14/09/2014 Ukraine: Daily Highlghts - Political parties conduct elections conventions beside mass violations of cease-fire regimen by militants in Donbass

14.09.2014 Daily Highlights from “Digests & Analytics Ukraine” News Agency

Ukrainian politicians are actively playing "elections games", like including combat commanders on the lists of party candidates, when Ukrainian  military and civilians are dying in Donbass during the announced «cease-fire» and Russia is concentrating its invasion forces.  

Ukraine

• Political parties and blocks including “Solidarnist” (block of Poroshenko), “Narodny Front” of Turchynov and Yatsenyuk, “Batkivshyna” of Tymoshenko, “Hromadska Pozytsiya” of Grytsenko and “Democratic Alliance”, Radical Party of Lyashko, VO ”Svoboda”, “Samopomich” and “Volya”, conducted their conventions and announced lists of candidates. Many participants in combat actions, journalists and cultural activists have been included on the lists, as well as acting party leaders and current parliament deputies. Party of Regions, which possessed half of the seats in the previous parliament, dropped off the race due to the sharp erosion of its ratings. Party “Opposition Block”, representing former members of the “Party of Regions” and pro-Russian politicians, will announce its candidates soon. Experts claim that early elections will not lead to the ideological break-through, and odious politicians, who’ve collaborated with occupants, supported separatists and terrorists, as well as been known for anti-maidan votes, could join Verkhovna Rada with high enough probability.

War in Ukraine

• As per information by the Center of War Prisoners Release, 853 people are being still kept as hostages by terrorists in Donbass and 408 are being considered as lost. As announced by President Poroshenko, 73 persons have been released in Donets’k. He’s previously mentioned that 500 persons will be freed by the end of the week.
• Militants intensively shelled Donets’k. The shelling killed at least three civilians and heavily damaged residential areas.
• A group of OSCE observers have been shelled with mortars during an inspection trip near Kirovske. No casualties have been reported.
• Terrorists continuously shell Donets’k International Airport with artillery and multiple rocket launchers. Ukrainian military are holding positions but running exhausted. Three defenders have been killed, several wounded. They’re prohibited from using artillery and aviation against rebels due to the «cease-fire».
• Russia continues an intensive air intelligence of Ukrainian territory with drones.
• Elections of local authorities had been conducted in the occupied Crimea, in parallel with elections in other regions of Russia. Crimean tatars massively boycotted the process. Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the elections illegal and warned, that the results will be marginal and those engaged in organization of voting process will be held liable according to the Ukrainian legislation. At the same time, current deputy of Verkhovna Rada Deych was noticed having active role in the elections.

International

• Defense Minister Geletey announced that several NATO member states have just started to suppy arms to Ukraine.
• Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov announced during a TV interview that Russia doesn’t insist on federalization of Ukraine but the key is that «Russians could live in Ukraine and would influence its foreign policy».

Trends

• 100 days of President Poroshenko have passed without any mentioning in official media due to the fact that none of the pre-election promises have been fulfilled.