10/05/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Tanks are being withdrawn from the demarcation line in the Luhansk region

Tanks are being withdrawn from the demarcation line in the Luhansk region

10.05.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• Tanks are being withdrawn from the demarcation line in the Luhansk region.
• A petition to appoint Batkivshchyna party leader Tymoshenko ambassador to Honduras has gained 25,000 votes.

Key Events in Ukraine

• Parliamentary coalition has decided on the candidates for the posts of the Ministers of Environment and Health. Prime Minister Yatsenyuk asked MPs to nominate their candidates for the posts of Vice-Prime Ministers.
• Energy Ministry reported that coal production dropped almost twice compared to the previous year due to the hostilities in Donbas and the infrastructure destruction. Coal reserves of thermal power plants are currently 1.5 lower than planned.
• National Bank of Ukraine has decided to liquidate Delta Bank and revoke its license. The bank was one of the top ten Ukrainian banks.
• Hryvnia's official rate fluctuated insignificantly: 21.22 ₴/$ (+0.07 UAH), 23.84 ₴/€ (+0.24 UAH), 3.23 ₴/10 RUR (+0.03 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• The ceasefire continues in the conflict zone in Donbas. Ukrainian troops and Donbas militants have begun withdrawing tanks from the demarcation line, but intelligence reports say that most of the militants’ equipment remains in masked positions. Subversive militant groups mining the Ukrainian army positions are active along the demarcation line.
  At night in Donetsk, militants tried to down a Ukrainian drone using anti-aircraft Strela-10 missile system, with an unexploded rockets falling in a residential area.
• According to observers, the leadership of the unrecognized "republics" continued the election campaign by inertia. DPR and LPR militants demand amnesty and the recognition of their "parties" by Ukraine in exchange for the abolition of the "elections" scheduled for October 18 and November 1.
• Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine published the supply routes of equipment and ammunition from Russia to the occupation troops in Donbas.
• Foreign Minister Klimkin said that the EU is aware of the danger of the frozen conflict in Donbas, which may become unmanageable, posing a real threat to the whole of Europe. According to him, Putin agreed to granting OSCE observers full access to all territories controlled by the rebels. Klimkin also reported about the agreements reached on the prohibition of the use of Russian electronic warfare systems against OSCE drones and н mine clearing under the control of the OSCE. According to the Minsk Agreement, Russia is to withdraw its troops from Ukraine before the end of the year.
  Deputy Head of Presidential Administration Yeliseyev said that the mass amnesty for militants was not on the agenda and that Ukraine already has all the necessary legal framework in place, so there is no need to adopt new laws. He said that Putin's attempts to lift the sanctions against Russia were thwarted in Paris.

Ukraine and the World

• The international community condemns Russia's activities in Syria. The US State Department said that in Syria, Russia wages war with the opponents of President Assad’s regime, and not with the Islamic State. A Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace; Russian authorities claimed that the incident was due to adverse weather conditions. NATO urged Russia to immediately stop the bombing of Syria.
• The Ukrainian foreign Ministry expressed protest against the decision to extend the detention of Ukrainian MP Savchenko. Russia does not honor its commitments assumed in Paris to release the illegally detained Ukrainian citizens.
• German Chancellor Merkel has good chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The other real contender for the prizeis Pope Francis.
• Holders of credit default swaps (CDS) on Ukraine's eurobonds that are subject to restructuring were granted the right to demand payment. ISDA committee assessed the restructuring as a credit event and will set a compensation for CDS holders. In this way, Ukraine will avoid default despite the moratorium imposed by the government on the payment of Ukraine's external debt.