Civil War in Ukraine: Western Empire vs Russia
- Thread starter angelburst29
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angelburst29
The Living Force
voyageur said:
I think, the "limited 90 day visa" is Poroshenko's way of offering "the bare minimum" to satisfy requirements for an EU tranche of 10 million euros ($11 million) under the guise of using the money towards support and reform of the public administration? It comes on the heels of Trump cutting off a large percentage of the funding, that Obama had sent to prop up their lackeys.
Ukraine Receives $11 Million From EU for Public Administration Reform
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201705131053592560-ukraine-eu-tranche-public-administration-reform/
Back-dated May 13, 2017 - Ukraine has received 10 million euros ($11 million) from the European Union as the first tranche within the EU program supporting the reform of the public administration in the country, the press service of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers said Saturday in a statement.
"The European Union adopted the decision on payment of the first fixed tranche of budget support in the framework of the EU programme supporting Ukraine in implementing a comprehensive Public Administration Reform. … Ukraine has received 10 million euros to support the reform of public administration," the statement reads.
The statement added that the European partners of Ukraine had noted the government's efforts to reform public administration as well as the political will to implement these changes.
In November, the European Union announced that it would provide additional 300 million euros ($316.5 million) to Ukraine to support the public administration reform, the process of decentralization and the establishment of the rule of law in the country.
Earlier this week, the European Council announced Thursday it had approved a measure granting Ukrainian citizens 90-day visa-free travel within the bloc.
Not as Rosy as Painted: Why EU Visa-Free Regime Will Soon Infuriate Ukrainians
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201705131053575973-ukraine-eu-visa-free-regime/
Back-dated May 13, 2017 - In an interview with Sputnik, Mikhail Pogrebinsky, head of the Kiev-based Center for Political and Conflict Resolution Studies, suggested that the numerous problems Ukrainians will face after entering the EU will lead to widespread disillusionment about their country's visa-free regime with the EU.
On Thursday, the EU Council approved the liberalization of the visa regime with Ukraine, allowing those who travel "for business, tourist or family purposes" to enter and stay in the European Union for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.
The regulation, applying to the Schengen area and excluding Ireland and the United Kingdom, allows Ukrainian citizens to travel to the EU for business, tourist or family purposes with a biometric passport.
Speaking to Sputnik, Pogrebinsky said that after the visa-free travel regulation enters force, those Ukrainians who will travel to the EU may face the necessity of confirming their ability to stay within the bloc, among other problems.
He noted that while the visa-free regime will allow Ukrainians to take a vacation in the EU, it will not give them the opportunity to work or study in EU countries.
Earlier, Russian political analyst Vladimir Zorin told Sputnik that the European Union is tired of the political limbo in Ukraine and expects Kiev to take political action in exchange for Brussels granting Ukrainian citizens a 90-day visa-free visit.
The EU is waiting for Kiev to do something in exchange for the visa-free travel. Brussels is tired of the current political and economic limbo in Ukraine, and the EU needs neither a frozen nor simmering conflict there, not to mention an open one," Zorin said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Meshkov, for his part, said that the EU's latest decision to grant Ukrainian citizens a 90-day visa-free visit is a "carrot on a string" that does little in the way of easing the current system.
He pointed out that the restriction on the duration of stay remained and that the new regulations had "nothing to do with work authorization."
"We understand that the so-called visa-free regime with Ukraine is to some extent a carrot on a string that slightly eases the existing system," Meshkov said at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Thursday.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Nazi Ukraine Units (AFU) destroy their own military positions near the town of Popasnaya, Thanks To Eye Witness account Of ANNA News Agency Capturing All On Video ! Nazi Ukraine Military Firing On Their Own Positions, Using Artillery And Small Arms Fire.
Thanks To ANNA News Agency, Video Captures Nazi Ukraine Units Firing On Their Own Positions With Artillery And Small Arms Fire (Video)
http://novorossia.today/thanks-anna-news-agency-video-captures-nazi-ukraine-units-firing-positions-artillery-small-arms-fire/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9A1Hj98Y_g (7:02 min.)
Recently, the Ukrainian media have argued that the ceasefire regime is violated by the young Republics.
A group of military correspondents of the Anna News agency spent the night at the heights of the locality of Kalinovo, and recorded the shooting by Nazi Ukraine Units AFU.
The barrel artillery and small arms worked all night. It turned out that the Ukrainian war criminals fired upon their own positions and localities.
US advisers arrive in Donbass, offer further support to Ukraine
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/us-advisers-arrive-in-eastern-ukraine.html
"While working in the ATO zone (anti terrorist operation zone), the American military and political experts have held meetings with representatives of the operational-tactical group of the Ukrainian side, their subordinate units and departments. In the process, they discussed with the Ukrainian members of the issue of security, technical and material support." - it said in a statement.
As noted, special attention is paid to the use of modern technical means of intelligence, including unmanned aerial vehicles.
"The delegation of experts from the United States visited the frontline village of Shirokino, where they inspected combat damage at a local school, and other infrastructure which has suffered from the recent shelling" - added the Ukrainian Ministry.
Ukrainian factory cut up into scrap metal to pay workers' wages
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukrainian-factory-cut-up-into-scrap.html
The premises is now closed and the plant is being cut for scrap; the returns are expected to be on around 3 million hryvnia ($115k USD).
This is occurring against the backdrop of a visa-free regime with the EU. Where else if not Europe will the people go?
Russian Peace Officers Of The JCCC Who Are Trying To Establish A Ceasefire Were Under Attack By Nazi Ukraine Military Units
http://novorossia.today/russian-peace-officers-jccc-trying-establish-ceasefire-attack-nazi-ukraine-military-units/
The Russian officers from the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire (JCCC) and the management of the municipal enterprise , Water of Donbass found themselves in the zone of shelling by the Ukrainian military in the area of the Yuzhnodonbassky water conduit near Yasinovataya.
Today, at about 9.30, the Ukrainian side again opened fire on the area of the pumping station of the first ascent of the South Donbass water conduit. In the zone of the shelling were the Russian officers from the JCCC and the head of the communal enterprise Water of Donbass, who arrived at the water canal for inspection after the night shelling,’ said a representative of the DPR in the JCCC.
He added that there had been no casualties, the members of the delegation had taken refuge in a bomb shelter.
Earlier, it was reported that as a result of the night shelling, the pumping station of the first ascent of the Yuzhnodonbassky water conduit near Yasinovataya had stopped its work.
50 tons of water delivered to Donbass after pumping station damage by Kiev forces
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/50-tons-of-water-delivered-to-donbass.html
"In just one day, rescuers were able to deliver 47 tons of water to the inhabitants of Dokuchaevsk", - it said in a statement.
The ministry noted that the supply and distribution of water was organized by the personnel of the Fire and Rescue service of Dokuchaevsk.
A reminder, that as a result of shelling on June 11 the pumping station of the Yuzhnodonbasskaya area was damaged. The water supply was discontinued to 40 villages, on both sides of the front line. In particular, Dokuchaevsk declared an emergency situation.
1,000 RESIDENTS LEFT WITHOUT ELECTRICITY DUE TO NAZI UKRAINE BOMBING OF YASINOVATAYA
http://novorossia.today/1-000-residents-left-without-electricity-due-nazi-ukraine-bombing-yasinovataya/
The localities Krasny Partisan , Vasilyevka in the Yasinovataya area were without power as a result of the shelling by the Nazi Ukrainian military; in total, over 1,000 subscribers remain without electricity. This was reported by the administration of Yasinovataya.
‘As a result of yesterday’s shelling from the Ukrainian side, power lines were damaged. The localities Vasilyevka and Krasny Partisan are completely without power, total power outage ! In total, there are 1,138 subscribers there,’ says the report.
The administration added that the shelling had also damaged the windows of a house along Central Street in the locality of Vasilyevka.
Poroshenko bans St. George's ribbons
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/poroshenko-bans-st-georges-ribbons.html
Under the new law, a public demonstration of the St. George ribbon will result in a fine of 850 hryvnia to 2550 hryvnia, with confiscation of the ribbon. Moreover, for repeated violations of the law, a fine of up to 5,100 hryvnia (about $ 200) can be issued or administrative arrest for 15 days.
Ironically, the penalty does not apply to World War II veterans, whose medals and awards carry the colours and the design of the St. George ribbon.
It would seem, changing of historical narrative will become much easier once the older generation passes on.
Civil War in Ukraine May Stop if Kiev Implements Minsk Deal - Kremlin
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706131054584369-ukraine-donbass-civil-war-russia/
The civil war in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbass can only be stopped if authorities in Kiev fully implement the Minsk agreements, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
"Calling things by their proper names, this is a civil war, which can be only stopped by Ukraine itself through the implementation of the Minsk agreements," Peskov told reporters.
Commenting on a proposed Ukrainian law calling to recognize Donbass as occupied by Russia, Peskov said that "Russia does not occupy any territories."
Thanks To ANNA News Agency, Video Captures Nazi Ukraine Units Firing On Their Own Positions With Artillery And Small Arms Fire (Video)
http://novorossia.today/thanks-anna-news-agency-video-captures-nazi-ukraine-units-firing-positions-artillery-small-arms-fire/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9A1Hj98Y_g (7:02 min.)
Recently, the Ukrainian media have argued that the ceasefire regime is violated by the young Republics.
A group of military correspondents of the Anna News agency spent the night at the heights of the locality of Kalinovo, and recorded the shooting by Nazi Ukraine Units AFU.
The barrel artillery and small arms worked all night. It turned out that the Ukrainian war criminals fired upon their own positions and localities.
US advisers arrive in Donbass, offer further support to Ukraine
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/us-advisers-arrive-in-eastern-ukraine.html
"While working in the ATO zone (anti terrorist operation zone), the American military and political experts have held meetings with representatives of the operational-tactical group of the Ukrainian side, their subordinate units and departments. In the process, they discussed with the Ukrainian members of the issue of security, technical and material support." - it said in a statement.
As noted, special attention is paid to the use of modern technical means of intelligence, including unmanned aerial vehicles.
"The delegation of experts from the United States visited the frontline village of Shirokino, where they inspected combat damage at a local school, and other infrastructure which has suffered from the recent shelling" - added the Ukrainian Ministry.
Ukrainian factory cut up into scrap metal to pay workers' wages
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukrainian-factory-cut-up-into-scrap.html
The premises is now closed and the plant is being cut for scrap; the returns are expected to be on around 3 million hryvnia ($115k USD).
This is occurring against the backdrop of a visa-free regime with the EU. Where else if not Europe will the people go?
Russian Peace Officers Of The JCCC Who Are Trying To Establish A Ceasefire Were Under Attack By Nazi Ukraine Military Units
http://novorossia.today/russian-peace-officers-jccc-trying-establish-ceasefire-attack-nazi-ukraine-military-units/
The Russian officers from the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire (JCCC) and the management of the municipal enterprise , Water of Donbass found themselves in the zone of shelling by the Ukrainian military in the area of the Yuzhnodonbassky water conduit near Yasinovataya.
Today, at about 9.30, the Ukrainian side again opened fire on the area of the pumping station of the first ascent of the South Donbass water conduit. In the zone of the shelling were the Russian officers from the JCCC and the head of the communal enterprise Water of Donbass, who arrived at the water canal for inspection after the night shelling,’ said a representative of the DPR in the JCCC.
