Ukrainian military shell Donetsk chemical plant night on Monday

The Donetsk chemical plant has been attacked several times by the Ukrainian military. The previous attack was in mid-July from Smerch MLRS.

MOSCOW, November 30. /TASS/. The Ukrainian nationalistic military units at night on Monday shelled the Donetsk chemical plant, which is located not far from the Volvo-Centre in the Kyibyshev district, a source at the defense ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) told the Donetsk News Agency on Monday.

"At about midnight, the Ukrainian military opened fire from mortars on the chemical plant; the fire was over at 1 at night," the source said, adding the total of 20 mines of 82mm calibre had been laid on the territory of the plant.

The Donetsk chemical plant has been attacked several times by the Ukrainian military. The previous attack was in mid-July from Smerch MLRS. On February 8, the attack was made with use of the Tochka-U short-range ballistic missile system.

According to the agreement reached at peace talks in the Belarusian capital city Minsk, a complete ceasefire was declared on the contact line in Ukraine’s south-eastern Donbas region starting from September 1, however, the Ukrainian forces have systematically violated it. In particular, they regularly shell the outskirts of Donetsk and Gorlovka. The DPR Defense Ministry said previously that the situation in the republic has recently worsened. The number of shelling attacks on the northern and western outskirts of Donetsk and on the city suburbs has increased dramatically over the past month.

Source: ITAR-TASS 30-11-2015

Ukrainian military fire on northern Donetsk, damage gas pipeline - media

Kiev’s commanders of the force mission in Donbass, in their turn, accused DPR of shelling their positions near Spartak, Opytnoye and Peski from 82mm mortars and small guns

MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. The military of the Ukrainian national battalions fired the Oktyabrsky settlement in Donetsk the night on Sunday, where a gas pipeline was damaged, the Donetsk News Agency reported on Sunday.

"At about 23:30, the Ukrainian military opened fire on the Oktyabrsky settlement, where one house burned down and a gas pipeline was damaged," a source at the defence ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) told the Agency. Simultaneously with that, they fired on the Zaitsevo settlement in Gorlovka, using mortars and small guns.

Kiev’s commanders of the force mission in Donbass, in their turn, accused DPR of shelling their positions near Spartak, Opytnoye and Peski from 82mm mortars and small guns.

According to the agreement reached at peace talks in the Belarusian capital city Minsk, a complete ceasefire was declared on the contact line in Ukraine’s south-eastern Donbass region starting from September 1, however, the Ukrainian forces have systematically violated it. In particular, they regularly shell the outskirts of Donetsk and Gorlovka. The DPR Defence Ministry said previously that the situation in the republic has recently worsened. The number of shelling attacks on the northern and western outskirts of Donetsk and on the city suburbs has dramatically increased over the past month.

Minsk accords

The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine comprising senior representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the European security watchdog OSCE on February 12, 2015, signed a 13-point Package of Measures to fulfil the September 2014 Minsk agreements. The package was agreed with the leaders of the Normandy Four, namely Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine.

The Package of Measures, known as Minsk-2, envisaged a ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and people’s militias in the self-proclaimed republics in Donetsk and Lugansk starting from February 15 and subsequent withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of engagement. The deal also laid out a roadmap for a lasting settlement in Ukraine, including local elections and constitutional reform to give more autonomy to the war-torn eastern regions.

On September 29, a supplement to the Package of Measures on Implementing the Minsk Agreements from 12 February 2015 was agreed at a meeting of the Contact Group on settlement the Ukrainian crisis, which was organised in Minsk. The supplement envisages withdrawal of tanks, artillery weapons of less than 100mm calibre, and mortars of equal to or less than 120mm calibre to a distance of 15 kilometres from the contact line in Donbass. On September 30, the document was signed by DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko and LPR (Lugansk People's Republic) head Igor Plotnitsky. In accordance with the reached agreement, tanks are withdrawn first, followed by artillery weapons of less than 100mm calibre and mortars. The first stage should start two days after the complete ceasefire and finish in 15 days. The second stage will take 24 days to complete, the parties agreed. The withdrawal was to begin in the "North" sector on the LPR territory and to continue in the "South" sector in DPR. The whole process of withdrawal was expected to take a total of 41 days.

Recent Normandy Four format talks

On October 2, leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine held talks in Paris in the so-called Normandy format. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the leaders discussed implementation of the Minsk Agreements, including withdrawal of armaments, elections, amnesty, gas issues and other crises, including air services. The Kremlin spokesman confirmed that the Minsk peace deal has no alternative.

On November 6, the Normandy Four foreign ministers agreed that humanitarian situation in Donbass is not improving, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with his counterparts from Germany, France and Ukraine in the Normandy format.

