Crisis in Ukraine: Daily Briefing
27 October 2015, 7 PM Kyiv time
- Russian Invasion of Ukraine
The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (RNBO) reported at 12:30 PM Kyiv time that yesterday, Russian-terrorist forces opened fire on Ukrainian positions near Opytne and Pisky. One Ukrainian soldier was killed in action.
- Ukraine’s President: Russia not implementing Minsk agreements
Ukraine’s President P. Poroshenko stated today that Russia is not implementing the Minsk agreements. Poroshenko stated, “Illegal elections haven’t been abolished [in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk]. They have been postponed. Discussion on the format of elections has been virtually blocked. Provocative statements by the so-called leaders of certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions that the elections won’t be held under the Ukrainian legislation, non-admission of the OSCE observers to the uncontrolled area of the Ukrainian-Russian border and weaponry storage locations, non-admission or deportation of representatives of international organizations, impeding the activity of the ICRC, non-liberation of Ukrainian hostages illegally kept in the occupied territories and Russia pose a serious threat to the Minsk process.”
- US Senators support additional loan guarantee for Ukraine announced by Secretary of Commerce
Two US Senators applauded the decision of the US administration to provide an additional $1 billion in loan guarantees, announced yesterday by US Secretary of Commerce P. Pritzker. J. Shaheen (D-NH) stated, “I recently saw firsthand the resolve of Ukraine’s leaders to improve their economy, root out corruption, and stand united against Russian aggression. This new loan guarantee sends a message to the people of Ukraine that they have a partner in the United States as they continue to strengthen their economy and reform government institutions.” R Portman (R-OH) stated, “I’m pleased that the Administration is taking steps to strengthen ties between Ukraine and the United States. Ukraine continues to make impressive economic and political reforms that will help spur greater political stability and economic growth, and it’s important that the U.S. sustains this support moving forward.”
- Patriot Defence hands over 20,000th first aid kid to Ukrainian soldiers
The Patriot Defence Initiative handed over its 20,000th NATO-standard Improved First Aid Kit (IFAK) to Ukrainian soldiers. Over 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained by Patriot Defence. “The Patriot Defence initiative was established in May 2014 with the aim of introducing world-class tactical medicine to Ukraine. One of its major goals is to provide Ukrainian servicemen with NATO-standard Improved First Aid Kits (IFAKs) as well as to conduct the Combat Lifesaver Course (CLS), giving first aid knowledge for the battlefield. Across-the-world statistics show that the CLS and the IFAK increase the chances of survival on the battlefield by 15%. Thanks to support from Ukrainians all over the world, the military have already received 20,000 IFAKs, which significantly increased the likelihood of their coming home alive,” Patriot Defence stated. More information on the project can be found at http://patriotdefence.org/en
- Venice Commission positively assesses proposed Constitutional changes on Ukraine’s Judiciary
In its opinion on proposed amendments to Ukraine’s Constitution regarding the Judiciary, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe stated, “the latest version of the constitutional amendments prepared by the Working Group on the Judiciary of the Constitutional Commission of Ukraine is very positive and well-drafted, and deserves to be fully supported. Nevertheless, the Venice Commission suggests some further changes in the Constitution. […] With respect of the transitional provision which sets out the possibility to carry out an assessment procedure of all the ordinary judges of Ukraine with respect to their professionalism, ethics and honesty, the Venice Commission reiterates that such a procedure can only be an extraordinary measure which requires the utmost care: the parallel enforcement of different procedures carried out by different organs is unlikely to ensure respect of the most stringent safeguards for those judges who do meet these criteria. […] The Venice Commission considers that, after so many attempts, over so many years, to reform the provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine on the judiciary, the time has come to proceed with this long overdue reform in order to finally move towards achieving an independent judiciary. The Venice Commission finds that the constitutional amendments under consideration represent an important step towards reaching this goal.” The full Venice Commission opinion can be found at http://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/?pdf=CDL-AD(2015)027-e
- Russian Finance Ministry says country’s reserve fund is running out
Russian Finance Minister A. Siluanov stated that Russia’s reserve funds could be exhausted by the end of 2016, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported. Siluanov stated that the budget shortfall for 2015 is expected to be 2.6 trillion rubles ($41 billion) for 2016, and 900 billion rubles for 2016 if oil prices remain at about $45/barrel with an exchange rate of 62 rubles/USD. “This means that 2016 is the last year when we are able to spend our reserves in this way. After that, we will not have such resources,” Siluanov stated.
