07/27/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - A member of the President's party Berezenko won the by-election in Chernihiv

A member of the President's party Berezenko won the by-election in Chernihiv

07.27.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• A member of the President's party Berezenko won the by-election in Chernihiv.
• Ukrainian authorities deny the reports of Russian mass media about the exchange of the GRU servicemen seized near Schastya.
• The OSCE observer wounded in Shyrokino during the shelling.
• President Poroshenko promises that Mariupol will not be surrended.

Key Events In Ukraine

• After 100% of the bulletins were processed, the results shown that the by-elections to the Verkhovna Rada for the Chernihiv district were won by the member of the President Poroshenko’s party Berezenko.
• The Head of the Donetsk military-civilian administration Zhebrivskyi is against holding the elections in the Donbass until 2017.
• Due to the shellings the infrastructure of Uglegirsk thermal power plant and Luhansk hydraulic power station in Schastya were destroyed . As a result, Luhansk region lost the electricity supply. According to the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, the power shortage in the Ukrainian network is about 2.8 GW, which is partially covered by imports from Russia.
• Deputy General Prosecutor Sakvarelidze said that the Prosecutor's Office will check the legality of the funds deposited as bail by the prosecutors suspected of corruption.
• The Ministry of Finance stated that the abolition of the additional import duties, agreed with the WTO to cover the balance payment deficit, will come into force from January 1, 2016.
• Finance Minister Yaresko said that Ukraine will receive the next IMF tranche next week.
• The official hryvnia exchange rate slightly changed: 22.06 UAH/USD (-0.01 UAH), 24.40 UAH/EUR (+0,25 UAH), 3.75 UAH/RUR 10 (-0.05 UAH)/

Kyiv

• In the capital a few-ttousand sacred procession was held, dedicated to the death anniversary of Prince Vladimir who baptized Rus. The festive events with the participation of President Poroshenko and the Council of Churches is scheduled on Tuesday.

War

• The situation in the Donbass remains consistently hard, the militanst are constantly shelling the positions of the Ukrainian troops and settlements from the heavy artillery, tanks and MRLS, at night-time the shellings intensify. According to the reports from Donetsk, tanks and heavy armored vehicles are moved closer to the front line. The General Staff says that the militants are constantly violating the Minsk agreements, and Russia keeps on the border with Ukraine more than 52 thousand troops, and a large number of heavy machinery and aircrafts ready for battle.
  Despite this, President Poroshenko says that disarmament and withdrawal of the Ukrainian army to create a "safety zone" is the only way to solve the conflict peacefully.
• Soldiers of the volunteer battalions were withdrawn from Shyrokino. Instead, the positions were taken up by the marines. President Poroshenko claims  that Mariupol will not be included into a "buffer zone" and will not be handed over, but the heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers will be withdrawn.
• In Shyrokino, the OSCE observer was wounded during the shelling. The organization wants to review the mode of operation of the mission staff in the fighting area.
• The President proposed to introduce new military rank - cornet instead of junior lieutenant, and to establish a lower general's rank - brigadier general.

Ukraine and the World

• The oil price on international markets continues to decline - this week it lost $ 5 per barrel.
• Affacted by the fall of oil prices, the ruble exchange rate at the Moscow Stock Exchange fell to a four-month minimum - 59 RUR for 1 USD. The experts predict its further decline due to expectations of large payments for corporate external debt starting from the beginning of autumn. Every day the Central Bank of Russia buys about $ 200 million at the stock exchange, which also weakens the exchange rate.
• Australia Foreign Minister Bishop wants to prevent the Russia’s veto on the UN Security Council resolution on the creation of an international tribunal to investigate the MH-17 flight aircraft accident  in the sky over the Donbass.

The Trends

• Observers and experts believe that election results in Chernihiv have shown that the authorities can win the  elections by using of the administrative resources, which proves to be more efficient than the attemtps to bribe the voters.