He added that there had been no casualties, the members of the delegation had taken refuge in a bomb shelter.
Earlier, it was reported that as a result of the night shelling, the pumping station of the first ascent of the Yuzhnodonbassky water conduit near Yasinovataya had stopped its work.
50 tons of water delivered to Donbass after pumping station damage by Kiev forces
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/50-tons-of-water-delivered-to-donbass.html
"In just one day, rescuers were able to deliver 47 tons of water to the inhabitants of Dokuchaevsk", - it said in a statement.
The ministry noted that the supply and distribution of water was organized by the personnel of the Fire and Rescue service of Dokuchaevsk.
A reminder, that as a result of shelling on June 11 the pumping station of the Yuzhnodonbasskaya area was damaged. The water supply was discontinued to 40 villages, on both sides of the front line. In particular, Dokuchaevsk declared an emergency situation.
1,000 RESIDENTS LEFT WITHOUT ELECTRICITY DUE TO NAZI UKRAINE BOMBING OF YASINOVATAYA
http://novorossia.today/1-000-residents-left-without-electricity-due-nazi-ukraine-bombing-yasinovataya/
The localities Krasny Partisan , Vasilyevka in the Yasinovataya area were without power as a result of the shelling by the Nazi Ukrainian military; in total, over 1,000 subscribers remain without electricity. This was reported by the administration of Yasinovataya.
‘As a result of yesterday’s shelling from the Ukrainian side, power lines were damaged. The localities Vasilyevka and Krasny Partisan are completely without power, total power outage ! In total, there are 1,138 subscribers there,’ says the report.
The administration added that the shelling had also damaged the windows of a house along Central Street in the locality of Vasilyevka.
Poroshenko bans St. George's ribbons
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/poroshenko-bans-st-georges-ribbons.html
Under the new law, a public demonstration of the St. George ribbon will result in a fine of 850 hryvnia to 2550 hryvnia, with confiscation of the ribbon. Moreover, for repeated violations of the law, a fine of up to 5,100 hryvnia (about $ 200) can be issued or administrative arrest for 15 days.
Ironically, the penalty does not apply to World War II veterans, whose medals and awards carry the colours and the design of the St. George ribbon.
It would seem, changing of historical narrative will become much easier once the older generation passes on.
Civil War in Ukraine May Stop if Kiev Implements Minsk Deal - Kremlin
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706131054584369-ukraine-donbass-civil-war-russia/
The civil war in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbass can only be stopped if authorities in Kiev fully implement the Minsk agreements, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
"Calling things by their proper names, this is a civil war, which can be only stopped by Ukraine itself through the implementation of the Minsk agreements," Peskov told reporters.
Commenting on a proposed Ukrainian law calling to recognize Donbass as occupied by Russia, Peskov said that "Russia does not occupy any territories."
Palinurus said:
Okay, got it, thanks.
That is a pretty tall order for people who have suffered under post coup conditions, suffered in greater poverty with diminished wages; if lucky enough to even have a decent paying job. And since it said above that "only 8-10 % of the Ukraine population will be able to afford a visit. Obviously there is a difference in the way the law is interpreted." That does not look promising unless it's the draw for illegal work and a possible gateway out of Ukraine until change resettles things, if ever, and things aren't liquidated completely.
Angelburst29 said:
Yeah, that says it all.
Meanwhile 'Canadian troops newly arrived in Latvia encounter skepticism" http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-troops-latvia-1.4155939
Gandalf might say to Trudeau "fool of a took" yet Trudeau probably has no say in the matter with his hands being bound and while being just another stage prop, osit. Wishful thinking, however, I hope the Latvians shout from megaphones on mass and send these NATO puppets packing for home.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko left on Monday to the US for a working visit, his spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko said.
Ukraine's Poroshenko Begins US Working Visit
https://sputniknews.com/world/201706191054758788-ukraine-us-visit-poroshenko/
"The Ukrainian president begins working visit to the United States," Tsegolko said in a tweet.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin confirmed the upcoming meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States.
During the talks, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is planning to discuss the implementation of the Minsk agreements and policies toward Russia with Donald Trump, Klimkin told the Ukrainian Segodnya newspaper.
Previously, the media reported that Poroshenko is planning to pay a visit to the US and meet with US President Donald Trump.
Poroshenko to Present Any Outcome of His Meeting With Trump as His Success
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201706171054725909-poroshenko-trump-meeting/
According to Dudchak, regardless of the real outcome of the meeting, Kiev will present it as a win.
"It does not even matter what Donald Trump says [there]. [Kiev] will still interpret it in its own way. Trump is expected to express his support for Ukraine's political course. Additionally, in general, Poroshenko hopes to receive some kind of official support. However, regardless of whether he receives it or not — he will still present it as favoring his course," Dudchak said.
'Poroshenko Will Try to Hard Sell Ukrainian Crisis to Trump as a Key Problem'
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201702051050359074-poroshenko-sell-ukraine-crisis-trump/
"Porosheko and his allies in western countries will try to hard sell the Ukrainian crisis to Trump as a key problem. A trap for Trump prepared by Obama," Pushkov posted on Twitter.
The situation in the Donetsk region town of Avdiivka has escalated harshly recently, with the population of the industrial town was brought to the brink of a humanitarian disaster after fighting between Ukrainian military and local militia intensified, leaving the town without electricity, heating and water as temperatures dropped to a freezing —22 degrees Celsius.
Fighting is estimated to have left over 40 people dead and more than 100 wounded.
Ukraine attacks during the celebrations for the Day of the Medical Worker.
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukraine-attacks-during-celebrations-for.html
"Yesterday at 19:30, the Ukrainian side carried out heavy bombardment of Yasinovataya. At this time, the central square of the city was hosting a celebration for the Day of Medical Worker. Because of the shelling, the ceremony had to be stopped." - the report says.
The administration noted that one of the shells fell near the area of the boarding school, but no civilians were injured. Prior to shelling, an unmanned aerial drone was seen in the area.
Ukraine ex-Prime Minister tells Donbass residents to leave for Siberia
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukraine-ex-prime-minister-tells-donbass.html
This was stated on channel NewsOne by the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yuri Yekhanurov.
According to him, all the others need to leave for Siberia and the Far East, because a famine is coming to the Donbass
We have ravaged the region. its economic value is questionable. It is unlikely that there is anything you can recover. The people who live there, they are angry, people who are neighbors to victims, relatives and so on. International organizations should be able to help us extract as many people as possible, who want to go to Ukraine's mainland and to help these people to find a job, find accommodation. Those who want to live with Russia - there is the vast Far East, and my native Siberia. There is plenty of room, so go there. You really will become much angrier if you have nothing to eat."- said Yekhanurov.
Why not just stop the shelling instead?
Yekhunurov was born in the Republic of Sakha, Yakutia, Siberia.
21 Homes Heavily Damaged Overnight By Nazi Ukraine Junta Bombing, War Crimes By The Kiev Regime
http://novorossia.today/just-21-homes-heavily-damaged-overnight-nazi-ukraine-junta-bombing-war-crimes-kiev-regime-cowardly-targeting-civilians-areas/
“As a result of the shelling of Novogrigoryevka and Starolasp in the Telmanovsky district, the houses were damaged at 15 addresses,” he said. – I draw your attention to the fact that the settlement is located at a distance of more than three kilometers from the contact line of the troops, where there are no military facilities. Attacks by the Ukrainian war criminals targeting and purposefully on the residential areas of the settlement".
In addition, according to Basurin, six more housing estates were damaged due to shelling in Donetsk villages of Alexandrovka and Lozovskaya, as well as in Yasinovatoy and the village of Kominternovo in the Novoazovsky district of the DPR. Without power supply there were more than 800 subscribers in the villages of Kashtanovoye and Krasny (Red) partisans of the Yasinovatsky district.
A total of over 500 ammunition units, including rocket and artillery units, were fired by the Nazi Ukraine Units (APU) units in the settlements of the Republic ! The most intensive fire was again conducted in the Donetsk direction.
Earlier today, the commanders reported 71 violations of the ceasefire by the Nazi Ukraine Junta for the day
Young girl killed by Ukrainian shell in Kominternovo
http://novorossia.today/young-girl-killed-by-ukrainian-shell-in-kominternovo/
‘Severe shelling was in the village Kominternovo last night, as a result of which a girl of 19 years was killed.
Data on the shelling is being checked.
Ukraine's Poroshenko Begins US Working Visit
https://sputniknews.com/world/201706191054758788-ukraine-us-visit-poroshenko/
"The Ukrainian president begins working visit to the United States," Tsegolko said in a tweet.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin confirmed the upcoming meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States.
During the talks, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is planning to discuss the implementation of the Minsk agreements and policies toward Russia with Donald Trump, Klimkin told the Ukrainian Segodnya newspaper.
Previously, the media reported that Poroshenko is planning to pay a visit to the US and meet with US President Donald Trump.
Poroshenko to Present Any Outcome of His Meeting With Trump as His Success
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201706171054725909-poroshenko-trump-meeting/
According to Dudchak, regardless of the real outcome of the meeting, Kiev will present it as a win.
"It does not even matter what Donald Trump says [there]. [Kiev] will still interpret it in its own way. Trump is expected to express his support for Ukraine's political course. Additionally, in general, Poroshenko hopes to receive some kind of official support. However, regardless of whether he receives it or not — he will still present it as favoring his course," Dudchak said.
'Poroshenko Will Try to Hard Sell Ukrainian Crisis to Trump as a Key Problem'
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201702051050359074-poroshenko-sell-ukraine-crisis-trump/
"Porosheko and his allies in western countries will try to hard sell the Ukrainian crisis to Trump as a key problem. A trap for Trump prepared by Obama," Pushkov posted on Twitter.
The situation in the Donetsk region town of Avdiivka has escalated harshly recently, with the population of the industrial town was brought to the brink of a humanitarian disaster after fighting between Ukrainian military and local militia intensified, leaving the town without electricity, heating and water as temperatures dropped to a freezing —22 degrees Celsius.
Fighting is estimated to have left over 40 people dead and more than 100 wounded.
Ukraine attacks during the celebrations for the Day of the Medical Worker.
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukraine-attacks-during-celebrations-for.html
"Yesterday at 19:30, the Ukrainian side carried out heavy bombardment of Yasinovataya. At this time, the central square of the city was hosting a celebration for the Day of Medical Worker. Because of the shelling, the ceremony had to be stopped." - the report says.
The administration noted that one of the shells fell near the area of the boarding school, but no civilians were injured. Prior to shelling, an unmanned aerial drone was seen in the area.
Ukraine ex-Prime Minister tells Donbass residents to leave for Siberia
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukraine-ex-prime-minister-tells-donbass.html
This was stated on channel NewsOne by the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yuri Yekhanurov.
According to him, all the others need to leave for Siberia and the Far East, because a famine is coming to the Donbass
We have ravaged the region. its economic value is questionable. It is unlikely that there is anything you can recover. The people who live there, they are angry, people who are neighbors to victims, relatives and so on. International organizations should be able to help us extract as many people as possible, who want to go to Ukraine's mainland and to help these people to find a job, find accommodation. Those who want to live with Russia - there is the vast Far East, and my native Siberia. There is plenty of room, so go there. You really will become much angrier if you have nothing to eat."- said Yekhanurov.
Why not just stop the shelling instead?
