04/03/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The Ministry of Justice lost the case in a court for the payment of pensions in the occupied territories

Justice Minister Petrenko

04/03/2015 Daily Highlights by the "Digests & Analytics - Ukraine"  News Agency

Topics of the media and social networks

• Health Minister initiated the total change of the management.
• The new draft bill on the regime of martial law was introduced.
• Recriminations between State Financial Inspection and Cabinet in misuse of public funds.
• Ex-prime-minister Tymoshenko appeared on television with sharp criticism of the authorities.
• Rating of "Opposition bloc" is growing.
• The Ministry of Justice lost the case in a court for the payment of pensions in the occupied territories.
• Sevmorzavod owned by Poroshenko, was nationalized by Russian authorities.

Key Events of Ukraine

• President Poroshenko introduced a draft bill about the regime of martial law. According to the National Security Council, the existing law does not meet the realities of "hybrid war".
• The head of "Naftogaz" said that Ukrainians consume 1 billion m3 of gas more than is produced in the country.
• Health Minister Kvitashvili announced the start of a total reorganization and dismissal of employees who are not ready for reform.
• The Ministry of Justice intends to appeal to the Kyiv Appeal Administrative Court on the decision on the payment of pensions to the territories of Donbass controlled by the rebels because of the impossibility of such payments.
• NBU slightly strengthened the official rate of hryvnia: 23.30 UAH/USD (-0.21 UAH), 25.24 UAH/EUR (-0,22 UAH) 4.11 UAH/10 RUR (-0.02 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• Fighting in Shirokine doesn’t stop, Avdiivka is continuously under intense fire from heavy artillery. Clashes also took place in Telmanove area. During the day, three ukrainian servicemen have been wounded.
• The manufacturing of armored vehicles "Dozor-6" launched in Lviv.
• Ukraine asked the OSCE mission to increase the fleet of drones to monitor the implementation of Minsk agreements since observers cannot reach some areas controlled by militants.
• Commissioner for Human Rights Lutkovska called access control in the combat zone "absolutely inhuman."

Ukraine and the World

• World Bank, following the IMF downgraded the forecast for the Russia's GDP in 2015 to nearly 4% fall.
• Russia banned imports of Ukrainian division of “SC Johnson” due to "discrepancy in hygienic requirements."
• Russia nationalized Sevastopol Marine Plant, owned by the President Poroshenko, though the activities of the Ukrainian company has not officially terminated.
• Belarus cut off supplies of petrol to Russia due to the sharp depreciation of the Russian ruble. The Government of the Republic declares that the loss of Belarusian exporters close to $100 per ton of fuel.

The Trends

• The owners of Ukrainian companies use export to the Crimea, announced Poroshenko "free economic zone", for tax evasion.
• Experts believe that the statements of government officials and managers of state companies on television, in media and social networks, instead of using official sources, discredit the actions of the state and often mislead the public.
• Lower wages and the devaluation of the national currency have not led to economic growth due to the lack of import substitution and the outflow of real investment due to military operations in the country.