Ukraine News. Monday 11 February. [Ukrainian sources]

MONDAY HEADLINES:
The House of Representatives of the United States declared the ineffectiveness of sanctions against the Russian Federation.  Russia is a wounded bear that just throws itself - the US Navy Admiral Faller.  Britain's Ministry of Defense: Russia must pay for the annexation of the Crimea and poisoning of the Violinistss.  Vice Prime Minister of Italy at the exhibition of shoes promised to fight for the lifting of sanctions against the Russian Federation.  Russia threatens Europe with problems of counteraction to "North flow-2".  Destroy Ukraine: the general has voiced Putin's devastating plans.  Putin can "kill" Ukraine in 10 days: there was a terrible outlook.  In the United States, Putin's adventure with a bridge in the Crimea: why it was built.  52% of Russians believe that the authorities are fooling them.  

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The House of Representatives Committee of the US Congress on Financial Issues has issued a memorandum stating the ineffectiveness of US sanctions against Russia.

As informs Censor.NET, informs Interfax-Ukraine.

"The sanctions did not help to deter Russia from invading the US interests and its encroachments on world values," reads the published document.

"Many experts point out that the lack of a united position in the US administration regarding the Russian problem and about what the policy should be about Moscow, as well as the lack of a consistent strategy and position of the White House in relation to Russia undermined the effectiveness of anti-Russian sanctions," the memorandum notes.

"Russia has learned how to reduce its dependence on the West, its companies have found a way to survive for limited access to finance, while Moscow is developing business and political ties with allies, such as China, India and Saudi Arabia," the document said.

At the same time, the memorandum criticized the decision of the US Treasury Department to withdraw from sanctions three companies associated with the Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska.

On January 27, 2019, the US Treasury Department of Foreign Assets Control withdrew En+, RusAl and Eurosibenergo from the list of sanctions after O.Derypaska reduced its share in these companies to 45%, so that the sanctions imposed against him did not apply to these companies.

As congressmen point out, despite the reduction of the share in companies, O.Derypaska will be able to control the En+, Rusal and Eurosibenergo. O. Deripaska himself is under US sanctions because of the fact that in the West he is closely associated with the Kremlin, and is also considered a business partner of Donald Trump's former adviser, Paul Manafort, who is accused of acting against US interests in the United States.

"The decision of the US Treasury Department to remove these companies from the" black list "may lead to their being" whitelisted", which will allow them to attract foreign capital," they note in the House of Representatives Committee, noting that companies can help the Kremlin "to operate against interests of the USA".

The meeting of the House of Representatives Committee of the US Congress on financial issues, in particular, Washington's sanctions against Moscow, Caracas, Pyongyang and Tehran, is scheduled for February 12.

After the US mid-term elections in 2018, most of the seats in the House of Representatives were congressmen from the US Democratic Party, so from 2019, the control over the Committees of the House of Representatives passed to Democrats who are actively criticizing the activities of the USR.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The United States does not have to reject the possibility of a Russian military presence in Venezuela, said the new head of the United Allied Command Forces in the Central and South American region.

The US Navy Admiral Craig Faller (Craig Faller) said in a statement in an interview with the Voice of America, a new head of the Joint US Army Command in the Central and South American region, reports Censor.NET.

According to Faller, Russia behaves like "a wounded, weakened bear that just throws itself" to democratic interests in the region.

"If we talk about Russia, then everything is possible here," said Faller, "we saw what they did (in Syria), and I think we need to be prepared for what may happen in the future."

In an interview, the US military also said that in the case of Venezuela, the US military focused on "supporting a political and diplomatic solution," and did not directly answer the question of whether the issue of deploying peacekeeping forces to Venezuela is being considered.

In this case, the military noted that in the "undemocratic" countries of the region - Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua - there is an influence of Russia and China.

"If we talk about Russia, then everything is possible here. The US national defense strategy pays attention to Russia and China... China is an increasingly powerful economic power and they have quite legitimate economic and business interests in the world, but they Instead, Russia is almost like a wounded, weakened bear that just throws itself and I can not predict what Russia will do and I do not want to prophesy. We saw what they did and I think that we need to be prepared for what might happen in the future, "Faller said.

On January 23, Huang Guaido declared himself a temporary president of the country, because earlier the parliament recognized the re-election of the incumbent president, Nicholas Maduro, to the post of President of the country unconstitutional. Immediately thereafter, US President Donald Trump said he recognized Guaido as the new interim president.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

On February 11, in his speech in London, British Defense Minister Gavin Williamson wants to declare that Russia must pay for the annexation of the Crimea and the poisoning of the Violinist
Relevant extracts from a minister's speech are at Reuters .

The speech said that Britain, after Brexit and its allies, should be prepared to use "severe force" to defend their interests against the enemies in the face of Russia and China.

"The boundaries between peace and war become blurred," says the text of the speech.

