GRU officer is expected to have reported back on details such as the layout of the cul de sac and which door Mr. Skripal used to enter the property. Sergei Migdal, a security expert and former police and intelligence officer, said: "Someone would have had to carry out a reconnaissance mission beforehand.

"I understand that it was timed for Yulia's arrival as they wanted to be sure that their target would be in Salisbury. It would have been too much trouble to watch him all the time and that may have aroused suspicion. "We now know that there is a link between GRU officers and a series of passport numbers, and I would imagine that law enforcement has already looked at the border control records to establish where operatives have been."

Philip Ingram, a former intelligence and security officer, added: "There was almost certainly intelligence on the ground before the attack was carried out, it is what is called a pattern of life study. They wouldn't have turned up at the house and put it on the door handle on a whim."

Mr. Skripal and his daughter both survived the attack and are currently in hiding. The furore over the poisoning was reignited on Wednesday when Boshirov was unmasked as Col Chepiga, 39, who was made a Hero of the Russian Federation by decree of the president.

Mr. Ingram said: "This is a highly decorated officer who has clearly been fast tracked through his career and therefore it is right and proper that he would have been chosen to carry out such a mission, an international operation which is likely to have been personally authorised by Vladimir Putin.

"His boss, the head of the GRU Colonel General Igor Korobov, only got the Hero of the Russian Federation Award three years later in 2017, so it shows how highly decorated Col Chepiga was.

"Given his age he would have been fast tracked up the ranks, he was obviously seen as a rising star. "These two men were burned, their bosses knew that after this these individuals would never be able to operate overseas again.

"This colonel was obviously on the forefront for quite a number of years, Chechnya and Eastern Ukraine were really bloody, maybe he was a little bit burnt out and this was an excuse to give him one final mission before he goes off on a desk job."

The Metropolitan Police, which is leading the investigation, refused to comment.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian political prisoner convicted in Russia, was taken from a colony to a city hospital for a planned inspection.

This was reported to Interfax in the press service of the federal service for the execution of sentences (UFSVP) in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of the Russian Federation, reports Censor.NET.

"In connection with the planned inspection of September 28, 2018, the convicted Oleg Sentsov was taken to the Labitnang city hospital, where he will conduct additional investigations and he will receive consultations of specialist doctors," the report said.

As previously reported, on September 18, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine nominated O. Sentsov to the Norwegian Nobel Committee for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Recall that on September 24, sister Oleg Sentsov, Natalia Kaplan, told her brother had lost hope.

On May 16, 2018, lawyer Oleg Sentsova said that his client May 14 declared an endless hunger strike. Thus, Sentsov demands the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners who are in Russian prisons.

On August 8, sister O. Sentsov, Natalia Kaplan, reported that he continues to starve in the Russian colony, almost does not get up. "Everything is not just bad, everything is disastrously bad. Oleg sent me a letter through a lawyer, he almost does not get up. He wrote that the end is close, and he is not about dismissal," - wrote N.Kaplan on his Facebook page.

After that, L. Denisova turned to Russian colleague Tetyana Moskalkova and chairman of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights under the Russian President Mikhail Fedotov asking them to discuss any conditions for the exchange of Ukrainian director for his salvation. The Ukrainian ombudsman emphasized that the situation with O. Sentsov calls for an immediate response in view of the deterioration in his health due to the prolonged hunger strike.

In early September 2018, Sentsov handed over his unfinished films and scripts from Crimea to his colleagues.

On September 18, the Verkhovna Rada appealed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, offering a candidate for a Ukrainian filmmaker, a political prisoner, Oleg Sentsov to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. For the corresponding decree No. 9040, 245 deputies voted.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The research also proves Moscow Patriarchate has violated the rules of the Patriarchal and Synodal Act of 1686 of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has substantiated the canonical and legal jurisdiction of his church in Ukraine based on historical facts, referring to centuries-old documents on the relationship between the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Censor.NET reports citing UNIAN.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate responded to the demand of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to withdraw the exarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from Ukraine, since according to the UOC-MP their appointment had been a gross interference in the internal affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the violation of its canonical territory, according to Orthodoxia.info.

In particular, the Ecumenical Patriarchate published archives of church history and specifically the history of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the time of the baptism of Kievan Rus.

The publication is the result of research by Greek and Russian scholars who had access to the original texts of the archives of the Patriarch of Constantinople and his correspondence within many centuries. All arguments of the Ecumenical Patriarchate are based on this study, which refutes all Moscow's accusations against Constantinople of "invading" its canonical dioceses.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate considers it appropriate to recall all the historical and canonical truth about the relationship of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as evidenced by the official documents, which, unfortunately, are either ignored or deliberately concealed for understandable reasons, the study's preface said.

