Digests & Analytics Ukraine

03/07/2014 Daily Highlights by “Digests & Analytics Ukraine” Information Agency

Ukraine 

• Amendments to Ukrainian constitution, proposed by Ukrainian President Mr. Poroshenko, included into the agenda of the Ukrainian Parliament. Parliament should submit the amendments to the Constitutional Court for conclusion and validation. According to the parliamentary Mr. Vlasenko, Constitutional amendments proposed by the President of Ukraine, will strongly reinforce presidential power. Therefore, parliamentary group “Batkivschyna” (Motherland) consider submitting the alternative Constitutional amendments proposal. At the same time, Mr. Poroshenko claims that Constitution amendments shouldn’t be considered with a power redistribution intend but rather as a part of the pacification process. Inaugural speech also missed the statement on President being guarantor of the Ukrainian Constitution. 
• Candidates, proposed by the President of Ukraine for Minister of Defence (Mr. Galetey) and Chief of Military Staff-Armed Forces Commander in Chief (Mr. Muzhenko) were approved by the parliament. Food tycoon, multibillionaire, owner of “Nasha Ryaba”, Kosyuk appointed as First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Administration and from now on will be responsible for the security and defense matters. Former Acting Defense Minister Mr. Koval appointed as Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. 
• Exchange rate of Ukrainian Hryvnya (UAH) established by the National Bank of Ukraine is as follows: 11.84 UAH / 1 $ (+1 cop), 16.17 UAH / 1 € (-2 cop) and 3.46 UAH / 1 RUB. Market exchange rate fluctuated within the range of 11,80-11,92 UAH / 1 $ and 16,07-16,28 UAH / 1 €. 
• Gas pipeline, damaged in Poltava region on June 17, have been recently restored. Pipeline should be fully operational shortly. Special commission being engaged to identify and conclude on the causes of the accident. 

Kyiv

• 250 "Donbass" battalion volunteer were allocated to Kyiv to prevent potential terorist threats. Kiev is not ready for mine warfare and terrorist attacks, as yesterday claimed at the rally in front of the Verkhovna Rada by Mr. Sementchenko battalion commander. 

War in Ukraine 

• Terrorists being constantly defeated during Ukrainian army operations in Krasny Lyman, Slovyansk and, Lugansk. On 3 of July, Ukrainian Antiterrorist operation forces strongly reinforced to Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, as well as entered Lugansk and Krasnodon. On a defensive, terrorists used tanks, heavy artillery and armored vehicles, infiltrated to Ukraine from Russian territory via seized border checkpoitns. 
• Civilian casualties have been reported as a result of the artillery shelling in Kramatorsk Stanitsya Luhanskaya. Russian multiple rocket launcher "Grad", presumably used to attack Stanitsa Luganskaya, have been seized by Ukrainian military.
• Three Russian military helicopters violated Ukrainian air space with intelligence purposes in Lugansk region.Two Mi-8 helicopters and one Mi-24 have been reported to appear near the Belovodsk, Krasnopavlovska and Kamyshnoe, as well as near border checkpoint "Dolzhansky", as stated by speaker of the National Security & Defense Council Mr. Lutsenko. Earlier, Ukrainian radar in the Melovoye town borderline to Russia have been temporarily disabled by shelling. 
• While border checkpoint "Dolzhansky" have been shelled by terrorists on the border with Russia, rockets also hit Russian checkpoint "Novoshakhtinsky." Bus station and customs terminal being damaged, as reported by the Customs Service of Russia. Russia continues to close the border checkpoints with Ukrainian, preventing terrorists to return to their territory. Border checkpoint "Marinovka" have been also shelled in Donetsk region. 

World and Ukraine

• European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg satisfied the complaint of Georgia on the mass deportation of its citizens from Russia in 2006. In the case of Georgia versus Russia, the Court held that in the autumn of 2006 the Russian authorities had implemented a coordinated policy of arresting, detaining and expelling Georgian nationals, amounting to an administrative practice in breach of the Convention. It found a violation of the prohibition of collective expulsion of aliens and the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, and also of the right to liberty and security and the right to an effective remedy. The Court further held that Russia had failed in its obligation to furnish all necessary facilities to the Court in its task of establishing the facts of the case.