Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • EU extends sanctions against Yanukovych and his inner circle

    As expected, on the 2nd of March, the EU will continue sanctions against the former Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, and 15 members of his inner circle. These sanctions were to end on the 6th of March. "Radio Freedom", with reference to sources in the EU, reports.

    It is noted that the sanctions will be extended for another year.

    It is also expected that the former Minister of Health, Raisa Bogatyreva, will not be on the list of sanctions.  Sanctions were imposed two years ago due to …

  • Naftogaz's claim against Gazprom exceeds $8 billion

    The total claim amount made against Gazprom by Naftogaz has reached 8.2 billion dollars.  This claim is in regard to a contract between these two companies for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.

    The head of Naftogaz, Andrew Kobolyev, reported this during a conference in Kiev.

    “The total amount of claims made against Gazprom has reached an amount of 8.2 billion dollars,” Kobolyev said.

    According to him, this amount had accumulated during the duration of the contract, which began in 20 …

  • Western countries asked Crimean Tatar Mejlis to avoid provoking Russian military

    During Russia's annexation of the Crimea in 2014, the Ambassadors of several Western countries called on the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People to avoid provoking the Russian military, as stated by Refat Chubarov, the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People on the program "Svoboda Slova" (Freedom of speech) on the channel ICTV.

    "All day long I was in touch with the ambassadors from the EU countries and the U.S.A. They all had the same request: do not provoke the …

  • OSCE: Situation in Donbas continues to deteriorate

    The OSCE Mission continues to record a significant deterioration of the security situation in the Donbas, partially as a result of the use of artillery and mortars as stated in the report of the OSCE Mission for the 29th of February, published on the 2nd of March 2016. In particular, the representatives of the OSCE Mission noted 95 explosions from the west of the observers’ location on the 28th of February during their stay in the center of Donetsk; the next day, 174 explosions were recorded. …

  • Pavlo Klimkin: Russia carries out large-scale human rights violations against Crimean Tatars

    According to Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin, Russia is violating the rights of the Crimean Tatars.

    This was stated by Klimkin during his speech on Tuesday, March 1st at the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, as reported by Evropeiskaya Pravda.

    According to him, Russia, as an occupying power, carries out large-scale human rights violations on the Peninsula, especially in regards to the indigenous population- the Crimean Tatars.

    “They carry out a …

  • General Breedlove recommends providing Ukraine with weapons

    Speaking at a hearing of the US Senate’s Armed Services Committee, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, General Philip Breedlove, said that he had recently recommended that the US provide Ukraine with lethal weapons.

    On Tuesday, March 1st, Breedlove stated that Europe is facing a "resurgent, aggressive Russia" that is seeking to reestablish a leading role on the world stage.

    "Russia has chosen to be an adversary and poses a long-term existential threat to the United States and to our …

  • Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers abolishes tax on charitable donations to Ukrainian veterans

    The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers has abolished the income tax placed on charitable assistance to Ukrainian veterans and their families.  They also expanded the list of goods and services which may be considered as charitable aid.

    This is now stated in government decree No. 112.

    “The Cabinet has abolished the personal income tax levied on charitable aid.  They have also lifted restrictions on the monetary amount of charitable assistance to veterans and their families,” the decree states. …

  • Ukraine and IMF have not yet agreed on updated memorandum on cooperation

    According to the Deputy Finance Minister of Ukraine, Artem Chevalier, Ukraine and the IMF have not yet agreed on the updated version of the memorandum on cooperation.  This memorandum would detail the provision of new loans for Ukraine.

    After a press conference in Kiev, Chevalier said that “we do not have the updated version of the memorandum yet”.

    He also did not give a possible date for resuming Ukraine’s cooperation with the fund.  In response to a question about the nature of the possible …

  • Ukrainian Defense Ministry: Demining of Donbas will take 10-15 years

    The head of a specialized group in the Ecology and Safety department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Colonel Sergei Zubarevsky,told Hromadske radio that the complete demining of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions affected by the current conflict will take between 10 and 15 years.

    “I think that the clearance of the Donbas region will cost more than one billion hryvnia.  Establishing complete safety for citizens of this region can only be achieved in 10 or 15 years,” Zubarevsky said.

    On the 5 …

  • Johannes Hahn: Corruption discourages investment in Ukraine

    At the opening of the Ukrainian Week in the European Parliament, the European Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, noted the progress made in the area of reforms in Ukraine.  However, he also recognized that Kiev lacks perseverance and that a lot still needs to be done.

    Speaking on Monday in Brussels, Hahn called for the continuation of judicial reform.  He also emphasized the importance of fighting against corruption.

    “The situation is …