Nadiya Savchenko put a bag over her head in court. #FreeSavchenko

By Ukrainska Pravda
10.07.2015
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

The Donetsk City Court, Rostov region of Russia, rejected the defense’s motion for questioning the prosecution’s witnesses directly in court.

Savchenko’s defense filed that motion during the trial, since almost all of the prosecution’s witnesses were questioned remotely via video conference, from Voronezh [about a 5.5 hour drive north of Donetsk, Russia]. The connection was bad, as was the video feed. During the questioning, some of the witnesses gave the impression that they were being prompted [as to what to respond].

The defense filed a motion for the immediate delivery of witnesses, injured persons, and experts to the courtroom, including [key prosecution witness, so-called “Luhansk Peoples’ Republic” leader Igor] Plotnitsky.

Lawyer Nikolai Polozov tweeted: Defense filed a motion [habeas corpus] for the direct delivery of witnesses, victims, experts to the courtroom, including Plotnitsky.

On Wednesday, the court continued questioning the witness Pochechuyev, an employee of the FSB, who allegedly got the call from the DPS [Road and Patrol Service, Traffic Police] to take Savchenko. They [the DPS] had previously stopped the car in which two Russians had allegedly given Savchenko a ride, because the driver was not wearing a seatbelt. Then, during the inspection, it became clear that Savchenko had no documents [identification].

Witness

Witness “Alexei Pochechuyev” in a gray wig and dark glasses in Voronezh court. Photo source: Anton Naumlyuk via Alyona Shevchuk.

Pochechuyev, wearing a wig and sunglasses, admitted that he was wearing makeup [for disguise]. At that time, Savchenko tried to clarify with the court whether he can see her well enough to claim he can identify her. “I don’t see any witnesses. And if the prosecution asks [them] whether the person in the cage is the one [they are testifying against], they answer “yes,” but I’m not convinced. I think that the people who are testifying against me voluntarily should not be hiding their face and should be present in court,” – she said.

Photo source: Alyona Shevchuk

Photo source: Alyona Shevchuk FB

According to Mediazona, Savchenko put a bag with an embroidered pattern on her head and asked:

– Can you see my face?

– I can see it.

– And now do you see it? – asked Savchenko with a bag on her head.

The prosecutor objects.

– How many fingers [am I holding up]? – asks Savchenko and shows her hand toward the camera.

– I can see your face, – said Pochechuyev.

Savchenko’s defense believes that the person [testifying] in court [from Voronezh] is not Pochechuyev.

“I think this is not Pochechuyev before us,” – said [lawyer Mark] Feygin. Defense lawyers who are located in Donetsk, are joining [lawyer] Novikov’s request (he arrived in Voronezh unexpectedly) to question the “person introducing himself as Pochechuyev,” behind closed doors to find out whether it [really] is Pochechuyev.

“This is a three-ring circus!” – Polozov commented, backing up his opinion as follows: the witness changed his appearance, of which he informed the court; he refused to put his signature [on documents]; and the defense does not know which documents were submitted to the court to establish the identity of this man.

Savchenko with a bag on her head asking the witness to identify her. Photo: Anton Naumlyuk

Savchenko with a bag on her head asking the witness to identify her. Lawyer Mark Feygin in the foreground. Photo: Anton Naumlyuk

The defense made a motion for the immediate delivery of witnesses, victims, and experts to the court, including Plotnitsky. The court refused.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda

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Dmitry Tymchuk: Military update 10.08 #FreeSavchenko

information_resistance_logo_engDmitry Tymchuk, Head of the Center for Military and Political Research, Coordinator of the Information Resistance group, Member of Parliament (People’s Front)
10.08.2015
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

Operational data from Information Resistance:

Russian-terrorist forces have violated the ceasefire in the anti-terrorist operation [ATO] zone (they were observed firing at the ATO forces’ positions using anti-tank rocket systems). Militant infantry groups each numbering up to 25-30 men were active in the neutral zone in the vicinity of Luhanske, Mar’inka, Hranitne and Hnutove.

