unian--2020-06-19--Zelensky not to be fined for cafe visit amid lockdown due to immunity

The relevant ruling was issued by a Khmelnytsky court on June 19 , 2020 .
Litigation against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the violation of COVID-19 lockdown rules while visiting a cafe in the city of Khmelnytsky has been suspended as he enjoys presidential immunity under the Constitution of Ukraine .
The relevant ruling was issued by Khmelnytsky 's district court on June 19 , 2020 .
At the same time , the judges will ask the Supreme Court to clarify whether it is possible to open an administrative case against the president .
As UNIAN reported earlier , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Telegram channel posted a photo showing Zelensky sitting at one table with other officials , including President 's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak , First Deputy Head of the President 's Office Serhiy Trofimov , Khmelnytsky Governor Dmytro Gabinet , and Khmelnytsky Mayor Oleksandr Symchyshyn .
`` President Volodymyr Zelensky had a walk around the central part of the city of Khmelnytsky and tried coffee at a local cafe , '' the president 's press service said .
`` Nice coffee in Khmelnytsky !
Fragrant and delicious !
The first cafes are exiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus epidemic , '' as reported on the president 's Instagram account under another similar photo taken in the same cafe .
The government 's ban on catering services indoors until June 5 was in effect as of June 3 .
Only outdoor seating outlets under awnings were allowed to service clients , with no more than four visitors at one table .
On June 4 , Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko said police would consider the possible violation of quarantine rules by Zelensky and the officials who accompanied him in Khmelnytsky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Later , Zelensky said he was ready to pay a fine if his indoor meeting at the cafe in Khmelnytsky was considered a violation of the quarantine rules .
However , Ukraine 's Chief Medical Officer , Deputy Health Minister Viktor Liashko , who sat at another table in the same cafe on that day , said there were no breaches of the quarantine regulations since it was an inspection visit .
On June 10 , the National Police of Ukraine said it had drawn up administrative protocols against the officials for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The relevant ruling was issued by a Khmelnytsky court on June 19, 2020.
Litigation against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the violation of COVID-19 lockdown rules while visiting a cafe in the city of Khmelnytsky has been suspended as he enjoys presidential immunity under the Constitution of Ukraine.
The relevant ruling was issued by Khmelnytsky's district court on June 19, 2020.
At the same time, the judges will ask the Supreme Court to clarify whether it is possible to open an administrative case against the president.
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Read alsoZelensky fined for visiting cafe amid COVID-19 lockdown
As UNIAN reported earlier, on June 3, the President Office's Telegram channel posted a photo showing Zelensky sitting at one table with other officials, including President's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, First Deputy Head of the President's Office Serhiy Trofimov, Khmelnytsky Governor Dmytro Gabinet, and Khmelnytsky Mayor Oleksandr Symchyshyn.
"President Volodymyr Zelensky had a walk around the central part of the city of Khmelnytsky and tried coffee at a local cafe," the president's press service said.
"Nice coffee in Khmelnytsky! Fragrant and delicious! The first cafes are exiting from quarantine, we are rebounding from the coronavirus epidemic," as reported on the president's Instagram account under another similar photo taken in the same cafe.
The government's ban on catering services indoors until June 5 was in effect as of June 3. Only outdoor seating outlets under awnings were allowed to service clients, with no more than four visitors at one table.
On June 4, Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko said police would consider the possible violation of quarantine rules by Zelensky and the officials who accompanied him in Khmelnytsky, and bring them to justice.
Later, Zelensky said he was ready to pay a fine if his indoor meeting at the cafe in Khmelnytsky was considered a violation of the quarantine rules.
However, Ukraine's Chief Medical Officer, Deputy Health Minister Viktor Liashko, who sat at another table in the same cafe on that day, said there were no breaches of the quarantine regulations since it was an inspection visit.
On June 10, the National Police of Ukraine said it had drawn up administrative protocols against the officials for the violation of the COVID-19 lockdown rules.


unian--2020-06-19--Ukraine's Oschadbank Supervisory Board decides on new CEO

The new CEO will take office after approval by the National Bank of Ukraine .
The Supervisory Board of the state-owned Oschadbank ( `` State Savings Bank of Ukraine '' ) on Thursday decided on the winner of a competition to select the bank 's CEO .
`` We thank all the candidates who took part in the competition .
A comprehensive review of candidates and several interviews allowed the Supervisory Board Members to form an opinion about each of the candidates .
Serhiy Naumov has a reputation of a highly professional banker and manager .
He is a practicing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , strategy development and implementation .
We are confident that Oschadbank under the leadership of Naumov will successfully pass another stage of transformation , '' said Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of JSC Oschadbank Baiba Apine .
Naumov graduated from National Aviation University and Inter-regional Institute of Market Relations ( Economics Department ) in the capital city of Kyiv .
He has an MBA degree from Kassel International Management School ( Germany ) .
Naumov has 25 years of experience in the banking sphere .
He held managerial positions in leading Ukrainian banks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UkrSibbank , Pravex Bank , and Piraeus Bank .
He served as CEO in the latter three banks .
He also worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers .
According to legal procedures , Naumov will take office after powers of incumbent CEO Andriy Pyshny are terminated and Naumov 's appointment is approved by the National Bank of Ukraine .
It is pursuant to the current legislation and in accordance with the Management Transition Plan to be determined by the Supervisory Board .
As UNIAN reported earlier , on May 8 , 2020 , the Supervisory Board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bank 's CEO .
Since March 2014 , this post has been held by Pyshny .
According to the current legislation , the term of office is five years .
UNIAN memo .
The State Savings Bank of Ukraine was registered by the National Bank of Ukraine on December 31 , 1991 .
It is wholly owned by the state .

The new CEO will take office after approval by the National Bank of Ukraine.
The Supervisory Board of the state-owned Oschadbank ("State Savings Bank of Ukraine") on Thursday decided on the winner of a competition to select the bank's CEO.
"We thank all the candidates who took part in the competition. A comprehensive review of candidates and several interviews allowed the Supervisory Board Members to form an opinion about each of the candidates. Serhiy Naumov has a reputation of a highly professional banker and manager. He is a practicing banker with extensive experience in crisis management, strategy development and implementation. We are confident that Oschadbank under the leadership of Naumov will successfully pass another stage of transformation," said Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of JSC Oschadbank Baiba Apine.
Read alsoMoody's upgrades ratings of six Ukrainian banks
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Naumov graduated from National Aviation University and Inter-regional Institute of Market Relations (Economics Department) in the capital city of Kyiv. He has an MBA degree from Kassel International Management School (Germany). Naumov has 25 years of experience in the banking sphere. He held managerial positions in leading Ukrainian banks, in particular, Raiffeisen Bank, UkrSibbank, Pravex Bank, and Piraeus Bank. He served as CEO in the latter three banks. He also worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
According to legal procedures, Naumov will take office after powers of incumbent CEO Andriy Pyshny are terminated and Naumov's appointment is approved by the National Bank of Ukraine. It is pursuant to the current legislation and in accordance with the Management Transition Plan to be determined by the Supervisory Board.
As UNIAN reported earlier, on May 8, 2020, the Supervisory Board of Oschadbank announced a competition for the bank's CEO.
Since March 2014, this post has been held by Pyshny. According to the current legislation, the term of office is five years.
UNIAN memo. The State Savings Bank of Ukraine was registered by the National Bank of Ukraine on December 31, 1991. It is wholly owned by the state.


unian--2020-06-19--Health minister lists Ukrainian regions with most COVID-19 cases reported in past day

Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has listed five regions with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the past day .
`` In terms of the regions , the highest number of confirmed cases in the past 24 hours was registered in Lviv region ( 142 ) , Rivne region ( 121 ) , the city of Kyiv ( 92 ) , Zakarpattia region ( 78 ) , and Chernivtsi region ( 76 ) , '' he told a briefing on June 19 .
The total number of confirmed cases per region is the following : 1,596 cases in Vinnytsia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,021 in Dnipropetrovsk region ; 350 in Donetsk region ; 1,201 in Zhytomyr region ; 1,960 in Zakarpattia region ; 547 in Zaporizhia region ; 1,940 in Ivano-Frankivsk region ; 604 in Kirovohrad region ; 4,176 in the city of Kyiv ; 2,142 in Kyiv region ; 3,540 in Lviv region ; 71 in Luhansk region ; 338 in Mykolayiv region ; 1,200 in Odesa region ; 289 in Poltava region ; 2,693 in Rivne region ; 246 in Sumy region ; 1,605 in Ternopil region ; 1,744 in Kharkiv region ; 185 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region ; 4,211 in Chernivtsi region ; 585 in Cherkasy region ; 459 in Chernihiv region .
Data from Russia-occupied areas – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , the city of Sevastopol , parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions – is not available .
COVID-19 tests were conducted by the Public Health Center 's virological reference laboratory and regional laboratories .
As of the morning of June 19 , 2020 , the Center had received 1,192 reports of suspected cases .
In total , there have been 76,946 reports on suspected COVID-19 since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported earlier , as of 09:00 Kyiv time on June 19 , there were 34,984 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine .
They included 985 deaths and 16,033 recoveries .
Some 921 new cases were recorded in the past day .

