09/10/2014 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Oil on world markets is rapidly becoming cheaper

09/10/2014 Daily Highlights from the “Digest & Analytics” News Agency

Oil on world markets is rapidly becoming cheaper, despite the approach of the cold season. Kiev introduces mandatory labeling of Russian goods.

Ukraine

• President Poroshenko signed the law on “purification of state authorities”, adopted by the Parliament from a third attempt, with more than 400 amendments.
• During an expanded meeting on the early elections ot the Parliament, President Poroshenko stressed the importance of adopting the anti-corruption and voting rights protection legislation, including for those in the combat area, to pass the parliament vote on the 14th of October.
• Prime Minister Yatsenyuk ordered to conduct an urgent meeting of “Ukrnafta” shareholders and ensure dividend payments, pending since 2011, are paid.
• Oschadbank will start to credit personal purchases of solid fuel and electric heating boilers, reimbursing of up to 20% of the loan, within the framework of the Governmental program of gas savings.
• As mentioned by the Foreign Affairs Ministry representative, Ukraine hasn’t yet pursued any steps along the declared exit from the CIS, as Verkhovna Rada hasn’t yet considered any of the legislative initiatives of the Government in this regard.
• Ukraine has agreed with the EU on further assistance to assess losses and determine priority measures for Donbass recovery.
• Political council of the “Narodny Front” party, led by Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, urged democratic parties to support common candidates, in order prevent the odious politicians, who’ve supported the Yanukpvych regime, to be elected.

Kyiv

• Kyiv City Council included in the budget support payments for the families of deceased combat operations participants, as well as exempted them from utility fees. The budgetary process started on the 9th of October and city authorities promised to make it extremely transparent.
• City shops will be required to label Russian goods.

War in Ukraine

• According to official OSCE statement based on the data of Donetsk Coroner Services, almost 1,500 civillians have been killed in Donets’k region, including 21 children, since 14th of March.
• As a result of militants shelling of the Luhans’k TES in Schastye town, a fire and a disruption of power supply resulted for the part of the region. Railroad was destroyed in Slovyanoserbsk district with the shelling.
• Intensive firefights are ongoing in various districts of Donetsk. Civilians are continuously are killed by shelling. Militants attacks on Donetsk International Airport are ongoing.
• Moscow decided to officially support the “elections” in DPR and LPR.
• Observers evidenced rotation of Russian troops and their partial replacement with terrorist groups, trained in camps in Rostov region of Russia, in order to replenish heavy casualties taken during attacks on Donetsk International Airport.
• NBU continue to support the official exchange rate: 12.93 UAH/USD (-2 cop), 16.35 UAH/EUR (+3 cop), 3.23 UAH/10 RUR (-3 cop), and aims to put strong control on currency availability at banks cash desks.

International

• World price for Brent oil, linked with most of the fuel prices, have sharply declined and reached the four year low below 90 USD per barrel. Price of Russian Urals oil have also went down and reached a critical mark of 90 USD per barrel, used as the basis of the state RF budget, leading to its sequester and reduction of state funded programs.
• As announced by the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State Nuland, a main condition to soften sanctions against Russia could be its full troops withdrawal from Ukrainian territory and release of all hostages. Head of the US mission to OSCE urged Russia to immediately release Ukrainian pilot Savchenko and film director Sentsov.
• US believes OSCE efforts to monitor Ukrainian-Russian border are ineffective, as the mission has access to only 1 km out of 300 of the the border under control of militants and Russian troops.
• Kazakhstan succesfully finished negotiations with the EU on new collaboration agreement and WTO membership.
• Belarus President Lukashenko approved the law on ratification of the country membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, unifying Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and aiming to ensure free movement of goods, services, capital and men power, as well as coordination within key economic areas.
• As per decree of the President of Moldova, Russian language has been given a status of foreign in the country educational program and it has been excluded from the list of obligatory education subjects.

Trends

• President and state officials participation in the election campaign without going on vacation leave is being considered as a corrupt use of administrative resources.