{"id":62736,"date":"2016-11-08T00:42:52","date_gmt":"2016-11-08T00:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uacrisis.org\/?p=49136"},"modified":"2016-11-08T13:19:37","modified_gmt":"2016-11-08T10:19:37","slug":"49136-weekly-digest-1-7-november-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/49136-weekly-digest-1-7-november-2016","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainian weekly media digest November 1-7, 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Situation in the combat zone in eastern Ukraine<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the relative decrease in number of attacks the situation in eastern Ukraine remains tense. Comparing to the previous reporting period the number of attacks decreased by 286. Three Ukrainian servicemen were killed in action and 18 were wounded in action. There were also civilian casualties: two persons were wounded in Krasnohorivka<\/a> and Maryinka<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the Mariupol sector Russia-backed militants fired upon positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Starohnativka, Novotroyitske, Krasnohorivka, Hnutove, Maryinka, Pavlopil, Talakivka, Vodyane and Berezove. According to the ATO press center<\/a>, they were using large-caliber machine guns, grenade launchers, 82-mm and 120-mm mortars, small arms, infantry fighting vehicles and tanks. They used 122-mm and 152-mm artillery near Shyrokyne.<\/p>\n

In the Luhansk sector militants violated ceasefire near Shchastya, Zhovte, Stanytsia Luhanska and Novooleksandrivka. Weapons used against Ukrainian troops included grenade launchers, machine guns, 82-mm mortars and small arms. In the Donetsk sector Russia\u2019s proxies fired upon Ukrainian troops near Novotroyitske, Zaitseve, Troyitske, Avdiivka and Luhanske also using heavy weapons including 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and tanks.<\/p>\n

OSCE registered increase of hostilities.<\/strong> <\/em>Number of ceasefire violations in the combat zone in Donbas is increasing. OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) notes a 40 percent increase<\/a> in comparison to the last week, said Alexander Hug, First Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE SMM to Ukraine. \u201cIf we talk in figures, over the last week the mission recorded about six thousand ceasefire violations. We have registered about eight thousand violations already this week. It makes over one thousand ceasefire violations per day.\u201d He said biggest part of the attacks that OSCE registered took place in the so-called triangle: the Donetsk airport – Yasynuvata \u2013 Avdiivka and in the western part of Luhansk region \u2013 between Popasna, Pervomaysk and Zolote [text in English<\/a>].<\/p>\n

[UCMC note: contrary trends as to the combat situation reported by Ukrainian military officials and by the OSCE probably result from different counting methods. Ukraine\u2019s official count is based on the number of attacks, while OSCE\u2019s count is based on rounds fired].<\/em><\/p>\n

OSCE: trucks that transport human remains to Russia.<\/strong> <\/em>Over the past 2,5 years under the conditions of limited access to the conflict and border areas OSCE monitoring mission registered over two dozens of vehicles marked \u201cCargo 200\u201d (equivalent to killed in action) that were transporting remains of Russians killed in action from eastern Ukraine back to Russia. The statement was made by Daniel Baer, U.S. Special Representative to the OSCE<\/a> at the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council. He reiterated that Kremlin keeps denying its direct participation in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Local elections: militant statements.<\/strong> <\/em>Militants of the self-proclaimed \u201cDonetsk People\u2019s Republic\u201d (\u201cDPR\u201d) say they intend holding local elections in 2017. Respective statement of the \u201cDPR\u201d leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko was quoted by Russia\u2019s RIA Novosti<\/a>. \u201cWe will hold elections in 2017 based on Minsk conditions, or we will hold them on our own,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Fighting corruption: resignation of Saakashvili, checks after e-declarations are filled out<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Saakashvili<\/strong><\/em>. Head of Odesa regional state administration Mikheil Saakashvili has declared his resignation. He accused the central authorities of hampering reforms and proceeding with corrupt practices (news in English<\/a>, video in Russian<\/a>). On May 29, 2015 Saakashvili was granted Ukrainian citizenship based on the request that it is in Ukraine\u2019s state interest. On May 30, 2015 he was introduced as the new Head of Odesa regional state administration.<\/p>\n

Checks by anticorruption authorities.<\/strong><\/em> First criminal proceedings<\/a> for embezzlement of funds by Ukrainian civil servants are likely to appear not earlier than January 2017. Over a week after October 30 the National Agency for Corruption Prevention will be checking whether the e-declarations of assets were submitted in time. As the next step the Agency staff will be checking whether the declarations have been filled out in full, they will be also checking declarants\u2019 lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Should the staff of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention discover a criminal corruption violation made by civil servants, results of respective checks will be passed to the National Anticorruption Bureau or to the Special Anticorruption Prosecutor\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