Yekhunurov was born in the Republic of Sakha, Yakutia, Siberia.
21 Homes Heavily Damaged Overnight By Nazi Ukraine Junta Bombing, War Crimes By The Kiev Regime
http://novorossia.today/just-21-homes-heavily-damaged-overnight-nazi-ukraine-junta-bombing-war-crimes-kiev-regime-cowardly-targeting-civilians-areas/
“As a result of the shelling of Novogrigoryevka and Starolasp in the Telmanovsky district, the houses were damaged at 15 addresses,” he said. – I draw your attention to the fact that the settlement is located at a distance of more than three kilometers from the contact line of the troops, where there are no military facilities. Attacks by the Ukrainian war criminals targeting and purposefully on the residential areas of the settlement".
In addition, according to Basurin, six more housing estates were damaged due to shelling in Donetsk villages of Alexandrovka and Lozovskaya, as well as in Yasinovatoy and the village of Kominternovo in the Novoazovsky district of the DPR. Without power supply there were more than 800 subscribers in the villages of Kashtanovoye and Krasny (Red) partisans of the Yasinovatsky district.
A total of over 500 ammunition units, including rocket and artillery units, were fired by the Nazi Ukraine Units (APU) units in the settlements of the Republic ! The most intensive fire was again conducted in the Donetsk direction.
Earlier today, the commanders reported 71 violations of the ceasefire by the Nazi Ukraine Junta for the day
Young girl killed by Ukrainian shell in Kominternovo
http://novorossia.today/young-girl-killed-by-ukrainian-shell-in-kominternovo/
‘Severe shelling was in the village Kominternovo last night, as a result of which a girl of 19 years was killed.
Data on the shelling is being checked.
angelburst29
The Living Force
A Kiev court extended on Tuesday the arrest of a Russian serviceman who was abducted by the Ukrainian security service on the Crimean border until August 18, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Kiev Court Extends Arrest of Russian Serviceman Abducted Near Crimea
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706201054797077-ukraine-russia-abdicted-serviceman/
In November 2016, the Russian Defense Ministry said Staff Sgt. Alexander Baranov and Warrant Officer Maxim Odintsov were kidnapped and whisked across the border to the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine with an apparent goal to press criminal charges against them.
The Security Service of Ukraine said later that the detained Russian servicemen had previously served in the Ukrainian army and after Crimea’s reunification with Russia went to serve in the Russian army. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against them over their alleged desertion and state treason.
"To extend the period of detention of Maxim Odintsov … until August 18, 2017, inclusively," the judge said.
'Political Trick': Why Washington Invited Poroshenko to Sit Down With Trump
https://sputniknews.com/world/201706201054797575-poroshenko-trump-washington-meeting/
The White House has confirmed the meeting of US President Donald Trump with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Washington.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday at 11.00 a.m. local time (18.00 Moscow time) in a trilateral format.
President Trump intends to join the previously-scheduled meeting between Poroshenko and US Vice President Mike Pence. The agenda of the meeting has not been revealed, and the White House has not yet announced any statements for the press.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that during the talks, Poroshenko is due to touch on issues related to Crimea and put more pressure on Russia.
Experts, for their part, suggested that high on the agenda will be a new format for the participation of the US in resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine as well as a bill on the reintegration of eastern Ukraine's Donbass region.
Speaking to Sputnik, Russian political analyst Anatoly Petrenko said that by planning just to "drop in" during the meeting between Poroshenko and Pence, President Trump wants to emphasize the unofficial nature of their talks.
"It's such a diplomatic trick in order not to irritate many about the official meeting. Washington seeks to present it as an informal brief meeting of the two presidents in the vice-president's office. Trump will just drop in to sit down with Poroshenko," Petrenko said.
He added that "it is difficult to say whether the reintegration of Donbass will be discussed even though Poroshenko will certainly try to raise this issue during the meeting."
According to Petrenko, the meeting is expected to help both Poroshenko and Trump decide an array of issues.
"For Poroshenko, it will add to his approval rating and will underscore the fact that it is the Ukrainian leader rather than the Russian President, who was the first to meet Trump. Russophobic things can be seen even in this example," Petrenko pointed out.
In his opinion, one should not expect any breakthrough results from the Tuesday meeting "except, maybe, Poroshenko's statements."
Ukrainian Speaker Claims US May Deploy Military Reserves to Assist Country
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706201054791162-us-ukraine-military-reserve/
On June 12-16, Parubii visited the United States. During the visit, the official called for a bilateral US-Ukrainian accord on security and for the provision of lethal weapons to Kiev.
"It [the agreement] implies carrying out special operations, implementation of joint scientific and technical developments and deployment on the Ukrainian territory of the US military reserves," the Verkhovna Rada speaker said, as quoted by the ICTV broadcaster.
Parubii added that Washington had been using such format for years, citing agreements between the United States and Australia, Israel and Japan.
On Wednesday, US Congressman Rick Larsen told Sputnik that the US Congress would probably continue talks on providing lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine and including that into next year’s defense budget.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned that Washington providing Ukraine with weapons will only escalate violence and lead to more bloodshed in Ukraine's southeastern regions.
EU Publishes Decision on Extending Anti-Crimea Sanctions by 1 Year
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201706201054790557-eu-anti-crimea-sanctions/
On Monday, the Council of the European Union made a decision to extend the sanctions in a number of spheres, such as imports of products, investment, tourism services, transport, telecommunications among others, until June 23, 2018.
According to the EU legislation, the decision comes into force after its publication in the journal.
Crimea seceded from Ukraine and reunified with Russia after more than 96 percent of its residents supported such a move through a referendum in March 2014. The referendum was held after new authorities took power in Kiev after what many considered to be a coup.
The European Union, as well as Ukraine and several other countries, did not recognize the move and regard the peninsula as an occupied territory. Russian authorities have repeatedly said that the Crimean population decided to rejoin Russia in a democratic procedure.
Ukrainian Parliament to Review Draft Law on 'Peaceful Reintegration' of Donbass
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706201054782773-ukraine-draft-law-reintegration-donbass/
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) will review the draft law on the reintegration of the Donbass region in near future, Herashchenko said.
UKRAINE’S PROPOSAL - On June 14, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he had ordered the drafting of a bill on the reintegration of the country's war-torn eastern regions.
According to Poroshenko, the draft legislation envisions a number of measures to return Donbass under Kiev's control. The draft bill will also define the legal status of Ukrainian military’s actions in the region.
Dmytro Tymchuk, a member of the Rada Committee on National Security and Defense, explained on Monday that the draft law proposes to replace the counterterrorist operation led by the Ukraine’s Security Forces with a troops operation led by an operational headquarters. According to the legislation, the president gets the right to decide on the use of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as to draw other uniformed services, but under the general lead of the headquarters, the lawmaker added.
The law also implies that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine will continue its work and "continue to enjoy full control of all the things it must control today," chairman of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc’s fraction in the Verkhovna Rada Artur Herasymov said.
The draft legislation recognizes the territories of both Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR, LPR) as occupied and to "reformat the counterterrorist operation, because the terms of de-occupation and counterterrorist operation are incompatible," Tymchuk said.
‘IN LINE’ WITH MINSK AGREEMENTS - In February 2015, the leaders of the so-called Normandy Four group, comprising leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, brokered a ceasefire agreement during a meeting in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, later signed by Kiev and the Donbass militias. Despite the peace accords, ceasefire violations remain ongoing.
Kiev claims that the new legislation on the reintegration of Donbas does not disagree with the Minks agreements, stressing that it will, on the contrary, revive the Minsk process "by strengthening its most important part — the part regarding security issues," Tymchuk said.
The Minsk accords imply holding elections in the Donbass republics, with Russia stating that the elections must be held alongside dealing with the security issues, and Kiev stressing that a vote will only be possible after a stable ceasefire regime and regaining control over the border with Russia.
With the new law proclaiming the region as "occupied," the possibility of elections in Donbass is ruled out, because, according to the rules of the OSCE and the United Nations, no election could be held on occupied territories, Ukrainian authorities stated.
"Approving this law is what ends the issue of the possibility of having any election [in the Donbass region] before de-occupation of the territory," Vice-Chairperson of the parliamentary faction of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc Oleksii Honcharenko said on Monday.
REACTION OF DONBASS, MOSCOW - According to plenipotentiary envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) at the talks in Minsk, Denis Pushilin, the new legislation being developed by Kiev will not help settle the conflict in the region.
"Ukrainian authorities’ plans to replace the so-called ‘counterterrorist operation’ in Donbass with a number of measures for its ‘reintegration’ are unlikely to lead to peace. Ukraine is already a signatory to agreements aimed at peaceful settlement of the conflict. However, in three years, not a single paragraph of the agreement was implemented," Pushilin told Sputnik.
According to the envoy, if Kiev wants to settle the conflict with political measures, it must be done within the framework of the existing Minsk agreements.
"If the Ukrainian party wants to cancel the ‘counterterrorist operation’ so much and to continue the ‘political and diplomatic efforts,’ as Petro Poroshenko said, they can and must do it within the framework of fulfilling the Minsk package of measures. Donbass does not accept any other variations," Pushilin stressed.
Vladislav Deinego, the envoy of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) at the Minsk talks, expressed a similar opinion, stating that the Minsk agreements clearly state "what Ukraine must do."
"It must either fulfill what it has signed, or renounce its commitments. Then we will look for other variants," Deinego said.
As for Moscow’s reaction, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Ukraine’s plan should be considered for the purpose of its compliance with the Minsk peace agreements.
"We should understand what this plan is about, which details it includes. You know that there are elements of the Donbass reintegration included in the Minsk agreements. It is necessary to understand to what extent it is taken into account in the document, which is being developed," Peskov told reporters.
PERSPECTIVES OF THE DRAFT BILL - According to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s representative in the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Lutsenko, the draft bill may be introduced to the Rada "in a week or two, before the end of the current session."
The current session of the Verkhovna Rada ends on July 14.
Ukraine to block websites from Donbass and Crimea
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukraine-to-block-websites-from-donbass.html
The document stated that the proposed ban was "because of the content information that is forbidden in Ukrainian legislation". The list was drawn up by the working group led by the deputy minister Dmitry Zolotukhin and submitted to the Security Service of Ukraine.
The list was drawn up by the working group led by the deputy minister Dmitry Zolotukhin and submitted to the Security Service of Ukraine.
Among the violations of the law is "inciting inter-ethnic hatred", as well as the "call to overthrow the constitutional order".
The list includes 20 websites, among them; rusvesna.ru, rusnext.ru, news-front.info, novorosinform.org, nahnews.org, antifashist.com, antimaydan.info, lug-info.com, novorossia.today, comitet.su, novoross.info, freedom.kiev.ua, politnavigator.net, odnarodyna.org, zasssr.info, ruspravda.info, on-line.lg.ua, ruscrimea.ru, c-pravda.ru, 1tvcrimea.ru.
Earlier, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the representative of Kiev humanitarian subgroup of Ukraine, Iryna Gerashchenko, said that Kiev should block all the sites of self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. This initiative was supported by the adviser of the Interior Minister of Ukraine, Zorian Shkiryak, adding that this work is already underway. The list submitted to the security service is being considered.
