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http://uatoday.tv/society/russian-h...llery-units-in-donbas-report-says-851768.html
The same Kremlin-backed hacker group is believed to be behind the DNC hack
A hacking group believed to be affiliated with Russian military intelligence used an infected Android cellphone application to track Ukrainian artillery units in the country's eastern Donbas region, a new research published by cyber security company CrowdStrike says.
The firm, which was hired to investigate the Democratic National Committee hack, said Fancy Bear — a code name assigned to Russian hackers – implanted malware on a widely used app developed by a Ukrainian artillery officer in 2013 to more quickly conduct strikes.
From late 2014 and through 2016, the malicious software, known as the X-Agent, was covertly distributed on Ukrainian military forums within a legitimate Android application to gain intelligence on Ukrainian forces fighting combined Russian-separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, the report says.
The malware was able to retrieve communications and some location data from infected devices as approximately 9,000 artillery personnel used the application.
"The collection of such tactical artillery force positioning intelligence by Fancy Bear further supports CrowdStrike's previous assessments that the group is likely affiliated with the Russian military intelligence (GRU), and works closely with Russian military forces operating in Eastern Ukraine and its border regions in Russia," the report from cyber security firm said.
According to Dmitri Alperovitch, the CrowdStrike co-founder, the same X-Agent malware was used to hack the DNC.
That link, in addition to the high rate of losses sustained by the type of Ukrainian artillery units targeted by hackers, creates high confidence that Fancy Bear was responsible for the implant, he said.
"This cannot be a hands-off group or a bunch of criminals, they need to be in close communication with the Russian military," Alperovitch was quoted by Reuters.
The latest findings add to the mounting evidence of Russia's government connection to high-profile hacking attacks, used to achieve Vladimir Putin's geopolitical aims.
**************
http://uatoday.tv/politics/ukraine-...onvicts-in-a-humanitarian-gesture-851898.html
Kyiv hopes the move will unblock further POW exchange process
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree to pardon nine convicts, including those whose release was demanded by Russian-backed separatist forces to unblock the prisoner exchange process ahead of Christmas and New Year holidays.
The Head of State considered the petition for pardon of individuals convicted by Ukrainian courts and proposals by the Amnesty Commission, taking into account the severity of the crimes committed, the term of the actual sentence, the identity of convicts, their marital status, social behavior before the crime was committed and after conviction, compensation for damages, and the elimination of the damage inflicted, the opinion of penal institutions and supervisory committees on expediency of pardoning and other circumstances, and thus, in accordance with Paragraph 27 of Article 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine, he decided to pardon nine people, says the document published on the official presidential website.
The decree came into force on the day of its signing.
First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral contact group on Donbas settlement, Iryna Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook that the decree should contribute to the release of Ukrainians from the militant captivity.
"I am very grateful to the president for this act of mercy, for his devoted efforts to do everything possible for the release of the hostages," Gerashchenko wrote.
According to her, in the coming days Ukraine will release from custody 15 previously convicted offenders in a humanitarian gesture. Most of them received a presidential pardon, among them six women, the elderly and the sick.
"We expect that the other side will show humanism with the holidays coming up, and the process of hostage release will be unlocked," she said.
************
http://uatoday.tv/politics/russia-sends-humanitarian-convoy-to-donbas-again-851943.html
It is the 59th time when Russia sends some kind of help to the occupied territories
Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations says it has sent 46 trucks to Ukraine. The ministry claims they carry 400 tons of humanitarian cargo: food, medicines, New Year gifts and articles of prime necessity.
Yet, Ukrainian customs and board service were never allowed to check what the trucks carry. They claimed several times that they have proof Russia transports weapons to Donbas. Moreover, every time the "convoy" comes, the shellings from the occupied side intensify.
Ministry of Foreign Relations of Ukraine over and over again called Russia to stop violating the sovereignty of Ukraine by sending the so-called help in violation of internationally accepted procedures.
***************
http://www.unian.info/war/1692527-ukraine-reports-11-wia-in-past-24-hours.html
Eleven Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, according to a Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman.