Source: ITAR-TASS 29-11-2015

Crimea waits for Russia to lay electric lifeline under sea

SIMFEROPOL, November 28. /TASS/. The six days of massive power blackout that followed when high voltage power lines bringing electricity to Crimea went dead after two pylons were blown up in an act of sabotage in neighboring Ukraine on November 22 have put to test both the Crimeans’ patience and the authorities’ readiness to cope with the emergency effectively and quickly enough. Russia has promised to promptly lay a power supply cable from the mainland under the sea. The work is well in progress. In the meantime, while local people buy up candles by the dozen, the authorities do their utmost to build up local generating capacities, which are still way below the local demand.

"In a nutshell: we are now trying to walk a tight rope and stay in balance. Nobody has had to address a task like this ever before. Either in Russia or elsewhere," the head of the Crimean Republic, Sergey Aksyonov, told the media on Friday. Crimea’s power grid currently operates entirely on its own. Rolling blackouts have to be used to reduce consumption. Crucial social facilities have been connected to autonomous power sources.

Rolling blackouts timetables subject to daily revision

Crimea’s electric power providers now revise and adjust the timetables of rolling blackouts every single day. Earlier, Crimea’s Fuel and Energy Minister Sergey Yegorov was dismissed for failing to provide an effective response to the emergency. In Crimea’s capital Simferopol three-hour-long power outages follow every nine hours. Some local residents have told TASS the schedule of blackouts sometimes disagrees with the reality.

"Electricity is provided according to special schedules. Inside each district the local administration chief is free to distribute it. Some use it for socially important facilities, others bring it to households or boiler rooms. The local authorities have a free hand within the established power rations," Aksyonov told TASS.

According to the Russian Energy Ministry overall electric power generation capacity in the peninsula has reached 400 megawatts by now. It is still way below the 1,000-1,200 megawatt demand).

"Crimea has three main thermoelectric power plants, which are capable of providing a total of 60 megawatts to 90 megawatts a day. Also, there are mobile gas turbine power plants. They were used during the Sochi Olympics as standby ones. Now they provide the bulk amount of electricity that is now available to us," Aksyonov said.
Diesel generators are being used as auxiliary power sources to keep vital social facilities going.

 

Dark and calm

Street lights in Crimea are out in the evenings and throughout the night. Restaurants and shops close early. Shoppers hurry to buy essentials before the dusk sets in. Candles are in the greatest demand. Improvised kiosks selling them have mushroomed literally at every street corner in the city centre. One candle may cost 100 roubles (roughly $1.5).

"Demand breeds supply," says a street vendor.

Aksyonov appreciates the Crimean people’s sell-control, patience and ability to cope with the inconveniences the disruption of power supply from Ukraine has entailed. "Not a single sign of alarm. Not a hint at protest sentiment," he told the media. "The people are aware what is happening and who is to blame. They are prepared to hold on and wait."

"We will manage. Motherland is not an item for sale. Still it’s far better in Russia without evening lights for a while than in Ukraine with all lights on," retiree Aleksandr told TASS while buying a dozen candles.

The local police have doubled the strength of patrols on the streets of Crimean cities. Just in case. Security has been tightened at 163 crucial sites and facilities. Berkut and SOBR crack police units and also military and police support squads maintain public order.

Back to school soon?

Crimea’s schools and childcare centres have been suspended for a week now. Municipal authorities in some districts may extend the unscheduled holidays further, if need be. Aksyonov has promised extra paid leaves to women with children under ten years of age. He addressed all local businesses and managers with a special request to this effect.

In the meantime, most women with children in Crimea do not know yet they are entitled to paid leaves. Many, for instance, shop assistants, have to bring their kids to their work places, while others leave minors in grannies’ care.

"I’ve seen many women bring kids to work. To shopping centres, for instance," Denis, a father of two primary school students, has told TASS. "I’d been scheduled to take a vacation anyway. Now I have to stay with children. If the blackouts last for another week, then it will be the granny’s headache."

Denis’s wife, Irina, says that although she was notified of her right to take an extra vacation now, the employer warned her that "nobody will be doing my job for me."

Other parents TASS correspondents have polled said they had heard nothing about the instruction regarding longer vacations the head of Crimea issued.

"My wife keeps going to work. I’m on holiday now myself. Nobody told her she was free to take a vacation, too," says Sergey. "I’m not complaining, though. I like to spend my spare time with kids. The country is in a no easy situation. When it rains, it pours. We do understand. Sometimes we get into the car to stay warm and charge mobile phones."

Grandpas and grandmas are eager to help many working couples.

"The parents surely help. No chance of doing without them," says young mother Olga.

 

Long hoped-for electric lifeline

Crimea’s power grid will go entirely independent as soon as a high voltage electric power cable is laid under the Kerch Strait from mainland Russia’s Krasnodar Territory. Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak told the media earlier the first stage of the supply link would be commissioned by December 20. Every conceivable measure is being taken to fast-track the solution.