The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has approved the decision of National Security and Defense Council to extend the list of individuals and legal entities of the Russian Federation, on which sanctions were imposed. In particular, the country has prohibited access to social networks "VKontakte", "Classmates", "Yandex" and Mail.ru. The decree came into force on 17 May.
The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that with the help of a ban on social networks, Kiev wants to block alternative sources of information. The United Nations have spoken out against restrictions on freedom of communication in connection with the sanctions of Ukraine to the Russian Internet resources.
Colonel of the National Guard of Ukraine goes missing without trace
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/colonel-of-national-guard-of-ukraine.html
"An officer of the National Guard, Colonel Alexander Boyko, during a combat mission in the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone, has gone missing." - it said in a statement.
According to the National Guard, attempts to exchange prisoners on Tuesday failed to provide any new information on the colonel.
Kiev Court Extends Arrest of Russian Serviceman Abducted Near Crimea
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706201054797077-ukraine-russia-abdicted-serviceman/
In November 2016, the Russian Defense Ministry said Staff Sgt. Alexander Baranov and Warrant Officer Maxim Odintsov were kidnapped and whisked across the border to the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine with an apparent goal to press criminal charges against them.
The Security Service of Ukraine said later that the detained Russian servicemen had previously served in the Ukrainian army and after Crimea’s reunification with Russia went to serve in the Russian army. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against them over their alleged desertion and state treason.
"To extend the period of detention of Maxim Odintsov … until August 18, 2017, inclusively," the judge said.
'Political Trick': Why Washington Invited Poroshenko to Sit Down With Trump
https://sputniknews.com/world/201706201054797575-poroshenko-trump-washington-meeting/
The White House has confirmed the meeting of US President Donald Trump with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Washington.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday at 11.00 a.m. local time (18.00 Moscow time) in a trilateral format.
President Trump intends to join the previously-scheduled meeting between Poroshenko and US Vice President Mike Pence. The agenda of the meeting has not been revealed, and the White House has not yet announced any statements for the press.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that during the talks, Poroshenko is due to touch on issues related to Crimea and put more pressure on Russia.
Experts, for their part, suggested that high on the agenda will be a new format for the participation of the US in resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine as well as a bill on the reintegration of eastern Ukraine's Donbass region.
Speaking to Sputnik, Russian political analyst Anatoly Petrenko said that by planning just to "drop in" during the meeting between Poroshenko and Pence, President Trump wants to emphasize the unofficial nature of their talks.
"It's such a diplomatic trick in order not to irritate many about the official meeting. Washington seeks to present it as an informal brief meeting of the two presidents in the vice-president's office. Trump will just drop in to sit down with Poroshenko," Petrenko said.
He added that "it is difficult to say whether the reintegration of Donbass will be discussed even though Poroshenko will certainly try to raise this issue during the meeting."
According to Petrenko, the meeting is expected to help both Poroshenko and Trump decide an array of issues.
"For Poroshenko, it will add to his approval rating and will underscore the fact that it is the Ukrainian leader rather than the Russian President, who was the first to meet Trump. Russophobic things can be seen even in this example," Petrenko pointed out.
In his opinion, one should not expect any breakthrough results from the Tuesday meeting "except, maybe, Poroshenko's statements."
Ukrainian Speaker Claims US May Deploy Military Reserves to Assist Country
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706201054791162-us-ukraine-military-reserve/
On June 12-16, Parubii visited the United States. During the visit, the official called for a bilateral US-Ukrainian accord on security and for the provision of lethal weapons to Kiev.
"It [the agreement] implies carrying out special operations, implementation of joint scientific and technical developments and deployment on the Ukrainian territory of the US military reserves," the Verkhovna Rada speaker said, as quoted by the ICTV broadcaster.
Parubii added that Washington had been using such format for years, citing agreements between the United States and Australia, Israel and Japan.
On Wednesday, US Congressman Rick Larsen told Sputnik that the US Congress would probably continue talks on providing lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine and including that into next year’s defense budget.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned that Washington providing Ukraine with weapons will only escalate violence and lead to more bloodshed in Ukraine's southeastern regions.
EU Publishes Decision on Extending Anti-Crimea Sanctions by 1 Year
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201706201054790557-eu-anti-crimea-sanctions/
On Monday, the Council of the European Union made a decision to extend the sanctions in a number of spheres, such as imports of products, investment, tourism services, transport, telecommunications among others, until June 23, 2018.
According to the EU legislation, the decision comes into force after its publication in the journal.
Crimea seceded from Ukraine and reunified with Russia after more than 96 percent of its residents supported such a move through a referendum in March 2014. The referendum was held after new authorities took power in Kiev after what many considered to be a coup.
The European Union, as well as Ukraine and several other countries, did not recognize the move and regard the peninsula as an occupied territory. Russian authorities have repeatedly said that the Crimean population decided to rejoin Russia in a democratic procedure.
Ukrainian Parliament to Review Draft Law on 'Peaceful Reintegration' of Donbass
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706201054782773-ukraine-draft-law-reintegration-donbass/
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) will review the draft law on the reintegration of the Donbass region in near future, Herashchenko said.
UKRAINE’S PROPOSAL - On June 14, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he had ordered the drafting of a bill on the reintegration of the country's war-torn eastern regions.
According to Poroshenko, the draft legislation envisions a number of measures to return Donbass under Kiev's control. The draft bill will also define the legal status of Ukrainian military’s actions in the region.
Dmytro Tymchuk, a member of the Rada Committee on National Security and Defense, explained on Monday that the draft law proposes to replace the counterterrorist operation led by the Ukraine’s Security Forces with a troops operation led by an operational headquarters. According to the legislation, the president gets the right to decide on the use of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as to draw other uniformed services, but under the general lead of the headquarters, the lawmaker added.
The law also implies that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine will continue its work and "continue to enjoy full control of all the things it must control today," chairman of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc’s fraction in the Verkhovna Rada Artur Herasymov said.
The draft legislation recognizes the territories of both Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR, LPR) as occupied and to "reformat the counterterrorist operation, because the terms of de-occupation and counterterrorist operation are incompatible," Tymchuk said.
‘IN LINE’ WITH MINSK AGREEMENTS - In February 2015, the leaders of the so-called Normandy Four group, comprising leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, brokered a ceasefire agreement during a meeting in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, later signed by Kiev and the Donbass militias. Despite the peace accords, ceasefire violations remain ongoing.
Kiev claims that the new legislation on the reintegration of Donbas does not disagree with the Minks agreements, stressing that it will, on the contrary, revive the Minsk process "by strengthening its most important part — the part regarding security issues," Tymchuk said.
The Minsk accords imply holding elections in the Donbass republics, with Russia stating that the elections must be held alongside dealing with the security issues, and Kiev stressing that a vote will only be possible after a stable ceasefire regime and regaining control over the border with Russia.
With the new law proclaiming the region as "occupied," the possibility of elections in Donbass is ruled out, because, according to the rules of the OSCE and the United Nations, no election could be held on occupied territories, Ukrainian authorities stated.
"Approving this law is what ends the issue of the possibility of having any election [in the Donbass region] before de-occupation of the territory," Vice-Chairperson of the parliamentary faction of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc Oleksii Honcharenko said on Monday.
REACTION OF DONBASS, MOSCOW - According to plenipotentiary envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) at the talks in Minsk, Denis Pushilin, the new legislation being developed by Kiev will not help settle the conflict in the region.
"Ukrainian authorities’ plans to replace the so-called ‘counterterrorist operation’ in Donbass with a number of measures for its ‘reintegration’ are unlikely to lead to peace. Ukraine is already a signatory to agreements aimed at peaceful settlement of the conflict. However, in three years, not a single paragraph of the agreement was implemented," Pushilin told Sputnik.
According to the envoy, if Kiev wants to settle the conflict with political measures, it must be done within the framework of the existing Minsk agreements.
"If the Ukrainian party wants to cancel the ‘counterterrorist operation’ so much and to continue the ‘political and diplomatic efforts,’ as Petro Poroshenko said, they can and must do it within the framework of fulfilling the Minsk package of measures. Donbass does not accept any other variations," Pushilin stressed.
Vladislav Deinego, the envoy of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) at the Minsk talks, expressed a similar opinion, stating that the Minsk agreements clearly state "what Ukraine must do."
"It must either fulfill what it has signed, or renounce its commitments. Then we will look for other variants," Deinego said.
As for Moscow’s reaction, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Ukraine’s plan should be considered for the purpose of its compliance with the Minsk peace agreements.
"We should understand what this plan is about, which details it includes. You know that there are elements of the Donbass reintegration included in the Minsk agreements. It is necessary to understand to what extent it is taken into account in the document, which is being developed," Peskov told reporters.
PERSPECTIVES OF THE DRAFT BILL - According to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s representative in the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Lutsenko, the draft bill may be introduced to the Rada "in a week or two, before the end of the current session."
The current session of the Verkhovna Rada ends on July 14.
Ukraine to block websites from Donbass and Crimea
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukraine-to-block-websites-from-donbass.html
The document stated that the proposed ban was "because of the content information that is forbidden in Ukrainian legislation". The list was drawn up by the working group led by the deputy minister Dmitry Zolotukhin and submitted to the Security Service of Ukraine.
The list was drawn up by the working group led by the deputy minister Dmitry Zolotukhin and submitted to the Security Service of Ukraine.
Among the violations of the law is "inciting inter-ethnic hatred", as well as the "call to overthrow the constitutional order".
The list includes 20 websites, among them; rusvesna.ru, rusnext.ru, news-front.info, novorosinform.org, nahnews.org, antifashist.com, antimaydan.info, lug-info.com, novorossia.today, comitet.su, novoross.info, freedom.kiev.ua, politnavigator.net, odnarodyna.org, zasssr.info, ruspravda.info, on-line.lg.ua, ruscrimea.ru, c-pravda.ru, 1tvcrimea.ru.
Earlier, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and the representative of Kiev humanitarian subgroup of Ukraine, Iryna Gerashchenko, said that Kiev should block all the sites of self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. This initiative was supported by the adviser of the Interior Minister of Ukraine, Zorian Shkiryak, adding that this work is already underway. The list submitted to the security service is being considered.
The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has approved the decision of National Security and Defense Council to extend the list of individuals and legal entities of the Russian Federation, on which sanctions were imposed. In particular, the country has prohibited access to social networks "VKontakte", "Classmates", "Yandex" and Mail.ru. The decree came into force on 17 May.
The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that with the help of a ban on social networks, Kiev wants to block alternative sources of information. The United Nations have spoken out against restrictions on freedom of communication in connection with the sanctions of Ukraine to the Russian Internet resources.
Colonel of the National Guard of Ukraine goes missing without trace
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/colonel-of-national-guard-of-ukraine.html
"An officer of the National Guard, Colonel Alexander Boyko, during a combat mission in the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone, has gone missing." - it said in a statement.
According to the National Guard, attempts to exchange prisoners on Tuesday failed to provide any new information on the colonel.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Several factions of Ukraine's parliament, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's Fatherland Party, are planning to launch impeachment proceedings against Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Izvestia reports, citing Fatherland Party sources.
Ukrainian Lawmakers Prepare Impeachment Proceedings Against President Poroshenko
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706231054911890-poroshenko-impeachment-proceedings/
A source from the Fatherland Party confirmed to the newspaper that Tymoshenko herself had initiated the legal proceedings to impeach Poroshenko. Her fellow MPs support the initiative, the source said, because "tolerating the corruption and abuses of power is no longer possible."
