08/25/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Russian court convicted Ukrainian citizens Sentsov and Kolchenko

Russian court convicted Ukrainian citizens Sentsov and Kolchenko

08.25.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• Russian court convicted Ukrainian citizens Sentsov and Kolchenko.
• An unknown gunman, who was shooting at Deputy Minister of Education car, was detained in Kiev.

Key Events in Ukraine

• The Ministry of Defence announced the final stage of development  of defense planning   key strategic documents, development of armor and military equipment for 2015-2020, which is to become a basis for a new Military Doctrine of Ukraine. A draft state program of reorganization and optimization of the Armed Forces for the next two years, taking into account the experience of military operations in the Donbass, was also presented to the Government’s consideration.
• Ukraine suspended the imports of electricity from Russia, which was carried out early in August due to repairs at the NPP units and the lack of coal at power plants warehouses. Energy Minister Demchishin said about the possibility of the resumption of imports in the event of a critical situation in the energy sector.
• The official hryvnia rate fell following the ruble rate: 22.62 UAH/USD (0.53 UAH), 26.64 UAH/EUR(+1,10 UAH), 3.23 UAH/RUR 10.

Ukraine at War

• The situation in the fighting zone in the Donbass escalated again. The Headquarters of the Anti-Terrorist Operation report about two dead and nine wounded Ukrainian soldiers. The situation remains difficult in the area of Donetsk. The militants resumed shellings from heavy artillery at the Mariupol direction. Active militants provocation were recorded along all the demarcation line.
  NSDC Secretary Turchinov said that Russian troops are building a pontoon ferry across the Seversky Donets River in the Luhansk region.
• The General Prosecutor Office filed new charges against the servicemen of special forces of the Russian Federation, captured in the battle near Schastye.
• The Heads of Donetsk and Lugansk regional military state administrations submitted to the Central Election Commission the lists of settlements on the frontline territories where they offer not to hold local elections for security reasons.
• The OSCE confirmed that Sartana was shelled by the militants from their territory. The Head of the Donetsk regional state military-civilian administration Zhebrivskyi reported on the arrest of two local residents - fire spotters for Sartana.

Ukraine and the World

• The North Caucasus district military court in Rostov sentenced Ukrainian director Sentsov, forcibly deported to Russia, to 20 years in a strict regime prison for participating in the terrorist acts. The second person, involved in the case - Ukrainian citizen Kolchenko, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The lawyers filed an appeal against the verdict.
• The international community strongly opposes such sentence. Amnesty International points out the illegality of the judgment in the case, since the crime was admitted as a result of tortures, and the key witnesses withdrawn their testimony. The US Department of State urged Russia to immediately release the Ukrainian political prisoners. President Poroshenko said that Sentsov and Kolchenko should be exempt from punishment under the agreements reached in Minsk.
• The President Administration commented on the talks in Berlin between the leaders of France, Germany and Ukraine. Holding by the Donbass "republics" of the illegal local elections was called one of the conditions for imposing the additional EU sanctions against Russia . They also discussed the problems of realization Minsk agreements and the constitutional reform in Ukraine.
• President Poroshenko said that he promised to Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande to accelerate the reforms in the country. According to him, Ukraine will be able to report on the process of integration with the EU and cancel the visa regime.
• German Foreign Minister Steinmeier said that sanctions against Russia can not continue forever, Germany needed a perspective in the relations with Moscow.

The Trends

• The media reported about a preliminary agreement of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine with the Creditors Club to write off 20% of the public debt, but it is too early to discuss the the end result of negotiations before the announcement of the remaining terms of the restructuring, including a grace period on payments and changes in interest rates on bonds. In addition, the National Welfare Fund of the Russian Federation categorically opposes any changes to the terms of the loan.