The document provides an opportunity to trace the whole history of the development of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In this regard, it is said that with the help of the study, especially thanks to the original correspondence, which is published for the first time, the Ecumenical Patriarchate confirms its canonical and legal jurisdiction in Ukraine.

Moreover, it proves that the Moscow Patriarchate has violated the rules of the Patriarchal and Synodal Act of 1686 of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which the latter had to endure and remain silent, but never forgot and did not forgive.

Hierarchs on Sept. 2 held meetings (Synaxis) of the Hierarchy of the Ecumenical Throne Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) to confirm that the Church of Constantinople is authorized, without the consent of other churches, to grant autonomy, or autocephaly, to a church that has requested it. This paves the way for autocephality of Ukraine's church. Further measures, such as the adoption of documents at the Synod, are expected to be taken in October.

On April 17, 2018, President Poroshenko said Ukraine was closer than ever before to creating an autocephalous united local church.

Pursuant to the instruction of Poroshenko, on April 20, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Rostyslav Pavlenko visited Istanbul and handed over to His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew the Appeal of the President of Ukraine on granting the Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

He also handed over the Verkhovna Rada’s resolution on the support for the President’s Appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew also received the appeals of the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox churches on granting the Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

The Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople has already begun the procedure needed to grant autocephaly to the new Ukrainian church. The meeting of the Synod, which will address this issue, is scheduled for October.

Recently, as part of preparations for the provision of autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate appointed Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon from the United States and Bishop Ilarion of Edmonton from Canada as its exarchs in Kyiv.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Batkivshchyna leader Yulia Tymoshenko said that after the election, NJSC Naftogaz will be liquidated as an unnecessary intermediary, the gas market will be demonopolized, which will reduce gas prices for Ukrainians at least twice.

She stated this during a press conference in Kyiv.

"In the course of six months we liquidate NJSC Naftogaz as an intermediary, which is not needed. And if he creates other intermediary structures for the sale of natural gas to Ukrainians, this will be eliminated, "she said.

Tymoshenko stressed that after the coming of the new government, the market will be demonopolized and the Ukrainians will receive their own natural gas, which belongs to them under the Constitution, at a price at least twice lower than today.

"There will be no monopoly on gas trade. We will give Ukrainian gas to people for consumption, and for the industry, the business will be a demonopolized gas market ", - said the leader of the party.

"We will be able to import liquefied gas from Odessa and Mykolaiv ports. And natural gas will be able to import everyone who wants to. And not only the corrupt leadership of Naftogaz, which, due to the company's front companies, is three times more expensive to Ukraine than it seems to be European, but in fact Russian gas, "she explained.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The e-mail boxes of law enforcement agencies, the Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian embassies abroad and foreign diplomatic missions came with fake messages with virus software allegedly from the Antiterrorist Center about the demolition of government buildings.

According to the Censor.NET, the press service of the SBU on the Facebook page.

"On the eve of the key events of the political and social life of our country, the" paraplegic "campaign is intensifying and the wave of hybrid aggression is predictably increasing. We all remember about the cyber attacks against NotPetya, BlackEnergy and other Russian attacks. Everything is much more modest, but still.

"Etonenes" were not original and used a well-known primitive method - they sent fake messages with virus software. On September 17 and 27, allegedly on behalf of the Anti-Terrorist Center at the Security Service of Ukraine on the electronic boxes of law enforcement agencies, the Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian embassies abroad and foreign diplomatic missions received letters of pseudo-domination of government objects", - inform the SBU.

ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Employees of the Border Guard Service "Kozacha Lopan" in the Kharkiv region found and detained a US citizen who tried to cross the state border with the Russian Federation by bicycle outside the border crossing point.

As the Cenzor.NET, as is stated in the report of the press service of the Eastern Regional Directorate of State Border Service of Ukraine.

"Receiving operative information from the district inspector, the border guard pushed to the place of a possible violation, and 10 meters from the state border border, detained the traveler. During the interview, the man explained that he was trying to get to Russia to see his beloved," the STSU reports.

Because of the impossibility of obtaining a Russian visa legally, a US citizen arrived in Ukraine, bought a bicycle and traveled there on an illegal journey to Russia outside the border crossing points.

For an attempt to disrupt the state border of Ukraine, a man was brought to administrative responsibility. His fate will be decided by the court. ''



ua.censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український