Ukraine News. Saturday 9 March. [Ukrainian sources]

SATURDAY HEADLINES:
US agrees with Yovanovitch's statement on Kholodnytskyi replacement.  Yovanovitch's statement on Kholodnytskyi replacement shows concern about course of reforms in Ukraine.  Two arrested for trying to bribe presidential candiadte Tymoshenko to quit election.  Residents of the Odesa region promise 5 thousand UAH for a vote for a certain candidate in the elections.  Poroshenko's revenge: In the West, they pointed to the Kremlin's large-scale plan to return Ukraine to itself.  Putin bikers from "Night Wolves" plan motor raids for the fifth anniversary of an illegal "referendum" in the Crimea.  The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused an employee of the US Embassy in an attempt to take Sheremetyevo's mine.  Putin's rating has established in Russia a new record low.  US State Department will promote freedom of the Internet in Ukraine.  

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U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale has supported a statement by U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch on the need to replace Chief of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) Nazar Kholodnytsky.

Hale said this at a press conference in Kyiv, Censor.NET reports, citing Ukrinform.

"Ambassador Yovanovitch represents the president of the United States here in Ukraine, and America stands behind her statements [regarding the need to replace the SAP chief]," he said.

When asked whether the U.S. ambassador's statement was interference in Ukraine's internal affairs, Hale said that the United States seeks what the Ukrainian people seek – the aspirations clearly defined and expressed during the Revolution of Dignity.

"Ukrainian people said then and they say now, I believe, that they want to make a choice – the choice for transparency, accountability and modern good corporate governance. It's especially important that the institutions [in Ukraine] be led by individuals who are committed to those values, especially the institutions that are designed to enforce those rules," Hale said.

Earlier, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch called for the dismissal of Chief of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office Nazar Kholodnytsky.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Statement by the US Ambassador to Ukraine Mari Yovanovitch on the need to replace the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) Nazar Kholodnytskyi is a demonstration of concern about the pace of reforms in Ukraine, said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin
Answering the question on whether US Ambassador's statement on Kholodnytskyi could be an interference into internal affairs of Ukraine, Klimkin said: "The USA is our friend and partner, they worry about the course of reforms and about our fight against corruption" Censor.NET reports citing Interfax-Ukraine.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added he is not going to give other comments on this issue.

US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale emphasized that anti-corruption bodies of Ukraine should be headed by people who are committed to the principles of transparency, accountability and modern effective governance.

As noted eairlier, U.S. Ambassador Yovanovitch said SAP Chief Nazar Kholodnytskyi must be replaced. In turn, Kholodnytskyi refused to comment on Yovanovitch's statement.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Ukraine's prosecutor-general Yurii Lutsenko says two people have been arrested for trying to bribe Yurii Tymoshenko into dropping him run for president.

Censor.NET reports, Yurii Lutsenko said in a post on Facebook on Wednesday that the suspects proposed paying Tymoshenko UAH 5 mln ($188 thousand) to drop out of contention for the March 31 vote.

The post said the investigation that led to the arrests started after Tymoshenko reported the bribe attempt.




censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Unidentified persons on the territory of Saratov and some villages of the district distributed leaflets with the offer of monetary compensation for the support of the election of one of the candidates.

As informs Censor.NET, this is stated in the message Bilgorod-Dnistrovsky police department in the Odesa region.

"According to the applicant, in the district unknown, they distributed leaflets containing information on his behalf on the issuance of 5,000 hryvnias to each local resident at the age of 18 to 80 years, which on the election will vote for a certain candidate.

During the immediate measures, such postcards were found by policemen in the district center, as well as in the villages of Petropavlivka, Pshenichnaya, Kryva Balka and Zorya."

The information on the specified fact is entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations on the grounds of Article 157 (violation of the exercise of electoral law) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

At present, measures are being taken to establish persons involved in this offense.

censor.net.ua    In Ukrainian/український

The Kremlin's efforts to smash the re-election of the president of Ukraine is a plan by Russian President Vladimir Putin to return it to Russia.

This is reported by the publication Politico.

"With the approaching date of the presidential election on March 31, Russia has stepped up its efforts to influence the election race. A recent US intelligence report showed that the Kremlin wants to use" a number of tools "to" take advantage of the fragile state of Kyiv's economy, widespread corruption, cyber vulnerability and public discontent, "the report said.

The purpose of the Kremlin is to disrupt the re-election of the president of Ukraine and bring the government less anti-Russian. In the opinion of foreign diplomats, Poroshenko's candidacy is now the only chance to keep Ukraine from re-emerging in the orbit of Russia's influence.