The source also indicated that impeachment proceedings are supported by the Opposition Bloc and Self Reliance Parties, which have the third and fourth largest number of seats in the Ukrainian parliament, respectively. A number of individual deputies from other factions also support impeachment. The Radical Party may also support initiating impeachment proceedings, the source said, but only pending a final understanding of the balance of forces.
Ukraine's parliament, the Rada, has 450 seats, with 27 of them currently vacant. The government is a coalition between the pro-presidential Petro Poroshenko Bloc Solidarity, and former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's People's Front, which between them have 224 seats. Tymoshenko's Fatherland Party has 20 seats. The Opposition Bloc has 43, Self Reliance has 26, and the Radical Party has 20, giving them a possible total of 109 votes.
Article 111 of the Ukrainian Constitution allows for impeachment to be initiated by a majority of the constitutional composition of the Rada. This means that for the proceedings to move ahead, they would need the support of other opposition parties, such as Revival or People's Will, plus at least some of the Rada's non-affiliated MPs. Pending preliminary inquiries, which would include assigning a special prosecutor and investigators, the charges would be put up to a vote, requiring the approval of two thirds of the parliament, after which the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court would have to confirm that there is grounds for removal from office. Finally, after that, three quarters of the Rada would have to approve the verdict.
Ukrainian legal analysts say that notwithstanding the constitutional provisions, the lack of an actual legal mechanism on impeachment makes it unlikely for impeachment proceedings to go ahead. Political scientist and Ukraine expert Oleg Onopko told Radio Sputnik that today, "there is no legal procedure for Poroshenko's impeachment. In 25 years of statehood, Ukrainian lawmakers never bothered to adopt a law, or at least a framework for this procedure…"
Accordingly, Onopko said that "this action [by Fatherland] should be seen as a PR move by lawmakers competing against the Poroshenko Bloc and political leaders, first and foremost Tymoshenko herself, who are competing personally with the president."
Fatherland MP Sergei Vlasenko told the newspaper that the president had already "earned five impeachments," echoing Tymoshenko's sentiments. The former prime minister had earlier said that "Poroshenko had earned impeachment a long time ago, from the moment when he began to make a profit on blood, on war, together with his corrupt entourage."
According to Izvestia, the draft bill has been introduced to the Rada and will be up for consideration in the near future.
Abusive Relationship: Ukrainian Ex-Pres Says EU 'Brought Ukraine to Its Knees'
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706231054921039-kuchma-eu-exploiting-ukraine/
Speaking at a forum in Kiev on Thursday, Kuchma, who served as independent Ukraine's second president between 1994 and early 2005, accented his speech with some unusually frank remarks about the nature of the relationship between Ukraine and the European Union.
The ex-president complained that the EU was "bringing [Ukraine] to its knees" with its trade policy, adding that Europe sees the country as a mere raw materials colony. Ukraine couldn't even sell Europe its foodstuffs, Kuchma said, given its extremely stringent system of quotas.
In the meantime, Kuchma noted that the Europeans had forgotten about Ukraine, as evidenced by the lack of mention of the country in European media. Europe, the former president noted, was not providing the kind of real assistance required to help Ukraine back on its feet.
At the same time, Kuchma stressed that Ukraine's economy had found itself in a major crisis, with development grinding to a complete halt.
"We have completely forgotten about the economy," the former president said. "We are completely falling apart; there are no high technology sectors left; the rocketry, space, and aviation industries are gone…We are turning into a raw materials colony; all we have left is metallurgy, chemicals, agriculture. What direction are we headed in?"
According to Kuchma, Ukraine should have no illusions about receiving help from the EU, or the West in general. "Enough walking around the world, hat in hand," he said. "If we do not come to our senses and begin dealing with problems – if people don't believe the government, if we do not all pull in one direction, no forums will be able to help us; no one will do these things for us."
Commenting on Kuchma's remarks, Ukrainian political scientist Alexander Okhrimenko told Radio Sputnik that it was obvious that the EU wasn't going to help Ukraine; in fact, they were never under any obligation to do so.
"It's necessary to understand that the European Union is simply another competitor – whether to Ukraine, Russia or the United States," Okhrimenko stressed. "It can't be the case that European companies will be made to close down so that Ukrainian producers can sell something. This is business."
The observer emphasized that the much-talked about Association Agreement that Ukraine had signed with the EU was never destined to be any sort of miracle agreement; it was simply an opportunity for Ukrainian businesses to receive the right to work in the European market.
Accordingly, the observer noted that it was time for Ukrainian politicians to stop with the meaningless slogans . "If Ukrainian companies cannot learn to work in the European way, that's too bad. Europe doesn't owe them anything; it is not obliged to accommodate itself to Ukrainian companies. We have to stop with the senseless slogans like 'Europe loves us; Europe owes us'."
Ukraine Appeals London High Court Ruling on $3 Billion Debt to Russia
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706231054926563-ukraine-debt-court-appeal/
Ukraine has appealed the ruling of the High Court of London on the $3-billion debt to Russia, the Finance Ministry said in a statement Friday.
On March 29, 2017, London’s High Court of Justice decided against holding a full trial on Ukraine's debt as Kiev had no justifiable defense for failing to pay it back. The Russian Finance Ministry said after the ruling that it considered the court's decision as "final and obligatory." Kiev said that it would appeal the decision.
Today, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry filed on behalf of Ukraine with the British Court of Appeal the necessary documents to initiate an appeal against the court ruling, made on March 29, 2017 by Justice Blair in the lawsuit regarding Eurobonds worth $3 billion [the so-called 'Russian debt']," the statement said.
"Ukraine is confident of the arguments of the appeal and of a victory in the Court of Appeal. The hearing of the appeal is tentatively scheduled for the second half of January 2018," it said.
Moscow filed a lawsuit against Kiev in February 2016 after Ukraine defaulted on paying off a $3-billion loan by December 31, 2015. The loan was granted to Ukraine in late 2013 under then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Ukrainian Lawmakers Prepare Impeachment Proceedings Against President Poroshenko
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706231054911890-poroshenko-impeachment-proceedings/
A source from the Fatherland Party confirmed to the newspaper that Tymoshenko herself had initiated the legal proceedings to impeach Poroshenko. Her fellow MPs support the initiative, the source said, because "tolerating the corruption and abuses of power is no longer possible."
The source also indicated that impeachment proceedings are supported by the Opposition Bloc and Self Reliance Parties, which have the third and fourth largest number of seats in the Ukrainian parliament, respectively. A number of individual deputies from other factions also support impeachment. The Radical Party may also support initiating impeachment proceedings, the source said, but only pending a final understanding of the balance of forces.
Ukraine's parliament, the Rada, has 450 seats, with 27 of them currently vacant. The government is a coalition between the pro-presidential Petro Poroshenko Bloc Solidarity, and former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's People's Front, which between them have 224 seats. Tymoshenko's Fatherland Party has 20 seats. The Opposition Bloc has 43, Self Reliance has 26, and the Radical Party has 20, giving them a possible total of 109 votes.
Article 111 of the Ukrainian Constitution allows for impeachment to be initiated by a majority of the constitutional composition of the Rada. This means that for the proceedings to move ahead, they would need the support of other opposition parties, such as Revival or People's Will, plus at least some of the Rada's non-affiliated MPs. Pending preliminary inquiries, which would include assigning a special prosecutor and investigators, the charges would be put up to a vote, requiring the approval of two thirds of the parliament, after which the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court would have to confirm that there is grounds for removal from office. Finally, after that, three quarters of the Rada would have to approve the verdict.
Ukrainian legal analysts say that notwithstanding the constitutional provisions, the lack of an actual legal mechanism on impeachment makes it unlikely for impeachment proceedings to go ahead. Political scientist and Ukraine expert Oleg Onopko told Radio Sputnik that today, "there is no legal procedure for Poroshenko's impeachment. In 25 years of statehood, Ukrainian lawmakers never bothered to adopt a law, or at least a framework for this procedure…"
Accordingly, Onopko said that "this action [by Fatherland] should be seen as a PR move by lawmakers competing against the Poroshenko Bloc and political leaders, first and foremost Tymoshenko herself, who are competing personally with the president."
Fatherland MP Sergei Vlasenko told the newspaper that the president had already "earned five impeachments," echoing Tymoshenko's sentiments. The former prime minister had earlier said that "Poroshenko had earned impeachment a long time ago, from the moment when he began to make a profit on blood, on war, together with his corrupt entourage."
According to Izvestia, the draft bill has been introduced to the Rada and will be up for consideration in the near future.
Abusive Relationship: Ukrainian Ex-Pres Says EU 'Brought Ukraine to Its Knees'
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706231054921039-kuchma-eu-exploiting-ukraine/
Speaking at a forum in Kiev on Thursday, Kuchma, who served as independent Ukraine's second president between 1994 and early 2005, accented his speech with some unusually frank remarks about the nature of the relationship between Ukraine and the European Union.
The ex-president complained that the EU was "bringing [Ukraine] to its knees" with its trade policy, adding that Europe sees the country as a mere raw materials colony. Ukraine couldn't even sell Europe its foodstuffs, Kuchma said, given its extremely stringent system of quotas.
In the meantime, Kuchma noted that the Europeans had forgotten about Ukraine, as evidenced by the lack of mention of the country in European media. Europe, the former president noted, was not providing the kind of real assistance required to help Ukraine back on its feet.
At the same time, Kuchma stressed that Ukraine's economy had found itself in a major crisis, with development grinding to a complete halt.
"We have completely forgotten about the economy," the former president said. "We are completely falling apart; there are no high technology sectors left; the rocketry, space, and aviation industries are gone…We are turning into a raw materials colony; all we have left is metallurgy, chemicals, agriculture. What direction are we headed in?"
According to Kuchma, Ukraine should have no illusions about receiving help from the EU, or the West in general. "Enough walking around the world, hat in hand," he said. "If we do not come to our senses and begin dealing with problems – if people don't believe the government, if we do not all pull in one direction, no forums will be able to help us; no one will do these things for us."
Commenting on Kuchma's remarks, Ukrainian political scientist Alexander Okhrimenko told Radio Sputnik that it was obvious that the EU wasn't going to help Ukraine; in fact, they were never under any obligation to do so.
"It's necessary to understand that the European Union is simply another competitor – whether to Ukraine, Russia or the United States," Okhrimenko stressed. "It can't be the case that European companies will be made to close down so that Ukrainian producers can sell something. This is business."
The observer emphasized that the much-talked about Association Agreement that Ukraine had signed with the EU was never destined to be any sort of miracle agreement; it was simply an opportunity for Ukrainian businesses to receive the right to work in the European market.
Accordingly, the observer noted that it was time for Ukrainian politicians to stop with the meaningless slogans . "If Ukrainian companies cannot learn to work in the European way, that's too bad. Europe doesn't owe them anything; it is not obliged to accommodate itself to Ukrainian companies. We have to stop with the senseless slogans like 'Europe loves us; Europe owes us'."
Ukraine Appeals London High Court Ruling on $3 Billion Debt to Russia
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706231054926563-ukraine-debt-court-appeal/
Ukraine has appealed the ruling of the High Court of London on the $3-billion debt to Russia, the Finance Ministry said in a statement Friday.
