Digests & Analytics Ukraine

09/07/2014 Daily Highlights by “Digests & Analytics Ukraine” News Agency

Ukraine

• General Prosecutor Mr. Yarema, stressed on the briefing at the General Prosecutor’s Office, that Maidan already reached obsolescence in its present form, and can be broken up by any means, including the use of force. At the moment, it doesn’t represent the people who were protesting there in winter, being rather a source of transgressions and homeless, as well as doesn’t serve anymore its initial purpose after the Presidential elections. Subjects hosted on Maidan are illegally  seizing administrative and private buildings, as well as live asocial life. At the same time, Kyiv city mayor Mr. Klitschko express hope to reach compromise with Maidaners in order to avoid the forced dismantling.

• Office of General Prosecutor is getting ready to resume the Gongadze case and plan to submit cases of ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, and his associates, accused of peculation of funds and Maidan dispersal.

• Proposal of parliamentary immunity deprivation and criminal prosecution, will be soon submitted to Verkhovna Rada will be logged on depriving parliamentary immunity and criminal prosecution of the deputies, accused of terrorists and separatists support.

• Active Maidan participant, former General Manager of Microsoft Ukraine Mr. Shymkiv, has been appointed as Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration. He will be particularly in charge of administrative, social and economic reforms and cooperation with the Government, the Verkhovna Rada and the civil society, on related matters. .

• Central Election Commission (CEC) meeting approved the budget of 2014 local elections, amounting to 1.2 billions UAH.  Local elections are due to be held October 25, 2015. CEC also forecasted expenses, required to conduct the local re-elections, as well as investments behind maintenance of the national registry.

• Exchange rates of Ukrainian Hryvnya (UAH), established by the National Bank of Ukraine is as follows: 11.66 UAH / 1 $ (-5 kopecks), 15.92 UAH / 1 € (-9 cop), 3.39 UAH / 1 RUB (-4 cop).

• Market exchange rate fluctuated within the ranges of 11,60-11,80 UAH / 1$ and 15,79-16,03 UAH / 1€.

• Normal life in Slovyansk, liberated from terrorists, recover gradually. Railway transport functioning – renewed, State Treasury and other governmental authorities reinstalled, water and electricity supplies are under temporary reduced regimen. Prime Minister of Ukraine Mr. Yatsenyuk estimated that Donbass could require approximately 8 billion UAH.

Kyiv

• Mr. Klitschko presented the program of Kyiv mayor priorities, that consists of five sections and includes vigorous fight with corruption, budget spending transparency, attraction of investment, fostering of residential safety and comfort, as well as cooperation with the community in decision making.
  Experts believe that key elements of the program are decision making process transparency and full on-line control of all city government activities, and budget spending, as well as improvement of investment climate, combined with governance cost reductions, as well as finally – widest possible discussion of decisions taken.
• Kiev went up three positions in the ranking of cities attractiveness to tourists and now is on 61 place among 132 most visited cities in the world and 20th among European cities.
  More than one and half a million people visit Kiev annually and this year projection is it is 1.7 million visitors, each spending around $ 1,000 per trip. The most visited cities in the World are London (18.7 million visitors), Bangkok, Paris, Singapore and Dubai.

War in Ukraine

• Terrorists shelled Lugansk International Airport all day long with multiple rocket launchers "Grad" and mortars. Ukrainian Air Forces destroyed two separatist tanks and one "Grad" multiple rocket launcher.
• Voronezh City Court decided to keep detained Ukrainian Pilot, Nadiya Savchenko, previously illegally moved by terrorists from Ukraine and transferred to Russian authorities. She’s fully forbidden from family and layer visits. Russian Federation Investigative Committee claims that she has been detained in Rostov region, where she travelled as refugee. Her defense appealed the detention in the court. She is accused of connection and personal involvement in murder of Russian journalists. Mr. Poroshenko, asked  General Prosecutor Office to clarify all the circumstances Ms. Savchenko detention and responds accordingly, as well as ensure she’s released joining the efforts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Bridge have been destroyed by terrorists, on the international highway Kharkiv – Rostov near Artemivsk. Separatists shell with artillery border checkpoint near the Luganskaya village. Casualties during last night reached 5 dead and 4 injured Ukrainian militaries, 1 civilian dead and 1 journalist injured ("Inter" TV channel). Terrorists continue to seize administrative buildings, kidnaping civilians and robbery, within controlled territories.

World and Ukraine

• The Council of Russian Federation included Crimea to the list of areas for placement of gambling zones. The boundaries of such zone, according to the document approved, should be determined by the local Crimean authorities. Olympic facilities of Sochi have been as well included into the list.

• US government is developing a set of measures for the application of sectorial sanctions to the Russia, if later it will not stop the conflict escalation of eastern Ukraine. G7 and EU countries will also be consulted on the joint application of sanctions. At the same time, EU failed to approve the decision on sanctions introduction against Russia, even though French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel , in a telephone conversation with the President of Ukraine Mr. Poroshenko confirmed that no progress have been observed from Russian side on compliance to the previous agreements on termination of terrorists support.

• Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lavrov warned the world community about the fact that in case of an attack on the Crimea, Russia will act in accordance with its concept of state national security. While meeting with his Italian counterpart, Mr. Mogerini, Mr. Lavrov said that Crimea is Russian territory, and warned of the consequences of the attempts of its power return to Ukraine.