14/07/2014 Daily Highlights by “Digests & Analytics Ukraine” News Agency

Ukraine

• Archbishop of Moscow and Russia, Kirill has no plans to visit Kiev during the celebration of the anniversary of the Kievan Rus' Baptism and during the Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), aimed to elect a new Archbishop of the UOC planned on August 13, due to provocations.
• Official exchange rates of Ukrainian Hryvnya (UAH) have been stable, as set by the National Bank of Ukraine: 11.69 UAU / 1$, 16.90 USD / 1€ and 3,43 UAH / 10 RUR (-2 kopecks).
• President of Ukraine Mr. Poroshenko held a meeting with security and defense agencies, focused on counter-terrorism operation, where warfare tactics in Donbas have been discussed and decision to continue the active phase of the operation announced.
• Minister of Interior Affairs, Mr. Avakov announced dismissal of 585 police officers, accused of collaborationism with terrorists.
• Mr. Poroshenko downsized the Presidential Administration staff by more than 100 people.
• Kharkov court arrested former mayor of Slovyansk Mrs Stepa for the period of investigation for 2 months. It is incriminated crimes under article 110 of the Criminal code of Ukraine “encroachment on territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine”.

Kiev

• Three shopping malls (Ocean Plaza, Ukraine and Magellan) have been on alert of being mined. State Department of Emergenciesб seriously reacted to the threat evacuated civilians from the buildings

War in Ukraine

• Fights with terrorists have been ongoing in Lugansk region during the day. Ukrainian troops began the liberation of Lugansk, fights are ongoing to liberate Rovenky Lisichansk, Severodonetsk, as well as on the border with Russia in the area of ​​checkpoints Dolzhansky and Izvarino. Terrorists shelled residential areas of Lugansk with multiple rocket launchers "Grad", as well as territory of Donetsk International Airport, controlled Ukrainian security forces. Demining of liberated civilian buildings in Slovyansk is ongoing. At least three Ukrainian military killed and 12 injured during the day.
• Ukrainian transport aircraft AN-26, with seven crew members and one accompanying aboard, have been shot by terrorists in Lugansk region. Pilots successfully evacuated, two soldiers were captured by terrorists and the rest of passangers being missing, as reported by the press service of the anti-terrorist operation. Experts do confirm that the aircraft, flying at an altitude of 6,500 m, have been hit by a missile complex «Pancyr», that Russia earlier supplied terrorists or by the Russian aircraft with the air-to-air missile.
• Donetsk city council unveiled ways for citizens to leave the city, control by terrorists - through the bus and railway stations to the major cities of Ukraine, Crimea, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Moscow and Minsk. City Mayor Mr. Luk’yanchenko in a video said that he could not return to the city, due to the threat to his life from DPR terrorists. Secretary of the Donetsk city council Bogachyov is currently on vacations in Berdyansk. DPR terrorists continue to build roadblocks on the main roads of the city and on highways. Commuting bus routes to the city have been canceled.

Internaitonal

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine put a note of protest to the Russian government against kidnapped and forcibly held captive pilots Nadiya Savchenko, captured by terrorists in Lugansk region and illegally smuggled to the territory of Russia. Rusian Federation violates universal norms of international law, the Vienna Convention on Human Rights and the Consular Convention in 1994, prohibiting citizen of Ukraine to meet the Consul and not allowing to receive necessary legal and other kinds of assistance, despite assurances from the head of the Russian presidential administration Ivanov.
• Facebook campaign on the page of Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel is rapidly gaining momentum with more than 30,000 visitors left a message with the label #DankeFrauRibbentrop (Thank you, Ms. Ribbentrop).
• This compaign seems to be launched in response to the Chancellor earlier statement about the need of President Poroshenko to negotiate with terrorists of east Ukraine and recalls the fate of Chancellor Ribbentrop, who initiated the Munich Agreement of The West with Hitler's on annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1939. At the same time, the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced negotiations of Ukraine with terrorists in a format of video conference with the participation of Russia and OSCE.