August 02, 2014

UKRAINE: JULY, 2014 Monthly Highlights by “Digests & Analytics Ukraine” News Agency

Pro-Russian terrorists shot down over the Donbas of Malaysian Airlines' plane with 298 passengers on board

Politics


  • President Poroshenko appealed to the international community, asking to recognize DPR and LPR as international terrorist organizations.
  • US, Canada and EU imposed sectoral sanctions against largest Russian companies and banks, as well as against those from terrorist organizations and Crimea, and also to the inner circle of Russian President Putin.
  • Archbishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) Vladimir passed away. Archbishop of Moscow didn’t attend the funeral "to avoid provocations"
  • Parliamentary groups «Udar» and «Svoboda» left the parliamentary coalition, allowing president Poroshenko appoint parliamentary re-elections.
  • Ukrainian Parliament adopted majority of bills, proposed by Ukrainian government,
    but laws on joint management of the gas transportation system and unpaid leave for state employees weren’t passed.
  • President Poroshenko approved partial mobilization of men of different ages. University under- and postgraduates are out of the scope of mobilization.
  • Prime Minister Yatsenyuk resigned, but it failed from Verkhovna Rada approveal. Accordingly, the government will continue to work in current shape and structure.
  • Kiev, emergency services have been flooded with telephone terrorism, being overloaded with dozens of calls about mining of public buildings, shopping malls, metro stations. None of the cases have been so far confirmed.
  • Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yarema said Maidan can be dispersed by force, if it will not disperse by itself. Maidana activists left few buildings in the center of Kiev, but full take over is not being considered. Several incidents took place on Maidan, treated as government provocations by self-defense activists.
  • Ministry of Justice filed suit in the District Court of Kyiv on Elimination of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
  • Verkhovna Rada refused to support the draft amendments to the Constitution, proposed by president Poroshenko.
  • Began his duties as president appointed Defense Minister Geletey and Chief of General Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Muzhenko, appointed by president Poroshenko, started to perform their duties.
  • Ukraine officially closed Crimean ports to foreign vessels.

War in Ukraine

  • Anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine resumed on June 30 after the unilateral ceasefire.
  • Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated north of Donetsk region - Slovyanks, Krasniy Liman, Artemivsk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, Konstantynivka, Dzerzhinsk, and west of Luhansk region - Severodonetsk, Lysychansk and Rubezhne. Liberated cities are gradually coming back to the normal life, sappers de-mine territories left by terrorists.
  • Main forces of terrorists and their armored powers are concentrated in Donetsk, Luhansk and Gorlivka, where they’ve established strongholds.
  • Terrorists provided with powerful anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia, shot down over Donetsk and Luhansk regions several Ukrainian military transport and fighter jets aircrafts, leading to numerous casualties among pilots.
  • Terrorists shot down Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight with Thorez anti-missile system «Buk» in the east of the Donetsk near Torez, that have been evidenced by numerous photographs, audio and video materials. All 298 passengers and crew members were killed. Black boxes of the aircraft indicate that the plane was shot down by a missile. Bandits prohibit access of international experts to the crash site for investigation and removal of dead bodies and things, engage in looting and pillaging. Leadership of the catastrophe investigation have been transferred by Ukraine to the Netherlands, "black boxes" have been decrypted in the UK. Verkhovna Rada adopted a law allowing admission of police forces of the Netherlands and other countries to the territory of Ukraine, to secure the work of international experts at the crash site. All found bodies have been sent to the Netherlands, foreign observers stress that dead bodies could be still found at the crash site. The White House blamed Russia and President Putin personally on this terrorist attack.
  • Ukrainian army advanced with offensive in the west of Donetsk region, liberated Debaltsevo and blocked Donetsk - Snizhne highway in Shakhtersk. Strategic height «Saur-Mohyla» have been also taken under control. Heavy bloody battles with terrorists are ongoing for Snizhne, Shakhtyorsk, as well as for south of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
  • Terrorists repeatedly interrupted operation of the Seversky Donets-Donbass channel during the month, resulting in complete cut of the water supply to many cities of Donetsk region. By the end of the month situation have improved and channel could resume operations in the near future.
  • Russian authorities denied entry to Crimea for Head of Crimean Tatars Medzhlis Chubarov for 5 years.
  • Services of  Donetsk are partially paralyzed as a result of terrorist attacks. Bandits mine highway and railroad bridges, highways, as well as destroy infrastructure and life support systems of these regions. Electricity supply to Luhansk stopped, no trains are circulating to Donetsk and Luhansk.
  • Russian deployed invasion forces on the border and in Crimea, numbering up to 20,000 people, several hundred tanks and armored personnel carriers, hundreds of artillery pieces, dozens of military helicopters and airplanes.
  • Terrorists shelled residential areas with multiple rocket launchers "Grad", artillery and mortars. Civilian casualties are in dozens dead and hundreds wounded in Luhansk, Donetsk, Maryinka, Gorlivka and Shahtarsk killed dozens and wounded hundreds of civilians.
  • Russian troops perform daily artillery and multiple rocket launchers shelling of Ukraine border guards holding areas of the border. Ukrainian military casualties are high.
  • Facts of Russian shelling of Ukrainian territory have been repeatedly confirmed with evidence.
  • Russia focuses large number of troops and military equipment on the border with Ukraine, conducts exercises in conditions close to combat.
  • Security Service of Ukraine catches saboteurs and terrorists every day in dozens - combatants - citizens of Ukraine, Russia and other countries. Security Service of Ukraine  provided solid evidence of Russian invasion at the exhibition at the Museum of History of World War II in Kiev.
  • President Poroshenko said that military situation in Donbas is not yet announced as Ukraine does not have enough resources for the full-scale.
  • Voronezh court in Russian in custody Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, captured by terrorists in Luhansk rand illegally removed to the territory of Russian Federation.

Economy

  • Naftogaz estimated the cost of the Ukrainian gas transportation system at $ 25-35 billion, depending on the profitability of the transit business. Verkhovna Rada didn’t adopt the proposed government bill on joint management of the GTS.
  • "Gazprom" and a company owned by Dmitry Firtash "Centragas Holdings», started to liquidate the joint venture RosUkrEnergo, linked with high-profile corruption scandals in Ukraine.
  • Exchange rate of Ukrainian Hryvnya (UAH) declined sharply (3%)  during one month, having a maximum at 18 of July - 11.65 UAH / 1$ and 15.75 USD / 1€, to a minimum at the end of the the month - 12.09 UAH / !$ and 16.21 AH / 1€. Recent depreciation of the local currency is being associated by some experts - with the statement on the resignation of Prime Minister Yatsenuk and the ongoing hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
  • Discount rate applied by the National Bank of Ukraine rose to a record level of 12.5%.
  • Mining company of oligarchs Akhmetov and Novinsky united in Metinvest holding with a blocking stake belonging to Novinsky.
  • Recent IMF mission decided to allocate the next tranche of stand-by credit and lowered forecast for the development of economy of Ukraine in 2014 year.
  • Fiscal Service, have been established in Ukraine, instead of Ministry of Revenues.
  • Ukrainian Government has prepared a large number of privatization of enterprises in which the state has a stake, among them - the largest enterprises - Odessa Portside Plant Sumyhimprom, power and gas transmission assets Ukrspirt and many medium and small enterprises.
  • In Ukraine, on July 1, sharply increased utility rates for water and excise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes.
  • The exodus of the population from the Donbass led to a sharp increase in the cost of rental housing in Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Berdyansk, Kharkov and Kiev.

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