Crimea hopes the first megawatts from mainland Russia will start pouring into the peninsula’s energy system as early as next month. Aksyonov expects this will happen on December 5 or 6.

"The situation will change after December 5-6. As soon as the cable is in place. I’m not very sure about the date, though, because their deadline is December 22. But I do hope they will be through with the work earlier than that," he said after a meeting of the joint crisis and emergency management centre on Friday, adding added that Crimea’s power grid was prepared to take the much-needed energy Russia’s Krasnodar Territory was about to deliver.

Source: ITAR-TASS 28-11-2015

Donetsk suburb shelled by Kiev forces overnight — DPR ministry

The shelling was carried out from the Kiev forces’ positions in Pesky with the use of mortars with the caliber of 82 and 120 mm, grenade launchers and small arms

MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. Kiev forces shelled the northern suburb of Donetsk, including the embattled airport area, overnight to Friday, the defense ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic has said.

"At around 1:00 a.m. the Ukrainian forces again opened fire on the territories to the north of Donetsk. The village of Zhabichevo, Spartak and the airport’s territory came under fire," the ministry told the Donetsk news agency.

The shelling was carried out from the Kiev forces’ positions in Pesky with the use of mortars with the caliber of 82 and 120 mm, grenade launchers and small arms, the ministry said.

No casualties or damage have been reported so far.

The deputy chief monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Alexander Hug, said Thursday that Shirokino, Gorlovka and the Donetsk airport’s territory should be again considered as "hot spots."

Source: ITAR-TASS 27-11-2015

Downing of Russian Jet Shows Turkey's Support for Jihadists, Oil Profiting

The downing of a Russian Su-24 jet by the Turkish Air Force highlights Ankara’s efforts to shield extremist groups operating in Syria to continue to profit from illegal oil revenues generated by the Islamic State, experts told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, a Russian Su-24 jet crashed in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the plane was downed by an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish F-16 jet over Syrian territory, ultimately falling 2.5 miles from the Turkish border.

Speaking on the subject on Wednesday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the incident demonstrated Turkey's intent to protect ISIL. Medvedev singled out "the direct financial interests of several Turkish officials" involved in the delivery of oil products extracted from ISIL-controlled enterprises as the motive for the incident.

Various estimates place oil revenues generated by ISIL somewhere between $40 to $50 million a month. A day prior to the attack, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had destroyed over 1,000 semi-truck tankers carrying crude oil to ISIL refineries, a large oil storage facility and an oil refinery in Syria.

Jihadist Support

"Turkey has been, at least, turning a blind eye to IS [the Islamic State jihadist group] from the beginning," senior King’s College London lecturer Bill Parker said. "But it is clear that Turkey supports many other jihadi groups in Syria."

Parker, the school’s Defense Studies Department expert on Turkish foreign and security policy, classified the jihadist groups backed by Turkey as its "proxy allies."

Charles Pembroke, risk analysis consultant at the British branch of the Protection Group International private risk management solutions company, noted Turkey’s previous expressions of solidarity with Turkmen rebels in Syria’s Latakia province, where the Russian jet was shot down.

Pembroke acknowledged that ISIL uses Turkey as a route for smuggling Syrian oil, with the "complicity of Turkish criminal gangs and corrupt officials," but said the likelihood that Ankara sponsors ISIL on a state level is "extremely unlikely."

"The financial rewards involved are far too small and based on personal, not political, interest. Moreover, Turkey has little to gain from a strengthened IS," he said, bringing to mind a series of terrorist attacks carried out by the group in Turkey this summer.

Lost Oil Revenue

The head of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis (IPMA) analysis department, Alexander Khramchikhin, linked the downing of the Russian aircraft to the previous airstrikes on ISIL oil facilities.

"Turkey, I have no doubt, is simply avenging the strikes on fuel trucks. It is well known that it is a general sponsor of the Islamic caliphate, buying its oil at dumping prices," the expert said.

Center for Political Information Director General Alexei Mukhin weighed in on the prospects of Turkey losing revenues from sales of oil smuggled by ISIL due to the Russian airstrikes.

"It is clear that the Russian Aerospace Forces' actions are hindering its development and there is a risk that this 'business' will cease to exist in the near future because of the efficiency of the Russian aviation," Mukhin stressed.

Implications

Li Weijian, executive director of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies’ Institute for Foreign Policy Studies, observed that the incident would force Turkey to "take a clear position in relation to IS."

"And if Turkey will not only refrain from fighting terrorists on its own, but even shoot down planes involved in anti-terrorist operations, the world community’s opinion would not favor Turkey," Li stressed.

Speaking to reporters after a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart earlier on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the Su-24 incident a "planned provocation."

Putin described the Turkish attack as a "stab in the back" carried out by "accomplices of terrorists."

 
Source: Sputnik News 26-11-2015