Ukraine’s officials disprove FSB’s claims on subversive activities in Crimea (UPDATING)

AUGUST 12, 2016

[16:10] Anti-aircraft missile regiment of the Russian Federation, deployed in the occupation of Crimea, received an anti-aircraft missle system, C-400 “Triumph” with which he will be able to participate in upcoming maneuvers occupation system  “Caucus-2016.”  This was announced by the pro-Kremlin Russian information agency, TASS.

[15:13] Ukrainian information sources analyzed the video interrogation of saboteur Evgenii Panov that was released on the internet.  Evgenii Panov was able to give a testimony despite physical pressure from the FSB.  A representative of the Chief of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Vadim Skihitsky, told about this today during a press briefing.

[13:57] In an announcement form the Russian Mass Media, the Kremlin is considering the possibility of cutting diplomatic relations with Ukraine in response to the so called “attempt” by Ukrainian intelligence to organize a diversion in the currently occupied Crimea.  As stated by a publication from Izvestiya, one of the variations of Moscow’s answers about the action in Kyiv could be the closure of Russian diplomatic missions and the recall of all Russian diplomatic staff at the embassy.

[13:57] Head Advisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Anton Gerashenko, related information about the arrest of workers from the FSB in Crimea “Ukrainian Saboteurs.” “Last night, the FSB announced the arrest of a second Ukrainian saboteur, 41 year old construction worker Zakhtei Andrei Romanovitch” wrote Gerashenko on his Facebook page.  According to Gerashenko, with information collected from open sources, Zakhtei is an “anti-Ukrainian proponent and a two time convicted criminal offender.”  He was sentenced in 1998 to 6.5 years on accounts of robbery.  He served four years in the Lviv Penitentiary Center.  He was again brought to criminal charges in 2008 for fraud, forgery and other various crimes.  For debts to creditors, he fled to Moscow and then moved to Evapatory, Crimea. During Maidan, Romanovich distributed anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

AUGUST 11, 2016 

Russian media spread a video interrogation from the FSB Russian security services in preparation for a terrorist attack in Crimea of Evgeniy Panov.  The video shows Panov , who fought in the ATO region in Donbas.  Additionally, in the video Evgeny Panov said that he was invited to Kyiv, where he explained that “the group is created for subversive acts on the territory of” Republic of Crimea “. The Department of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine allegedly planned the operation.

[18:36] The Minstry of Foreign Affairs for the Russian Federation named another person arrested for work associated with preparations for “terrorism” in Crimea. Besides Evgeniy Panov, Andrei Zakhtei was detained.  “As a result of conducted activities from the Russian side in the territory of the Crimean Republic, it eliminated the intelligence network of the Main Control Ministry of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.  “The detained faces from the number of Russian and Ukrainian citizens shows their connection with terrorist preparations,” states the announcement.

[18:14] In Simferopol, under the control Occupation authorities Peninsula court arrested citizen of Ukraine Evgeny Panov for two months on suspicion from the FSB of connection with terrorist attacks in Crimea.  The meeting was conducted behind closed doors, although the FSB insisted on a public hearing

[17:46] The Security Council of the United Nations began a closed meeting on Russian provocation in Crimea.  This was announced by the representative to the UN from Ukraine at the UN by Vladimir Elchenko.

[16:45] General headquarters for Armed Forces of Ukraine increases group of troops on the administrative border with Crimea, which leads to increased unit combat readiness. Chief of Staff Viktor Muzhenko stated this.

[16:13] President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, in connection with provocation of the Russian Federation in Crimea, commissioned officers and the National Guard under the National Police to strengthen the protection of strategic facilities and infrastructure, to prevent possible terrorist attacks.  In connection with provocation by the Russian Federation in the currently occupied territory and the escalation of its actions in Donbass, Poroshenko held a meeting with leaders of powerful departments and the Minstry of Foreign of Affiars.

[14:45] During the meeting with the leadership of law enforcement and the Foreign Ministry, President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, instructed to bring all units of security forces near the administrative border of the Kherson region and the occupied Autonomous Republic Crimea in enhanced combat readiness.

[11:05] The investigation ” Russian occupiers in Crimea opened a ” criminal proceedings ” related to an attempt to commit a terrorist attack in the region. It is reported by TASS with reference to ” a source in law enforcement bodies of the region. ”

[00:57] The so-called “Ukrainian saboteur”, Ievgenii Panov, was kidnapped in the Zaporizhia region and taken out to Crimea. The Russian authorities accuse him of sabotage on the territory of the annexed Crimea by the.