A total of 542,247 PCR tests were conducted.
Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has listed five regions with the most confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the past day.
Read alsoUkraine to start talks to preorder COVID-19 vaccine – Stepanov
"In terms of the regions, the highest number of confirmed cases in the past 24 hours was registered in Lviv region (142), Rivne region (121), the city of Kyiv (92), Zakarpattia region (78), and Chernivtsi region (76)," he told a briefing on June 19.
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A total of 542,247 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests were conducted.
The total number of confirmed cases per region is the following: 1,596 cases in Vinnytsia region; 1,673 in Volyn region; 1,021 in Dnipropetrovsk region; 350 in Donetsk region; 1,201 in Zhytomyr region; 1,960 in Zakarpattia region; 547 in Zaporizhia region; 1,940 in Ivano-Frankivsk region; 604 in Kirovohrad region; 4,176 in the city of Kyiv; 2,142 in Kyiv region; 3,540 in Lviv region; 71 in Luhansk region; 338 in Mykolayiv region; 1,200 in Odesa region; 289 in Poltava region; 2,693 in Rivne region; 246 in Sumy region; 1,605 in Ternopil region; 1,744 in Kharkiv region; 185 in Kherson region; 608 in Khmelnytsky region; 4,211 in Chernivtsi region; 585 in Cherkasy region; 459 in Chernihiv region.
Data from Russia-occupied areas – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions – is not available.
COVID-19 tests were conducted by the Public Health Center's virological reference laboratory and regional laboratories. As of the morning of June 19, 2020, the Center had received 1,192 reports of suspected cases. In total, there have been 76,946 reports on suspected COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020.
As UNIAN reported earlier, as of 09:00 Kyiv time on June 19, there were 34,984 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine. They included 985 deaths and 16,033 recoveries. Some 921 new cases were recorded in the past day.


unian--2020-06-19--Naftogaz expects arbitration ruling on lost Crimea assets in 2020

Taking into account the expected interest , Naftogaz 's claim is estimated at US $ 8 billion .
Adviser to NJSC Naftogaz CEO 's Olena Zerkal says the company is awaiting in 2020 a ruling on the amount of compensation for losses as part of the arbitration process launched against Russia regarding the seizure of the company 's assets in Crimea .
`` We continue fighting for our Crimean assets .
The trial is underway , the arbitration is already at the stage when a ruling must be issued , and I think we will have this decision as early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russians ' attempts to postpone all the hearings for a longer period , '' she said during an online discussion on June 18 , 2020 .
Read alsoEU ambassadors on June 10 to give green light to prolong Crimean-related sanctions against Russia As UNIAN reported earlier , as a result of Russia 's annexation of Crimea in 2014 , Naftogaz 's subsidiary Chornomornaftogaz lost its main assets ( in particular , Petro Hodovanets and Ukraina drilling rigs ) , as well as access to natural gas deposits in the Black Sea offshore zone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in October 2016 initiated arbitration in accordance with the agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the government of the Russian Federation on the promotion and mutual protection of investment , better known as the Russian-Ukrainian bilateral investment agreement .
On September 15 , 2017 , Naftogaz reported that the state-run holding had filed a lawsuit against Russia demanding US $ 5 billion in compensation of losses caused by the occupation .
Taking into account the expected interest , Naftogaz 's claim is estimated at US $ 8 billion .

Naftogaz expects arbitration ruling on lost Crimea assets in 2020
11:30, 19.06.20 1452
Taking into account the expected interest, Naftogaz's claim is estimated at US$8 billion.
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unian--2020-06-19--Ukraine's hryvnia strengthens to UAH 26.76 to U.S. dollar on June 19

The official forex rate against the euro for Friday is fixed at UAH 30.06 per euro .
The National Bank of Ukraine ( NBU ) has set the official forex rate for June 19 at UAH 26.76 to the U.S. dollar , which let the country 's national currency strengthen by two kopiykas .
Read alsoWorld Bank expects Ukraine 's economy to shrink by 3.5 % in 2020 The central bank has fixed the following official forex rates of the hryvnia against key foreign currencies for June 19 : US $ 100 will be quoted at UAH 2,676.33 ( UAH @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EUR 100 will be quoted at UAH 3,005.79 ( UAH 3,006.81 as of June 18 ) .
By 16:00 Kyiv time on June 18 , hryvnia quotations against the dollar on the interbank forex market settled at UAH 26.73/26.75 to the dollar , while those against the euro were at UAH 30.00/30.02 .
As UNIAN reported earlier , the National Bank set the official forex rate of the hryvnia for Thursday , June 18 , at UAH 26.78 to the U.S. dollar , which made the country 's national currency weaken by four @ @ @ @ @ @

Ukraine's hryvnia strengthens to UAH 26.76 to U.S. dollar on June 19
11:10, 19.06.20 3454
The official forex rate against the euro for Friday is fixed at UAH 30.06 per euro.
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unian--2020-06-19--Number of new COVID-19 cases per day in Ukraine nearing 1,000

The death toll is 985 people as of today .
The number of new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus per day in Ukraine is nearing 1,000 .
`` According to the Public Health Center , there were 34,984 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine as of 09:00 Kyiv time on June 19 .
Of them , 921 cases were reported in the past 24 hours , '' the country 's Health Ministry said on Facebook in its morning update on June 19 .
Read alsoUkraine may re-impose strict quarantine in some regions from June 22 The death toll is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16,033 patients have already recovered .
A total of 542,247 polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ) tests have been conducted .
The total number of confirmed cases per region is the following : 1,596 cases in Vinnytsia region ; 1,673 in Volyn region ; 1,021 in Dnipropetrovsk region ; 350 in Donetsk region ; 1,201 in Zhytomyr region ; 1,960 in Zakarpattia region ; 547 in Zaporizhia region ; 1,940 in Ivano-Frankivsk region ; 604 in Kirovohrad region ; 4,176 in the city of Kyiv ; 2,142 in Kyiv region ; 3,540 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; 338 in Mykolayiv region ; 1,200 in Odesa region ; 289 in Poltava region ; 2,693 in Rivne region ; 246 in Sumy region ; 1,605 in Ternopil region ; 1,744 in Kharkiv region ; 185 in Kherson region ; 608 in Khmelnytsky region ; 4,211 in Chernivtsi region ; 585 in Cherkasy region ; 459 in Chernihiv region .
Data from Russia-occupied areas – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , the city of Sevastopol , parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions – is not available .
COVID-19 tests were conducted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laboratory and regional laboratories .
As of the morning of June 19 , 2020 , the Center had received 1,192 reports of suspected cases .
In total , there have been 76,946 reports on suspected COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020 .
The ministry urged Ukrainians to comply with its recommendations to counter the epidemic , including wearing face masks , using hand sanitizers , and social distancing .
As UNIAN reported earlier , on June 17 , the Ukrainian government extended the so-called adaptive quarantine until July 31 over a spike in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The easing of the coronavirus-related lockdown started on May 22 .
The adaptive quarantine means that the respective restrictions will be lifted only in those regions where the epidemic situation allows .
In other regions , the quarantine-related measures may be enhanced if the situation worsens .
As of 09:00 Kyiv time on June 18 , there were 34,063 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine .
They included 966 deaths and 15,447 recoveries .
Some 829 new cases were recorded in the past day .

The death toll is 985 people as of today.
The number of new confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus per day in Ukraine is nearing 1,000.
"According to the Public Health Center, there were 34,984 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine as of 09:00 Kyiv time on June 19. Of them, 921 cases were reported in the past 24 hours," the country's Health Ministry said on Facebook in its morning update on June 19.
Read alsoUkraine may re-impose strict quarantine in some regions from June 22
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The death toll is 985 people as of today. Some 16,033 patients have already recovered.
A total of 542,247 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have been conducted.
The total number of confirmed cases per region is the following: 1,596 cases in Vinnytsia region; 1,673 in Volyn region; 1,021 in Dnipropetrovsk region; 350 in Donetsk region; 1,201 in Zhytomyr region; 1,960 in Zakarpattia region; 547 in Zaporizhia region; 1,940 in Ivano-Frankivsk region; 604 in Kirovohrad region; 4,176 in the city of Kyiv; 2,142 in Kyiv region; 3,540 in Lviv region; 71 in Luhansk region; 338 in Mykolayiv region; 1,200 in Odesa region; 289 in Poltava region; 2,693 in Rivne region; 246 in Sumy region; 1,605 in Ternopil region; 1,744 in Kharkiv region; 185 in Kherson region; 608 in Khmelnytsky region; 4,211 in Chernivtsi region; 585 in Cherkasy region; 459 in Chernihiv region.
Data from Russia-occupied areas – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions – is not available.
COVID-19 tests were conducted by the Public Health Center's virological reference laboratory and regional laboratories. As of the morning of June 19, 2020, the Center had received 1,192 reports of suspected cases. In total, there have been 76,946 reports on suspected COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020.
The ministry urged Ukrainians to comply with its recommendations to counter the epidemic, including wearing face masks, using hand sanitizers, and social distancing.
As UNIAN reported earlier, on June 17, the Ukrainian government extended the so-called adaptive quarantine until July 31 over a spike in the incidence in the past week. The easing of the coronavirus-related lockdown started on May 22.
The adaptive quarantine means that the respective restrictions will be lifted only in those regions where the epidemic situation allows. In other regions, the quarantine-related measures may be enhanced if the situation worsens.
As of 09:00 Kyiv time on June 18, there were 34,063 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine. They included 966 deaths and 15,447 recoveries. Some 829 new cases were recorded in the past day.


unian--2020-06-19--Ukrainian gas stocks may hit record by new heating season – Naftogaz CEO

The company is actively working to increase the volume of gas storage by foreign companies in Ukrainian USFs .
CEO of National Joint-Stock Company Naftogaz of Ukraine Andriy Kobolyev says natural gas stocks in Ukraine 's underground storage facilities ( USFs ) have grown to about 19 billion cubic meters ( bcm ) in June 2020 and may hit a record high as of the start of the new heating season .
`` As of June , the volume [ of gas ] in USFs is approaching 19 bcm , which is a relatively positive indicator .
We hope to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this season of pumping natural gas , '' he said during an online discussion on June 18 , 2020 .
`` We are actively working to increase the volume of gas storage by foreign companies in Ukrainian USFs .
Actually , this is what is happening now , '' Kobolyev said .
As UNIAN reported earlier , Ukraine started the season of pumping natural gas into its USFs on March 11 , when the country 's gas reserves there were 15.808 bcm .
By the start of the 2019/2020 heating season , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its USFs , which was a record high figure in the past decade .

