Ukraine News. Saturday 23 February. [Ukrainian sources]

SATURDAY HEADLINES:
The Russian mercenary in a monastery told about the use of phosphate bombs in the Donbas.  Russian Su-27 approaching 20 meters to a Swedish plane over the Baltic. "Four dead from the morning in battle, there are wounded," - Russian terrorist Priplepin told about the loss of mercenaries in the Donbas.  The Russian mercenaries are firing their positions because of bad training.  The minimum wage in Ukraine over the past three years has increased from $ 50 to $ 150.  The priest of the UOC-MP fired on his fellow villagers due to the transition to the CPC.  Pussy Riot staged a shocking action in support of Ukraine on Swedish TV.  Poland hopes to increase the US military presence on its territory, - Duda.

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The mercenary of Russian-terrorist troops who fought on the side of the DPR in the Donbas, told about the use of militia phosphorus bombs.

The fragment of the interview is published in Twitter UA_NATO_USA_ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Alexander Kostin with the callous "Moscow", previously was "senior lieutenant of the armed forces of the DPR" and commanded a tank platoon. Now a man went to a monastery in the Penza region of the Russian Federation.

According to him, militants in their time threw all Semenivka Donetsk region with phosphate bombs.

"It's just burning it ... Motorola was personally engaged in provocations, and the SCU respected a truce, thanks to the Rostov doctors for the leg," the statement said.

 apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The Russian Su-27 fighter approached a distance of less than 20 meters to a Swedish radio intelligence aircraft over the Baltic Sea.

According to censor.NET with reference to "Echo of Moscow" , the armed forces of the Kingdom of Sweden reported this.

The country's defense minister, Peter Curtwick, in an interview with the Swedish radio said that the ministry is assessing the event as inappropriate behavior.

"Such incidents can lead to unwanted events, such as a collision, which is extremely risky," he said.



However, the Russian Ministry of Defense denied the dangerous convergence of the Russian fighter with the Swedish military aircraft over the Baltic. The Russian statement said the crew had approached a safe distance to identify the airspace, found out that it was the Gulf Stream reconnaissance aircraft of the Swedish Air Force, and then returned to the base of the airfield.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Russian terrorist and writer who created his "own" battalion in the "DPR" and fled afterwards from Donbas, Zakhar Prilepin made public information that terrorists are suffering great losses.

As reported by censor.NET, he wrote about it on Facebook.

Prilepin said: "In our Donbas subdivision, as a result of constant firefighting and fighting, there are great losses. God sees me, I have tried all these years not to press for pity and never to report our losses." But... a nightmare that is happening.

Four died a week and a half ago. Four dead from the morning in the battle that is still going on. There are wounded. The intensity of the shelling and the number of losses in the area that fell to my fellow men, as in the worst months of this four-year war.

Probably worth knowing about it. I do not know what to say. Die friends Today, now."

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The mercenaries of the Russian-occupying troops, because of the unpreparedness of the personnel, shell their positions and produce a large number of mines, of which 50% do not detonate.

According to censor.NET, referring to Ukrinform , Dmitry Gutsulyak, the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense, said such information from the Main Directorate of Intelligence during a briefing.

"On February 19-20, during attempts to inflict a fire on the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the mortar shells of the enemy fired at the positions of their troops. Moreover, due to the unpreparedness of the personnel in operations with mine equipment, about 50% of shotguns were not detonated," Gutsulyak said.

He added that the requirements to conduct combat training in the short term lead to the fact that the line of contact is sent to the unprepared personnel. Such actions by the occupants increase the danger to the local population due to the increased likelihood of defeat of civilian infrastructure and the number of unexploded mines on agricultural land.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

On January 15, the prosecutor's office prepared a statement of suspicion of the former leader of the terrorists of the "DPR", a citizen of Russia Igor Bezler, known under the callous Bis. According to his orders, the occupiers tortured the Ukrainian prisoners.

As informs censor.NET with reference to "Channel 24," reported the Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko.

He noted that Mr Chrysler was accused of war crimes stipulated in articles on cruel murders and episodes of torture of hostages.

The investigation established that in the occupied militants Gorlivka Bezler arranged real tormentors. Hostages hijacked by the AFU, law enforcement and civilians were subjected to cruel torture, some were killed.

