01/01/2016 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The country celebrates the New Year

The country celebrates the New Year

01.01.2016 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• The country celebrates the a New Year.
• In Kiev, mass rallies in honor of Stepan Bandera’s Birthday took place .
• Residents of the Crimea, interviewed by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, do not want the peninsula to be called Ukrainian territory.
• 1 + 1 TV Channel cut off a part of  the New Year's greetings of President Poroshenko.
• Song of the "Shablya" became the official anthem of the ATO.

Кey Events in Ukraine

• In Transcarpathia, a pipe depressurization of one of the pipe lines of the"Soyuz" gas pipeline occurred. Ukrtransgaz stated that it would not affect natural gas supplies to Europe.
• From 1 January it is prohibited to import to Ukraine cars older than 5 years.

Kyiv

• In the centre of the capital a torchlight procession, followed by the Veche on the anniversary of the birth of the nationalist movement founder Stepan Bandera was held. The event was attended by more than 3 thousand people.

Ukraine at War

• During the day 24 provocative militants shellings of the  Ukrainian positions were recorded. Return fire was not opened. According to official reports, there were no losses among servicemen and civilians there.
• Ukrenergo company reported that repairing of the ETL support, supplying power to the Crimea, is completed, but the decision on resumption of the power supply was not adopted. According to a public opinion poll, conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center in the Crimea, the majority of residents do not want the peninsula to be called a part of Ukraine the contract on the supply of electricity to the Crimea and Sevastopol and are ready to "tolerate the temporary difficulties".

Ukraine and the World

• On January 1, an agreement on the Free Trade Area between Ukraine and the EU came into effect. From the same date a ban on the import of Ukrainian goods to Russia entered into force. EU Trade Commissioner Malmström stated that the negotiations with Russia on a free trade zone between Ukraine and the EU will be terminated in the event of introduction of the embargo by Russia.
• Ukraine became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
• Russian Prime Minister Medvedev signed a decree according to which the natural gas price for Ukraine is set as $ 212.23 per 1,000 m3. Naftogaz leadership has repeatedly stated that it will not consider the natural gas pricing proposals exceeding $ 200 per 1000 m3.
• Due to suspension of a free trade zone between Ukraine and Russia, cargo trucks will not be able to drive directly from Ukraine to Kazakhstan, it will be possible only through the territory of Belarus, with the obligatory control through the GLONASS system, and the drivers will be handing in the accounting tickets at the entrance points.
• The US lifted a ban on the oil export. A tanker loaded with oil and condensate for the first time in 40 years was sent to Italy.
• A chairman of the OSCE for the next year will be Germany.