Ukrainian gas stocks may hit record by new heating season – Naftogaz CEO
10:35, 19.06.20 1263
The company is actively working to increase the volume of gas storage by foreign companies in Ukrainian USFs.
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unian--2020-06-19--Ukraine marks its first Farmers Day

Ukraine marks its first Farmers Day

A decree on this new professional holiday has recently been signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky .
On June 19 , Ukraine marks Farmers Day for the first time .
This is a new professional holiday for Ukraine ; a respective decree has recently been signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky .
Prior to that , on June 3 , the draft decree was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine .
Read alsoUkraine expects record high yield of maize due to rains in May Thus , starting from today , all farmers will annually celebrate their professional day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president 's decree , Farmers Day was established to promote the development of the farming movement in Ukraine and support the public initiative .
This holiday is dedicated to honoring farmers ' contribution to the development of the agricultural sector and food security of Ukraine .
June 19 was chosen as the Law of Ukraine on Farming was passed on that day in 2003 .
UNIAN memo .
A similar draft presidential decree `` On Farmers Day '' was developed by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine in 2017 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was supposed to come into force after signing by the president and publication , but such a document did not appear on the government 's portal , the president 's website or on the website of the government 's official newspaper Uriadovy Kurier .

Ukraine marks its first Farmers Day
10:15, 19.06.20 4498
A decree on this new professional holiday has recently been signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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unian--2020-06-19--Number of COVID-19 cases confirmed worldwide exceeds 8.4 mln

The overall death toll is 453,987 people , while 4,155,247 coronavirus patients have already recovered .
As many as 8,489,675 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported as of 08:33 on June 19 , according to the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering ( CSSE ) at Johns Hopkins University .
The overall death toll is 453,987 people , while 4,155,247 coronavirus patients have already recovered .
The highest death toll was recorded in the United States ( 118,434 people ) , Brazil ( 47,748 ) , the United Kingdom ( 42,373 ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 29,606 ) , and Spain ( 27,136 ) .
The countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic include the United States ( 2,191,052 confirmed cases ) , Brazil ( 978,142 ) , Russia ( 560,321 ) , India ( 380,532 ) , the United Kingdom ( 301,935 ) , Spain ( 245,268 ) , Peru ( 244,388 ) , Italy ( 238,159 ) , Chile ( 225,103 ) , Iran ( 197,647 ) , France ( 195,272 ) , Germany ( 189,817 ) .
As many as 188 countries have been affected by @ @ @

The overall death toll is 453,987 people, while 4,155,247 coronavirus patients have already recovered.
As many as 8,489,675 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported as of 08:33 on June 19, according to the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
Read alsoUkraine's health ministry launches mass COVID-19 antibody testing
The overall death toll is 453,987 people, while 4,155,247 coronavirus patients have already recovered.
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The highest death toll was recorded in the United States (118,434 people), Brazil (47,748), the United Kingdom (42,373), Italy (34,514), France (29,606), and Spain (27,136).
The countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic include the United States (2,191,052 confirmed cases), Brazil (978,142), Russia (560,321), India (380,532), the United Kingdom (301,935), Spain (245,268), Peru (244,388), Italy (238,159), Chile (225,103), Iran (197,647), France (195,272), Germany (189,817).
As many as 188 countries have been affected by the virus.


unian--2020-06-19--One Ukraine soldier killed, one wounded amid 14 enemy attacks in Donbas in past day

The enemy opened fire from proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars , grenade launchers of various types , heavy machine guns , sniper rifles , and small arms .
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another one was wounded as Russia-led forces mounted 14 attacks in Donbas , eastern Ukraine , on Thursday , June 18 .
`` The Russian Federation 's armed formations violated the ceasefire 14 times in the past day , '' the press center of Ukraine 's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on June 19 .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelling , one Ukrainian serviceman was killed in action and another one was wounded in action . ''
Read alsoZelensky 's Office announces development of new bill on Donbas with 'Steinmeier formula' The enemy opened fire from proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars , grenade launchers of various types , heavy machine guns , sniper rifles , and small arms .
Under attack were Ukrainian positions near the towns of Avdiyivka and Maryinka , and the villages of Krymske and Orikhove .
The Joint Forces returned fire to each enemy shelling .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one enemy military truck and an ammunition depot within an enemy mortar area on June 18 .
`` Since Friday midnight , Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near the villages of Krymske and Shumy , using 82mm mortars , grenade launchers of various types , and rifles , '' the update said .
No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported since Friday midnight .

The enemy opened fire from proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, and small arms.
One Ukrainian soldier was killed and another one was wounded as Russia-led forces mounted 14 attacks in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, on Thursday, June 18.
"The Russian Federation's armed formations violated the ceasefire 14 times in the past day," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on June 19. "Unfortunately, as a result of enemy shelling, one Ukrainian serviceman was killed in action and another one was wounded in action."
Read alsoZelensky's Office announces development of new bill on Donbas with 'Steinmeier formula'
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The enemy opened fire from proscribed 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, and small arms.
Under attack were Ukrainian positions near the towns of Avdiyivka and Maryinka, and the villages of Krymske and Orikhove.
The Joint Forces returned fire to each enemy shelling.
According to Ukrainian intelligence reports, Ukrainian troops destroyed one enemy military truck and an ammunition depot within an enemy mortar area on June 18.
"Since Friday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions near the villages of Krymske and Shumy, using 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, and rifles," the update said.
No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported since Friday midnight.


unian--2020-06-19--Reuters: Oil prices rise as OPEC+ holds firm on supply cuts

Brent crude LCOc1 futures rose 35 cents , or 0.8 % , to $ 41.86 a barrel by 0446 GMT .
Oil prices rose around 1 % on Friday , adding to gains in the previous session , after OPEC producers and allies promised to meet commitments on cutting supply and two major oil traders said demand was recovering well .
Brent crude LCOc1 futures rose 35 cents , or 0.8 % , to $ 41.86 a barrel by 0446 GMT .
U.S. West Texas Intermediate ( WTI ) crude CLc1 futures climbed 38 cents , or 1 % , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contracts rose around 2 % on Thursday and are heading for weekly gains of 8 % , as reported by Reuters .
Plans by Iraq and Kazakhstan to make up for overproduction in May on their supply cut commitments supported the market .
The promises came out of a meeting by a panel monitoring compliance by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies , a grouping called OPEC+ .
If the laggard producers do compensate over the next three months for their overproduction , that will effectively take extra barrels out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not extend its record 9.7 million barrels per day supply cut beyond July .

Brent crude LCOc1 futures rose 35 cents, or 0.8%, to $41.86 a barrel by 0446 GMT.
Oil prices rose around 1% on Friday, adding to gains in the previous session, after OPEC producers and allies promised to meet commitments on cutting supply and two major oil traders said demand was recovering well.
Read alsoReuters: Oil prices fall as surge in coronavirus cases raises demand concerns
Brent crude LCOc1 futures rose 35 cents, or 0.8%, to $41.86 a barrel by 0446 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures climbed 38 cents, or 1%, to $39.22 a barrel. Both contracts rose around 2% on Thursday and are heading for weekly gains of 8%, as reported by Reuters.
Видео дня
Plans by Iraq and Kazakhstan to make up for overproduction in May on their supply cut commitments supported the market. The promises came out of a meeting by a panel monitoring compliance by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, a grouping called OPEC+.
If the laggard producers do compensate over the next three months for their overproduction, that will effectively take extra barrels out of the market, even if OPEC+ does not extend its record 9.7 million barrels per day supply cut beyond July.


unian--2020-06-19--PM vows tougher measures to enforce quarantine bans

The head of government has instructed health and interior ministers to ensure better control over the implementation of restrictions across country .
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said that the government intends to tighten control over compliance with quarantine restrictions by citizens and businesses .
At a government meeting on Friday , Shmyhal noted that `` coronavirus is not some fake stuff , it 's not a made-up thing , it 's a threat that 's among all of us '' , and the only way to protect ourselves from the disease is to comply with the anti-epidemic rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Read alsoUkraine seeing second wave of COVID-19 , PM admits '' Unfortunately , local authorities , which are called upon to tighten quarantine bans , in some cases simply decided to turn a blind eye to threats .
Dear colleagues from regions , I understand that your minds are already occupied with elections , but in this way you could only earn political points at the cost of people 's lives , '' PM said .
He assured that the government can not and will not remain indifferent .
`` We will tighten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ask Viktor Liashko [ chief medical officer ] .
The leadership of the Ministry of Health , headed by the chief medical officer , must deploy to the regions to provide control .
The control by the National Police and the State Food and Beverage Agency will also be tightened .
Today , all relevant meetings have been held , and we will act tougher to ensure that Ukrainians are safe , '' said Shmyhal .
He instructed Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov and Minister of Interior Arsen Avakov to ensure enhanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As UNIAN reported earlier , Ukraine on the morning of June 19 reported a total of 34,984 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases , including 985 deaths and 16,033 recoveries .
The daily spike as of Friday morning amounted to 921 new active cases .

