Inter releases footage showing apparent attack:
By Christopher Miller
KYIV -- A popular Ukrainian TV channel has released what it says is security-camera footage of an arson attack on its Kyiv studios, an incident that increased concerns over violence against journalists and threats to media freedom in the politically volatile country.
The footage, published by the Inter channel late on September 6, appears to show a group of people entering the studios and setting them on fire while a violence-marred protest over what critics say is its pro-Russian stance took place outside the building on September 4.
It shows at least eight masked people in dark clothing and white helmets forcing their way in before moving from room to room, spraying fire retardant from an extinguisher in an apparent attempt to conceal their actions from the security cameras and cause confusion among employees, some of whom can be seen dashing to an exit.
Outside, camouflage-clad protesters carrying a yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag are seen gathering on the steps in front of the building's entrance, suggesting they were in cahoots with the alleged attackers.
In the final seconds of the spliced footage taken by several cameras, the alleged perpetrators are seen fleeing the office as a fire ignites near the front desk.
Inter described the fire as an attack on freedom of speech, and U.S. and European officials have said any violence against the media is unacceptable.
But the release of the security-camera footage appears unlikely to resolve controversy in Ukraine over the incident, which follows attacks on reporters and mounting pressure from officials and nationalist activists against journalists who have challenged their narrative of the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in the eastern Donbas region.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, who has called Inter's programming "anti-Ukrainian," expressed doubt about the authenticity of the security footage, claiming it had been "corrupted."
In an interview with Channel 24, he said the servers hosting the video files had been "flooded with water" while the fire was being put out, according to the news agency Ukrinform. He also said that Inter had not turned over the CCTV footage in its entirety to authorities who have requested it, and suggested that the channel started the fire itself.
There was also a dispute over a claim by protesters that negotiations had yielded a promise from Inter that it would dismiss a senior editor who is a Russian citizen and adhere to a "pro-Ukrainian" policy. In a statement on September 6, Inter said it had held no negotiations with the protesters, and described the fire as a "terrorist attack and arson."
Inter said some of its staff had received treatment for smoke inhalation and one suffered a broken leg during the fire. Law enforcement officials detained nine people suspected of involvement in the blaze on September 4, but released them hours later, the Ukrayinska Pravda news site reported.
A metal fence covered with signs reading "Burn, Inter, burn!" and "Inter is a Kremlin agent!" erected after the fire remained in front of the TV offices on September 7.
Kremlin: New U.S. Sanctions ‘Not Consistent’ With Talks Over Cooperation
The Kremlin says expanded U.S. sanctions against Russia are not consistent with talks over possible cooperation between Russia and the United States.
"This is not consistent with talks over possible cooperation in sensitive areas that the two presidents discussed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 7.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China earlier this week.
Obama described the meeting as “businesslike” and said it touched upon ongoing negotiations between their top diplomats over Syria.
Putin said he and the U.S. president took another step forward on moving to resolve the crisis in Syria.
The United States announced on September 1 a new round of sanctions targeting 37 individuals and companies involved in Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
Peskov suggested that Moscow will respond in kind after analyzing the sanctions.
Earlier, he called them a "dead-end track" that fails to solve any problems.
Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and TASS
EU Ambassadors Prolong Russia Sanctions Over Ukraine
By RFE/RL
BRUSSELS -- European Union ambassadors have prolonged asset freezes and visa bans on 146 individuals and 37 entities that, according to the bloc, have threatened Ukraine's territorial integrity.
The decision to prolong the measures by six months was taken on September 7, ahead of a September 15 deadline.
The sanctions were first introduced in March 2014 in response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.
Their targets include companies in Crimea and various battalions formed by the Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, as well as Russian politicians like Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Dmitry Kiselyov, a state media executive and presenter whom many regard as the Kremlin's chief propagandist.
The EU's economic sanctions that target Russia's energy, military, and financial sectors are up for renewal on January 31 but will be discussed by EU leaders when they meet for an EU summit in October in Brussels.
A decision on the measures is expected when the EU heads of state and governments meet again in December.
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council (CLICK TO ENLARGE):
Prominent Crimean Tatar Activist Released From Psychiatric Clinic
By the Crimean Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
A noted Crimean Tatar activist has been released from a psychiatric hospital in Russia-occupied Crimea.
Ilmi Umerov, the former deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatars' self-governing body, the Mejlis, was charged with separatism in May after he made public statements opposing Moscow's forcible annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014.
In August, Umerov was forcibly admitted to a psychiatric clinic for a month of assessment tests.
Umerov's relatives and lawyers said he was released from the clinic on September 7.
The lawyers added that they will seek the transfer of their client, who suffers from heart problems, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease, to a cardiology clinic.
Human rights groups have urged the Russia-backed authorities in Crimea to drop the charges against Umerov and provide him with necessary medical treatment.
The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has called the case against Umerov "illegal and politically motivated."