09/01/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The Radical Party faction left the ruling coalition

The Radical Party faction left the ruling coalition

09.01.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• The Radical Party Parliamentary group left the ruling coalition.
• The Day of Knowledge in Ukraine.
• The third policeman, injured as a result of clashes near the Verkhovna Rada, died .

Key Events in Ukraine

• According to the results of voting for the Presidential draft amendments to the Constitution the Radical Party faction leaves the ruling coalition. Leader of Samopomich Association faction Berezyuk said that the party is still in the coalition, but would become a  "constructive opposition" to the majority. Batkivshchyna faction also has no plans to leave the coalition.
• Three soldiers of the National Guard died as a result of the clashes near the Verkhovna Rada. President Poroshenko called to give them a status of the participants of the Anti-Terrorist Operation. Three other security forces members are still in the hospital with serious wounds. In general, according to the official statements, more than 130 people were injured. Police detained more than 30 people on suspicion of committing of unlawful acts, including journalists. Svoboda party leader was called in for questioning.
• The official hryvnia exchange rate almost did not change: 21,80 ₴ / $ (-0.01 UAH), 24,49 ₴ / € (+0,03 UAH), 3,36 ₴ / 10 ₽ (+0.09 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• Relative truce is observed in the Donbass, however, the OSCE observers claim about more than 30 explosions in the area of Donetsk airport, but they can not specify which side was shooting.
  The OSCE mission reported on the loss of the drone while it was flying over the territory in the area of ​​Mariupol controlled by the militants. Before disappearing, it transferred the  information about a cluster of military equipment near the fighting line.
• The UN says that the humanitarian situation in the Donbass this winter could rapidly deteriorate, as the international organizations are not in a hurry to allocate the funds to help the citizens of Ukraine affected by the hostilities.

Ukraine and the World

• The US imposed sanctions against a number of Russian, Chinese, Turkish, Syrian and Iranian companies - manufacturers of weapons and dual-use goods, which violated the US embargo on arms deliveries to Iraq, the North Korea and Syria.
• Russia, according to the schedule, for one month will act as chairman of the UN Security Council.
• Ambassador Pyatt at the opening of the Sea Breeze-2015 joint naval exercises gave assurances that the US will support Ukraine. According to him, the annexation of the Crimea is illegal and Ukrainian fleet will definitely return to the Crimea.
• NATO is to open six new headquarters in Eastern European countries - members of the Alliance. They will be put on full alert by July 2016, before the next NATO summit.
• In September, eight EU missions assessing the country's preparation for the introduction of a visa-free regime will begin to work in Ukraine .
• At the MAKS-2015 Russian military air show, observers noted the presence of representatives of Ukrainian companies Motor-Sich and "Antonov" concern , although officially Ukraine stopped military-technical cooperation with Russia.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that a new round of negotiations in the "Normandy format" is to be held within two weeks.

The Trends

• Representatives of the Poroshenko Blok claimed that the withdrawal of the Radical Party faction from the ruling coalition will not lead to its collapse, since the agreement stipulates that it will function as long as it has 226 deputies. Samopomich Association faction is not going to withdraw from the coalition, but in the case of its simultaneous with the Batkivschyna faction exit from the coalition President Poroshenko will either have to include to it the representatives of the Opposition Blok, or to dissolve the Parliament. The Coalition Agreement is written in such a way that the majority in the Parliament may be situational, and former members of the Party of Regions will vote in step with the main parties. The Narodnyi Front party, which concluded an agreement with the Poroshenko Blok , is now under the full control of the President. The dissolution of Parliament is a right, and not an obligation of the President, so this hybrid format of the Parliament could exist for quite a long time. New parliamentary elections do not look so improbable, as the Narodnyi Front party of Prime Minister Yatsenyuk is rapidly losing rating, which now dropped below the vote threshold. In this case, Poroshenko can eliminate a dangerous rival, who now, in fact, is untouchable because of his support by the West.