05/08/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Reconciliation of URA and the Red Army soldiers

Reconciliation of URA and the Red Army soldiers

05/08/2015  Daily Highlights  by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from the Media and Social Networks

• "The First Minute of the Peace" in Ukraine. Reconciliation of Ukrainian Rebel Army (UPA) and the Red Army soldiers.
• President Poroshenko wants to sell "Roshen" for higher price.
• Ukraine will not receive a visa-free regime at the Riga summit.
• Ukrainian Orthodox Chirch (Moscow Patriarchate) clergy refused to honor the memory of the combatants in the Donbass.
• Protests against the sharp drop of living standards started in Ukraine.

Key Events of Ukraine

• Verkhovna Rada held a commemorative meeting to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism in the presence of UN Secretary General.
• President Poroshenko spoke at "The first minute of peace" event, which for the first time was celebrated in Ukraine on May 8 alongside with European Nations
• Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has fired 15 middle level managers of regional departments, who falls under the constraints of lustration law.
• The Ministry of Environment reported that the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone will decrease three times, areas will be transferred to the national natural park.
• From May 7 the occupied territories of Donbass would be withdrawn from the overall balance of the energy market. Power generating and distributing companies will maintain separate accounting of electricity produced and consumed in these territories until the full restoration of Ukraine's control over them.
• The head of Naftogaz Kobolev said the state can not afford to heat the apartments of citizens to a comfortable temperature and will continue to increase gas prices for the population.
• The memorandum on the settlement of the restructuring of foreign currency loans has started to operate in Ukraine. It was signed by the major banks with the largest portfolio of such loans.
• Hryvnia exchange rate against major currencies again significantly strengthened in the pre-holiday day: 20.59 UAH/USD (-0.13 UAH), 23.10 UAH/EUR (-0,32 UAH), 4.06 UAH/10 RUR (-0.06 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• The situation in the combat zone in the Donbass remains extremely tense - the militants fired at positions of the Ukrainian army using heavy weaponry and tanks along the line of contact. Kurakhove-Georgiyivka checkpoint was not functioning due to the shelling. Ukrainian troops suffered losses again: two killed and 26 soldiers wounded. Three local residents were wounded in the area of ​​Artemivsk. Large gas pipeline was damaged near the town Schastya. Shelling sharply intensified at night.
• National Security Council press center warns that in the next few days the militants are preparing large-scale provocation with great loss of life to disrupt the peace process and the resumption of the offensive.
• Head of OSCE asked to comply with the cease-fire during the day of victory.
• Crimean occupation authorities banned the Crimean Tatars to hold an anniversary of the deportation memorial service on May 18.
• DPR and LPR held rally in honor of the Victory Day on the destroyed memorial "Savur-Mohyla" near Shakhtarsk.

Ukraine and the World

• Speaker of the European Commission confirmed that Ukraine and Georgia will not receive a visa-free regime on Eastern Partnership summit in Riga which will take place on May 21-22. The both countries need to do more in combating corruption, human trafficking and organized crime. Discussion on the abolition of visas can be continued after the report of the European Commission at the end of the year, subject to achieving substantial progress in dealing with the issues stated above
• Belarusian President Lukashenko angered by Russia's attempt to usurp the victory over Nazi Germany.
• Ambassador to Ukraine Payatt said that the United States filed an appeal in the case of the extradition of the oligarch Firtash because of biased examination of the case in the court of Vienna.
• The US believes that Moscow has no right to selectively perform the Minsk Agreement, and shall immediately release political prisoners and to withdraw heavy weapons from the occupied territories of Donbass.
• Greek Prime Minister also refused to attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9.
• Gazprom announced the construction of "the Turkish stream" bypassing Ukraine. Serbia refused to build a gas pipeline through its territory.

The Trends

• Number of cities in western Ukraine held the protests against the increase of utility tariffs and required the revision of the minimum subsistence level, increase of salaries and social benefits. There was a sharp rise in prices for all goods and services, as well as a critical decline in living standards throughout Ukraine . Most of the population is unable to pay for utilities, because they barely have enough money for food.