Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • Detained former head of Ukraine's 'Party of Regions' is suspected of helping to create so-called LPR

    On Saturday, July 30, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko, announced at a press conference in Kiev that the former head of the Party of Regions faction in the Verkhovna Rada, Oleksandr Yefremov, is suspected of assisting in the establishment and activities of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic.

    “A week ago we received direct testimonies about the involvement of the citizen Yefremov in the organization of the LPR,” Lutsenko said. He added that Yefremov is suspected of …

  • OSCE mission threatened at gunpoint in eastern Ukraine

    The observers of the OSCE SMM reported that they were threatened by two armed supporters of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) near Lukove, 72 kilometers south of Donetsk according to their July 29th report.

    OSCE SMM members were stopped by two armed representatives of the DPR who blocked the road with a jeep and pointed weapons in their direction. They ordered SMM observers to leave this area, the report explained. The OSCE SMM representatives followed the order.

    The report …

  • Journalists discover more evidence of rampant corruption by Ukraine's former prosecutor general Viktor Shokin

    The former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who was dismissed by the President in March, had a wealthy common-law wife and a child which were not listed in his declaration, as was reported in the TV investigative program Schemes.

    Journalists noted that "the investigation revealed that he has both a child and a common-law wife. It would be his private affair, if it weren’t for the fact that a number of luxury apartments including some estates abroad are in his common-law wife’s and …

  • Ukraine suspends trade activities of 243 Russian companies operating in the Donbas

    Two years after the beginning of Russia’s aggression in the Donbas, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has temporarily suspended the foreign trade activities of 243 Russian companies doing business in the territories which are beyond Kiev’s control.

    At the initiative of the SSU, the foreign trade activities of 243 Russian companies doing business with commercial entities in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions have been suspended, the SSU press center …

  • US diplomats: Despite statements to the contrary, Russia is not interested in peace in Ukraine

    U.S. Diplomats stress that Russia’s statements regarding their desire for peace in Ukraine differ from real events, as stated during by the U.S. Ambassador for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Daniel Baer, during a telephone conversation with European journalists as part of the Brussels Media Hub project.

    He stressed that the number of victims and attacks from the territory controlled by separatists has increased due to Russia’s actions. "The situation has escalated …

  • Mikhail Babich to become the next Russian Ambassador to Ukraine

    The President of Russia can appoint a new ambassador to Ukraine only after Senate approval.

    The Presidential Envoy of the Volga Federal District, Mikhail Babich, is likely to become a new Russian Ambassador to Ukraine. His candidacy was supported by the Federation Council, RIA Novosti reported. According to Russian legislation, the President should consult with the members of the Federation Council and State Duma Deputies before appointing a new ambassador.

    After already having gone on leave, …

  • Ukrainian soldiers to participate in NATO's Flaming Thunder 2016 exercises in Lithuania

    Ukrainian soldiers of the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade will participate in NATO’s Flaming Thunder 2016 exercises in Lithuania, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported, citing the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

    The annual Lithuanian-led live-fire exercise, which focuses on artillery and mortar fire training, will be held near Pabradė and will last from August 1st to 12th.

    Military personnel from the US, Germany, Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania, and Portugal will also participate in the exercises.

    “In two …

  • Ukraine exported $2 billion of IT services in 2015

    Exports of Ukrainian IT services, particularly software development made more than $2 billion in 2015, making IT the third largest export in the country, as reported by Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine on Administrative, Social and Economic Reforms, Dmytro Shymkiv, UKRINFORM reports.

    "Few people are talking about it, but in 2015, the export of IT services, in particular software from Ukraine, was $2 billion, which made this the third largest export," Shymkiv said.

    He …

  • Russia wants to speed up the lawsuit against Ukraine over 'Yanukovych's debt'

    Russia has asked the High Court of London to deliver a speedy judgement on the case of “Yanukovych’s debt”. RIA Novosti reported that Russia has already petitioned the court.

    The Russian Ministry of Finance stated that “Russia has submitted an application to the High Court of London to deliver an expedited decision on the lawsuit relating to Ukraine’s non-payment of a $3 billion debt”.

    The petition was filed by an independent company, The Law Debenture Corporation plc (Trustee), which …

  • Ukrainian MP: 50,000 Russians fought in the Donbas

    Anton Herashchenko, a member of the “People’s Front” faction of parliament, wrote on his Facebook page that 50,000 Russians took part in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. "These are not just speculations and assumptions but documentary evidence discovered by volunteers of the project 'Myrotvorets' [Peacemaker] in a mailbox belonging to Russian terrorist Maria Koleda. Koleda serves as a head of the terrorist press service of the terrorist organization, the Donetsk People’s Republic,” he …