On March 29, 2017, London’s High Court of Justice decided against holding a full trial on Ukraine's debt as Kiev had no justifiable defense for failing to pay it back. The Russian Finance Ministry said after the ruling that it considered the court's decision as "final and obligatory." Kiev said that it would appeal the decision.
Today, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry filed on behalf of Ukraine with the British Court of Appeal the necessary documents to initiate an appeal against the court ruling, made on March 29, 2017 by Justice Blair in the lawsuit regarding Eurobonds worth $3 billion [the so-called 'Russian debt']," the statement said.
"Ukraine is confident of the arguments of the appeal and of a victory in the Court of Appeal. The hearing of the appeal is tentatively scheduled for the second half of January 2018," it said.
Moscow filed a lawsuit against Kiev in February 2016 after Ukraine defaulted on paying off a $3-billion loan by December 31, 2015. The loan was granted to Ukraine in late 2013 under then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Ukraine Registers 500 Suicides by Donbass Military Operation Participants
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706221054894470-ukraine-suicides-donbass-military-operation/
According to the interior minister, around 90-95 percent of combatants develop various social and medical problems.
Around 500 cases of suicide were registered among the Ukrainian servicemen who had been participating in the military operation in Donbass, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said in an article published Thursday.
"How is the state of affairs in Ukraine three years after the outbreak of the war?… According to the military prosecutor's office, as of the beginning of June, 2017, approximately 500 cases of suicides were registered, among participants of the… operation [in Donbass area] after having returned from the combat zone," Avakov said in an article published by Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper.
According to the interior minister, around 90-95 percent of combatants develop various social and medical, specially pertaining to the nervous system, problems after participating in military conflict, which is the universally recognized international standard. About one-third of these soldiers were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which often led to suicide, Avakov noted.
Avakov said, citing the international human rights center La Strada — Ukraine, that the number of family members of Donbass conflict participants complaining of domestic violence increased eightfold in 2015.
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706221054894470-ukraine-suicides-donbass-military-operation/
According to the interior minister, around 90-95 percent of combatants develop various social and medical problems.
Around 500 cases of suicide were registered among the Ukrainian servicemen who had been participating in the military operation in Donbass, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said in an article published Thursday.
"How is the state of affairs in Ukraine three years after the outbreak of the war?… According to the military prosecutor's office, as of the beginning of June, 2017, approximately 500 cases of suicides were registered, among participants of the… operation [in Donbass area] after having returned from the combat zone," Avakov said in an article published by Ukrayinska Pravda newspaper.
According to the interior minister, around 90-95 percent of combatants develop various social and medical, specially pertaining to the nervous system, problems after participating in military conflict, which is the universally recognized international standard. About one-third of these soldiers were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which often led to suicide, Avakov noted.
Avakov said, citing the international human rights center La Strada — Ukraine, that the number of family members of Donbass conflict participants complaining of domestic violence increased eightfold in 2015.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Oh Geeeeezzz .....
American Money Well Spent In Ukraine, Coup Leader Poroshenko In Porn Scandal ! (PHOTOS)
http://novorossia.today/american-money-well-spent-ukraine-coup-leader-poroshenko-porn-scandal-photos/
Sun. June 25, 2017 - America’s favorite Nazi son in porn scandal! More fallout is coming from Kiev and the Poroshenko porn tape extortion case, Seems a news editor in collaboration with former Ukrainian IRS chief Roman Nasirov were trying to blackmail Petro Poroshenko, who appeared in low budget porn films from 1997 to 2004.
The Editor-in-chief of the Strana.ua news portal Ihor Huzhva has been notified of suspicion of extortion, the press secretary of the Kiev prosecutor’s office Nadia Maksymets reported.
“Editor-in-chief of the Strana.ua Internet publication has been handed a suspicion of committing a crime under Part 3 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” she wrote on Facebook on Friday evening.
Maksymets added that the prosecutor’s office will apply to court on Saturday, June 24, with a petition to select a preventive detention measure for Huzhva.
As earlier reported by News Front, Huzhva was arrested in Kiev on Thursday, June 22, 2017. According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, Huzhva demanded $10,000 in exchange for not publishing compromising material on a politician. According to the PGO, photographic and video evidence backs up charges of impropriety.
Dmytro Linko, a Verkhovna Rada deputy from the Radical Party faction, confirmed on Friday morning that Huzhva had demanded money from him. Officials are focused on his connection to Roman Nasirov and Petro Poroshenko’s early pornography work.
The same day, the Kiev city prosecutor’s office reported that Huzhva and his mediator had been detained on suspicion of large-scale extortion. He is also ordered not to discuss the case in the press by the court officials.
American Money Well Spent In Ukraine, Coup Leader Poroshenko In Porn Scandal ! (PHOTOS)
http://novorossia.today/american-money-well-spent-ukraine-coup-leader-poroshenko-porn-scandal-photos/
Sun. June 25, 2017 - America’s favorite Nazi son in porn scandal! More fallout is coming from Kiev and the Poroshenko porn tape extortion case, Seems a news editor in collaboration with former Ukrainian IRS chief Roman Nasirov were trying to blackmail Petro Poroshenko, who appeared in low budget porn films from 1997 to 2004.
The Editor-in-chief of the Strana.ua news portal Ihor Huzhva has been notified of suspicion of extortion, the press secretary of the Kiev prosecutor’s office Nadia Maksymets reported.
“Editor-in-chief of the Strana.ua Internet publication has been handed a suspicion of committing a crime under Part 3 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” she wrote on Facebook on Friday evening.
Maksymets added that the prosecutor’s office will apply to court on Saturday, June 24, with a petition to select a preventive detention measure for Huzhva.
As earlier reported by News Front, Huzhva was arrested in Kiev on Thursday, June 22, 2017. According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, Huzhva demanded $10,000 in exchange for not publishing compromising material on a politician. According to the PGO, photographic and video evidence backs up charges of impropriety.
Dmytro Linko, a Verkhovna Rada deputy from the Radical Party faction, confirmed on Friday morning that Huzhva had demanded money from him. Officials are focused on his connection to Roman Nasirov and Petro Poroshenko’s early pornography work.
The same day, the Kiev city prosecutor’s office reported that Huzhva and his mediator had been detained on suspicion of large-scale extortion. He is also ordered not to discuss the case in the press by the court officials.
From Ukraine there was _http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/us-forces-may-soon-be-stationed-in.html a few days ago. It is as if the US/NATO will keep up the "scent marks" in Europe to ensure the business is for them only and it effectively works like a two way siege against Russia and Western Europe, much like a like Korea style divison played out on a continental scale.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Ukraine’s government, National Bank, its transportation services and largest power companies are bearing the brunt of what appears to be a massive ransomware outbreak that’s fast spreading across the world and hitting a significant number of critical infrastructure providers.
Another Massive Ransomware Outbreak Is Going Global Fast
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/06/27/ransomware-spreads-rapidly-hitting-power-companies-banks-airlines-metro/#22541b3b7abd
Whispers of WannaCry abound, though some security experts said on Tuesday that a different breed, named Petya, was to blame. “[We’re seeing] several thousands of infection attempts at the moment, comparable in size to WannaCry’s first hours,” said Kaspersky Lab’s Costin Raiu, who added that the infections are occurring in many different countries. Another firm, BitDefender, said it believed a similar strain called GoldenEye was responsible. Later, security firms, including Kaspersky and Avast, said the malware responsible was actually an entirely new ransomware that had borrowed Petya code.
Regardless of the malware, the attacks are now global. Danish shipping and energy company Maersk reported a cyberattack on Tuesday, noting on its website: “We can confirm that Maersk IT systems are down across multiple sites and business units due to a cyberattack.” Russian oil industry giant Rosnoft said it was facing a “powerful hacker attack.” Major British advertiser WPP said on Facebook it was also hit by an attack, while law firm DLA Piper also confirmed it had been targeted by hackers. None of the companies offered specifics on the nature of those hacks.
Attacks on the U.S. pharmaceuticals company Merck extended to its to global offices, sources told Forbes. Both phones and PCs were out of action at Merck’s Ireland offices, and employees were sent home. Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), the U.K. subsidiary of Merck, confirmed its network was compromised. “We’re trying to understand the level of impact,” a spokesperson said. “We’re trying to operate as normally as possible.”
Ukraine the main target - The impact initially appeared to be most severe in Ukraine, with very few instances in the U.S., according to Kaspersky.
The government organization managing the zone of the Chernobyl disaster fallout said it had to switch radiation monitoring services on industrial sites to manual as they had to shut down all Windows computers. Automated systems for the rest of the zone operated normally. The main Chernobyl plant website has also been closed.
Other victims included major energy companies such as the state-owned Ukrenergo and Kiev’s main supplier Kyivenergo. Government officials have reportedly sent images of their infected computers, including this from deputy prime minister Pavlo Rozenko, who later said the whole government network was down:
It appears on the images posted across social media, the ransomware note is in English and demands $300 in Bitcoin to unlock the files, a request similar to the WannaCry ransom. Ransomware encrypts files and requires payment for the keys to unlock them.
Going global - A Ukrenergo spokesperson told Forbes power systems were unaffected, adding: “On June 27, a part of Ukrenergo’s computer network was cyberattacked. Similarly, as it is already known with the media, networks and other companies, including the energy sector, were attacked.
“Our specialists take all the necessary measures for the complete restoration of the computer system, including the official [website].” The site remains down at the time of publication.
The National Bank blamed an “unknown virus” as the culprit, hitting several Ukrainian banks and some commercial enterprises. “As a result of cyberattacks, these banks have difficulties with customer service and banking operations,” a statement on the organization’s website read.
The deputy general director of Kiev’s Borispol Airport, Eugene Dykhne, said in a Facebook post: “Our IT services are working together to resolve the situation. There may be delays in flights due to the situation… The official Site of the airport and the flight schedules are not working.”
Kiev Metro, meanwhile, said today in a Twitter alert that it wasn’t able to accept bank card payments as a result of a ransomware infection.
It’s currently unclear whether the attacks are purely ransomware, or if myriad attacks are currently hitting various parts of Ukraine. Attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in 2015 and 2016 were believed to have been perpetrated by Russia, though the country denies all cyberattacks on foreign soil.
Though ransomware is typically used by cybercriminals, with WannaCry it was alleged a nation state was likely responsible for spreading the malware: North Korea. Cyber intelligence companies and the NSA believe with medium confidence that the nation used leaked NSA cyber weapons to carry out the attacks that took out hospitals in the U.K and infected hundreds of thousands of others
How the ransomware spreads - Security researchers fear the latest outbreak is hitting systems via the same leaked NSA vulnerabilities used by WannaCry. Early analysis of some of the ransomware samples confirmed that the malware creators used the so-called EternalBlue exploits, which targeted a now-patched vulnerability in Microsoft Windows.
But CERT.be, the federal cyber emergency team for Belgium, pointed to a different flaw in Windows. As noted by security firm FireEye in April, attacks exploiting the bug allow a hacker to run commands on a user’s PC after the user opened a malicious document. Office documents that contained the hack and downloaded popular malware types onto target computers, FireEye reported.
CEO of Hacker House, Matthew Hickey, said the initial attacks appeared to have been delivered by that latter attack, using phishing emails containing Excel files. The malware may have used the worm features of the NSA attack to spread so quickly, he said. Hickey also confirmed that the ransomware’s code used EternalBlue. But it’s still unclear if the second flaw was used in these hacks as no phishing emails have yet emerged.
