01/22/2016 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The Constitutional Court approved the presidential draft of the justice system reform

The Constitutional Court approved the presidential draft of the justice system reform

01.22.2016 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• The Constitutional Court approved the presidential draft of the justice system reform.
• The information about wanted former officials of the former President Yanukovych regime disappeared from the Interpol site  .
• 72 people have already died in Ukraine due to flu and its complications .
• The General Prosecutor's Office published the materials of the case against leader of the "Ukrop" party Korban.

Key Events in Ukraine

• The Constitutional Court rapidly approved the presidential draft of the amendments to the Constitution in the part of the justice system reform. The Presidential administration hopes for a quick approval of the proposed draft amendments in the first reading by the Verkhovna Rada.
• The Defense Ministry officials held a meeting with director of the Pentagon's advisors program  Dryden to discuss the possibility of sending military advisers to Ukraine for assistance in the budget, rear services, medicine and logistics issues.
• The Antimonopoly Committee recognized the Russian Gazprom a monopoly on the natural gas transit market and imposed on it a fine of UAH 85 billion ($ 3.5 billion). Gazprom called the penalties an attempt to put pressure on the company and stated that the issues of contractual obligations should be dealt with in the Stockholm arbitration court.
• President of the Academy of Sciences Paton said that due to the reduction of science funding  in Ukraine by nearly 20%, the priority scientific and technical programs will be substantially reduced in the current year .
• Prime Minister Yatsenyuk gave instructions to check the quality of the gasoline at the gas stations in relation to the facts of the mass production of the counterfeit fuel.
• In Ukraine the flu epidemic continues to spread. The Ministry of Health informed about 72 deaths, the complications after the disease are called the main cause of deaths .
• The National Bank was unable to maintain the hryvnia exchange rate unchanged, and it began to decrease again: 24.79 ₴/$ (+0.27 UAH), 26.79 ₴/€ (+0.08 UAH), 3.09 ₴/10 ₽ (-0.01 UAH).

Kyiv

• On the Ukraine’s Reunion Day in Kiev a rally was held, the participants of which connected two banks of the Dnieper with the "human chain" on the Paton bridge , and also unfolded a 30-meter national flag.

Ukraine at War

• The situation in the Donbass significantly deteriorated again , the militants are shooting the positions of the Ukrainian troops in the vicinity of Donetsk, as well as in Mariupol and Svetlodarsk directions, using, in addition to small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and infantry fighting vehicles. Most attacks are carried out precisely, so the Ukrainian army is opening the fire in response. According to official reports, one soldier was wounded , another one was affected by the landmine wire explosion.
• Advisor to the SBU head  Tandit declared about the readiness of the Service to discuss any formats to exchange Ukrainian deputy Savchenko.

Ukraine and the World

• NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg at the economic forum in Davos, claimed that the Alliance needs the strengthening of intelligence, special forces, cyber security, ability to deal with the hybrid methods of warfare and transfer of the large numbers of troops to conduct large-scale military operations in different theaters of operations.
• Secretary of State Kerry said that the United States could consider the possibility of lifting the sanctions against Russia for military aggression against Ukraine, subject to the fulfillment of the Minsk agreement by Russia.
• NSDC Secretary Turchinov discussed the possibility of carrying out joint military exercises of the National Guard and the Turkish Gendarmerie to combat hybrid threats to national security, terrorism, sabotage and subversion.
• US Secretary of Commerce Pritzker offered to Ukraine assistance in the search of directors for public companies.
• US Secretary of Defense Ashton said that Washington sends to Syria paratroopers for a land operation.
• Spain refused to extradite former Finance Minister Kolobov from the Azarov government to Ukraine , as the materials of the investigation make it impossible to assess the degree of his guilt.
• The US decided to close five of the six honorary consulates of Russia in response to the intervention of Russia into the American diplomatic activities.
• Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament rejected the opposition demands for early parliamentary elections due to the lack of justification for that.

The Trends

• On the official website of Interpol, following the disappearance of former President Yanukovych from the wanted list , disappeared information about the search of his regime officials and businessmen, providing the "family." The head of the "Center for corruption counteraction " organization  Shabunin said that this is indicative of an attempt of the Ukrainian authorities to disown the high-profile criminal cases. Their absence in the international wanted lists will create obstacles for a special pre-trial investigation and will not allow to return the stolen property. Shabunin blamed Interior Minister Avakov and General Prosecutor Shokin for the demise of the cases . At the same time, the Ukrainian Interpol Bureau states that Yanukovych and his officials are still in the wanted list.
• The "Samopomich Association" parliamentary faction announced about its intention to withdraw from the government the minister appointed within their quota in order to rewrite the coalition agreement and to invite the partners to dialogue without leaving the coalition. Agriculture Minister Pavlenko claimed that he is dazzled by the faction political council statement on his recalling, because he was not consulted with on the resignation, and his Ministry is successfully implementing the reforms. According to some political analysts, the processes in the parliament suggest preparing for early parliamentary elections in which "Samopomich" and "Bat’kivschyna" parties  hope to significantly increase their presence in the Parliament.