"The prisoners were kept in unsuitable conditions for this, received a limited amount of food, water, were deprived of the possibility to normally meet the physiological needs and receive medical care", - added Lutsenko.

By the direct participation of or at his request, the occupiers carried out so-called "interrogation" and in fact terrible torture.

"People were shot at their legs, broken bones with hammers, tortured with a current and a hot soldering iron. The prisoners were choked, castrated and scalps removed from them," Lutsenko said.

Witnesses point out that subordinate Bezler lined up prisoners every night and shot every fifth. They were also forced to walk in a mined field. As a result, dozens of people perished. One witness was present during the shooting of more than 30 prisoners.



Igor Bezler is a mercenary of the Russian Federation, a terrorist. Participated in the occupation of the Crimea by Russia in the spring of 2014, and later in the Russian war against Ukraine in the Donbass. "Bezler is a Russian saboteur from the GRU, who led the seizure of the building of the SBU in Donetsk and the seizure of the district police department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the city of Gorlovka in the spring of 2014," the Peacekeeper reports.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The minimum wage in Ukraine over the past three years has tripled: in dollar terms from around $50 in 2016 to $150 in 2019.

Prime Minister Volodymyr Groisman announced this, according to censor.NET with reference to the Government portal.

"When our government started its duties, the minimum wage was about $ 50, and now $150. Growth - three times," said Groisman.

The same dynamics is demonstrated by the average wage. It now exceeds $ 380 in the dollar equivalent, although it was twice as low as three years ago.

"I understand that this is also a bit, but we are moving forward rather than backwards," said the prime minister. "The government's policy allowed the National Bank to form reserves at the beginning of the year at more than $20 billion. This is the maximum over the past five years. The inflation rate is now less than 10%, even though in 2015 they had more than 40%".

Groisman stressed that now it is necessary to continue the chosen policy, maintain financial stability and increase economic growth.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

There was a conflict with shooting in Volhynia due to the transition of the village community from the UOC-MP to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine

The police department of the Volyn region reports on shooting in the village.

Police said that on February 23, around 4:00, 102 policemen from the Volyn region received a message that one locals in the Zhidychyn village of Kivertsi district made several shots, probably from a rifle to fellow villagers.

The police registered the message and verified it. The guerrilla guards in the region and the Kivertsi police station, an investigation and operational group operate at the site.

His case witness, Taras Vysotsky, was informed of the details of the incident in Facebook.

"At 03:30 am, the rector of the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC MP of the village Zhydychyn, Kivertsi district, archpriest Vladimir Geleta opened a firearm aimed at people who peacefully warmed up at the barrels, guarding the temple, shouting at the same time:" I shoot " and also "I give an hour and all will shoot. Four shots were made", - wrote Vysotsky.

espreso.tv  In Ukrainian/український

Pussy Rio t activists staged a live broadcast of Swedish television action against the construction of the North Stream 2 pipeline.

A member of the team, Alexey Knedlyakovsky, told about it on Facebook.

He reminded that Sweden agreed to use its exclusive economic zone and ports for the construction of the gas pipeline.

"When Pussy Riot activists were invited to Swedish television as guests in the studio, they immediately decided to take advantage of the situation and capture television. At the very height of the show, the activists closed the host of the huge Stop Nord Stream 2 banner," he wrote.

According to Knedlyakovskii, "frightened guests were hiding under the chairs, the guard was burrowing."

"But we turned to them, we turned to the whole of Europe, stop Putin, stop the North Stream 2, stop the war, help Ukraine!" - he added.



As reported by the "Apostrophe", earlier, representatives of the EU member-states governments, together with the European Parliament, agreed to revise the EU energy legislation , which takes into account the compromise between France and Germany and reduces the barriers for the construction of the Russian North Stream 2 pipeline.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Poland is counting on an increase in the US military presence on its territory and is waiting for an answer on this issue from Washington, says Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Reported cenzor.NET with reference to Interfax-Ukraine.

"We expect that this presence will increase, but whether the number of troops will increase or the number of places for their deployment ... or the number of landfills, the decision will be made by the American side," said the President of Poland at a joint press conference with the Presidents of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite in Lublin.

Duda stressed that Poland agreed to the presence of American troops on its territory: "We expect the answer from America, but we can not yet say what it will be."

He also noted that there are currently 4,5 thousand US military forces in Poland.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український