Se grafikken: Slik omringer Putin Ukraina

BERLIN/OSLO (VG) Samtidig som Ukraina feirer 25 års uavhengighet fra Sovjetunionen, er landet omringet av stadig større russiske militære styrker.

I grafikken øverst i denne saken kan du se hvordan stadig større russiske styrker kryper stadig nærmere grensen til Ukraina:

I nord står en ny brigade klar nær Brjansk, i sør, på Krim, i øst, nær Rostov og vest i Moldovas Transnistra-region.

– Det er først og fremst sammensatte hærstyrker, som tidligere har vært stasjonert andre steder i Russland. At de nå står så nær grensen, gjør at varslingstiden hvis de skulle begynne å bevege seg blir langt kortere enn før, sier orlogskaptein Thomas Slensvik, hovedlærer i strategi og doktrine ved Forsvarets høgskole (FHS) til VG.

KRIM-MØTE: Russlands president Vladimir Putin i samtale med statsminister Dmitrij Medvedev på Krim fredag 19. august. Putin og det russiske sikkerhetsrådets besøk til det annekterte Krim kommer etter en rekke beskyldinger fra både russisk og ukrainsk side om forsøk på terror og militær opptrapping de siste ukene.
Foto: Dmitry Astakhov,, AFP

Putins plan

Dette viser ifølge orlogskapteinen det som trolig er Russlands plan med den militære oppbyggingen:

– Det er en konstant trussel, og gjør at Ukraina også må flytte på sine styrker. Dermed binder dette opp mye av de ukrainske styrkene, og gjør at Ukraina blir mindre fleksible og har færre styrker å sette inn mot russiske eller russisk-støttede opprørere i områdene som de kontrollerer, sier han.

Oppbyggingen de siste ukene kommer i tillegg til et omfattende nettverk av baser – som allerede strekker seg langs hele grensen.

De nærmeste ligger bare noen få mil fra grensen.

– Russland har gjennomført en kontinuerlig oppbygging langs den russisk-ukrainske grensen over tid. Midlertidige baser har blitt permanente, nye baser har blitt bygget og det har blitt tilført nytt materiell og personell, sier Slensvik.

Slik er materiellet

KRIM-KONTROLL: Dette er S-400 «Triumf» bakke-til-luft-rakettsystemer - den samme typen Russland nå har utplassert på Krim.
Foto: Grigory Dukor, Reuters

– Det er mye moderne materiell, med nye våpensystemer, utstyr for elektronisk krigføring, droner og de nyeste stridsvognene, sier han.

I midten av august flyttet Russland også avanserte S-400 bakke-til-luft-rakettsystemer inn på Krim. De har en rekkevidde som strekker seg over store deler av Svartehavet, og ikke minst: Langt inn i Ukraina.

– Det er i utgangspunktet et defensivt våpen, og at Russland vil ha en «forsvarsparaply» over Krim, er naturlig. Men den lange rekkevidden gjør at Ukraina oppfatter dette som en trussel, sier Slensvik.

Store, uvarslede øvelser

VISER MUSKLER: Russiske stridsvogner fra militærdistrikt sør under en stor, uvarslet øvelse denne helgen.
Foto: Russlands forsvarsdepartement

De siste ukene har de russiske styrkene også gjennomført flere store, uvarslede øvelser, både i Transnistria, Svartehavet og langs grensen til Ukraina.

Den foreløpig siste skjedde nå i helgen – og involverte store deler av styrkene i militærdistriktene ved grensen til Ukraina.

– De har også øvd med landgangsstyrker på Krim. Det viser at de har en offensiv kapasitet Ukraina må ta hensyn til, sier Slensvik.

Russlands president Vladimir Putin var forrige helg på den annekterte Krim-halvøya. Her deltok presidenten i møter med det russiske sikkerhetsrådet og diskuterte en forsterkning av forsvaret for Krim.

Kilde: http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/russland/se-grafikken-slik-omringer-putin-ukraina/a/23772001/

Expert: Reactor replacement is not enough, staff needs to be replaced

Belarus decided to replace the reactor of the first power unit of Astravets NPP, Russian mass media reported on August 11. Journalists referred to Belarusian Minister of Energy Uladzimir Patupchyk who was visiting Tumen, Russia.
The problem cannot be solved by replacing the reactor alone because the biggest issue is the approach to the construction of the first Belarusian nuclear power plant, PhD Heori Lepin told Euroradio.
"If Atsravets NPP staff is capable of letting a reactor fall, they cannot be entrusted with the construction of this object. Highly skilled workers and high-quality machines are required for it. It is not even clear what they were using when lifting the reactor,” Lepin said.
The Ministry of Energy has not officially commented on the replacement on the reactor yet.

