08/10/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The Cabinet decided to impose additional sanctions against Russia

08.12.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• The Cabinet decided to impose additional sanctions against Russia.
• The court refused to recognize refusal of President Poroshenko to to inact the martial law unlawful.
• MP Eremeev died.
• Fire in the Chernobyl exclusion zone still not eliminated.

Key Events in Ukraine

• The Supreme Administrative Court refused to recognize illegal the actions of President Poroshenko, who did not inact the martial law and did not introduce to the Verkhovna Rada a resolution on the declaration of war to the aggressor.
• The Cabinet imposed additional sanctions against Russian businesses and individuals, but the list of Russian persons and companies under the sanctions is missing in the document.
• Prime Minister Yatsenyuk instructed to check the activities of the "Nadra Ukrayiny" company. According to him, the company took advantage of the gaps in the Ukrainian legislation, and together with the offshore companies is involved in fraud with licensing for the hydrocarbons production in the shelf area.
• Minister of Education Kvit announced about the abolition of funding of the higher educational establishments under the state order, but for the current academic year, everything will remain the same.
• Gryvnya is becoming cheaper: 21.39 USD / $ (0.02 USD) 23.86 USD / € (+0,23 USD) 3.29 USD / 10 € (-0.09 USD).

WarPu

• The General Staff announces about full readiness of militants units and Russian forces in the Donbass for the continuation of the aggression. They were pulled to the front line, together with tanks, artillery, air defense systems. Ammunition and fuel were delivered. The positions of the Ukrainian army along all the 400-kilometer contact line are being  constantly shelled with all kinds of heavy weapons and MLRS. Only according to the official reports, one soldier was killed and three more were wounded. The number of the shellings during the day exceeded one hundred and fifty. The militants are not going to hold the line since they do not erect fortifications near the fighting line . The UN observers are not allowed to inspect the areas close to the frontline. The General Staff announced that the Armed Forces are ready at any time to return to the front the heavy weapons previously withdrawn in accordance with the Minsk Agreement.
  A representative of a terrorist “Donetsk Republic” Pushilin said in Moscow that six months later after the signing of the Minsk Agreement Ukraine did not fulfill in full any of its provisions. He threatened that in case of termination of the Minsk process a full-scale war will begin "and not only in the Donbass."
• The OSCE Mission, observing the checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border, reports on the continuation of transporting of the coal from Ukraine by road.

Ukraine and the World

• The International Energy Agency claims that oil production in the world continues to grow "at reckless speed." The growth continues, especially after Iran  entered the market. 2.7 million barrels more than last year are produced daily. The dynamics of the process shows that the excess of oil will remain on the market, which will lead to its price reduction in 2016 by at least $ 10 per barrel. The current futures quatations for Dated Brent crude oil are fluctuating slightly below $ 50 per barrel.
• The Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs states that the attack on the EU observers and militants attacks on the Ukrainian positions, which resulted in a growing number of victims, are violating the Minsk Agreement.

The Trends

• The escalation of the situation in the Middle East and Turkey, which can act as an ally of one of the parties to the conflict in Syria, contributes to the failure of the plans to build a "Nabucco" gas pipeline . The pipeline could become a real alternative for Europe in receiving the hydrocarbons.
• The leaders of the "Azov" Volunteer Battalion consider that the surrender of the Donbass territories and concessions by the Ukrainian authorities to pro-Russian terrorists are unacceptable under any pretext . According to former commander of the battalion, MP Beletsky, the "demilitarization" of Shyrokino will weaken the defense of Mariupol. Despite the lack of professionalism among volunteers and absence of consistency, the volunteers are much more motivated to fight than the mobilized persons.