"There were 11 wounded in action (WIA) as a result of militant artillery and mortar shelling at Svitlodarska Duha," Defense Ministry speaker for Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) issues Oleksandr Motuzianyk said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday, December 22, a UNIAN correspondent reported.
As UNIAN reported earlier, combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 24 times in the past 24 hours.
****************************
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/392541.html
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has said it is willing to comply with a new ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine reached in Minsk.
"The Ukrainian armed forces and the antiterrorist operation forces in general have repeatedly shown their willingness to comply with the Minsk Agreements. All heavy weapons have been withdrawn, and a ceasefire agreement has been observed. The Ukrainian armed forces stand ready further to comply with the president's peace plan," Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.
"In the event of provocative shelling by the illegal armed units threatening Ukrainian armed forces service members, we reserve the right to return fire. However, I stress once again that the Ukrainian armed forces stand ready to implement the new decisions by the Contact Group in Minsk," Motuzianyk said.
It had been reported earlier that the Trilateral Contact Group for settling the crisis in eastern Ukraine had adopted a statement at a meeting in Minsk on Wednesday on declaring a comprehensive, durable, and open-ended ceasefire in the run-up to the New Year's holidays starting from 0:00 a.m. December 24.
**********************
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/392581.html
The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine has set a task to cut by 30% the country's dependence on anthracite coal, which until recently has been supplied almost entirely from the anti-terrorist operation (АТО) zone in volume of over 9 million tons per year, Minister Ihor Nasalyk has said.
"In three years we should fully get rid of dependence on coal from the ATO zone," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.
The second reactor of the state-run Centrenergo's Zmiyiv Thermal Power Plant will be switched to gas coal on March 1 and its fifth reactor in three months, the minister said.
According to him, this will reduce the anthracite coal purchases by 1.5-2 million tons per year.
Nasalyk also thanked the DTEK energy company and TechNova, which started to buy coal not only from the ATO zone but from other suppliers.
***********
http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2016/...ill-launch-provocations-at-svitlodarska-duha/
This morning the enemy has attempted twice to assault the ATO positions in Donetsk direction.
At 09.00 - 09.45 a.m. the fighting ended in the enemy’s failure.
There are no casualties among the Ukrainian military, the enemy’s losses are been investigated.
**********
19:58
Kyiv reports on 15 episodes where Ukrainian positions were shelled in Donbas
19:50
Ukraine delaying transfer of convicts pardoned by Poroshenko - DPR
18:37
Ukrainian troops resume artillery shelling near Debaltseve - LPR
18:31
Two hostile attacks repelled on Svitlodarsk arc - Ukrainian defense ministry
18:13
Verkhovna Rada endorses bill on amnesty for people involved in special operation in Donbas
17:32
Eleven Ukrainian soldiers wounded in Donbas in past day - Kyiv (Part 2)
17:28
LPR blames Poroshenko for escalation of conflict in Debaltseve
17:21
Half of all ceasefire breaches in Donbas recorded near Svitlodarsk - OSCE mission
16:03
DPR sees about 1,000 truce violations by Ukrainian army (Part 2)
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=4&id=723955
DONETSK. Dec 22 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Armed Forces have made an unsuccessful attempt to break through the contact line, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said.
"Another attempt to break through [the contact line] was made in the south today. They tried to approach our positions, but proved unable to do it because of fog," Eduard Basurin of the DPR Defense Ministry told reporters.
09:44
Ukrainian army reports 24 strikes on its Donbas positions in past day
DONETSK. Dec 22 (Interfax) - Progress has been made in the issue concerning an exchange of captives, but no actual agreements have been reached so far, Viktoria Talakina, spokesperson for chief negotiator of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin, told Interfax on Wednesday evening.
"Indeed, positive headway was made in the humanitarian subgroup today. But it does not mean that real agreements on an exchange of captives were achieved. We are making every effort in order for an exchange of captives to happen before the New Year [holidays], but a decision on this matter depends on all of the participants in the negotiating process. And, regrettably, our wish alone is not enough," Talakina said.
