06/03/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The head of the National Bank reported on its activities to the deputies of Verkhovna Rada

03/06/2015 Daily Highlights by the "Digests & Analytics - Ukraine" News Agency

Topics of the Day

Ukraine continues to withdraw its heavy weapons from the front line in the Donbass. The head of the National Bank reported on its activities to the deputies of Verkhovna Rada. Election of Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Bureau reached the finish line.

Key Events of Ukraine

• President Poroshenko signed a law on strengthening of the personal liability of owners of banks to creditors and depositors.
• No decisions were made at the session of the Verkhovna Rada on March 6 due to the absence of required quantity - only 100 out of  425 MP’s were present.
  NBU Head  Gontareva reported that the withdrawal of deposits since the beginning of the year amounted to 14 billion USD, the NBU raised interest rate to stop the panic on the currency market, the banking system cleared of troubled banks. Members of the Lyashko Radical Party faction tried to disrupt Gontareva’s speech demanding her resignation. Gontareva said she does not intend to leave the post of head of the NBU. The next session of the Verkhovna Rada will be held on March 17.
• Four candidates selected for the post of head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Before the final stage of the competition they will be subjected to Special checks.
• Minister of Economic Development Abromavicius said that in accordance with the memorandum signed with the IMF Ukraine has completely change the antimonopoly laws and to re-elect members of the Antimonopoly Committee.
• The judge of the Holosiyvsky district court  refused to arrest former judge of Pechersk court Vovk, who is accused of knowingly making unjust decisions because of insufficient proof for the demand of the prosecutor's office.
• Prosecutors filed a suspicion of abuse of power and official authority to the former head of the SBU Yakimenko and his deputy - head of the antiterrorist center associated with the executions and persecution of activists of the Maidan.
• The Ministry of Infrastructure has decided to increase railway tariffs in 2015 by 25%.
• The official FX rate of hryvnia slightly increased: 22.90 UAH / $ (-0.19 USD), UAH 25.34 / € (-0,35 USD), 3.70 UAH / 10 rubles. (-0.03 USD).

Ukraine at War

• Last day day militants violated the ceasefire over 30 times, injuring four Ukrainian servicemen. Since the announcement of a ceasefire 62 Ukrainian troops were killed according to official figures. 1541 soldiers were killed and 6,226 wounded since the beginning of the anti-terrorist operation. According to experts, the official figures do not reflect the real losses, as evidenced by the results of the search teams. In addition, the headquarters of the ATO does not account for the loss of volunteers.
• Reports on the arms and ammunition delivery to militants continue to arrive. Militants are preparing to attack and in fact refuse removal of heavy equipment under the supervision of the OSCE. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian government decided to withdraw unilaterally of heavy artillery systems and MLRS "Hurricane" from the front line. President Poroshenko met with Deputy Secretary of State Blinken said that the militants ignore the agreement on the withdrawal of arms and release the hostages.
• Commander of the territorial battalion "Slobozhanschina" and his wife were wounded as a result of car bomb explosion in Kharkiv.
  SBU claims the prevention of large-scale terrorist attack in Kherson.
• Invasion of "extraordinary convoy" from Russia was recorded, allegedly aimed to assist the victims of the accident at the Zasyadko mine.

Ukraine and the World

• At an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council  the Russian Federation representative Churkin actually recognized the participation of Russian troops in the Donbass conflict. The representative of the United States Power said that after the capture of Debaltseve the bodies of more than 500 victims of the attacks on civilians were found in the basements.
• According to media reports, the US suspended the implementation of training programs for Ukrainian military and want first familiarize itself with the process of implementation of the Minsk Agreement.
• CIA announced a major reorganization to strengthen the fight against cyber threats and the introduction of digital technologies in the data acquisition system.
• EU lifted sanctions against four officials of the former Yanukovych regime due to lack of evidence against them, which should have been presented by Ukrainian prosecutors. Among them - the former head of the SBU Yakimenko, directly related to the shooting of activists of the Maidan, and former deputy head of the presidential administration Portnov, actively participated in the preparation and adoption of the "dictatorship laws" on January 16, 2014.
• US are ready to increase its participation in the development of Ukrainian nuclear power.
• Russian President Putin chairs a meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation on gas supplies to Ukraine, transit to Europe and implementation of Minsk arrangements.

The Trends

• Deputy Attorney General Sakvarelidze said that the reform of the Prosecutor's Office will be completed by July, 20. Office will be  freed from unnecessary functions, staff of the district prosecutor's offices will be cut back, workflow and interaction between units will be improved. Recruitment will be conducted only on a competitive basis.