10/04/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Ukraine celebrated Teachers' Day

Ukraine celebrated Teachers' Day

10.04.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• Ukraine celebrated Teachers' Day.
• The process of troops withdrawal in Donbas will begin on October 5.
• A tank exploded at a military base in Dnipropetrovsk region.

Key Events in Ukraine

• President Poroshenko said that the agreements reached in Paris launched the process of returning the occupied Donbas and Crimea to Ukraine. He expressed hopes that by the end of the year, the control over the state border with Russia will be resumed, and the Minsk Agreements implemented. Putin was compelled to cancel elections in the occupied territories. The decision of the militants to postpone elections is expected to be announced on Tuesday, October 6. Foreign troops should be withdrawn irrespective of the elections.
  According to Poroshenko, the Parliament is to change the legal framework in order to hold local elections in Donbas. Internally displaced persons should be given the opportunity to vote in the elections.

Ukraine at War

• According to the official reports of the Anti-Terrorist Operation Headquarters, ceasefire has been preserved in the conflict area in Donbas for three days in a row. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian army continues to sustain casualties, with two Ukrainian soldiers wounded in tripwiregrenade explosion near Maryinka.
• The withdrawal of weapons is scheduled to begin on October 5 with the redeployment of tank units from Luhansk region to preselected grounds. The General Staff suggests to cover the critical avenues of tank approach with the latest Stugna-P antitank weapon systems. Presidential Administration speaker on the ATO matters Seleznev said that the equipment will be returned to the positions in case of the threat of militants’ attacks.
• President Poroshenko said that President Obama authorized the transfer to Ukraine of defensive weapons, including long-range counter-battery radars.

Ukraine and the World

• British Foreign Secretary Hammond believes that Moscow wages a classical "asymmetric war" in Syria when it says it is fighting the Islamic State while actually supporting President Assad.
  Turkish President Erdogan stated that the bombing of Syria was a mistake which will result in Russia’s isolation in the Middle East. He also criticized Iran for providing assistance to Assad. According to him, such steps support international terrorism.
  Media reported that the EU and Turkey reached an agreement on building camps for 2 million refugees in Turkey and increasing security on the border with the EU.

The Trends

• Poroshenko said that 'Morel's plan' did not exist, despite the fact that most of the published provisions of the Paris agreements fully comply with the announced plan, while President Hollande bluntly stated that it existed and that the ways of its implementation were discussed.