13/03/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Militants threaten to withdraw from the settlement process if the Ukrainian authorities will not adopt the laws on the special status of Donbass.

03/13/2015 Daily Highlights by the "Digests & Analytics - Ukraine" News Agency

Topics of the Day

Ukraine receives the IMF tranche of $5 bln. Militants threaten to withdraw from the settlement process if the Ukrainian authorities will not adopt the laws on the special status of Donbass.

Key Events of Ukraine

• President Poroshenko lifted cap on the salary of officials.
• Dnepropetrovsk employees of large space-rocket company "Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant" held a warning strike, demanding payment of unpaid wages and placement of state defense order.
• The head of the NBU Gontareva allows possibility of gradual abolition of administrative restrictions on the foreign exchange market.
• Tranche of the IMF EFF credit has come to Ukraine. The Ministry of Finance will receive $ 2.8 billion, the National Bank  $ 2.2 billion.
• NBU slightly lowered the hryvnia (UAH) against major currencies: 21.63 UAH/USD (+0.07 UAH), 22.94 UAH/EUR (+0,14 UAH), 3.55 UAH/10 RUR (+0.11 UAH)

Kyiv Life

• People who origin from Donbass held a rally named "Donetsk is Ukraine" in memory of Donetsk meeting that took place on March 13, 2014, where pro-Russian rebels, supported by the police violently dispersed the demonstrators and killed Ukrainian activist Cherniavsky.
• The Antimonopoly Committee considers the case of corporate conspiracy and unjustified price increases on bread for low-income group of people of Kyiv.

Ukraine at War

• Rebels continue shelling of positions of Ukrainian Armed Forces. Fightings took place in Shirokino near Mariupol, on "Bahmutka" highway and near Donetsk . According to official reports no Ukrainian servicemen were killed during the day.
• Ukraine transferred information about places where heavy equipment withdrawn from the combat zone is based to the OSCE SMM.
• The deputies of the Verkhovna Rada expect a complete ceasefire in the war zone to adopt laws on "special status" of the Donbass. DPR and LPR militant leaders threaten to withdraw from the settlement process if the Ukrainian authorities will not implement the full range of activities according to Minsk Agreement.
• Terrorists of DPR announced beginning of coal supply for Ukrainian power plants.
• SBU introduces electronical admission of the citizens to the territory controlled by the rebels of Donbass.

Ukraine and the World

• ECHR began consideration of the cases of the abduction and murder of people in the Donbass which directly links the violation of human rights with Russia's actions and its support for terrorists.
• Ambassador Pyatt said the United States in 2014 provided about $119 million military aid  to Ukraine. In 2015, additional equipment costing $75 million will be delivered  which consists of drones, SUVs, radio communication and radar systems. President Obama may decide on the supply of lethal weapons in Ukraine in the case of  exacerbation of the conflict.
• NATO Secretary General stressed once again that the Alliance will provide comprehensive assistance to Ukraine but does not intend to participate in the war.

The Trends

• President Poroshenko said that he could not sell his company in Lipetsk due to the resistance of the Russian authorities. President business activity is directly contrvene to paragraf 113 of the Constitution of Ukraine.