In the past 24 hours, Russian-terrorist forces demonstrated withdrawal of 12 tanks in the Luhansk area. A total of about 40 tanks and armored vehicles have been “withdrawn” along the stretch between Smile [pr. Smileh] and Zholobok. Some of this armor has been concealed in outbuildings and garages north of Luhansk and Alchevsk.

Image source.

A tactical battalion group of the Russian Federation Armed Forces is being deployed between the Donetsk ring road and the Khartsyzk motorway. In addition, 4 tanks and 10 tented army trucks were seen on the move in the same sector. Earlier, in the eastern districts of the city of Donetsk, the Information Resistance network observed some 800 military servicemen in uniforms with Russian Federation Armed Forces insignia.

In Horlivka, restaffing continues of a battalion that is part of the so-called “Horlivka garrison.” The terrorists are secretly moving newly-repaired heavy armor into Horlivka through Yenakijeve. Movement of 6 BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and 3 BTR-80 armored personnel carriers were recorded.

Around Makiivka, Russian-terrorist forces’ logistics and supply services continue their search for discreet sites to park and camouflage heavy armor.

Militants are transferring armored vehicles to the Pavlopil and Chermalyk areas, in small batches. Some ten T-64 tanks and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles have been moved in this way during the past 24 hours.

The leader of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” [DNR], Oleksandr Zakharchenko, has instructed [DNR-]controlled TV channels (“Oplot TV”, “Yunion” and “Pervyy Respublikanskiy” [First Republican]) to cease broadcasting the “election campaign” video content relevant to the “elections” previously scheduled for 10.18.2015. The final date of the elections is to be discussed and decided on at a meeting of the so-called “DNR parliament.”

The leaders of the “Luhansk People’s Republic” [LNR] have instructed the “LNR commandant’s office” to ensure that members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission [OSCE SMM] have access to those strategically important facilities in the region that are eligible for inspection by the international monitors (weapons depots, deployment sites of Russian-terrorist forces, etc.). At the same time, the “LNR commandant’s office” has ordered that representatives of the OSCE SMM should be provided with a permanent escort under the guise of “security guards,” so as to restrict their movements on the pretext of “guaranteeing their safety” and stop them from trying to talk with any staff members and militants at facilities who have not been briefed beforehand.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military servicemen dabbled in archaeology. Pictured: ancient dig found by the servicemen. Source

Source: Dmitry Tymchuk FB

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Dmitry Tymchuk: Military update 10.07 #FreeSavchenko

information_resistance_logo_engDmitry Tymchuk, Head of the Center for Military and Political Research, Coordinator of the Information Resistance group, Member of Parliament (People’s Front)
10.07.2015
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

Operational data from Information Resistance:

Weapons and ammunition are reportedly being taken out of so-called military commandants’ offices in Donetsk. The only weapons remaining in the No.6 commandant’s office are one NSV-12.7 “Utes” machine gun, one AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher, several AK-74, and two sets of ammunition for each of them. The rest of the weapons and ammunition are being taken away to the former building of the Donetsk Oblast [Security Service of Ukraine] Administration (the so-called “Izbushka”).

Representatives of the “1st Army Corps of the DNR [Donetsk People’s Republic]” “requisitioned” the 4th base of the “Vostok” gang located near Motel [Station, Donetsk]; a similar fate will soon befall the 5th base of that gang, as well. After the meeting between the “Vostok” command with the leaders of the “1st AC of the DNR [Donetsk People’s Republic],” a declaration was made about a planned disarmament of the gang in question, and the terrorists were made an offer to transfer to the “Internal Troops of the DNR” or directly to the “1st AC of the DNR.” Militants of the “Vostok” claim that the disarmament is being prepared by “Russian special services officers and FSB agents working in the command of the 1st Army Corps.”

Commanders of the armed gangs of the “LNR” [Luhansk People’s Republic] terrorist organizations have a mixed response to the results of the “Normandy Four” [recent] meeting in Paris. Some of the terrorists think that the results translate to a “de facto surrender of the ‘LNR/DNR’ in exchange for removing the Crimea annexation from the agenda.” Other militants believe that Putin had fooled the Ukrainian leaders, and that current agreements are simply the Kremlin’s political maneuvers, playing for time and waiting until Ukraine “destroys itself from the inside.”

