11/21/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Energy supply to Crimea was cut off after Ukrainian transmission lines were blown up

Energy supply to Crimea was cut off after Ukrainian transmission lines were blown up

11.21.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• Energy supply to Crimea was cut off after Ukrainian transmission lines were blown up.
• Festive concert on Maidan was disrupted by the civil activists.
• Leaders of the five major Western countries agreed to extend sanctions against Russia.

Key Events In Ukraine

• President Poroshenko signed the laws necessary to obtain a visa-free regime with the EU. According to him, Ukraine has fulfilled the key EU requirements.
• President Poroshenko took part in a ceremony in honor of the Day of Dignity and Freedom in Kyiv. The festive concert on Independence Square that was schedule at the end of the festivities was disrupted by demonstrators protesting against the "entertainment" part of the celebration. Crimean Tatars and civic activists held a rally outside of the presidential administration demanding that the Law on the "Crimean FTA" be revoked and the peninsula be cut off from power supplies. According to the leader of the Crimean Tatars Chubarov, Poroshenko promised to solve the issue on Tuesday.

Ukraine at War

• Power transmission towers on the administrative border with the occupied Crimea were blown up. The police tried to disperse the group of Crimean Tatars and volunteers guarding the blown-up towers. According to press reports, the police beat up a Crimean Tatar journalist. At night, after two more transmission towers were blown up, Crimea was disconnected from the power supply completely, and the state of emergency was introduced on the peninsula.
• Local clashes continue in Donbass along the entire line of contact. Militants fire at positions of the Ukrainian army from small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy mortars, and also use armored vehicles. The intensity of the attacks increases at night. According to official data, over the past day three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded.

Ukraine and the World

• Reuters reported that the leaders of the US, France, Germany, Britain and Italy at the G20 summit decided to extend sanctions against Russia for another six months. The purpose of the sanctions is to force Russia to comply fully with the Minsk Agreements. The parties believe that the local elections should be held in Donbas under Ukrainian legislation.
• The highest level of terrorist threat was declared in Belgium after the authorities received the confirmation of imminent terrorist attacks in the capital, Brussels and major cities. Army units and special task forces were deployed in the streets.

The Trends

• According to political analysts and experts, the celebrations in downtown Kyiv of the anniversary of the Maidan events was a mistake of the authorities that fueled protests sentiments in the society that is unhappy with lack of real reforms and the sharp decline in living standards. Another irritant was the presence at the event of a huge number of special task units, some of which had taken part in the reprisals against Maidan activists.