The same Kremlin-backed hacker group is believed to be behind the DNC hack
A hacking group believed to be affiliated with Russian military intelligence used an infected Android cellphone application to track Ukrainian artillery units in the country's eastern Donbas region, a new research published by cyber security company CrowdStrike says.
The firm, which was hired to investigate the Democratic National Committee hack, said Fancy Bear — a code name assigned to Russian hackers – implanted malware on a widely used app developed by a Ukrainian artillery officer in 2013 to more quickly conduct strikes.
From late 2014 and through 2016, the malicious software, known as the X-Agent, was covertly distributed on Ukrainian military forums within a legitimate Android application to gain intelligence on Ukrainian forces fighting combined Russian-separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, the report says.
The malware was able to retrieve communications and some location data from infected devices as approximately 9,000 artillery personnel used the application.
"The collection of such tactical artillery force positioning intelligence by Fancy Bear further supports CrowdStrike's previous assessments that the group is likely affiliated with the Russian military intelligence (GRU), and works closely with Russian military forces operating in Eastern Ukraine and its border regions in Russia," the report from cyber security firm said.
According to Dmitri Alperovitch, the CrowdStrike co-founder, the same X-Agent malware was used to hack the DNC.
That link, in addition to the high rate of losses sustained by the type of Ukrainian artillery units targeted by hackers, creates high confidence that Fancy Bear was responsible for the implant, he said.
"This cannot be a hands-off group or a bunch of criminals, they need to be in close communication with the Russian military," Alperovitch was quoted by Reuters.
The latest findings add to the mounting evidence of Russia's government connection to high-profile hacking attacks, used to achieve Vladimir Putin's geopolitical aims.
**************
http://uatoday.tv/politics/ukraine-...onvicts-in-a-humanitarian-gesture-851898.html
Kyiv hopes the move will unblock further POW exchange process
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree to pardon nine convicts, including those whose release was demanded by Russian-backed separatist forces to unblock the prisoner exchange process ahead of Christmas and New Year holidays.
The Head of State considered the petition for pardon of individuals convicted by Ukrainian courts and proposals by the Amnesty Commission, taking into account the severity of the crimes committed, the term of the actual sentence, the identity of convicts, their marital status, social behavior before the crime was committed and after conviction, compensation for damages, and the elimination of the damage inflicted, the opinion of penal institutions and supervisory committees on expediency of pardoning and other circumstances, and thus, in accordance with Paragraph 27 of Article 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine, he decided to pardon nine people, says the document published on the official presidential website.
The decree came into force on the day of its signing.
First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral contact group on Donbas settlement, Iryna Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook that the decree should contribute to the release of Ukrainians from the militant captivity.
"I am very grateful to the president for this act of mercy, for his devoted efforts to do everything possible for the release of the hostages," Gerashchenko wrote.
According to her, in the coming days Ukraine will release from custody 15 previously convicted offenders in a humanitarian gesture. Most of them received a presidential pardon, among them six women, the elderly and the sick.
"We expect that the other side will show humanism with the holidays coming up, and the process of hostage release will be unlocked," she said.
************
http://uatoday.tv/politics/russia-sends-humanitarian-convoy-to-donbas-again-851943.html
It is the 59th time when Russia sends some kind of help to the occupied territories
Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations says it has sent 46 trucks to Ukraine. The ministry claims they carry 400 tons of humanitarian cargo: food, medicines, New Year gifts and articles of prime necessity.
Yet, Ukrainian customs and board service were never allowed to check what the trucks carry. They claimed several times that they have proof Russia transports weapons to Donbas. Moreover, every time the "convoy" comes, the shellings from the occupied side intensify.
Ministry of Foreign Relations of Ukraine over and over again called Russia to stop violating the sovereignty of Ukraine by sending the so-called help in violation of internationally accepted procedures.
***************
http://www.unian.info/war/1692527-ukraine-reports-11-wia-in-past-24-hours.html
Eleven Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in fighting in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, according to a Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman.