The head of government has instructed health and interior ministers to ensure better control over the implementation of restrictions across country.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has said that the government intends to tighten control over compliance with quarantine restrictions by citizens and businesses.
At a government meeting on Friday, Shmyhal noted that "coronavirus is not some fake stuff, it's not a made-up thing, it's a threat that's among all of us", and the only way to protect ourselves from the disease is to comply with the anti-epidemic rules developed by the Ministry of Health.
Read alsoUkraine seeing second wave of COVID-19, PM admits
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"Unfortunately, local authorities, which are called upon to tighten quarantine bans, in some cases simply decided to turn a blind eye to threats. Dear colleagues from regions, I understand that your minds are already occupied with elections, but in this way you could only earn political points at the cost of people's lives," PM said.
He assured that the government cannot and will not remain indifferent.
"We will tighten control over compliance with anti-epidemic measures. I ask Viktor Liashko [chief medical officer]. The leadership of the Ministry of Health, headed by the chief medical officer, must deploy to the regions to provide control. The control by the National Police and the State Food and Beverage Agency will also be tightened. Today, all relevant meetings have been held, and we will act tougher to ensure that Ukrainians are safe," said Shmyhal.
He instructed Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov and Minister of Interior Arsen Avakov to ensure enhanced monitoring of quarantine bans in the regions.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine on the morning of June 19 reported a total of 34,984 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 985 deaths and 16,033 recoveries. The daily spike as of Friday morning amounted to 921 new active cases.


unian--2020-06-19--Experts defend idea of imposing duties on diesel, LPG imports from Russia

At the same time , the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade is set to consider inappropriate initiating an anti-subsidy investigation into the Russian imports of diesel fuel and LPG .
PJSC Ukrtatnafta , PJSC Ukrnafta and JSC Ukrgasdobycha insist on introducing duties on Russian diesel fuel and LPG .
Companies say the move will help Ukraine take another step towards energy independence from the Russian Federation , TSN news service reported .
Naftogaz notes that more than 40 % of diesel fuel sold at Ukrainian gas stations has been made in Russia , which supports its producers in capturing foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat to Ukraine .
Read alsoBill on development of capital market in Ukraine passes its first reading '' Ukrainian diesel fuel is seen nowhere in Russia .
But in Ukraine , on the contrary , the volume of Russian fuel is increasing annually .
Until 2017 , relatively little volumes of diesel got to Ukraine from Russia , '' says energy expert Igor Tyshkevich .
Ukrainian oil producers and processing companies complained about Russia 's actions with the Antimonopoly Committee as they are unable to fairly compete .
To resolve the issue , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % duty on diesel fuel imports from Russia .
By 2024 , it is offered to have increased it to more than 25 % .
At the same time , according to a draft decision of the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade , set to be approved on Monday , June 22 , and seen by UNIAN , initiating an anti-subsidy investigation into the Russian imports of diesel fuel and LPG will be recognized inappropriate .
As UNIAN reported earlier , Ukraine ’ s energy ministry is considering imposing monthly quotas for imports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( LPG ) from Russia aiming to reduce dependence from a single supplier .
At the same time , Ukrainian oil refineries remain underloaded , which affects the final cost of fuel for consumers .

Experts defend idea of imposing duties on diesel, LPG imports from Russia
23:00, 19.06.20 821
At the same time, the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade is set to consider inappropriate initiating an anti-subsidy investigation into the Russian imports of diesel fuel and LPG.
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unian--2020-06-19--Gov't to inject UAH 8 bln for bonuses to medics

The Cabinet offers to increase salaries to all medics , regardless of status .
The Cabinet of Ministers will allocate nearly UAH 8 billion on raising allowances of Ukrainian doctors and medical staff starting September 1 .
`` This year we will increase expenditures on salaries to all medics by a total of almost UAH 8 billion , '' Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told an extraordinary government meeting on Friday , according to an UNIAN correspondent .
`` I understand that in the conditions of the economic crisis this wo n't be an easy thing to do , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our duty before our doctors and health workers , '' he said .
Read alsoIMF to decide on next disbursement for Ukraine in autumn '' Such a salary increase is only the beginning .
We plan to implement it from September 1 this year .
This is the least we could do this year , '' said the prime minister .
According to Shmyhal , all medecs , regardless of their position , could have their salaries increased by 75 % , paramedical personnel – by about UAH 2,360 , and nurses – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minister also promised to increase the general minimum wage in the country , which will automatically lead to higher wages , including in the health care sector .
Also , the government intends to increase expenditures for patients ' treatment .

Gov't to inject UAH 8 bln for bonuses to medics
22:15, 19.06.20 1840
The Cabinet offers to increase salaries to all medics, regardless of status.
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unian--2020-06-19--Relatives of downed Ukraine airliner victims say possessions "looted" – media

Iranian officials initially denied responsibility and insisted the plane crashed as a result of a technical fault .
Relatives of victims who died in the downing of the Ukrainian civilian airliner flight PS752 by Iranian missiles in January have claimed their loved ones ' possession were `` looted '' .
In a press conference held online on Tuesday , 160 days after the tragedy , Hamed Esmaeilion , who lost his wife and nine-year-old daughter in the crash , said : `` Our families ' belongings were looted , and what was not looted was confiscated by Iranian officials .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wedding ring and my daughter 's pink doll is ; they have not been returned , '' MiddleEastMonitor reported .
Esmaeilion said he lost his daughter 's wristband , coat , carry on and both her Canadian and Iranian passports in the aftermath .
Other families also lost possessions including laptops , mobile phones , according to Esmaeilion .
`` We have photos of Iranian officials just searching the bags and the luggage to find something .
We do not know what they were doing , '' he said .
Tackling how the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the conference the crash site was razed with bulldozers , burnt and destroyed after the Ukrainian airliner was downed , before an investigation could take place .
The Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was downed by missiles fired the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( IRGC ) on January 8 , killing all 176 onboard .
Read alsoPS752 downing : Ukraine releases intercepted tower communications proving Iran was aware of missile launch all along Iranian officials initially denied responsibility and insisted the plane crashed as a result of a technical fault .
Days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted it had shot down the plane , allegedly mistaking it for an incoming cruise missile .
Victims ' relatives speaking at the press conference also raised other unanswered questions , including why Iranian officials have failed to hand over the black boxes to investigators and have now claimed the boxes are damaged , despite initially stating they were intact .
After `` 160 sleepless nights '' , families and supporters of the PS752 victims are demanding a plan for holding Iran to account .

Iranian officials initially denied responsibility and insisted the plane crashed as a result of a technical fault.
Relatives of victims who died in the downing of the Ukrainian civilian airliner flight PS752 by Iranian missiles in January have claimed their loved ones' possession were "looted".
In a press conference held online on Tuesday, 160 days after the tragedy, Hamed Esmaeilion, who lost his wife and nine-year-old daughter in the crash, said: "Our families' belongings were looted, and what was not looted was confiscated by Iranian officials. No one knows where my wife's wedding ring and my daughter's pink doll is; they have not been returned," MiddleEastMonitor reported.
Esmaeilion said he lost his daughter's wristband, coat, carry on and both her Canadian and Iranian passports in the aftermath.
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Other families also lost possessions including laptops, mobile phones, according to Esmaeilion.
"We have photos of Iranian officials just searching the bags and the luggage to find something. We do not know what they were doing," he said.
Tackling how the possessions were lost, the Iranian-Canadian told the conference the crash site was razed with bulldozers, burnt and destroyed after the Ukrainian airliner was downed, before an investigation could take place.
The Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was downed by missiles fired the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on January 8, killing all 176 onboard.
Read alsoPS752 downing: Ukraine releases intercepted tower communications proving Iran was aware of missile launch all along
Iranian officials initially denied responsibility and insisted the plane crashed as a result of a technical fault. Days later, however, the Iranian military admitted it had shot down the plane, allegedly mistaking it for an incoming cruise missile.
Victims' relatives speaking at the press conference also raised other unanswered questions, including why Iranian officials have failed to hand over the black boxes to investigators and have now claimed the boxes are damaged, despite initially stating they were intact.
After "160 sleepless nights", families and supporters of the PS752 victims are demanding a plan for holding Iran to account.


unian--2020-06-19--Ex-infrastructure minister Omelyan charged over losses to state budget

The former official is accused of wrongfully cutting port fees .
Detectives with the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine ( NABU ) handed a suspicion notice to former Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan .
He is being accused of inflicting UAH 30.5 million ( US $ 1.1 million ) losses to the national budget .
Ex-official 's actions have been qualified under Part 2 of Article 211 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine ( making of regulations or directives by an official , which modify budget revenues and expenses contrary to the procedures prescribed by law , where large amounts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's press service said on its website on June 19 .
`` The investigation found that the former minister in December 2017 issued an order to reduce all port fees ( except lighthouse dues ) by 20 % .
At the same time , one of these fees – the administrative one – is a part of the national budget 's revenue .
Therefore , only the Verkhovna Rada , Ukraine 's parliament , not the minister , could alter it , '' the report said .
Moreover , the Finance Ministry opposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among other things , emphasizing that it is the cut of the administrative fee that will lead to a shortfall in the budget 's revenue .
The ministry had repeatedly informed the infrastructure ministry about this .
Read alsoCourt postpones hearing on measure of restraint for Poroshenko ( Photo ) As a result , the decision of the ex-official led to non-receipt of UAH 30.4 million ( US $ 1.1 million ) by the national budget in 2018 , that is UAH 173.1 million ( US $ 6.5 million ) out of expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million ) .
These data are confirmed by the State Audit Service and judicial expertise .
Later , the Infrastructure Ministry recognized that the order to reduce the fees failed to reach its stated goal .
Earlier today , Omelyan went on Facebook to comment on the charges pressed against him .
He said he was `` surprised '' to face such charges over the decision he said was collegial , adopted by the entire Cabinet .
Omelyan believes his actions were in line with the `` deregulation '' spree that included easing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post , he addressed President Zelensky , `` thanking '' him for the criminal proceeding launched , adding that it 's `` a shame '' that the NABU `` is turning into SBI 2.0 '' , hinting at the recent charges pressed against ex-president Petro Poroshenko .
As UNIAN reported earlier , the State Bureau of Investigation had conducted a search in Omelyan 's house .