National Anticorruption Bureau<\/a>\u00a0 (NABU) will check e-declarations for cases of high-level corruption, stated Artem Sytnyk, director of the Bureau. \u201cShould there be any claims or requests pointing at declarations that may contain signs of embezzlement or in which the data is not truthful, we will be checking them. We have already started such checks on a large number of declarations,\u201d Sytnyk said.<\/p>\n

He also added that the NABU started checking activities of civil servants who had declared big amount of cash.<\/p>\n

Human rights: court trial over the director of Ukrainian library, cases of Sushchenko and of Dzehmilev\u2019s son<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Court trial over the 58-year-old director of the Ukrainian library Natalia Sharina continues in Moscow<\/a>. Sharina is accused of \u201cfueling national hatred.\u201d Prosecutor accused the director of purchasing prohibited books and placing them on book shelves. Sharina denies all charges. In October 2015 Russian law enforcement staff searched the library, shortly after they detained Sharina. Later house arrest was chosen as pre-trial measure for her. Sharina\u2019s lawyer Ivan Pavlov<\/a> claims he is under surveillance.<\/p>\n

Russian lawyer Mark Feygin<\/a> arrived in Kyiv where he is to study the prospects of exchanging Ukrainian journalist Roman Sushchenko detained in Moscow and charged with spying. According to the lawyer, there is no other way to return the journalist back to Ukraine. In course of negotiations with Ukrainian authorities Feygin expects to discover if there are any detained Russian security service staff members in Ukraine. Moreover, Feygin stated that in the nearest time one should expect fabricated information in Sushchenko\u2019s case to appear, it may be a film or a video<\/a>. Feygin noted that it is quite possible that the journalist would be recognized as a \u201cRussophobe\u201d in Russia. Sushchenko was detained in Moscow on September 30, court ruled to keep him under pre-trial arrest at least until November 30.<\/p>\n

Russian lawyer Nikolay Polozov, defender of the son of Mustafa Dzhemilev Khaiser, fears that a new criminal case may be started against his client in Russia. \u201cRussia needs Khaiser as a hostage, a tool to exercise pressure upon his father, Crimean Tatar leader<\/a>,\u201d said Polozov. Dzhemilev\u2019s prison term comes to an end, but Russian authorities may start a new criminal case.<\/p>\n

Dzhemilev was charged with murder of Fevzi Edemov, a family friend. He used his father\u2019s gun, it happened in Backhchysaray in 2013. Prior to Crimea annexation by Russia, a court in Kyiv sentenced Khaiser to three years and eight months of imprisonment. After the annexation, Russian investigation authorities decided to reinvestigate his case. Khaiser was transferred from Simferopol detention center to Krasnodarsky Kray in Russia.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Crimea: gas from Ukrainian shale and peninsula\u2019s militarization<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Following the annexation of Crimea Russia\u2019s \u201cChernomorneftegaz\u201d state owned company illegally took hold of the assets of Ukraine\u2019s \u201cChornomornaftogaz\u201d. The company extracts annually two billion cubic meters of shale gas<\/a> in the Black Sea and thus covers the peninsula\u2019s needs. The Russian company in question is in all sanction lists. Gas is extracted in the water area that is Ukraine\u2019s economic zone, which is violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982.<\/p>\n

Moscow rebuilds numerous Soviet-time military bases in Crimea and is building new ones deploying its military there. Current military capacities of the peninsula exceed the ones Crimea had when controlled by Ukraine. A Reuters investigation demonstrates that Russia is renewing old missile storage facilities, naval bases<\/a>, radars and airdromes. Russia\u2019s naval and ground forces stationed in Crimea are the ones mainly reinforced. Air forces are to be reinforced as well: thus, former civilian airport Belbek has been already turned into a military air base. Russia states that it is stepping up its military capacities as an answer to NATO\u2019s actions in Poland and the Baltic States.<\/p>\n

Opinion polling: can opinion polls in Crimea be trusted?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Eighty six percent of Crimeans are generally content with their life on the peninsula, most content are the persons aged 60 and over. Of the polled 79% trust Sergey Aksyonov\u2019s politics. This is the data released by the All-Russian Center for Studying Public Opinion on October 24. Last year the Center released the data according to which 95% of the interviewed \u201cwould have voted once again for joining Russia at the referendum\u201d. Even higher number of respondents allegedly rated Vladimir Putin\u2019s work as very positive.<\/p>\n

Analyst of Ukraine\u2019s Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Fund, Ruslan Kermach, and Russian political analyst, Igor Eidman, explained on air of the Krym.Realii radio why the results of the Center\u2019s opinion poll cannot be trusted<\/a>.<\/p>\n