11/23/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - A ban on the movement of goods across the administrative border with the Crimea

A ban on the movement of goods across the administrative border with the Crimea

11.23.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• A ban on the movement of goods across the administrative border with the Crimea was introduced.
• Police found no explosives in the shops of the "Roshen" chain in Kyiv
• Germany insists on restoring of the power supplies to the Crimea.
• The charges against Savchenko are falling apart.

Key Events in Ukraine

• President Poroshenko signed a law restricting the powers of the Security Service in investigation of economic crimes and expanding its powers during the investigation of crimes against the state.
• Candidate of the Petro Poroshenko blok Rajkovich was declared a Mayor of Kirovohrad.
• The National Bank for the first time in two years issued a license for the foreign exchange operations to eight non-bank institutions.
• The National Bank published for discussion a draft resolution on the use of electronic money issued by non-residents. Inacting of such law will allow Ukrainian citizens to receive payments  from abroad via international payment systems such as PayPal, Google Pay, ApplePay.
• The official rate of hryvnia did not change over the weekend: 24,06 ₴/$ (+0,08 UAH), 25,58 ₴/€ (-0,05 UAH), 3,67 ₴/10 ₽ (-0,03 UAH ).

Kyiv

• A meeting of the Kyiv authorities with the owners of the Eurobonds, payments on which are past due in November, is scheduled for December 8. The purpose of the meeting is a debt restructuring, as well as the exchange of commitments for derivatives and government bonds maturing in 2019-2020.

Ukraine at War

• The situation in the combat zone in the Donbass keeps escalating, the militants and Russian forces used mortars and armored vehicles to attack Ukrainian position. The General Staff believes that the clashes might escalate into local fighting in the sorroundings of Donetsk and Artemivsk,  at Mariupol, Luhansk and Volnovakha directions. The Ukrainian command handed over  to the OSCE data on heavy machinery and MLRS that militants deployed at the frontline.
• After the power lines on the border with the Crimea were blown, almost all the objects, except for some hospitals and military units in the Crimea were disconnected from the power supply . "Due to the warm weather" boiler rooms were disabled . The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry informs that the peninsula has enough fuel for three days. Leader of the Crimean Tatars Cemilev insists on the termination of the contract for electricity supply to the Crimea. Minister of Energy  Demchishin says that the situation with power lines does not carry any risks for Ukraine. The line, supplying electricity to the Crimea, can be repaired within three days. Crimean Tatars and activists agreed to allow maintenance crews to restore power transmission supports, provided the wires are to be dismantled . German Foreign Ministry called on the Ukrainian authorities to investigate the explosions of power lines that supply electricity to the Crimea.
  The Government temporarily banned the movement of cargo flows across the administrative border with the Crimea. Prime Minister Yatsenyuk instructed to prepare a list of goods, works and services that can be delivered to the Crimea.
• The court did not recognize the Russian special forces POWs captured during the battle near Schastye as war prisoners.

Ukraine and the World

• During the trial of Ukrainian deputy Savchenko prosecution failed to refute her alibi. According to the mobile operator, she was far from the place of death of Russian journalists, because at that time she had already been captured by  Plotnitsky militants.
• Head of Gazprom Miller warned of the termination of natural gas supplies to Ukraine within several days after the end of prepayment. Head of Naftogaz  Kobolev said that Ukraine will be able to satisfy own needs only through the purchase of natural gas in Europe in current and subsequent years.
• Commander of the ground forces of the NATO in Europe Hodges states that the actions of Russia in Syria will not be able to divert the US attention from the events in Ukraine.
• The foreign ministers of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, during a visit to Ukraine, confirmed that their countries insist on the implementation of the Minsk agreements by Russia . The foreign minister of the Netherlands said that the issue of establishment of a tribunal to investigate the  MH-17 aircraft accident will be resolved before the end of the year.

The Trends

• Some Ukrainian experts consider predictable the reaction of the German Foreign Ministry to blowing up of the supports of the transmission line, supplying electricity to the Crimea. One way to resume the deliveries may be to fulfill the conditions, put forward by the Crimean Tatars, if Putin agrees to that . Observers believe that the cessation of power supply to the peninsula was unexpected for both Russia and Ukrainian authorities and it demonstrated the effectiveness of such actions in the fight against the aggressor. President Poroshenko and Prime Minister Yatsenyuk announced about temporary cessation of cargo deliveries to the Crimea, although in fact it was stopped by the civil activists at the end of September.