The former official is accused of wrongfully cutting port fees.
Detectives with the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) handed a suspicion notice to former Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan. He is being accused of inflicting UAH 30.5 million (US$1.1 million) losses to the national budget.
Ex-official's actions have been qualified under Part 2 of Article 211 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (making of regulations or directives by an official, which modify budget revenues and expenses contrary to the procedures prescribed by law, where large amounts of budget funds are involved), NABU's press service said on its website on June 19.
"The investigation found that the former minister in December 2017 issued an order to reduce all port fees (except lighthouse dues) by 20%. At the same time, one of these fees – the administrative one – is a part of the national budget's revenue. Therefore, only the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, not the minister, could alter it," the report said.
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Moreover, the Finance Ministry opposed the reduction of all port charges, among other things, emphasizing that it is the cut of the administrative fee that will lead to a shortfall in the budget's revenue. The ministry had repeatedly informed the infrastructure ministry about this.
Read alsoCourt postpones hearing on measure of restraint for Poroshenko (Photo)
As a result, the decision of the ex-official led to non-receipt of UAH 30.4 million (US$1.1 million) by the national budget in 2018, that is UAH 173.1 million (US$6.5 million) out of expected UAH 203.5 million (US$7.6 million). These data are confirmed by the State Audit Service and judicial expertise.
Later, the Infrastructure Ministry recognized that the order to reduce the fees failed to reach its stated goal.
Earlier today, Omelyan went on Facebook to comment on the charges pressed against him. He said he was "surprised" to face such charges over the decision he said was collegial, adopted by the entire Cabinet.
Omelyan believes his actions were in line with the "deregulation" spree that included easing the pressure on businesses.
In his post, he addressed President Zelensky, "thanking" him for the criminal proceeding launched, adding that it's "a shame" that the NABU "is turning into SBI 2.0", hinting at the recent charges pressed against ex-president Petro Poroshenko.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the State Bureau of Investigation had conducted a search in Omelyan's house.


unian--2020-06-19--Experts expose Russian disinfo campaign that operated for six years

One thing stands out about the Secondary Infektion campaign though : It almost never worked .
Research firm Graphika says a shadowy group of operatives in Russia produced more than 2,500 pieces of false information across seven languages on 300 different social media platforms .
In one example , a fabricated tweet appears as if U.S .
Senator Marco Rubio is accusing British authorities of spying on President Donald Trump .
The obscure disinformation campaign had been operating virtually undetected , according to new report published on Tuesday by social media researchers , NPR wrote .
The operation , named @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has sought to spread pro-Russian propaganda around the globe by sharing fake tweets from U.S. elected officials and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus .
And it attempted to interfere in the 2016 presidential election .
Researchers say it will likely try to spread falsehoods tied to the November election , too .
Ben Nimmo , director of investigations at Graphika , the research firm that conducted the study , said in an interview that the specific culprit within Russia remains elusive .
`` We do n't know whether it was run by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or a group who wanted to support the government , '' Nimmo said .
`` But the overall tone and context makes it clear that this was an operation which was trying to support the Russian government and attack and undermine its critics . ''
Security officials at Facebook first identified the campaign last May , and since then , the tech giant and other platforms have been working to block the campaign .
But it is so decentralized that it is still operating , though researchers say since it was exposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is the latest contribution in a growing body of research about how disinformation is created and spreads online , as social media platforms debate how best to control potentially damaging and harmful false content aimed at exploiting divisions and causing chaos around national crisis or elections .
Nimmo said one thing stands out about the Secondary Infektion campaign : It almost never worked .
Just about every fake story it tried to spread fizzled fast , indicating that the group was likely driven more by a quota than by online impact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Yes , there is disinformation on the Internet , but just because it 's false , does n't mean it 's going to go viral , '' Nimmo said .
Instead of focusing on a handful of popular platforms and building up a large following , Secondary Infektion took the opposite tack : creating so-called burner accounts , spreading one piece of false information on Twitter , Facebook , Reddit or some other social media network and then completely abandoning the accounts and never returning to them .
The content focused mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some posts attempted to link Hillary Clinton to murder or tried to disparage German Chancellor Angela Merkel as an alcoholic .
The campaign also worked to spread other baseless rumors , like that the U.S. was attempting to stoke a revolution in Azerbaijan .
The accounts also created forged documents purporting to be written by congressional committees and fake Twitter messages , including a fabricated tweet that appears as if U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is accusing British authorities of spying on President Trump .
`` Sometimes they would n't even spell the politician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They did n't seem to be very good at creating viral content . ''
While attention often focuses on the tactics of major disinformation campaigns by the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency and the Russian military intelligence agency , Nimmo said Tuesday 's study demonstrates that it is but one slice of the false and distorted content coming out of Russia .
`` Those are two parts of the puzzle , but there 's a whole other piece of the puzzle , which is just as a big and just as complex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Nimmo said .
`` As we look ahead to the election , our report shows there 's all sorts of malicious activity we need to look out for , including burner accounts and forged documents that tries to interfere with peoples ' thinking , '' he said .

One thing stands out about the Secondary Infektion campaign though: It almost never worked.
Research firm Graphika says a shadowy group of operatives in Russia produced more than 2,500 pieces of false information across seven languages on 300 different social media platforms. In one example, a fabricated tweet appears as if U.S. Senator Marco Rubio is accusing British authorities of spying on President Donald Trump.
The obscure disinformation campaign had been operating virtually undetected, according to new report published on Tuesday by social media researchers, NPR wrote.
The operation, named "Secondary Infektion" by researchers, has sought to spread pro-Russian propaganda around the globe by sharing fake tweets from U.S. elected officials and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus. And it attempted to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Researchers say it will likely try to spread falsehoods tied to the November election, too.
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Ben Nimmo, director of investigations at Graphika, the research firm that conducted the study, said in an interview that the specific culprit within Russia remains elusive.
"We don't know whether it was run by the government, or associated with the government, or a group who wanted to support the government," Nimmo said. "But the overall tone and context makes it clear that this was an operation which was trying to support the Russian government and attack and undermine its critics."
Read also"Foreign adversaries" targeting U.S. over ongoing unrest – media
Security officials at Facebook first identified the campaign last May, and since then, the tech giant and other platforms have been working to block the campaign. But it is so decentralized that it is still operating, though researchers say since it was exposed, the group's activity has slowed.
It is the latest contribution in a growing body of research about how disinformation is created and spreads online, as social media platforms debate how best to control potentially damaging and harmful false content aimed at exploiting divisions and causing chaos around national crisis or elections.
Nimmo said one thing stands out about the Secondary Infektion campaign: It almost never worked.
Just about every fake story it tried to spread fizzled fast, indicating that the group was likely driven more by a quota than by online impact.
"Which is an important reminder: Yes, there is disinformation on the Internet, but just because it's false, doesn't mean it's going to go viral," Nimmo said.
Instead of focusing on a handful of popular platforms and building up a large following, Secondary Infektion took the opposite tack: creating so-called burner accounts, spreading one piece of false information on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit or some other social media network and then completely abandoning the accounts and never returning to them.
Read alsoU.S. House Committee offers to designate Russia "State Sponsor of Terrorism"
The content focused mostly on discrediting Ukraine and bolstering Russia. Some posts attempted to link Hillary Clinton to murder or tried to disparage German Chancellor Angela Merkel as an alcoholic. The campaign also worked to spread other baseless rumors, like that the U.S. was attempting to stoke a revolution in Azerbaijan. The accounts also created forged documents purporting to be written by congressional committees and fake Twitter messages, including a fabricated tweet that appears as if U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is accusing British authorities of spying on President Trump.
"Sometimes they wouldn't even spell the politician's name right," Nimmo said. "They didn't seem to be very good at creating viral content."
While attention often focuses on the tactics of major disinformation campaigns by the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency and the Russian military intelligence agency, Nimmo said Tuesday's study demonstrates that it is but one slice of the false and distorted content coming out of Russia.
"Those are two parts of the puzzle, but there's a whole other piece of the puzzle, which is just as a big and just as complex, and that is Secondary Infektion," Nimmo said.
"As we look ahead to the election, our report shows there's all sorts of malicious activity we need to look out for, including burner accounts and forged documents that tries to interfere with peoples' thinking," he said.


unian--2020-06-19--Ukraine seeing second wave of COVID-19, PM admits

The coronavirus turned out to be resistant to heat and ultraviolet .
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has stated that another wave of COVID-19 is starting in Ukraine .
`` Today about a thousand new cases were confirmed by testing .
This is a very alarming signal for all of us , '' PM Shmyhal told a Cabinet meeting on Friday , according to an UNIAN correspondent .
According to the head of government , two regions of Ukraine are already over the 50 % limit of COVID-19-related hospital load that allowed quarantine easing .
`` Medics say that this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , social distancing , failure to wear face masks and sanitize , '' Shmyhal said .
`` Today we are seeing the start of the next [ … ] wave of morbidity . ''
Read alsoUkraine 's Health Ministry : Kyiv , nine regions not ready for further quarantine easing The only rescue , Shmyhal says , is social distancing , sanitizing , face masks , and compliance with all the rules introduced by the health ministry .
`` Despite the fact that it 's summertime and there 's the sun shining , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultraviolet , and it 's claiming more lives , '' said Shmyhal .
As UNIAN reported earlier , on the morning of June 19 , Ukraine reported a total of 34,984 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases , including 985 deaths and 16,033 recoveries .
A record 921 new cases were recorded in the past day .

