voyageur said:
From RT, news of the two Russian nationals each convicted in Kiev's kangaroo court. The two men, Yevgeny Erofeev and Aleksandr Aleksandrov were sentanced to 14 years in prison. There is also talk of an exchange for the Ukrainian, Nadezhda Savchenko (check her out on SOTT)
https://www.rt.com/news/340108-ukraine-russians-sentence-terrorism/
Without Charge or a Trial: Dozens of Russians Languish in Ukrainian Prisons
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/04/without-charge-or-trial-dozens-of.html
Russians Evgeny Erofeev and Alexander Alexandrov, whom the Kiev court the day before sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment for alleged terrorism, won't submit an appeal. This was reported by their lawyers.
There are dozens of Russians in Ukrainian prisons today, whom the authorities have accused of committing political crimes.
Evgeny Mefedov cut his veins in the courtroom, trying to attract attention. But he is not Ukrainian fire-coordinator Savchenko. And European human rights defenders don't mind that a Russian citizen is sitting in a Ukrainian prison without a sentence already for two years, cutting his hands, and refusing to eat. And the decision to release him on bail was not executed until now.
On the day when bail was posted, the Odessa prison was surrounded by "Right Sector" activists. The journey home from prison for Evgeny could become the last of his life. Evgeny was warned about this also by the head of the detention center. So he continues to sit under the protection of prison guards in a cell with Antimaidan activists, who on May 2nd, 2014 managed to not burn to death in the House of Trade Unions.
None of those among the supporters of the Maidan who threw Molotov cocktails, was taken to court. Evgeny, working as the taxi driver in Odessa, carried products to Kulikovo field by request. When it all started, he was brought by the crowd, pressed by nationalists, inside of the House of Trade Unions. He miraculously escaped from a burning building, inhaling carbon monoxide, and was immediately arrested by the police. Kiev then did whatever was needed to prove that there are the Kremlin agents in Odessa. The Russian passport of Evgeny Mefedov proved to be very helpful here.
Resident of Volgograd Oleg Khlyupin was forced to torture and to slander himself. Ukrainian mass media spread around information about the capture of an employee of the Russian special services. It was all lies, because after elementary checking of the alleged contacts in the Russian military office, in reality the numbers are from Volgograd clinic phones. Oleg went to the Luhansk region to pick up his elderly and nearly blind father in Russia, who lived under bombardment.
The taxi driver carrying Oleg from the border brought him to the location of the neo-Nazi "Tornado" battalion. From here they started to make from him a Russian spy. "Multiple fractures, a broken rib cage, seven ribs," says Oleg, "a punctured lung... I could have been made to stay there forever, either in prison or killed in a pit."
Thanks to the efforts of the Russian authorities, said Oleg, he was free. At the same time dozens of Russian citizens remain in Ukrainian prisons.
But how to make come back those who the existence of which the authorities of Ukraine simply deny. Vladimir Bezobrazov two years ago was grabbed and thrown in jail in the resort village near Odessa. He arrived there on vacation with his mother and young son.
He inadvertently said something. In the cafe he advised the waiter who complained about low wages, to go to work in Donetsk. The phrase was overheard by an officer of the Ukrainian border guard service. That evening, recognition in the recruitment of militants for the DPR and LPR was beaten from Vladimir.
Vladimir gave a confession because he was promised otherwise his relatives would be killed. When his relatives left Ukraine, he refused to confess, and received five years probation in prison. But he was never released. The person disappeared. Nobody knew where he was for a long time. The official response of Kiev - they hadn't released a prisoner named Vladimir Bezobrazov in Ukraine. Finally, they found him, in Kharkov.
"In the center of the city stands the building of the SBU, and in the side path is seven or eight cameras, several of them female. They are taken for a walk once in three months in this hole, where even light is not visible. There were people who were kidnapped and thrown into a secret prison; Some of them had Elizarov apparatus on their feet, and without medical help they became disabled," says human rights activist Tatiana Buiko. In this secret prison and Vladimir. This was reported by the people who came from there, who were exchanged with the authorities of Novorossiya. The son has not see his father for 2 years. The boy's grandmother looks after him.
Why was Vladimir sentenced to probation, languishing in a sort of unofficial, illegal jail? He is not on the lists on the exchange, according to his mother.
A writer from Odessa has counted all the dead at the House of Trade Unions on Kulikovo field
A Total of 397 People Died at the House of Trade Unions
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/04/a-total-of-397-people-died-at-house-of.html
Odessa historian and writer Alexey Ivakin, for the past two years, has been making inquiries into the dead and missing citizens who were participants of the clashes on May 2nd, 2014. Some died in the fire at the House of Trade Unions, some were shot or beaten with reinforced steel on the streets – Ivakin counted them all. There were 397 people, including those who rallied for Russia, and their opponents. Now the historian is preparing to publish a nonfiction book and a series of stories about those tragic events and the participants.
It should again be noted: among the dead in Odessa on May 2nd were pro-Russian activists from Kulikovo field, and their opponents – Ukrainian nationalists. Another significant caveat: some of the victims of the "Odessa grinder" died from beatings, wounds, and injuries sustained on May 2nd, but not on the day of the tragedy, but later, in the hospital. Dozens of volunteers from both sides of the conflict helped Alexei Ivakin count the victims. As a result, the statistics can be considered to be the most complete. However, the Ukrainian authorities have not yet officially reacted: most likely because no one wants to add fuel to the fire on the eve of the anniversary of the tragedy.