Kilde:  http://euroradio.fm

Police draw protocol on Belsat TV contributor for man-on-the-street interviewing

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Homiel-based independent journalist Kastus Zhukouski is charged with Illegal conducting public opinion surveys (part 4.1 of Article 9:29 of the Administrative Code of Belarus).

“On 21 June 2016, being Loyeu, Zhukouski was holding a public opinion poll the study,” the protocol drawn by police major A. Khichou says.

According to the document, the public opinion poll touched upon the geopolitical situation and was conducted by the journalist in the territory of Loyeu district without any proper accreditation. Then its results appeared on Belsat TV, the police state.

Journalists brutally detained – own fault

On June 21, a Belsat crew was working on a news story about the economic situation in the Belarusian town of Loyeu. The filming was interrupted by the policemen’s arrival. The both journalists were taken to the local police station, there Zhukouski was tortured.

A bit later, Kastus Zhukouski had battery-induced injuries verified and filed a complaint. Interior Minister Ihar Shunevich promised to check information about Loyeu policemen’s beating Zhukouski, but there has been no answer from the Minister by far.

Soon after the incident, four administrative offence reports were sent by post to Kastus Zhukouski and two – against his colleague Alyaksei Atroshchanka.

Kastus Zhukouski was charged with insulting two official representatives and the policeman who detained him (two reports); the third charge was for disobedience to the police officer (first deputy head Henadz Madzhara); the fourth charge was for minor hooliganism. According to the reports, Zhukouski shouted, uttered curses and through his actions demonstrated outright disrespect to the public. Alyaksei Atroshchanka was charged with insulting the officials and disobeying lawful police’s demands: he allegedly insulted the two women, official representatives, and then he refused to get into the police car to go to the police department.

Now, the charge on ‘illegal conducting public opinion polls’ has been added.

In 2016, Belsat TV contributor Kastus Zhukouski has been tried and fined many times. In its report on human rights violations in Belarus, the International Organization Amnesty International used his case as an example.

belsat.eu

Belarus authorities seize elderly opposition activist’s garden house video

Fined by Belarusian court for her participation in protest actions, an elderly opposition activist has to pay BYN 7,500 (appr. $3,800).
 As Nina Bahinskaya, 68, refused to settle the ‘debt’ to the state, the court seized household appliances at her home and then – a garden house and land property. The pensioner does not give up and calls the authorities’ actions illegal.
On May 17, an auction for the sale of the woman’s property will take place in town of  Smolevichi (Sovetskaya street, 128a / 2) in Minsk district.
Minsk Regional Center of Investments and Privatization has estimated Ms Bahinskaya’s garden house at BYN 10,000 rubles. It is noteworthy that the state takes a part of her monthly pension to cover for court fines.
Nina Bahinskaya has been in Belarus’ opposition movement since the late 1980s. Now, in spite of being persecuted, she keeps taking part in peaceful protests in Minsk, during which she always hoists a white-red-white national flag.
belsat.eu

Belavia plane painted in World of Tanks style lands in Minsk (foto)

A Belavia plane painted in the World of Tanks style landed at the national airport Minsk on July 29.

FBI experts working on Sheremet case left Ukraine

So far, the investigation has not discovered the identities of those who planted the bomb under the journalist’s car.
At the press conference, the National Police of Ukraine described the appearance of the two men who planted a bomb under the car of Pavel Sheremet but did not name them.
“At the moment the suspects’ identities have not been established,” “Interfax” quotes Andrei Shevchenko, procedural attorney of the Ukraine’s General Prosecutor office.
“The suspects are a man and a woman. The man has “Spanish beard,” no more than 175 cm tall, strong physique – probably a wrestler or former weightlifter. Woman is about 163-168 cm, had a particular gait and body, which also indicates the likely sports career in the past,” “Segodnya.ua” quoted the prosecutor.
Andriy Shevchenko added that representatives of the FBI who have joined the investigation have already left Ukraine. The prosecutor noted that the American officers were involved in the criminal investigation as specialists.

“They, together with our experts, who conduct expert studies, carried out an additional survey of the crime scene and the car itself, and because they have more advanced equipment, they have more experience in the investigation of explosions, they are now carrying out an expert study of the substance that was used in the explosive device,” said the prosecutor.

According to Shevchenko, the FBI worked in Ukraine for about a week.
belsat.eu

Norway refused to play Belarus on ‘Tractor’ stadium

Players of the Norway football team have refused to play at the “Tractor” stadium in Minsk. The match with Belarus will take place in Oslo.
According to the association “Belarusian Football Federation,” this was announced on August 2.
Thus, on August 31 the Belarusian football players will hold a visiting friendly match against Norway. The teams have met six times. Norway won three times, Belarus won once and two times there was a draw.
This match will be the last for the footballers of the Belarusian coach Alyaksandr Khatskevich before the match of the FIFA World Cup 2018 tournament. On September 6, the Belarusian team will play against the French team in Barysau.
telegraf.by