The coronavirus turned out to be resistant to heat and ultraviolet.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has stated that another wave of COVID-19 is starting in Ukraine.
"Today about a thousand new cases were confirmed by testing. This is a very alarming signal for all of us," PM Shmyhal told a Cabinet meeting on Friday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
According to the head of government, two regions of Ukraine are already over the 50% limit of COVID-19-related hospital load that allowed quarantine easing.
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"Medics say that this is the result of non-compliance with quarantine rules, social distancing, failure to wear face masks and sanitize," Shmyhal said. "Today we are seeing the start of the next […] wave of morbidity."
Read alsoUkraine's Health Ministry: Kyiv, nine regions not ready for further quarantine easing
The only rescue, Shmyhal says, is social distancing, sanitizing, face masks, and compliance with all the rules introduced by the health ministry.
"Despite the fact that it's summertime and there's the sun shining, the coronavirus is resistant to heat and ultraviolet, and it's claiming more lives," said Shmyhal.
As UNIAN reported earlier, on the morning of June 19, Ukraine reported a total of 34,984 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 985 deaths and 16,033 recoveries.
A record 921 new cases were recorded in the past day.


unian--2020-06-19--Bakhmatyuk to seek compensation following Supreme Court judgment on Financial Initiative Bank

Bakhmatyuk noted that the court actually recognized the National Bank 's guilt in the fall of the Financial Initiative .
The Supreme Court judgment on the illegality of National Bank 's ( NBU ) actions regarding the withdrawal from the market of the Financial Initiative Bank allows the bank 's ex-owner , Oleg Bakhmatyuk , to demand compensation , and gives an additional argument to the settlement he earlier offered on the issue of debts before the said bank and VAB Bank .
`` After the Verkhovna Rada recently adopted a '' banking `` law , we can not get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we will seek compensation in all legal procedures .
The most important thing is that the court recognized the obvious – that the bank had been illegally withdrawn from the market , that it could operate and was quite liquid , '' Bakhmatyuk said over the phone .
That 's according to Ukrainian News .
He recalled that he had initially pointed out the illegality of NBU discounting domestic government loan bonds , which led to the Financial Initiative Bank being recognized insolvent .
`` Unfortunately , over the past five years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it became a principled task to prove our case , so this historic justice is important for me and the team , '' the businessman said .
Read alsoNBU 's move to remove from market Oleg Bakhmatyuk ' Financial Initiative Bank unlawful , Supreme Court rules ( DOCUMENT ) Bakhmatyuk noted that the court actually recognized the National Bank 's guilt in the fall of the Financial Initiative .
`` And that means that they are to blame for half of the debt they are accusing me of .
It turns out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring the bank to bankruptcy .
We will also use this argument in international courts , '' the ex-owner explained .
He recalled the ruling adopted on June 5 by the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv to repeal the decision by ex-deputy prosecutor general Vitaliy Kasko on resuming the criminal case targeting him personally and his company .
`` It 's been a week since the ruling was announced .
It 's already in the Office of the Prosecutor General , and I hope that the prosecutor general will execute the court ruling @ @ @ @ @ @

Bakhmatyuk noted that the court actually recognized the National Bank's guilt in the fall of the Financial Initiative.
The Supreme Court judgment on the illegality of National Bank's (NBU) actions regarding the withdrawal from the market of the Financial Initiative Bank allows the bank's ex-owner, Oleg Bakhmatyuk, to demand compensation, and gives an additional argument to the settlement he earlier offered on the issue of debts before the said bank and VAB Bank.
"After the Verkhovna Rada recently adopted a" banking "law, we cannot get the bank back to us, but we will seek compensation in all legal procedures. The most important thing is that the court recognized the obvious – that the bank had been illegally withdrawn from the market, that it could operate and was quite liquid," Bakhmatyuk said over the phone. That's according to Ukrainian News.
He recalled that he had initially pointed out the illegality of NBU discounting domestic government loan bonds, which led to the Financial Initiative Bank being recognized insolvent. "Unfortunately, over the past five years, the bank has turned into nothing. But it became a principled task to prove our case, so this historic justice is important for me and the team," the businessman said.
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Read alsoNBU's move to remove from market Oleg Bakhmatyuk' Financial Initiative Bank unlawful, Supreme Court rules (DOCUMENT)
Bakhmatyuk noted that the court actually recognized the National Bank's guilt in the fall of the Financial Initiative. "And that means that they are to blame for half of the debt they are accusing me of. It turns out that this was a deliberate move to bring the bank to bankruptcy. We will also use this argument in international courts," the ex-owner explained.
He recalled the ruling adopted on June 5 by the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv to repeal the decision by ex-deputy prosecutor general Vitaliy Kasko on resuming the criminal case targeting him personally and his company. "It's been a week since the ruling was announced. It's already in the Office of the Prosecutor General, and I hope that the prosecutor general will execute the court ruling," the businessman said.


unian--2020-06-19--Three cases against Poroshenko closed over lack of corpus delicti – Venediktova

They relate to the appointment of the prime minister without a parliamentary coalition , meddling in the Kyiv District Administrative Court 's activity , and the appointment of members of the High Council of Justice .
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova says three criminal cases initiated after the ex-Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration under Viktor Yanukovych , Andriy Portnov , had filed claims against former President and incumbent Member of Parliament Petro Poroshenko were closed over the lack of corpus delicti .
`` Another three proceedings on the appointment of the prime minister in the absence of a [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities of Kyiv 's District Administrative Court and the appointment of members of the High Council of Justice were closed last week .
These proceedings were closed over the lack of corpus delicti .
They were registered in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations upon claims filed by Andriy Portnov , '' she said at a briefing on June 18 , 2020 , according to an UNIAN correspondent .
At the same time , Venediktova said the information on the case of the appointment of Serhiy Semochko as first deputy chief of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim filed by Acting Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service Valeriy Kondratiuk .
`` Last week , a case was opened and information was registered in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations upon a statement by the chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service .
And Prosecutor General Venediktova informed the MP [ Poroshenko ] of the charges , '' she said .
`` There is a difference when the chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service makes a statement about the crime – you understand that the judicial and investigative perspective was completely different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As UNIAN reported earlier , Poroshenko is suspected of abuse of office in issuing a wrongful order that prompted former Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service Yehor Bozhok to exceed his official authority .
The case concerns the appointment of Semochko , a target of journalistic investigations into enrichment sources and his family 's ties with Russia , to the post of first deputy head of the Foreign Intelligence Service .
The prosecutors initially asked the court to remand Poroshenko in custody amid a pretrial investigation , setting bail at UAH 10 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 18 , the prosecutor 's office amended the motion for the preventive measure , easing it from `` holding on remand '' to `` personal recognizance . ''

They relate to the appointment of the prime minister without a parliamentary coalition, meddling in the Kyiv District Administrative Court's activity, and the appointment of members of the High Council of Justice.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova says three criminal cases initiated after the ex-Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration under Viktor Yanukovych, Andriy Portnov, had filed claims against former President and incumbent Member of Parliament Petro Poroshenko were closed over the lack of corpus delicti.
"Another three proceedings on the appointment of the prime minister in the absence of a [parliamentary] coalition, meddling in the activities of Kyiv's District Administrative Court and the appointment of members of the High Council of Justice were closed last week. These proceedings were closed over the lack of corpus delicti. They were registered in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations upon claims filed by Andriy Portnov," she said at a briefing on June 18, 2020, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
Read alsoProsecutor general explains essence of charges pressed against Poroshenko
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At the same time, Venediktova said the information on the case of the appointment of Serhiy Semochko as first deputy chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service was registered upon a claim filed by Acting Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service Valeriy Kondratiuk.
"Last week, a case was opened and information was registered in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations upon a statement by the chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service. And Prosecutor General Venediktova informed the MP [Poroshenko] of the charges," she said.
"There is a difference when the chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service makes a statement about the crime – you understand that the judicial and investigative perspective was completely different," the prosecutor general explained.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Poroshenko is suspected of abuse of office in issuing a wrongful order that prompted former Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service Yehor Bozhok to exceed his official authority.
The case concerns the appointment of Semochko, a target of journalistic investigations into enrichment sources and his family's ties with Russia, to the post of first deputy head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.
The prosecutors initially asked the court to remand Poroshenko in custody amid a pretrial investigation, setting bail at UAH 10 million (US$373,692).
On June 18, the prosecutor's office amended the motion for the preventive measure, easing it from "holding on remand" to "personal recognizance."


unian--2020-06-19--EU further extends economic sanctions against Russia

The sanctions were extended for six months .
Heads of state and government of the European Union member states have decided to extend the economic sanctions related to the banking , financial and energy sectors of Russia for another six months .
`` I welcome today 's political decision of EU leaders to extend economic sanctions against Russia for 6 more months .
Since 2014 , EU sanctions policy has helped deter Russian aggression against Ukraine , '' Ukraine 's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter on June 19 .
`` [ The ] sanctions send a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implement [ the ] Minsk agreements , '' he said .
On June 19 , twenty-seven leaders of EU member states and the EU leadership had a video conference .
According to an UNIAN correspondent , President of the European Council Charles Michel said during an online briefing after the video conference that before the decision on the extension of the sectoral sanctions was taken , German Chancellor Angela Merkel had presented a report on the status of the implementation of the Minsk agreements .
`` We had the opportunity to listen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ implementation of the Minsk agreements , and this means that now the Council has decided to proceed with the extension of the sanctions , '' Michel said .
As UNIAN reported earlier , the EU in July and September 2014 imposed economic sanctions targeting exchanges with Russia in specific economic sectors .
In March 2015 , EU leaders decided to align the existing sanctions regime to the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements , foreseen for the end of December 2015 .
Since this did not happen , the Council extended economic sanctions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic sanctions have been extended for six months successively since July 1 , 2016 .
The extension was decided each time following an assessment of the Minsk agreements implementation .
The economic sanctions were then extended until July 31 , 2020 .
These restrictive measures limit access to EU primary and secondary capital markets for certain Russian banks and companies ; impose an export and import ban on trade in arms ; establish an export ban for dual-use goods for military use or military end users in Russia ; curtail Russian access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be used for oil production and exploration .

