09/08/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Poroshenko believes the parliamentary coalition to be viable

Poroshenko believes the parliamentary coalition to be viable

09.08.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine News Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• Poroshenko believes the parliamentary coalition to be viable.
• Europe does not know what to do with the refugees from the Middle East.
• Head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation said that Savchenko is not a prisoner of war and accused Prime Minister Yatsenyuk of participating in the First Chechen War.
• Scandal at the congress of Samopomich Party.

Key Events in Ukraine

• President Poroshenko said that the parliamentary coalition would keep working in the current format and that there were no reasons for its collapse.
• The court arrested the leader of Automaidan Odessa for hooliganism and violence against prosecutors, and one of the leaders of the local Right Sector for abducting a district council deputy. The activists took part in the assault of the elite sea-side property owned by the former member of the Party of Regions Kivalov.
• The Congress of Samopomich party nominated candidates for the posts of mayors of 43 cities.
• The Ministry of Regional Development said that the heating season will start in due time. According to the Department of Energy, the first supply of South African coal for Ukrainian power plants will reach Ukraine in late September.
• Poroshenko announced the receipt of the next tranche of the IMF loan  in October. According to Finance Minister Yaresko, it will be used to replenish foreign exchange reserves of the NBU.
• The official hryvnia exchange rate continues to fall: 22.42 ₴/$ (+0.30 UAH), 25.02 ₴/€ (+0.37 UAH), 3.26 ₴/10 RUR (0.03 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• The overall situation in Donbas remains under control; however, trench war episodes ocurred near the cities of Donetsk and Artemovsk. Militants fired at the Ukrainian army positions from APCs, grenade launchers and small arms. During the fighting near Stanytsia Luhanska, two soldiers were killed and two more injured.
• The Contact Group at the Minsk talks has not yet agreed on the withdrawal of weapons of less than 100 mm caliber, and urged OSCE to enhance the monitoring of Donbas.
• President Poroshenko and Secretary of the National Security Council Turchinov said that the threat of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine remains.Ш
• According to the UN, more than 8,000 people were killed during the conflict in Donbas. In the recent months, the number of casualties among civilians increased. UN experts reported a partial withdrawal of weapons and constant support of hostilities by the influx of militants, modern weapons and ammunition from Russia.
• Crimean Tatars are preparing to blockade Crimea, including the possible shutdown of electricity supply, said Crimean Tatar leader Dzhemilev.
• Presidential envoy for conflict resolution in Donbass Herashchenko said that 156 Ukrainian citizens still remain in militants’ captivity, including about 100 servicemen and volunteer fighters.

Ukraine and the World

• The European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution on refugees stating that their civil rights may be violated in some countries.
• The International Criminal Court in The Hague has confirmed the receipt of Ukraine’s application to recognize its jurisdiction over the crimes commited during the Russian aggression; however, this does not mean an automatic initiation of the investigation. The decision may be taken only by the Court’s prosecutor after considering all the necessary documents. Ukraine has signed but has not yet ratified the Rome Statute determining the jurisdiction of the Court.
• Gazprom has increased by half the volumes of gas transit to the EU via Ukraine compared with last year.
• Protests in Moldova are gaining momentum.

The Trends

• Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Bastrykin, saying that  Ukrainian MP Savchenko is not considered to be a prisoner of war, stressed that such status can only be granted to citizens of the belligerent powers. Ukraine and Russia are not in a state of war, and international organizations have recognized the hostilities in Donbas to be an internal conflict.