"It is good to live in the LNR"

“It is good to live in the LNR”

Russian “supervisors” gave the “LNR” commanders an order to enroll 1,500 – 2,000 new members every week into “Myr Luhanschyne” [Peace for Luhansk Land] public organization (headed by Ihor Plotnitsky).

A “rating of eligible candidates” to the posts of city and district administrations was prepared in the “DNR” (the list mainly consists of members of the “Donetskaya Respublika” [Donetsk Republic] public organization who are loyal to the “DNR” command).

Namely:
Amvrosiivka region – Mykola Tarasenko (Head of Amvrosiivka District Administration);
Horlivka – Roman Khramenkov (Head of Horlivka City Administration);
Debaltseve – Oleksandr Afendikov (Head of Debaltseve City Administration);
Dokuchajevsk – Vladimir Bayev (Director of “Prometey” municipal services company);
Donetsk – Ihor Martynov (Head of Donetsk City Administration);
Yenakijeve – Yuriy Sylvanskiy (Acting Head of Yenakijeve City Administration);
Zhdanivka – Serhiy Lytvyniv (Head of Zhdanivka City Administration);
Zuhres – Oleksandr Levchenko (Head of Zuhres City Administration);
Ilovaisk – Mykola Tarasenko (Head of Ilovaisk City Administration);
Kirovske – Andriy Khabarov (Head of Kirovske City Administration);
Makiivka – Nataliya Terletska (Director of Donetsk Secondary School N47);
Novoazovsk – Oleh Morhun (Head of Novoazovsk Administration).

At the regular benefactor meeting of the Donetsk-Mariupol episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), metropolitan Ilarion (Shukalo) informed the attendees that starting from October 2015, the part of the episcopate located in the territory controlled by the terrorist organization “DNR” will be using the Russian ruble in all its internal payments (1 UAH = 2 RUR), and will be introducing new, significantly higher prices for church rituals and churchware (baptism – RUR 1,200 ($19), burial – RUR 900 ($14), nuptials – RUR 2,100 ($33), mass – RUR 450 ($7). These statements by Metropolitan Ilarion caused an uproar among the clerics, who say that during wartime, such prices are too burdensome for the church-goers. However, Metropolitan Ilarion threatened the clerics that failure to meet the increased planned sales or their sabotage will be met with expulsion from the episcopate with negative references that will make the expelled clerics unable to find employment with other episcopates of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

The “LNR” is expecting the upcoming arrival of representatives of the Saint-Petersburg City Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Leningrad Obcom [Regional Committee] of the same party. The purpose of their visit is to contribute to “development of the communist movement throughout the Luhansk region.”

Source: Dmitry Tymchuk FB

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Dmitry Tymchuk: Military update 10.06 #FreeSavchenko

information_resistance_logo_engDmitry Tymchuk, Head of the Center for Military and Political Research, Coordinator of the Information Resistance group, Member of Parliament (People’s Front)
10.06.2015
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

Operational data from Information Resistance:

The ceasefire in the ATO [anti-terrorist operation] zone has been observed overall, with occasional armed provocations by Russian-terrorist forces in the form of “accidental” firing on the ATO forces’ positions. The neutral zone and “greenery” are also coming under “preventive” fire from the militants. Enemy sabotage and reconnaissance units are at work along the entire demarcation line.

In Donetsk and Horlivka, the terrorists’ so-called “motorized rifle brigades” are being reconstituted, with 2-3 cannon artillery or MLRS divisions allocated to each brigade. An acute shortage of “standard” weaponry is apparent – only 50-60% [of personnel] are equipped.

North of Luhansk, Russian-terrorist troops are making a show of withdrawing heavy armor. The removal of tanks, in groups of 3 to 5, has been observed in each sector of the Shchastya, Stanytsia Luhanska, Vesela Hora, Slovianoserbsk, and Zholobok areas, while 10-15 remain in the same sectors, camouflaged (usually in the woodland).

Rotation of so-called advisers from the ranks of the regular Russian Federation Armed Forces continues in illegal armed gangs.

