Digests & Analytics Ukraine

08/07/2014 Daily Highlights by “Digests & Analytics Ukraine” News Agency

Ukraine

• President of Ukraine Mr. Poroshenko visited Slovyansk with working visit just as city has been liberated from terrorists. Mr. President met with local residents and reassured that Ukrainian authorities are doing their best to restore normal life, as well as rewarded Ukrainian soldiers that took part in the anti-terrorist operation.
• General prosecutor, Mr. Yarema claimed cut of over 1,700 staff positions, as well as 8 key departments being restructured. Among the newly appointed deputies to General Prosecutor - former Head of the Kiev Traffic Police and former Deputy Chief of Enforcement Service, who served under to regime of Mr. Yanukovych.
• Ban of Communist Party of Ukraine have been submitted by Ministry of Justice to the District Court of Kyiv. Party members are suspected of active support of terrorism, separatism and annexation of Crimea, as well as Russian aggression against Ukraine.
• Official exchange rates of Ukrainian Hryvnya (UAH), as established by the National Bank of Ukraine, are as follows: 11.71 UAH / 1 $ (-7 cop), 15.92 UAH / 1 € (-9 cop) and 3.39 UAH / 1 RUB (-4 cop). Market exchange rate fluctuated within the range of 11,60-11,80 UAH / 1 $ and 15,79-16,03 UAH / 1 €.

War in Ukraine

• Ukrainian Air Force pilot captured by terrorists, Nadezhda Savchenko, have been illegally moved to Russian territory and is kept in special detention center in Voronezh. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine submitted strong protest note with this regards, demanding access of Ukrainian consul to provide her with legal support, as well as her release from custody and retrieval to homeland.
• 32,000 residents left Lugansk and Donetsk regions since start of combat operations, as officially reported by the speaker of the National Security & Defense Council Mr. Lysenko. Authorities don’t have the information on refugees who are not registered for the National Social Security, but assume their numbers are quite significant. Massive return of residents to cities liberated by Ukrainian army, being observed during last two days.
• Two general managers of state mines and mayor of Kurakhovo town have been hijacked, as well as several buildings, including terminal of "Nova Poshta", department of Donetsk Regional Hospital and Donetsk Institute of Internal Affairs have been seized by terrorists. Shootings and explosions took place throughout the city during the day. Strong explosion took place at the territory of abandoned mine, used as a terrorists base. Railway has been destroyed by explosion in the area Kramators'k – Yasinovataya. Ukrainian army demining roads and towns, liberated from terrorists, as well as chase saboteurs who’ve prepared attacks on highways.
• UkraineAeroRuh announced Donbas a no fly zone. Only air transit is possible at altitude above 8 000m. Fly zone could be re-opened only after complete resolution of the situation.

World and Ukraine

• Spokesman of the US Department of State, Jennifer Psaki stressed in the briefing that Ukraine has every right to protect the state, the nation and to maintenance of peace, as well as expressed condemnation of terrorists using residential areas as military strongholds, resulting in civilian’s casualties and sufferings.
• While preparing for the NATO summit to be held in Whales in September, US President Barack Obama and NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen, discussed consequences of  Russian aggression in Ukraine in terms of European and global security and development of defense capabilities of NATO network partners. Prospects of non-military mission in Afghanistan, to operate after the coalition troops withdrawal planned for the end of 2014, have been as well discussed.
• Gazprom claims that the Ukrainian debt for delivered gas has already reached $ 5.3 billions. In June alone debt reached more than $ 800 millions. Gazprom shut off gas supply to Ukraine because of unpaid debt since June 16, 2014. Ukraine doesn’t recognize the debt and filed a counterclaim for Gazprom to the Stockholm Arbitration Court, aimed to recover illegal overpayments. Gas transit via Ukrainian territory declined by 17% compared with the previous year.
• Russian passports to Crimean residents appeared non-valid, as they’re not included into the database of the Federal Migration Service of Russia. On top of that, documents don’t contain required round seals and authorized signatures of the issuing authorities and therefore are non-valid. Accordingly, Crimean residents holders of such documents, wouldn’t be able to deal with any public or financial institutions.