09/24/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - A new Military Doctrine of Ukraine has been adopted

A new Military Doctrine of Ukraine has been adopted

09.24.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• A new Military Doctrine of Ukraine has been adopted.
• Austrian law enforcement authorities launched investigation into the activities of the Head of Presidential Administration Lozhkin.
• In Mecca, more than 1,500 people were injured during the celebration of  Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice).
• Poroshenko forwarded the petition demanded the right to carry firearms to the Constitutional Commission.

Key Events in Ukraine

• President Poroshenko signed into force a decree on the Military Doctrine adopted at a meeting of the National Security Council and preserving the conscription into the armed forces of Ukraine.
• Naftogaz and Ostchem Group owned by oligarch Firtash signed an agreement on the repayment of debts in the amount of $3 billion and the resumption of gas supplies.
• SSU dismissed a case against the participants and organizers of miners’ protests outside of the Parliament in April 2015 due to the absence of elements of a crime.
• The Ministry of Economic Development plans to establish a holding company in order to save public money and increase enterprises’ efficiency by introducing common standards of corporate governance. The holding company will include 12 major strategic state-owned enterprises and banks, including Nadra Ukrayny, Naftogaz, Oschadbank, and Ukreximbank.
• Privatbank made a coupon payment on $200 million restructured Eurobonds.
• The head of the National Bank Gontareva announced that Ukraine Ukraine would receive the next IMF tranche in mid-November. She also said that all foreign exchange restrictions would be abolished by mid-2016. Current foreign exchange reserves of the National Bank exceed $13 billion.
• Starting September 25, the National Bank reduces the discount rate from 27% (established on August 28, 2015) to 22%.
• NBU continues to gradually strengthen the hryvnia: 21.44 ₴/$ (-0.12 UAH), 24.13 ₴/€ (+0.07 UAH), 3.23 ₴/10 RUR (-0.04 UAH).

Ukraine at War

• The ceasefire in Donbas was disrupted by periodic fire opened by the militants from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades in the suburbs of Donetsk and near Artemovsk. The activity of the militants’ subversive groups and snipers increased considerably. According to the official data, one Ukrainian soldier was killed by trap wire, and two more were wounded during the shelling. According to the OSCE mission report, landmines injure and kill large numbers of civilians in Donbas.
• The leaders of the “Luhansk Republic" demanded that all UN missions leave Luhansk. Nevertheless, the missions of the UN, the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations in Donetsk continue to work as usual.
• The representative of Ukraine at the negotiations of the contact group in Minsk Marchuk said that Russia is constantly staging demarches to push their demands. He claimed that the representatives of the militants are not party to the negotiations, despite the constant demands of the Russian representatives.

Ukraine and the World

• Pentagon chief Carter at a joint press conference with Defense Minister Poltorak said that regardless of the negotiations on Syria, sanctions against Russia for its aggression in Ukraine will remain in force.
• Muslims celebrated the feast of Eid al-Adha. During the events at the main Muslim Mosque in Mecca (Saudi Arabia), more than a thousand people were killed and injured as a result of a stampede.
• A meeting of the leaders of the US and Russia at the initiative of President Putin is scheduled during the UN General Assembly. According to Reuters, the main topic of the meeting will be the situation in Ukraine.
• Pope Francis, speaking to the US Congress, urged the world to stop the arms trade and the spread of extremism, which cannot be justified by religious feelings. He drew attention to the problems of protecting the environment and dealing with the consequences of armed conflicts leading to mass migration, which he called the search of security and better living conditions.
• The US fears that a permanent Russian veto in the UN Security Council when voting on the resolutions on Syria and Ukraine would delegitimize the organization, making its members act independently.
• The UN General Assembly will discuss ways to establish an international tribunal to investigate the downing of flight MH-17 in the skies over Donbas.

The Trends

• President Poroshenko forwarded the petition demanding the right to carry firearms to the Constitutional Commission, saying he had no authority over the bills adopted by the Verkhovna Rada.