The sanctions were extended for six months.
Heads of state and government of the European Union member states have decided to extend the economic sanctions related to the banking, financial and energy sectors of Russia for another six months.
"I welcome today's political decision of EU leaders to extend economic sanctions against Russia for 6 more months. Since 2014, EU sanctions policy has helped deter Russian aggression against Ukraine," Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter on June 19.
"[The] sanctions send a clear signal: Russia needs to fully implement [the] Minsk agreements," he said.
Видео дня
Read alsoEU Council extends Crimea sanctions for another year – MFA Kuleba
On June 19, twenty-seven leaders of EU member states and the EU leadership had a video conference.
According to an UNIAN correspondent, President of the European Council Charles Michel said during an online briefing after the video conference that before the decision on the extension of the sectoral sanctions was taken, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had presented a report on the status of the implementation of the Minsk agreements. "We had the opportunity to listen to the report by Angela Merkel on the implementation of the Minsk agreements, and this means that now the Council has decided to proceed with the extension of the sanctions," Michel said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the EU in July and September 2014 imposed economic sanctions targeting exchanges with Russia in specific economic sectors.
In March 2015, EU leaders decided to align the existing sanctions regime to the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements, foreseen for the end of December 2015. Since this did not happen, the Council extended economic sanctions until July 31, 2016.
The economic sanctions have been extended for six months successively since July 1, 2016.
The extension was decided each time following an assessment of the Minsk agreements implementation. The economic sanctions were then extended until July 31, 2020.
These restrictive measures limit access to EU primary and secondary capital markets for certain Russian banks and companies; impose an export and import ban on trade in arms; establish an export ban for dual-use goods for military use or military end users in Russia; curtail Russian access to certain sensitive technologies and services that can be used for oil production and exploration.


unian--2020-06-19--Ukraine's Health Ministry: Kyiv, nine regions not ready for further quarantine easing

The relaxing of the curbs is possible if the epidemiological situation in a region meets certain criteria .
Ukraine 's Health Ministry says the city of Kyiv and nine Ukrainian regions are not ready for the further easing of the quarantine-related restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus nationwide .
Read alsoLatest corona spike in Ukraine : senior health official speaks on cause The relaxing of the quarantine is possible if the epidemiological situation in a region meets certain criteria , it said .
In particular , an incidence rate – the number of new confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days per 100,000 people – should be lower than 12 .
Meanwhile , the incidence in Chernivtsi region is 42.17 , it is 40.38 in Lviv region , 40.08 in Rivne region , 36.21 in Zakarpattia region , 34.91 in Volyn region , 22.44 in Ternopil region , 19.92 in Ivano-Frankivsk region , 18.07 in Vinnytsia region , 15.57 in Zhytomyr region , and 13.82 in the city of Kyiv .
The incidence in Kharkiv region is 11.97 , which is close to the critical rate .
Moreover , bed occupancy in hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 % , while the indicator is 52.71 in Zakarpattia region .
As UNIAN reported earlier , as of 09:00 Kyiv time on June 19 , there were 34,984 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine .
They included 985 deaths and 16,033 recoveries .
Some 921 new cases were recorded in the past day .

The relaxing of the curbs is possible if the epidemiological situation in a region meets certain criteria.
Ukraine's Health Ministry says the city of Kyiv and nine Ukrainian regions are not ready for the further easing of the quarantine-related restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus nationwide.
Read alsoLatest corona spike in Ukraine: senior health official speaks on cause
The relaxing of the quarantine is possible if the epidemiological situation in a region meets certain criteria, it said.
Видео дня
In particular, an incidence rate – the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past seven days per 100,000 people – should be lower than 12. Meanwhile, the incidence in Chernivtsi region is 42.17, it is 40.38 in Lviv region, 40.08 in Rivne region, 36.21 in Zakarpattia region, 34.91 in Volyn region, 22.44 in Ternopil region, 19.92 in Ivano-Frankivsk region, 18.07 in Vinnytsia region, 15.57 in Zhytomyr region, and 13.82 in the city of Kyiv.
The incidence in Kharkiv region is 11.97, which is close to the critical rate.
Moreover, bed occupancy in hospitals designated for COVID-19 patients should be below 50%, while the indicator is 52.71 in Zakarpattia region.
As UNIAN reported earlier, as of 09:00 Kyiv time on June 19, there were 34,984 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine. They included 985 deaths and 16,033 recoveries. Some 921 new cases were recorded in the past day.


unian--2020-06-19--Two Ukrainian soldiers injured in landmine blast in Donbas

They were immediately provided with first aid and evacuated to a hospital .
Two Ukrainian soldiers have been injured in @ @ @ @ @ , eastern Ukraine .
Read alsoOne Ukraine soldier killed , one wounded amid 14 enemy @ @ @ @ @ day '' Today , June 19 , two members of the Joint Forces were injured @ @ @ @ @ landmine blast during an engineering reconnaissance check near the village of Novotoshkivske [ Luhansk region @ @ @ @ @ center of the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters wrote on Facebook on June 19 , 2020 @ @ @ @ @ provided with first aid and evacuated to a hospital .
Their state of health is @ @ @ @ @ the incident are being investigated .

They were immediately provided with first aid and evacuated to a hospital.
Two Ukrainian soldiers have been injured in a landmine blast in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.
Read alsoOne Ukraine soldier killed, one wounded amid 14 enemy attacks in Donbas in past day
"Today, June 19, two members of the Joint Forces were injured as a result of a landmine blast during an engineering reconnaissance check near the village of Novotoshkivske [Luhansk region]," the press center of the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters wrote on Facebook on June 19, 2020.
Видео дня
The soldiers were immediately provided with first aid and evacuated to a hospital. Their state of health is satisfactory.
The circumstances of the incident are being investigated.


unian--2020-06-19--Bill on development of capital market in Ukraine passes its first reading

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Bill on development of capital market in Ukraine passes its first reading
15:50, 19.06.20 80052
The bill was registered in parliament on October 17, 2019.
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unian--2020-06-19--Belarus president says country foiled foreign plot after arresting political rival – media

He did not give details to substantiate his comments or say which foreign country was involved .
President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday Belarus had foiled a foreign plot to destabilise the country ahead of the presidential election in August , a day after the arrest of his main political rival sparked protests .
There had been a large-scale plan to foment a revolution akin to the Maidan street protests in Ukraine in 2014 , Lukashenko said , Reuters reported .
He said political forces from `` both from the West and from the East '' had concentrated their interests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces '' had intensified their efforts , according to the official BelTA news agency .
He did not give details to substantiate his comments or say which foreign country was involved , although relations with Russia have been strained in recent months .
`` That was the goal .
The masks were torn not only from certain puppets we had here , but also from puppeteers who sit outside Belarus , '' he said .
Lukashenko has ruled the ex-Soviet country with an iron fist for 26 years but faces the biggest challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus pandemic combined with grievances over the economy and human rights .
On Thursday the authorities arrested his most serious opponent , Viktor Babariko , who was the head of the local unit of Russia 's Gazprombank before running for president .
A top security official said Babariko was controlled by Russian `` puppeteers . ''
Ties between the two traditional allies have been strained by Russia 's decision to scale back subsidies and oil supplies to its neighbour .
Belarus has also resisted Russian calls for closer economic union .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ no plans to intervene .
`` The Kremlin does not have a candidate at the Belarusian elections .
The candidate at the elections is the Belarusian people , '' he said .

He did not give details to substantiate his comments or say which foreign country was involved.
President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday Belarus had foiled a foreign plot to destabilise the country ahead of the presidential election in August, a day after the arrest of his main political rival sparked protests.
There had been a large-scale plan to foment a revolution akin to the Maidan street protests in Ukraine in 2014, Lukashenko said, Reuters reported.
Read alsoLukashenko sacks Belarus government
Видео дня
He said political forces from "both from the West and from the East" had concentrated their interests in Belarus, and that "certain forces" had intensified their efforts, according to the official BelTA news agency.
He did not give details to substantiate his comments or say which foreign country was involved, although relations with Russia have been strained in recent months.
"That was the goal. The masks were torn not only from certain puppets we had here, but also from puppeteers who sit outside Belarus," he said.
Lukashenko has ruled the ex-Soviet country with an iron fist for 26 years but faces the biggest challenge in years as frustration over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic combined with grievances over the economy and human rights.
On Thursday the authorities arrested his most serious opponent, Viktor Babariko, who was the head of the local unit of Russia's Gazprombank before running for president. A top security official said Babariko was controlled by Russian "puppeteers."
Ties between the two traditional allies have been strained by Russia's decision to scale back subsidies and oil supplies to its neighbour. Belarus has also resisted Russian calls for closer economic union.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had no plans to intervene. "The Kremlin does not have a candidate at the Belarusian elections. The candidate at the elections is the Belarusian people," he said.


unian--2020-06-20--Belarus opposition protests end in arrests

Earlier authorities arrested Lukashenko 's main rival Viktor Babaryko on suspicion of financial crimes amid increased harassment of opposition figures .
Police in Belarus have detained demonstrators and journalists at a gathering of hundreds of people protesting President Alexander Lukashenko 's re-election campaign .
Lukashenko , who has ruled the country since 1994 , is seeking a sixth term in office in August , BBC reports .
Opposition candidates gathered supporters ' signatures in the capital Minsk before riot police moved in .
On Saturday the rights group Vyasna said at least 120 people had been arrested across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released .
Earlier authorities arrested Lukashenko 's main rival Viktor Babaryko on suspicion of financial crimes amid increased harassment of opposition figures .
Opposition activists , journalists and bloggers have also been arrested in recent weeks , according to website Belorusskiye Novosti .
Lukashenko alleged that his authorities had foiled a plot designed to destabilize the country , claiming that forces from `` both from the West and from the East '' were interfering in Belarus .
International election monitor the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe , has not recognized any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since 1995 .