What’s clear is the latest ransomware variant is spreading quickly, even on patched Windows PCs, thanks to some added features in the malware, now being dubbed NotPetya.
Russian, Ukrainian companies' websites under massive cyber attack
http://tass.com/world/953528
A massive cyber attack on computers in Russia and Ukraine was recorded around 14:00 Moscow time (11:00 GMT). ). According to Group-IB, the ransomware spreads through local networks just like the WannaCry virus did.
The Petya virus has attacked the Ukrainian government, Auchan Hypermarkets, Privatbank and telecommunication operators, the Group-IB company said.
Statements published on social networks earlier said that a computer virus had attacked the websites and computer systems of numerous Ukrainian companies, banks, state agencies and other institutions.
Ukraine’s National Bank was the first to report a cyber attack, warning banks and institutions about a dangerous malware. Meanwhile, according to the country’s media, dozens of big banks, particularly Oschadbank and Privatbank, have limited customer service operations.
The Ukrenergo national energy company, as well as the Kievenergo, Zaporozhenergo and Dneprenergo energy supplying companies, have been facing difficulties, but their basic activities have not been affected.
The Novaya Pochta private delivery company has suspended its activities due to a computer virus. In addition, the Antonov aircraft-builder, the Kiev metro and Borispol international airport have confirmed cyber attacks on their computer systems.
A number of the Ukrainian media outlets have also reported cyber attacks.
This Ukrainian Company Is Likely Behind the Ransomware Wave (Video)
http://fortune.com/2017/06/27/petya-ransomware-ukraine-medoc/
MeDoc is a financial tech company that makes accounting software to help people and businesses process taxes. Security researchers said that hackers seemed to have breached the company's computer systems and compromised a software update that was pushed to its customers on June 22.
"Attention! Our server made a virus attack," the company wrote Tuesday in an update on its website (translated from Russian to English via Google Translate). "We apologize for the inconvenience!"
(The company did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment.)
The ransomware wave paralyzed computer systems at Danish shipping giant Maersk, British ad agency WPP, Russian oil giant Rosneft, U.S. pharma giant Merck (mrk, -0.58%), and others.
After landing on victims' machines, the malicious software then spread stealthily across networks through a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, which Microsoft (msft, -1.76%) released patches for in March. Companies that did not apply the patch—sealing a hole exploited by a leaked hacking tool associated with the U.S. National Security Agency—were vulnerable.
Additionally, the malware spread by harvesting usernames and passwords from infected computers. Should one of these computers happen to have had administrative privileges, that login information could be used that to take over other machines on the network managed under the same credentials.
The timing and initial target of the attack, MeDoc, is sure to provoke speculation that an adversary of Ukraine might be to blame. The ransomware hid undetected for five days before being triggered a day before a public Ukrainian holiday that celebrates the nation's ratification of a new constitution in 1996.
"Last night in Ukraine, the night before Constitution Day, someone pushed the detonate button," said Craig Williams, head of Cisco's (csco, -1.49%) Talos threat intelligence unit. "That makes this more of a political statement than just a piece of ransomware."
"It's very clear that whoever was behind this would somehow benefit from causing significant amount of negative business impact on Constitution Day," Williams added.
Obvious candidates come to mind—including Moscow or pro-Russian hackers, for example—though it is still too early to begin pointing fingers in terms of attribution. More details are sure to come to light in coming days as security researchers continue digging into the attack code and search for its perpetrators.
Williams added that his team has found no other initial vector than MeDoc as yet. Researchers at Kaspersky Labs, a Russian antivirus firm, also noted the link to MeDoc in its write-up of the incident, as did several other researchers.
Car bomb kills senior Ukrainian intelligence officer in Kiev
https://www.mail.com/int/news/world/5311206-car-bomb-kills-senior-ukrainian-intelligence-offic.html#.1258-stage-hero1-10
The Defense Ministry identified the victim as Col. Maxim Shapoval of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence. Ukrainian media reported that Shapoval was chief of military intelligence’s special forces. Kiev regional police chief Andriy Kryshchenko tells 112 television channel the unidentified explosive device was either attached to the bottom of the car or planted inside.
Investigators are treating the explosion as a terror attack but did not immediately say who was to blame.
Colonel for Ukraine's Military Intelligence Killed in Kiev Blast - MoD (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706271055000197-kiev-car-explosion-military-intelligence-colonel/
As a result of (the explosion) a member of the Defense Ministry's main intelligence department, Colonel Maksim Shapoval, was killed," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Another man was injured as a result of the blast, according to the spokesperson of the Kiev police Oksana Blischik.
Following the blast, a video emerged reportedly showing the moment when the explosion happened.
Another Massive Ransomware Outbreak Is Going Global Fast
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/06/27/ransomware-spreads-rapidly-hitting-power-companies-banks-airlines-metro/#22541b3b7abd
Whispers of WannaCry abound, though some security experts said on Tuesday that a different breed, named Petya, was to blame. “[We’re seeing] several thousands of infection attempts at the moment, comparable in size to WannaCry’s first hours,” said Kaspersky Lab’s Costin Raiu, who added that the infections are occurring in many different countries. Another firm, BitDefender, said it believed a similar strain called GoldenEye was responsible. Later, security firms, including Kaspersky and Avast, said the malware responsible was actually an entirely new ransomware that had borrowed Petya code.
Regardless of the malware, the attacks are now global. Danish shipping and energy company Maersk reported a cyberattack on Tuesday, noting on its website: “We can confirm that Maersk IT systems are down across multiple sites and business units due to a cyberattack.” Russian oil industry giant Rosnoft said it was facing a “powerful hacker attack.” Major British advertiser WPP said on Facebook it was also hit by an attack, while law firm DLA Piper also confirmed it had been targeted by hackers. None of the companies offered specifics on the nature of those hacks.
Attacks on the U.S. pharmaceuticals company Merck extended to its to global offices, sources told Forbes. Both phones and PCs were out of action at Merck’s Ireland offices, and employees were sent home. Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), the U.K. subsidiary of Merck, confirmed its network was compromised. “We’re trying to understand the level of impact,” a spokesperson said. “We’re trying to operate as normally as possible.”
Ukraine the main target - The impact initially appeared to be most severe in Ukraine, with very few instances in the U.S., according to Kaspersky.
The government organization managing the zone of the Chernobyl disaster fallout said it had to switch radiation monitoring services on industrial sites to manual as they had to shut down all Windows computers. Automated systems for the rest of the zone operated normally. The main Chernobyl plant website has also been closed.
Other victims included major energy companies such as the state-owned Ukrenergo and Kiev’s main supplier Kyivenergo. Government officials have reportedly sent images of their infected computers, including this from deputy prime minister Pavlo Rozenko, who later said the whole government network was down:
It appears on the images posted across social media, the ransomware note is in English and demands $300 in Bitcoin to unlock the files, a request similar to the WannaCry ransom. Ransomware encrypts files and requires payment for the keys to unlock them.
Going global - A Ukrenergo spokesperson told Forbes power systems were unaffected, adding: “On June 27, a part of Ukrenergo’s computer network was cyberattacked. Similarly, as it is already known with the media, networks and other companies, including the energy sector, were attacked.
“Our specialists take all the necessary measures for the complete restoration of the computer system, including the official [website].” The site remains down at the time of publication.
The National Bank blamed an “unknown virus” as the culprit, hitting several Ukrainian banks and some commercial enterprises. “As a result of cyberattacks, these banks have difficulties with customer service and banking operations,” a statement on the organization’s website read.
The deputy general director of Kiev’s Borispol Airport, Eugene Dykhne, said in a Facebook post: “Our IT services are working together to resolve the situation. There may be delays in flights due to the situation… The official Site of the airport and the flight schedules are not working.”
Kiev Metro, meanwhile, said today in a Twitter alert that it wasn’t able to accept bank card payments as a result of a ransomware infection.
It’s currently unclear whether the attacks are purely ransomware, or if myriad attacks are currently hitting various parts of Ukraine. Attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in 2015 and 2016 were believed to have been perpetrated by Russia, though the country denies all cyberattacks on foreign soil.
Though ransomware is typically used by cybercriminals, with WannaCry it was alleged a nation state was likely responsible for spreading the malware: North Korea. Cyber intelligence companies and the NSA believe with medium confidence that the nation used leaked NSA cyber weapons to carry out the attacks that took out hospitals in the U.K and infected hundreds of thousands of others
How the ransomware spreads - Security researchers fear the latest outbreak is hitting systems via the same leaked NSA vulnerabilities used by WannaCry. Early analysis of some of the ransomware samples confirmed that the malware creators used the so-called EternalBlue exploits, which targeted a now-patched vulnerability in Microsoft Windows.
But CERT.be, the federal cyber emergency team for Belgium, pointed to a different flaw in Windows. As noted by security firm FireEye in April, attacks exploiting the bug allow a hacker to run commands on a user’s PC after the user opened a malicious document. Office documents that contained the hack and downloaded popular malware types onto target computers, FireEye reported.
CEO of Hacker House, Matthew Hickey, said the initial attacks appeared to have been delivered by that latter attack, using phishing emails containing Excel files. The malware may have used the worm features of the NSA attack to spread so quickly, he said. Hickey also confirmed that the ransomware’s code used EternalBlue. But it’s still unclear if the second flaw was used in these hacks as no phishing emails have yet emerged.
What’s clear is the latest ransomware variant is spreading quickly, even on patched Windows PCs, thanks to some added features in the malware, now being dubbed NotPetya.
Russian, Ukrainian companies' websites under massive cyber attack
http://tass.com/world/953528
A massive cyber attack on computers in Russia and Ukraine was recorded around 14:00 Moscow time (11:00 GMT). ). According to Group-IB, the ransomware spreads through local networks just like the WannaCry virus did.
The Petya virus has attacked the Ukrainian government, Auchan Hypermarkets, Privatbank and telecommunication operators, the Group-IB company said.
Statements published on social networks earlier said that a computer virus had attacked the websites and computer systems of numerous Ukrainian companies, banks, state agencies and other institutions.
Ukraine’s National Bank was the first to report a cyber attack, warning banks and institutions about a dangerous malware. Meanwhile, according to the country’s media, dozens of big banks, particularly Oschadbank and Privatbank, have limited customer service operations.
The Ukrenergo national energy company, as well as the Kievenergo, Zaporozhenergo and Dneprenergo energy supplying companies, have been facing difficulties, but their basic activities have not been affected.
The Novaya Pochta private delivery company has suspended its activities due to a computer virus. In addition, the Antonov aircraft-builder, the Kiev metro and Borispol international airport have confirmed cyber attacks on their computer systems.
A number of the Ukrainian media outlets have also reported cyber attacks.
This Ukrainian Company Is Likely Behind the Ransomware Wave (Video)
http://fortune.com/2017/06/27/petya-ransomware-ukraine-medoc/
MeDoc is a financial tech company that makes accounting software to help people and businesses process taxes. Security researchers said that hackers seemed to have breached the company's computer systems and compromised a software update that was pushed to its customers on June 22.
"Attention! Our server made a virus attack," the company wrote Tuesday in an update on its website (translated from Russian to English via Google Translate). "We apologize for the inconvenience!"
(The company did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment.)