There is growing dissatisfaction among the militants of disbanded units of the so-called “Republican Guard of the Donetsk People’s Republic [DNR],” as the leaders of the “DNR” refuse to settle outstanding “salary” arrears. After the “Republican Guard” had been disbanded, some of the militants who expressed a desire to continue terrorist activity are not being accepted for service in units of the so-called “1st Army Corps of the DNR,” as its commanders refuse to take on the discredited “Guard” personnel.

The media of the so-called “DNR” are circulating misinformation aimed at discrediting the actions of the Ukrainian authorities and the ATO forces’ military command. “The DNR Information and Psychological Operations Division,” using militant-controlled media, has launched an information campaign based on misinformation about alleged massive defections of ATO military servicemen to the ranks of the “DNR.”

The “DNR” terrorists are unhappy with the ban on opening fire on the ATO forces. Dissatisfaction among the militants is made worse by numerous instances of their “fellow soldiers” dying during the “non-combat” period (in drunken brawls, traffic accidents, landmine detonations). A sharp drop in discipline levels is apparent.

An accumulation of transport and armored vehicles has been noted in the vicinity of Starobesheve, Yenakijeve and Amvrosiivka. Each of these vehicle groups includes up to thirty armored fighting vehicles.

Militants continue constructing fortifications. To the north of Krasnyi Luch, positions on the adjacent high grounds are being equipped and fortified.

Near Oleksandrivka,  terrorist heavy armor maneuvers continue. These involve eight tanks, 28 armored combat vehicles of various types, ten tractor units, self-propelled anti-tank rocket systems, and special-purpose vehicles. Some ten tanks have been withdrawn towards Novoazovsk.

Dogs for the ATO service are trained at the Canine Training Center in Mezhyhirya, the residence of former president Yanukovych. Source

Source: Dmitry Tymchuk FB

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Dmitry Tymchuk: Military update 10.01 #FreeSavchenko

information_resistance_logo_engDmitry Tymchuk, Head of the Center for Military and Political Research, Coordinator of the Information Resistance group, Member of Parliament (People’s Front)
10.01.2015
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

Operational data from Information Resistance:

The situation in the ATO [anti-terrorist operation] zone is relatively stable. During the past 24 hours, isolated attacks by Russian-terrorist forces were recorded. North of the town of Starohnativka [Donetsk oblast], an armed clash between the ATO forces and terrorists was recorded: two enemy groups fired at a [Ukrainian] stronghold from heavy machine guns and AGS-17.

South of Pisky, integrated units took up the terrorist frontline of defense; they navigated the area poorly and opened fire at the slightest provocation. Standard IFV [infantry fighting vehicle] weapons were fired at the positions of the ATO forces.

In the area of ​ Zaitseve, militants unreservedly provoked the ATO forces to open fire – small groups step out at a distance of 300 meters and indiscriminately open unsighted fire towards our positions.

North of Luhansk, a reinforced company of terrorists took up positions in the neutral zone and opened fire from small arms in the direction of a Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold.

Southwest of Mayorsk, terrorists used 82 mm mortars twice.

A rotation of all battalion commanders of the so-called “2nd separate mechanized brigade 2 AK LNR [Luhansk Peoples’ Republic]” from among the Russian servicemen is planned for October; they will be moved [back] to the Russian territory. The arrival of regular Russian Armed Forces officers was observed in Luhansk, they register at the Zhovtnevyi regional military commissariat; the “contractors” from Russia register at the former Luhansk regional military enlistment office.

In the direction of Artemivsk, armored vehicles were recorded moving toward the town of Kurdyumivka. 7 tanks and 18 armored combat vehicles [ACVs] of various types are located at identified positions.

In the area of Zholobok, the positions of an enemy division of BMP-2 AFVs were detected.

Members of the “Somalia” gang transferred to Makiivka in army trucks, MT-LB  (with a ZU-23-2), and APCs [BTR].

Two fuel tankers for fighters arrived from Russia at the Krasnodon railway station.

Azov Battalion drills. Source

Azov Battalion drills. Source

Source: Dmitry Tymchuk FB

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