"There were 11 wounded in action (WIA) as a result of militant artillery and mortar shelling at Svitlodarska Duha," Defense Ministry speaker for Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) issues Oleksandr Motuzianyk said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday, December 22, a UNIAN correspondent reported.
As UNIAN reported earlier, combined Russian-separatist forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in eastern Ukraine 24 times in the past 24 hours.
****************************
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/392541.html
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has said it is willing to comply with a new ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine reached in Minsk.
"The Ukrainian armed forces and the antiterrorist operation forces in general have repeatedly shown their willingness to comply with the Minsk Agreements. All heavy weapons have been withdrawn, and a ceasefire agreement has been observed. The Ukrainian armed forces stand ready further to comply with the president's peace plan," Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk said at a news briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.
"In the event of provocative shelling by the illegal armed units threatening Ukrainian armed forces service members, we reserve the right to return fire. However, I stress once again that the Ukrainian armed forces stand ready to implement the new decisions by the Contact Group in Minsk," Motuzianyk said.
It had been reported earlier that the Trilateral Contact Group for settling the crisis in eastern Ukraine had adopted a statement at a meeting in Minsk on Wednesday on declaring a comprehensive, durable, and open-ended ceasefire in the run-up to the New Year's holidays starting from 0:00 a.m. December 24.
**********************
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/392581.html
The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine has set a task to cut by 30% the country's dependence on anthracite coal, which until recently has been supplied almost entirely from the anti-terrorist operation (АТО) zone in volume of over 9 million tons per year, Minister Ihor Nasalyk has said.
"In three years we should fully get rid of dependence on coal from the ATO zone," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.
The second reactor of the state-run Centrenergo's Zmiyiv Thermal Power Plant will be switched to gas coal on March 1 and its fifth reactor in three months, the minister said.
According to him, this will reduce the anthracite coal purchases by 1.5-2 million tons per year.
Nasalyk also thanked the DTEK energy company and TechNova, which started to buy coal not only from the ATO zone but from other suppliers.
***********
http://www.mil.gov.ua/en/news/2016/...ill-launch-provocations-at-svitlodarska-duha/
This morning the enemy has attempted twice to assault the ATO positions in Donetsk direction.
At 09.00 - 09.45 a.m. the fighting ended in the enemy’s failure.
There are no casualties among the Ukrainian military, the enemy’s losses are been investigated.
**********
19:58
Kyiv reports on 15 episodes where Ukrainian positions were shelled in Donbas
19:50
Ukraine delaying transfer of convicts pardoned by Poroshenko - DPR
18:37
Ukrainian troops resume artillery shelling near Debaltseve - LPR
18:31
Two hostile attacks repelled on Svitlodarsk arc - Ukrainian defense ministry
18:13
Verkhovna Rada endorses bill on amnesty for people involved in special operation in Donbas
17:32
Eleven Ukrainian soldiers wounded in Donbas in past day - Kyiv (Part 2)
17:28
LPR blames Poroshenko for escalation of conflict in Debaltseve
17:21
Half of all ceasefire breaches in Donbas recorded near Svitlodarsk - OSCE mission
16:03
DPR sees about 1,000 truce violations by Ukrainian army (Part 2)
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=4&id=723955
DONETSK. Dec 22 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Armed Forces have made an unsuccessful attempt to break through the contact line, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said.
"Another attempt to break through [the contact line] was made in the south today. They tried to approach our positions, but proved unable to do it because of fog," Eduard Basurin of the DPR Defense Ministry told reporters.
09:44
Ukrainian army reports 24 strikes on its Donbas positions in past day
DONETSK. Dec 22 (Interfax) - Progress has been made in the issue concerning an exchange of captives, but no actual agreements have been reached so far, Viktoria Talakina, spokesperson for chief negotiator of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin, told Interfax on Wednesday evening.
"Indeed, positive headway was made in the humanitarian subgroup today. But it does not mean that real agreements on an exchange of captives were achieved. We are making every effort in order for an exchange of captives to happen before the New Year [holidays], but a decision on this matter depends on all of the participants in the negotiating process. And, regrettably, our wish alone is not enough," Talakina said.