This statement was made by his brother Igor Kotelianets. According to him, Ievgenii left home early on Saturday morning on August 6, 2016 to meet his friends in the country house and then disappeared. He didn’t plan the trip beforehand. Ievgenii was going to Zaporizhia military hospital for a planned rehabilitation after fighting in the ATO zone. However, the very last moment he had to cancel trip to the hospital. According to Kotelianets, his brother was not interested in Crimea; he helped the ATO veterans and did a lot of social activities. Ievgenii Panov’s brother assumes that the fact that his brother was kidnapped can be further used as an incentive for massive attack on Ukraine.

 

AUGUST 10, 2016

[18:19] There is information about the resident of Zaporizhia region, who the FSB calls a saboteur, detained in the occupied Crimea.

Ievgenii Panov is a 39-year-old activist of “Samooborona” (self-defense – eng.) from Energodar, reports the local outlet Depo.Zaporizhia. Recently the man, has become a part of the project The Ukranians. He worked as a driver at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. In spring 2014 he on volunteered at the check-point to his town and later went to fight in the warzone in East Ukraine. Now is a staff at the Executive Committee of the local city council and activist at the “Samooborona”

[17:20] Statement by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry:

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry disproves the information distributed by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) as to the involvement of the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry in subversive activities in the territory of the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Such statements presented by the FSB are nothing but an attempt to justify re-deployment and aggressive actions of the Russian Federation military units in the territory of the temporarily occupied peninsula.

In such a way representatives of the Russian Security Service try to distract the attention of Crimea’s residents and of the international community from illegal activities set to turn the peninsula into an isolated military base.

The accusations of a presumed attack upon the peninsula conducted from mainland Ukraine are also groundless.

Crimea has been and remains Ukraine’s land, its residents are Ukraine’s citizens.

[16:09] General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces disproves the statement of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation as to elimination of the Ukrainian intelligence network that was allegedly preparing terror acts on the peninsula. Vladyslav Seleznyov, spokesman of the General Staff, told Radio Liberty.

He once again called the claims of the Russian side “a provocation”.

“The FSB was waiting for four days, then the information that was circulating in social networks appeared. Yesterday representative of the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Vadym Skibitsky made a statement that on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea the FSB is holding antiterrorist exercises. It is quite possible that the statement (by the Russia’s FSB) is part of the information component of these exercises,” Seleznyov said.

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According to Oleksandr Turchynov, Head of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council in a statement released on Wednesday, not a single staff member of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has been detained in the occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea over the past year.

“This provocative nonsense of FSB [Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation – UCMC note] is an element of the hybrid war that Russia is waging against our country,” emphasized the Head of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council.

 

Versions of Events in Crimea

News Agency UNIAN and some Ukrainian politicians compare the events with Gleiwitz Incident.  At the time, the reason for Germany’s invasion of Poland, which started the 2nd world war on September 1 1939, served Gleivtskiy incident, or operation “Canned”, provocation conducted by the SS in the city of Gleiwitz.  Preparing for the action. CMI of the Third Reich began a propagandistic campaign.  It has been reported that alleged prosecution of Germans in Poland and provocations of Polish nationalist in areas bordering Germany.  It is also expected to stage attacks

Some media have compared the situation with the shelling of mainila that was the beginning of the Russo-Finnish War.

Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe, Dmitry Kuleba, said that Russian provocations in Crimea resemble the actions of Russia in the war in Georgia. “The key message of the FSB is not the fact of DRG and shelling from the territory of Ukraine and the death of a Russian soldier. Do not forget that the tanks officially went on Georgia because South Ossetia, Russian peacekeepers were killed,” as said in a statement.

A day later, on the night of August 7-8, Russian soldiers again open fired on KPP Armyansk in Crimea constructed.  This time they shot at citizen’s cars, which were heading to Kherson Oblast.  Russian soldiers (a group consisting of 5 people) stopped a car “Skoda Fabia.” Behind the wheel was 23-year-old resident of Syvorova Harriz Mukhamodov, with him in the car was a 20 year old girl.  They were heading to their relatives in Krestovku Chaplynskovo region (Kherson Oblast).  According to information sources, the soliders, in a state of intoxication, demanded the young people to provide documentation besides their passport.  The driver asked them to specify who they are and refused to show the documents.

A quarrel followed and the militants’ open fired on the car after Mukhamadov and the girl attempted to escape.  The girl was slightly injured, while six bullets hit the car.  Harriz Mukhamodov is in the hospital.