Williamson believes that the main points of tension in relations with Russia are the annexation of the Crimea, the intervention of the Russian Federation in the last presidential election in the United States, and the poisoning of the nervous-paralytic substance of former Colonel GRU Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia in British Salisbury.

"For these actions Russia has to pay," - intends to declare the head of the Ministry of Defense.

The speech also said that the cost of non-interference in the situation of Western countries is often "unacceptably high" and the West can not ignore those who need its help.

"A strategy that is to speak, instead of acting, can lead us to the fact that our nation will be perceived as a" paper tiger, "the speech also said.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

Vice Prime Minister of Italy Luigi Di Mayo said that the Italian government will fight for the lifting of sanctions against Russia

This is what Dee Mayo said at an international exhibition of shoes in Milan, reports ANSA.

"Against the notorious anti-Russian sanctions, we will continue to fight not because we are pro-Russian or pro-American, but because we are Italian," said Di Mayo.

The official expressed dissatisfaction with the losses for companies from the cessation of cooperation with the Russian Federation.

"If there are companies that suffer huge losses through sanctions, then it means that you should review the tool itself, not the principle," said Di Mayo.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

Russia has warned European countries against countering the construction of the North Stream 2 gas pipeline and declared readiness to transit gas through Ukraine only on Russian conditions
This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin, reports Deutsche Welle .

The official said that if the "North Stream-2" will resist to preserve transit of Ukraine, then "this number will not pass."

"We are ready to continue the Ukrainian transit, but on the conditions that we need," Pankin said.

The Russian representative also threatened probable problems for European consumers in the event of a hindrance to the North Stream-2 against the background of the lack of an agreement on Ukraine's transit.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

Russia did not renounce the idea of ​​cutting a land corridor into Crimea and Transnistria as Kremlin should destroy Ukraine as a state.

This was in an interview with "Faktem", a foreign intelligence veteran, Vasily Bogdan, told.

"At first, it was in their plans, and they do not refuse their plans." The Kremlin needs to destroy Ukraine as a state, split into pieces, and now they are continuing the transfer of troops to our borders. "The intelligence noted that the territory controlled by the DPR and the LNR is now being transported to the territory of professional military, in particular the generals. Why? We can only guess about it, "he said.

According to the expert, Putin had plans to blame Ukraine for using chemical weapons against residents of the Donbas. This would allow the Kremlin to move to more active hostilities. However, support from Western countries impedes this.

"The Kremlin also understands that in the case of a military operation - for example, breaking through the land corridor in the Crimea, Russian soldiers will be killed, and although it is known that Putin does not particularly value the lives of his military, he has not yet decided on such," he explained. Bogdan

Lieutenant-General is confident that the Kremlin is now using tactics of waiting, and Putin hopes for a revenge of the pro-Russian forces in Ukraine.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

In the zone of the strategic grouping of Russian troops there is a part of Ukraine where two thirds of the country's economic potential and most important defense enterprises are concentrated.

About it Dmytro Mendeleyev writes in his article for ZN.ua.

According to the author, even if the softest military scenario is implemented within 7-10 days, the country's economy may lose the ability to meet the needs of the Armed Forces to repel aggression.

He also notes that the scenarios of counteraction to aggression should be written in terms of the defense of Ukraine, which, unfortunately, does not exist today.

"I do not know if the President is worried about the speed of thinking and the ability to think in general of his subordinates who were waiting for almost five years of the introduction of a military state in order to finally endorse at the end of November last year the task of the Cabinet of Ministers to submit to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law on legislative consolidation of the concept "the plan of defense of Ukraine", - emphasizes the expert.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russia from the very beginning sought to block the Azov Sea when the Kerch Bridge was built.

This is reported by the Voice of America, referring to the words of former commander of the US land forces in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Godz.

"The bridge constructed through the Kerch Strait is made so that large cargo ships that arrived in Mariupol and Berdyansk under normal conditions could no longer do this. It was not a coincidence or a project error. It was a deliberate step to not only establish the city of Ukraine to the Russian territory, but also to begin the blockade of the Azov Sea, the strategic goal of which is to harm the Ukrainian economy, because of the importance of these ports and to strangle the Azov Sea and establish full control of Russia, "said Goges.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

52% of Russians believe that leaders of the country, senior officials hide the truth about the real state of affairs in the economy, medicine, pensions and the fight against crime

This is reported by the Russian Levada Center on the basis of the survey.

Another 33% of respondents believe that government leaders and officials sometimes tell the truth, and sometimes they are lying.

The survey was conducted on 22-28 November 2018 among 1600 people aged 18 and over in 136 settlements, 52 subjects of the Russian Federation. The research was conducted at home by the respondent by personal interview method. The statistical error is 3.4%.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

The list of Wagner PMC (off-line unit of Russia AF) mercenaries, who were defeated by the U.S. military near Deir ez-Zor, Syria on Feb. 7, 2018 and in Sudan while performing the reconnaissance tasks for Russia Ministry of Defense, has been published.

Censor.NET publishes the list of 66 Russian mercenaries.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український