Among those killed were members of the "Right sector", firefighters who tried to extinguish the fire on Kulikovo field, policemen from the Greek streets that hosted the clashes, security agency officials who worked in the House of Trade Unions, employees of the state emergency service of Ukraine who lead people away, bystanders, and activists of Russian-speaking organizations. Some of the victims have not been classified – name-surname and passport data is known, but "who" they fought is not clear.
Those hot on the trace of the Odessa tragedy repeatedly reported that the number of victims, in fact, was not 48, as was stated in the official statistics, but it is much more. Oleg Tsarev, the Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, spoke of more than one hundred victims. Deputy of the Odessa regional Council Vadim Savenko counted 116 victims from the confrontation. The Kiev newspaper "Segodnya" reported that the number of victims is "three times more than the figure presented in the official statistics".
The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to violate the truce in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. The village of Zaytsevo is in the line of fire, where the most recent shelling has damaged the school building and the local administration, as well as residential homes. The details were reported by RT correspondent Murad Gazdiev.
Craters Left by Unexploded Rockets and Phosphorous Bombs: The Ceasefire in Donbass (RT Video)
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/04/craters-left-by-unexploded-rockets-and.html
The RT crew visited the village of Zaytsevo in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, which in recent days has been in the line of fire. Firstly, the reporters didn't notice anything unusual or dangerous: a football field next to the local school, a playground, horizontal bars and gates, a nearby field, where local residents are planting.
But the trouble is that a football may accidentally fly there, where there is an unexploded rocket from an RPG-22. Judging by the markings, it was manufactured in 1989. It fell on one of the sites of the village a few days ago. Apparently, the grenade is faulty, so the engineers have to work hard to defuse this missile. It could explode right on the spot.
Banned phosphorus bombs were used during the shelling of the village. They detonate in the air. As a result, the substance is dispersed and ignited upon contact with the air. The body of the bomb burned a hole in the ground with a depth of approximately six feet. The edges of the crater are covered with white bloom - traces of phosphorus.
"In the past few days there has been a lot of shooting, the #15 school is completely broken. Kids don't receive an education," complained one of the residents.
This village is on the front line. The Ukrainian military is located just 400 metres to the West. Zaytsevo has now become a kind of target: six houses were destroyed in the recent shelling.
The crew inspected the houses damaged by shelling. By the nature of the destruction, you can get an idea of the types of munitions that were used. The journalists wanted to get closer to the houses that were shelled by the Ukrainian side recently, but it is still unsafe. In the east of Ukraine, blue vests with the inscription "Press" are more of a target than a means of protection.
Daytime in the village is quiet. As the locals said, the fighting usually starts closer to night. Of course, both sides of the conflict do not allow themselves to violate the truce in the presence of OSCE observers. It should be noted that many of the houses have been left by their owners: doors locked, windows shuttered. Some houses are completely destroyed. In Zaytsevo, there are still dozens of local residents: they simply have nowhere else to go.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he expected the new armed OSCE mission will be deployed in Donbass.
Poroshenko Expects Donbass OSCE Police Mission in 'Nearest Future'
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160422/1038453164/poroshenko-osce-donbass.html
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Friday that he expects the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to deploy a police mission in the nearest future to control the ceasefire in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region.
"In the nearest future I expect the deployment of a new, armed OSCE mission to control the ceasefire, guard withdrawn weapons…and ensure control of uncontrolled parts of the Ukrainian-Russian border," Poroshenko said.
Pianist Valentina Lisitsa Performs Again in Donetsk
http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/04/pianist-valentina-lisitsa-performs.html
"We can now confidently say that the festival "Prokofiev Spring" today received serious proportion. The headliner of the festival is Valentina Lisitsa. Four concerts will take place in the cities most affected by the fighting. Today she will give her first concert in Donetsk. She will perform accompanied by the Philharmonic "Viola" chamber orchestra and will play solo," said the general Director of the Donetsk state academic Philharmonic society Alexander Paretsky.
As Valentina Lisitsa admitted herself, it is very exciting and a pleasure to perform in Donetsk again. "I feel how wonderful the listeners are here," she said.
On 22nd April, the Donetsk philharmonic will hold a solo concert with Valentina Lisitsa. And on April 23rd, the birthday of Sergei Prokofiev, the Donetsk State Academic Opera and Ballet will host a concert of the great composer's works.
The festival "Prokofiev Spring" on April 24th at the concert hall of the Donetsk Philharmonic will feature performances from the Symphony orchestra and soloist musicians from Moscow.
Meeting Of All Diplomats From Macedonia Is Cancelled In Vienna
http://novorossia.today/113998-2/
Zoran Zaev’s demanding for the unconstitutional delaying of elections, and for the withdrawal of President Gjorge Ivanov’s declaration to pardon all politicians, is the reason the leader meeting in Vienna, scheduled for Friday, has been canceled.
The information was published by Republika weekly. Without further detail, it was said that the meeting is canceled.
European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, along with the three MEPs Eduard Kukan, Richard Howitt, and Ivo Vajgl, were supposed to host the four Macedonian political leaders, Nikola Gruevski, Zoran Zaev, Menduh Thaci, and Ali Ahmeti, for a new round of negotiations to resolve the political crisis in the country.
Thursday morning it was announced that the ‘house of EU’ in Vienna has already started preparing the hall for the meeting for solving the political crisis in Macedonia, and unofficially the MEPs are expecting all invited to attend the leader’s meeting, which would take place even if some of them are absent.