The ransomware wave paralyzed computer systems at Danish shipping giant Maersk, British ad agency WPP, Russian oil giant Rosneft, U.S. pharma giant Merck (mrk, -0.58%), and others.
After landing on victims' machines, the malicious software then spread stealthily across networks through a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, which Microsoft (msft, -1.76%) released patches for in March. Companies that did not apply the patch—sealing a hole exploited by a leaked hacking tool associated with the U.S. National Security Agency—were vulnerable.
Additionally, the malware spread by harvesting usernames and passwords from infected computers. Should one of these computers happen to have had administrative privileges, that login information could be used that to take over other machines on the network managed under the same credentials.
The timing and initial target of the attack, MeDoc, is sure to provoke speculation that an adversary of Ukraine might be to blame. The ransomware hid undetected for five days before being triggered a day before a public Ukrainian holiday that celebrates the nation's ratification of a new constitution in 1996.
"Last night in Ukraine, the night before Constitution Day, someone pushed the detonate button," said Craig Williams, head of Cisco's (csco, -1.49%) Talos threat intelligence unit. "That makes this more of a political statement than just a piece of ransomware."
"It's very clear that whoever was behind this would somehow benefit from causing significant amount of negative business impact on Constitution Day," Williams added.
Obvious candidates come to mind—including Moscow or pro-Russian hackers, for example—though it is still too early to begin pointing fingers in terms of attribution. More details are sure to come to light in coming days as security researchers continue digging into the attack code and search for its perpetrators.
Williams added that his team has found no other initial vector than MeDoc as yet. Researchers at Kaspersky Labs, a Russian antivirus firm, also noted the link to MeDoc in its write-up of the incident, as did several other researchers.
Car bomb kills senior Ukrainian intelligence officer in Kiev
https://www.mail.com/int/news/world/5311206-car-bomb-kills-senior-ukrainian-intelligence-offic.html#.1258-stage-hero1-10
The Defense Ministry identified the victim as Col. Maxim Shapoval of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence. Ukrainian media reported that Shapoval was chief of military intelligence’s special forces. Kiev regional police chief Andriy Kryshchenko tells 112 television channel the unidentified explosive device was either attached to the bottom of the car or planted inside.
Investigators are treating the explosion as a terror attack but did not immediately say who was to blame.
Colonel for Ukraine's Military Intelligence Killed in Kiev Blast - MoD (Video)
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706271055000197-kiev-car-explosion-military-intelligence-colonel/
As a result of (the explosion) a member of the Defense Ministry's main intelligence department, Colonel Maksim Shapoval, was killed," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Another man was injured as a result of the blast, according to the spokesperson of the Kiev police Oksana Blischik.
Following the blast, a video emerged reportedly showing the moment when the explosion happened.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has finally 'discovered' the true culprit behind the sweeping corruption that's plaguing Ukraine, and surprisingly, it's not the Russians that are to blame this time.
Poroshenko Blames Long-Dead Soviet Union for Corruption in Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706281055039584-poroshenko-blames-ussr-for-corruption/
This week, during his visit to France, President Poroshenko sat down for an interview with Le Figaro, which probed him on the origins of the rampant corruption which plagues his country. According to Poroshenko, the roots of this problem can actually be traced to Ukraine's Soviet past.
"It comes from the past, from the corrupt Soviet system, which had become deeply rooted in society and in everyone's spirit," Poroshenko said, in effect blaming a country which hasn't even existed for over a quarter of a century for Ukraine's present problems.
As far as his government was concerned, Poroshenko stressed that it had achieved 'tremendous results' in the fight against corruption and in implementing reforms. "It is not easy to reform a country that's at war. But that's what we've been able to do," he noted.
Last week, Ukrainian lawmakers announced plans to launch impeachment proceedings against Poroshenko, citing corruption, abuse of power, and profiteering amid Kiev's ongoing war in the Donbass.
Earlier this month, a poll by a leading Ukrainian sociological research company found that 75% of Ukrainians believe their country is 'in a state of collapse', with 85% describing the situation as 'chaotic.' 65% blamed government corruption and incompetence for the problems facing the country, with 54% also saying the civil war in the southeast was to blame.
Aside from his duties as president, Poroshenko is known as being one of Ukraine's most prominent oligarchs, building up his wealth under mysterious circumstances in the confectionary and machine-building industries during the chaotic period following the collapse of the USSR.
In the mid-1990s, his company took control of several state-owned confectionary enterprises, earning him the nickname 'Chocolate King'. During the 2000s, Poroshenko complemented his business activities with a budding political career, becoming a member of the parliamentary budget committee, where he was soon accused of embezzling funds. In 2005, he and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko launched recriminations against one another for alleged underpriced privatizations of state-owned companies. Before the 2014 Maidan coup d'état, Poroshenko picked up several other posts, including foreign minister and minister of trade, under both pro-Western and pro-Russian governments.
Last year, German media alleged that Poroshenko had created an offshore company in in the British Virgin Islands in 2014, at the very height of the war in the Donbass. The so-called Panama Papers confirmed that he had done so, thus directly violating the Ukrainian Constitution's provision stating that the creation of businesses while in office was illegal for the president. Poroshenko had promised to sell his 'Roshen'-based confectionary empire during the 2014 snap presidential election campaign, but later reneged.
Poroshenko's net worth is estimated at anywhere from $720 million to $1.3 billion. In 2015, a year after becoming president, a ranking by Novoye Vremya magazine showed him rising in the ranks of top 10 richest Ukrainians from 9th to 6th, becoming the only businessman in the top 10 list to increase his fortune.
Russia Concerned Ukraine's Draft Reintegration Law Could Violate Minsk Deal
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706281055041476-russia-ukraine-reintegration-law/
Second CIS Department Director Andrey Rudenko said in remarks published on the Foreign Ministry website that Moscow is closely following discussions of the bill on the reintegration of Donbass in Ukraine.
We are concerned that the new law could enter into force in contradiction with the Minsk agreements," Rudenko said at the OSCE Annual Security Review Conference in Vienna on Tuesday.
Rudenko said the enactment of the new bill would call into question measures outlined in the Minsk accords, including local elections, special status legislation and amnesty.
Ukraine has begun large-scale movement of troops and equipment to the Donbass
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukraine-has-begun-large-scale-movement.html
"The current situation on the contact line leads to the conclusion that under the guise of the truce, the Ukrainian security forces are amassing units in Donetsk and Mariupol, positioning prohibited weapons" - he said.
Eduard Basurin said that in the north of Mariupol, in the village of Zaria (19 km from the frontline) 12 howitzers "Acacia" have been airlifted in.
To the south of Donetsk, in Vladimirovka village, (16 km from the frontline), personnel and heavy weapons arrived by train, including MLRS BM-21 "Grad", and nearby, under Volnovaha - wagons with ammunition for tanks, shells, powder charges and shells for 122 and 152 mm tube artillery. From Avdeyevka, a column of 28 tanks was moving to the site of the already positioned battalion "Kharkiv".
"A group of around 50 US and Canadian instructors have arrived to Konstantinovka. According to reports, the group of foreign experts in the near future plans to work in the area of Mariupol also." - Eduard Basurin added.
Poroshenko Blames Long-Dead Soviet Union for Corruption in Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706281055039584-poroshenko-blames-ussr-for-corruption/
This week, during his visit to France, President Poroshenko sat down for an interview with Le Figaro, which probed him on the origins of the rampant corruption which plagues his country. According to Poroshenko, the roots of this problem can actually be traced to Ukraine's Soviet past.
"It comes from the past, from the corrupt Soviet system, which had become deeply rooted in society and in everyone's spirit," Poroshenko said, in effect blaming a country which hasn't even existed for over a quarter of a century for Ukraine's present problems.
As far as his government was concerned, Poroshenko stressed that it had achieved 'tremendous results' in the fight against corruption and in implementing reforms. "It is not easy to reform a country that's at war. But that's what we've been able to do," he noted.
Last week, Ukrainian lawmakers announced plans to launch impeachment proceedings against Poroshenko, citing corruption, abuse of power, and profiteering amid Kiev's ongoing war in the Donbass.
Earlier this month, a poll by a leading Ukrainian sociological research company found that 75% of Ukrainians believe their country is 'in a state of collapse', with 85% describing the situation as 'chaotic.' 65% blamed government corruption and incompetence for the problems facing the country, with 54% also saying the civil war in the southeast was to blame.
Aside from his duties as president, Poroshenko is known as being one of Ukraine's most prominent oligarchs, building up his wealth under mysterious circumstances in the confectionary and machine-building industries during the chaotic period following the collapse of the USSR.
In the mid-1990s, his company took control of several state-owned confectionary enterprises, earning him the nickname 'Chocolate King'. During the 2000s, Poroshenko complemented his business activities with a budding political career, becoming a member of the parliamentary budget committee, where he was soon accused of embezzling funds. In 2005, he and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko launched recriminations against one another for alleged underpriced privatizations of state-owned companies. Before the 2014 Maidan coup d'état, Poroshenko picked up several other posts, including foreign minister and minister of trade, under both pro-Western and pro-Russian governments.
Last year, German media alleged that Poroshenko had created an offshore company in in the British Virgin Islands in 2014, at the very height of the war in the Donbass. The so-called Panama Papers confirmed that he had done so, thus directly violating the Ukrainian Constitution's provision stating that the creation of businesses while in office was illegal for the president. Poroshenko had promised to sell his 'Roshen'-based confectionary empire during the 2014 snap presidential election campaign, but later reneged.
Poroshenko's net worth is estimated at anywhere from $720 million to $1.3 billion. In 2015, a year after becoming president, a ranking by Novoye Vremya magazine showed him rising in the ranks of top 10 richest Ukrainians from 9th to 6th, becoming the only businessman in the top 10 list to increase his fortune.
Russia Concerned Ukraine's Draft Reintegration Law Could Violate Minsk Deal
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201706281055041476-russia-ukraine-reintegration-law/
Second CIS Department Director Andrey Rudenko said in remarks published on the Foreign Ministry website that Moscow is closely following discussions of the bill on the reintegration of Donbass in Ukraine.
We are concerned that the new law could enter into force in contradiction with the Minsk agreements," Rudenko said at the OSCE Annual Security Review Conference in Vienna on Tuesday.
Rudenko said the enactment of the new bill would call into question measures outlined in the Minsk accords, including local elections, special status legislation and amnesty.
Ukraine has begun large-scale movement of troops and equipment to the Donbass
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/ukraine-has-begun-large-scale-movement.html
"The current situation on the contact line leads to the conclusion that under the guise of the truce, the Ukrainian security forces are amassing units in Donetsk and Mariupol, positioning prohibited weapons" - he said.
Eduard Basurin said that in the north of Mariupol, in the village of Zaria (19 km from the frontline) 12 howitzers "Acacia" have been airlifted in.
To the south of Donetsk, in Vladimirovka village, (16 km from the frontline), personnel and heavy weapons arrived by train, including MLRS BM-21 "Grad", and nearby, under Volnovaha - wagons with ammunition for tanks, shells, powder charges and shells for 122 and 152 mm tube artillery. From Avdeyevka, a column of 28 tanks was moving to the site of the already positioned battalion "Kharkiv".
"A group of around 50 US and Canadian instructors have arrived to Konstantinovka. According to reports, the group of foreign experts in the near future plans to work in the area of Mariupol also." - Eduard Basurin added.
- Status