It is also noted that one should not underestimate Putin's deep desire to restore influence on Ukraine. For the president of the Russian Federation it is not so important who will win the elections, only Poroshenko.

"The victory of one of the other two leading candidates - the politically inexperienced comedian Volodymyr Zelensky and the left political veteran Yulia Tymoshenko, whose policy may break the Ukraine's relationship with the International Monetary Fund - is likely to destabilize the country and create Putin's conditions for greater influence," the statement said.

Putin's main motive is not so much the election of a presidential-friendly Kremlin, but to make it clear to any future Ukrainian president that the refusal to go to the Kremlin will lead to a political collapse. The reasons for the Kremlin, aimed at breaking the campaign of Poroshenko, are also deeply personal.

"Having come into power five years ago, Poroshenko presented himself as a pragmatic candidate fighting for peace. Through his business and wealth, he also had the reputation of a pragmatic political policy that was ready to conclude agreements. Putin probably thought that business - Poroshenko interests in Russia - left - will make him compromise, "- the publication writes.

Faced with this testimony of Russian intervention, Poroshenko, who was criticized, seems to be a strategically safe alternative to many Western observers. But the Ukrainian president was a big opponent: Poroshenko used his diplomatic abilities to engage widespread support in the West to impose serious economic sanctions against Russia.

"At home, Poroshenko reduced the cultural influence of Russia by forbidding Russian TV stations and social media platforms, as well as promoting the use of the Ukrainian language in the media and in schools, and also successfully lobbied for the creation of an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a religious schism that seriously hit historic claims Moscow to Kiev, and will cost the Russian church a million dollars in church ownership, and also sharply undermine its soft influence in Ukraine ", - the statement said.

In addition, the Ukrainian leader also succeeded in persuading the United States to provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons and restore the Ukrainian arms industry and create a Ukrainian armed force.

"All this annoys Putin, who was expecting Ukraine to melt under the influence of aggression and destabilization by Russia, and he finds it unbearable that Poroshenko could win another term," the media said.

Since the beginning of the election season, Russia has launched hundreds of millions of dollars to influence and disrupt the course of elections in Ukraine, according to the Security Service of Ukraine, SBU.

The Kremlin sought to exacerbate the political atmosphere by promoting interethnic and inter-confessional conflict, and portraying Poroshenko as a helpless leader who was unable to maintain order.

She also activated her cyber attacks against Ukrainian officials and the Central Election Council of the country she strikes on daily, sometimes hourly basis, as well as her campaign of misinformation in social media.

"Information about documents from an unknown source, published last month by a Ukrainian anti-corruption controller sponsored by the West, said that Poroshenko had been misused, also reveals the possibility that the data could be falsified by Russian or friendly Russian actors," the newspaper wrote.

The Kremlin also laid the foundation for this campaign against Poroshenko, expanding the opportunities for businessmen and politicians friendly to the Kremlin for their beneficial deals and access to the market.

"There are many examples: leading Ukrainian pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, whose daughter is Putin's godmother and whose wife recently became the majority owner of the company, who won a tender for using a profitable Russian oil field last year, affects several television news stations." Taras Kozak, a deputy and an influential importer of Russian diesel fuel, who is also a co-owner of the Russian weapon maker, has removed the popular channel 112. The oligarch Dmitry Firtash, who made billions as a dew ing the intermediary of gas trade in the early 2000s, owns the TV channel "Inter" - has seen a steady stream of criticism Poroshenko at the approach of elections, "- said in a statement.

The scale of Russian intervention in Ukrainian politics may look unlikely, but this is not the case. Faced with this, Poroshenko, who was criticized, seems to be a strategically safe alternative to many Western observers.

"Of course, his presidency has mixed assessments. Despite some economic growth, for the majority of Ukrainians, whose average wage in December was $ 390, the situation is not improving, and although he controls the suppression of corruption, critics accuse him of the slow pace of reforms, when it comes to criminal justice ", - wrote in the media.

If we talk about an alternative, then its rivals are likely to weaken Ukraine's ties with the West or contribute to uncertainty, destroying the latest achievements. Western politicians realized that it was in their interests to accept his achievements and close his eyes to his failure. To the same conclusion come the patriotic liberals of Ukraine.

"Yaroslav Hrytsak, one of the most prominent public intellectuals in Ukraine, recently said:" The main solution for liberals today is to support Poroshenko in the first round or wait for the second one, "the statement said.

apostrophe.ua  In Ukrainian/український

Prokremlev Bike Club "Night Wolves" is going to mark the fifth anniversary of the "referendum", designed to legalize the occupation of the Crimea, a motorcycle race to Mount Gasforth.

