January 06, 2016

01/05/2016 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Major General Lunev was appointed the Commander of the Special Operations Forces

Major General Lunev was appointed the Commander of the Special Operations Forces
Major General Lunev was appointed the Commander of the SOF

01.05.2016 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine

Topics from Media and Social Networks

  • Major General Lunev was appointed the Commander of the Special Operations Forces
  • Ukraine opens a "Silk Road" from China to Europe, bypassing Russia.
  • The US multinational companies consider Crimea a part of Russia.
  • The Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate said that the Crimea "fell off from Ukraine itself".

Key Events In Ukraine

  • A scandalous amendment to the budget, contrary to the EU requirements on introduction of a  visa-free regime, was introduced by independent MP Misik, who was supported by deputy Derkach. In addition, the text of the law contains many controversial provisions, which drew the attention of the public. President Poroshenko, explaining the signing of the budget, said that it was a coercive measure and a requirement of the IMF. Besides, without this it would not have been impossible to provide funding for the army and the payment of pensions and benefits. Head of the Parliament  Groisman said that the draft amendments to the law on the budget were already registered and they will be considered at the next session.
  • Over the past year more than 800 monuments to Lenin were destroyed in Ukraine . According to Director of the National Remembrance Institute Vyatrovich, it was possible to put this process into the legal framework through the adoption of a Law on De-communization. These monuments have no artistic value.
  • Defense Minister Poltorak appointed Major General Lunev a Commander of Special Operations Forces. The candidacy of Colonel Krivonos, a participant of fights for Kramatorsk, was rejected.
  • The consideration of appeal regarding the court's decision on arrest of the Ukrop party leader Korban was rescheduled for January 13.
  • "Naftogaz" explained that Henichesk is not connected to the all-Ukrainian gas pipeline system and is provided with the natural gas from local deposits. In summer the natural gas was pumped into the underground storage facilities located in the occupied Crimea. Russian authorities stopped the gas supplies after cutting off of the power supply for the the peninsula.
  • The main gas pipeline in the Carpathians, where the explosion occurred, is restored and put into operation.
  • A decision was adopted to liquidate the “Severnaya” mine of the "Dzerzhinskugol" state enterprise  in the Donetsk region.
  • The Ministry of Infrastructure officially warned the carriers that the direct transit through Russia is closed and that all transportation operations should be carried out through Belarus. The State Border Service and the State Fiscal Service strengthened the control on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border taking into account the increased flow of goods through it.
  • The Ministry of Energy allocated money for the salary of the striking Lviv miners.
  • The National Bank strengthened the hryvnia on the first trading day of the year: 23,78 ₴ / $ (-0,22 UAH), 25,56 ₴ / € (-0,67 UAH), 3,26 ₴ / 10 ₽ (-0,03 UAH).

Ukraine at War

  • According to official reports, there were no losses among the military in the combat zone. The militants were shooting at the position of the Ukrainian Army in the area of the Donetsk airport, Horlivka and on the Bakhmut direction.
  • Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Kuleba stated that the authorities of the unrecognized Lugansk "Republic" refuse to return 106 disabled children from special boarding schools left in their territory after the outbreak of hostilities.

Ukraine and the World

  • Ukraine proposed to open a "Silk Road" that bypass Russia, for this purpose on January 15 a ferry from Ilyichevsk to Batumi will be launched . The track is laid from China to Europe via Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine.
  • North Korea announced about the successful testing of a hydrogen bomb.
  • As a result of the shipwreck off the coast of Turkey 34 refugees died .
  • Ukraine informed the US State Department that the Coca-Cola company in its advertising showed the occupied Crimea as part of Russia. Later, the social networks users found similar evidence in materials of other US firms, in particular, PepsiCo.
  • Naftogaz filed a complaint to the European Commission for the construction of the second stage of the "Nord Stream" pipeline , as this project violates the European Energy Charter, increasing the Europe's dependence on the Russian natural gas.
  • Kuwait will become a new feed grain and flour  market for Ukraine.
  • The Ministry of Defence, by order of the Ukrainian government,  will sign a memorandum with the UK on cooperation in the area of defense.

The Trends


  • Experts and civil society activists claim that the deputies, adopting the laws "in package", are violating the established rules of procedure of the Verkhovna Rada, which leads to the adoption of laws that are contrary to legislation and Constitution. Night voting in the emergency mode for the Budget Law for the second year in a row confirms that the MPs do not read the texts of laws, and only push the buttons by the orders of the faction leaders.

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