Earlier authorities arrested Lukashenko's main rival Viktor Babaryko on suspicion of financial crimes amid increased harassment of opposition figures.
Police in Belarus have detained demonstrators and journalists at a gathering of hundreds of people protesting President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election campaign.
Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, is seeking a sixth term in office in August, BBC reports.
Opposition candidates gathered supporters' signatures in the capital Minsk before riot police moved in.
Видео дня
A Radio Free Europe correspondent was detained while reporting live on-air.
On Saturday the rights group Vyasna said at least 120 people had been arrested across the country during protests. Some have now been released.
Read alsoBelarus president says country foiled foreign plot after arresting political rival – media
Earlier authorities arrested Lukashenko's main rival Viktor Babaryko on suspicion of financial crimes amid increased harassment of opposition figures.
Opposition activists, journalists and bloggers have also been arrested in recent weeks, according to website Belorusskiye Novosti.
Lukashenko alleged that his authorities had foiled a plot designed to destabilize the country, claiming that forces from "both from the West and from the East" were interfering in Belarus.
International election monitor the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, has not recognized any elections in Belarus as free and fair since 1995.


unian--2020-06-20--Booby trap blast injures important witness to Russian crimes in Donbas

This was n't the first attempt on the woman 's life , NGO chief says .
Valentyna Buchok , a former captive of Russian occupation forces , who had been released in a prisoner swap effort in late 2019 , was injured in a booby trap blast in her own backyard in a village near the town of Kostiantyivka , Donetsk region .
The police were called on scene of the incident at 8:00 on Saturday , June 18 .
Criminal proceeding into attempted murder was launched immediately , the interior ministry reported .
Volodymyr Shcherbachenko , head of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , wrote on Facebook that `` Valentyna has been openly and fearlessly testifying about the crimes of the so-called 'DPR ' . ''
Read alsoUkrainian military return fire to enemy attacks in Donbas , killing two , woundi inavng three occupiers This is not the first attempt on the woman 's life , he claimed , adding that police failed to properly investigate previous attacks .
According to updated reports , the woman sustained injuries to her face and limbs .
As UNIAN reported earlier , a Donetsk-based electrician Valentyna Buchok was released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the New Year .
The invaders had initially sentenced her to 17 years in prison for `` espionage '' .

This wasn't the first attempt on the woman's life, NGO chief says.
Valentyna Buchok, a former captive of Russian occupation forces, who had been released in a prisoner swap effort in late 2019, was injured in a booby trap blast in her own backyard in a village near the town of Kostiantyivka, Donetsk region.
The police were called on scene of the incident at 8:00 on Saturday, June 18. Criminal proceeding into attempted murder was launched immediately, the interior ministry reported.
Volodymyr Shcherbachenko, head of the East Ukrainian Center for Public Initiatives non-profit, wrote on Facebook that "Valentyna has been openly and fearlessly testifying about the crimes of the so-called 'DPR'."
Видео дня
Read alsoUkrainian military return fire to enemy attacks in Donbas, killing two, woundi inavng three occupiers
This is not the first attempt on the woman's life, he claimed, adding that police failed to properly investigate previous attacks.
According to updated reports, the woman sustained injuries to her face and limbs.
As UNIAN reported earlier, a Donetsk-based electrician Valentyna Buchok was released during a prisoner exchange on the eve of the New Year.
The invaders had initially sentenced her to 17 years in prison for "espionage".


unian--2020-06-20--Russia hands fighter jets to its unexperienced mercenaries in Libya

U.S. military officials have characterized the presence of Russian weapons in Libya as a potential threat to NATO .
U.S. Africa Command said in late May that Russia had deployed at least 14 MiG-29 and several Su-24 fighters to Libya to support Russian state-sponsored private military contractors , or PMC .
U.S. concerns about the arrival of Russian fighter jets in Libya have been compounded by evidence those planes are being flown by inexperienced pilots , military officials said Thursday , according to Business Insider .
Reuters reported in early May that the UN found up to 1,200 personnel from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Libya to support warlord Khalifa Haftar in his fight against the country 's internationally recognized government .
Africom said Thursday about 2,000 Wagner Group personnel were estimated to be in Libya .
The aircraft were flown from Russia to Syria , where their Russian markings were painted over , and then to Libya .
That violated a UN arms embargo and indicated that Russia was `` clearly trying to tip the scales in its favor in Libya , '' U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend , head of Africom , said at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what it said was a lack of skill among the aircraft 's pilots .
Russian aircraft being used to support private military companies sponsored by the Russian government .
The Spoon Rest is a Russian-made , mobile early warning radar system , designed to provide tactical support to military activities .
Photo release June 18 , 2020 .
U.S. Africa Command '' There is concern these Russian aircraft are being flown by inexperienced , non-state PMC mercenaries who will not adhere to international law '' and are n't bound by the laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corps Brig .
Gen. Bradford Gering , Africom 's director of operations .
`` If this is true and bombing occurs , innocent Libyan lives are at risk . ''
At a Defense Writers Group event on Thursday , Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian , commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa , told reporters that the Russian aircraft and their pilots have largely been working on `` pilot proficiency . ''
`` Primarily what we 've seen then as far as activity is , in essence , what I would quantify as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basic flying skills , '' Harrigian said , Africom said a MiG-29 was photographed operating near the city of Sirte in northern Libya , but Harrigan said the U.S. was unable to confirm Wagner Group 's involvement in strikes reported in that area .
Harrigan described the pilots as `` guys that may be retired '' and `` guys that they 're finding out there who have flown these types of aircraft . ''
`` Naturally , from a professional airman 's perspective , that 's going to raise some concern .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mind in terms of what 's their ability to put weapons on the appropriate targets , '' Harrigan added .
`` It 's a small , constrained environment to operate in , where it takes precision weapons , '' Harrigan said .
`` So when you have n't had potentially the opportunity to operate with precision weapons in a manner that 's going to require tactics , techniques , and procedures — that are a skill set that we trained significantly to ensure that we put weapons where we need to — that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
U.S. military officials have characterized the presence of Russian weapons in Libya as a potential threat to NATO .

U.S. military officials have characterized the presence of Russian weapons in Libya as a potential threat to NATO.
U.S. Africa Command said in late May that Russia had deployed at least 14 MiG-29 and several Su-24 fighters to Libya to support Russian state-sponsored private military contractors, or PMC.
U.S. concerns about the arrival of Russian fighter jets in Libya have been compounded by evidence those planes are being flown by inexperienced pilots, military officials said Thursday, according to Business Insider.
Reuters reported in early May that the UN found up to 1,200 personnel from Russian private military contractor Wagner Group were in Libya to support warlord Khalifa Haftar in his fight against the country's internationally recognized government. Africom said Thursday about 2,000 Wagner Group personnel were estimated to be in Libya.
Видео дня
The aircraft were flown from Russia to Syria, where their Russian markings were painted over, and then to Libya. That violated a UN arms embargo and indicated that Russia was "clearly trying to tip the scales in its favor in Libya," U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, head of Africom, said at the time.
On Thursday, Africom warned of what it said was a lack of skill among the aircraft's pilots.
Russian aircraft being used to support private military companies sponsored by the Russian government. The Spoon Rest is a Russian-made, mobile early warning radar system, designed to provide tactical support to military activities. Photo release June 18, 2020. U.S. Africa Command
"There is concern these Russian aircraft are being flown by inexperienced, non-state PMC mercenaries who will not adhere to international law" and aren't bound by the laws of armed conflict, said U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Bradford Gering, Africom's director of operations. "If this is true and bombing occurs, innocent Libyan lives are at risk."
At a Defense Writers Group event on Thursday, Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters that the Russian aircraft and their pilots have largely been working on "pilot proficiency."
"Primarily what we've seen then as far as activity is, in essence, what I would quantify as sorties where they're working on their basic flying skills," Harrigian said,
Read alsoJournalist debunks fake report alleging Ukrainian fighters took part in Libya hostilities
Africom said a MiG-29 was photographed operating near the city of Sirte in northern Libya, but Harrigan said the U.S. was unable to confirm Wagner Group's involvement in strikes reported in that area.
Harrigan described the pilots as "guys that may be retired" and "guys that they're finding out there who have flown these types of aircraft."
"Naturally, from a professional airman's perspective, that's going to raise some concern. It ought to raise concern in everybody's mind in terms of what's their ability to put weapons on the appropriate targets," Harrigan added.
"It's a small, constrained environment to operate in, where it takes precision weapons," Harrigan said. "So when you haven't had potentially the opportunity to operate with precision weapons in a manner that's going to require tactics, techniques, and procedures — that are a skill set that we trained significantly to ensure that we put weapons where we need to — that's an area that we have concern."
U.S. military officials have characterized the presence of Russian weapons in Libya as a potential threat to NATO.