Bikers are going to start a run in the center of Simferopol, reports censor.NET  with reference to "Crimea. Realia". Then the column plans to travel along the Tavrida trail to Sevastopol. At Sapun Mountain will be formed a united column, which will then pass through the center of Sevastopol. The end of the route is Mount Gasforth, where "Night Wolves" annually conduct a bike show.

At the site near Mount Gasforth, they plan to arrange a concert in moving scenery of bike shows, an air waltz of paragliders, dance groups are expected to perform. The entrance to the show "Night Wolfs" on March 16, 2019 promise to make free.

In addition, according to the Crimean media, on Mount Gasfort will bring "the largest Russian flag", which allegedly entered the Guinness Book of Records. Previously, the Russian tricolor has already visited the Arctic on the drifting ice of the North Pole, on the ice of Lake Baikal and in the sky above Zvenigorod.

Musicians who are devoted to Putin are scheduled to perform at the concert: Alexander Marshal, Sergey Skachkov and the band "Zemlyane", Gleb Kornilov, group "December".

The organizers expect that about 200 representatives of the "Night Wolf" motorclub will take part in the run.

On March 16, 2014, an illegal referendum on the status of the peninsula, which was to legalize the occupation of the ARC in the eyes of the world community, took place on the territory of the Crimea and Sevastopol. It was not possible to accomplish this task - the occupation did not receive international recognition. This did not prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from announcing on March 18 the "accession" of the Crimea to the Russian Federation.

International organizations recognized the occupation and annexation of the Crimea illegal and condemned Russia's actions. Western countries imposed economic sanctions. Russia denies the occupation of the peninsula and calls it "the restoration of historical justice." 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.

censor.net.ua    In Ukrainian/український

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that an employee of the US Embassy tried to carry Sheremetyevo Airport in a baggage with a fuzzer, but without explosive material. The mine was taken, the Americans were released from the country.

This is censor.NET reports with a link to TASS.

"The morning of March 9, at the entrance to the terminal of D-Moscow Sheremetyevo airport, during the illumination of a US Embassy employee's luggage, an object similar to a mortar mine was discovered," the source said. "Explosive technicians have confirmed that this is really a mine with a blast, but without a blast matter, although her traces were present inside the corps."

An employee of the American diplomatic mission was in Russia on a business trip. According to the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, he argued that he bought an empty mine for his personal collection.

"Because the American was late on the flight, he was helped to re-register the ticket, and at 14:35 he freely flew to New York without a mines," the ministry said.

The US State Department has not yet commented on the statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The level of Russian confidence in President Vladimir Putin has fallen to a record 32%.

According to the Censor NET, this is evidenced by the rating data released on March 7 by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIHD).

According to the center, the rating level has fallen by the average for a week from February 25 to March 3.

"Volodymyr Zhirinovsky (leader of the LDPR), editor-in-chief, remains the leader of distrust: 24.5% would not trust him in solving important state issues. The second and third positions on the list are Sergei Shoigu (head of the Russian Defense Ministry, ed.), - 14.6%, Sergey Lavrov (the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation - Ed.) - 13.4%,"- said in the Central Social-Democratic Center.

Putin's rating United Russia for the last week was at 35.4%, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation had 15.3% support for the population, the Liberal Democratic Party 11.4%, and Just Russia 6.1%.

"The index of approval of the president's activity is 64.3%, the prime minister and the government of the Russian Federation - 36.5% and 40.8% respectively," said sociologists.

censor.net.ua  In Ukrainian/український

The US State Department has announced a tender for a program to promote freedom of speech in the Ukrainian segment of the Internet.

Placed at the US State Department website, reports Cenzor.NET. For the advancement of freedom in Ukraine, the states are ready to allocate from $500 thousand to $1.18 million for a program lasting from 1 year to 3 years.

"The US Department of State, the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open call for organizations interested in filing applications for programs that promote freedom of the Internet in Ukraine," the report states.

It is anticipated that the aim of the new program will be directed towards the policy of promoting freedom of speech on the Internet in Ukraine; to bring together technical experts, lawyers, civil society, media and the private sector in this direction; intensify interaction between sectors to deal with threats to freedom of the Internet, etc.

"The program should focus on consensus among stakeholders in Ukraine on freedom of expression during conflict, in particular on solving self-censorship issues, as well as the intersection of issues of national security and freedom of speech on the Internet," the document said.

It is envisaged that the program will last from one to three years. The American side is ready to fund an initiative from $500,000 to $180,500.

censor.net.ua    In Ukrainian/український