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<\/h3>\n<\/h3>\nSituation<\/strong>\u00a0in the combat zone.\u00a0<\/strong>Over the last week, combat actions in the war zone in eastern Ukraine proceeded with higher intensity than in the previous week. The \u201cNormandy format\u201d meeting.\u00a0<\/strong>The meeting of the heads of foreign affairs ministries of the \u201cNormandy format\u201d member countries (Ukraine, Germany, France and the Russian Federation) may take place\u00a0within the Munich Security Conference<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0February 16<\/span><\/span>, said Pavlo Klimkin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine at a joint press-conference with Angelino Alfano, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy last week in Kyiv. Rallies in Kyiv<\/strong><\/p>\n On February 3-4, several rallies took place in Kyiv. Among them was the so-called \u201cMarch for the Future\u201d organized by the supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili and the \u201cMovement of New Forces\u201d chaired by the ex-president,\u00a0and\u00a0a rally against the setup of the \u201cNatsionalni\u00a0Druzhyny\u201d (the National Militia Units) linked to the Azov movement.<\/p>\n \u201cMarch for the future\u201d.\u00a0<\/strong>About a thousand Saakashvili\u2019s supporters got together in Shevchenko Park in downtown Kyiv holding the placards saying: \u201cImpeachment to the President Poroshenko\u201d. After the column started, more people were joining it on its way. Police estimated the number of the rally participants equal to seven thousand. Media reported five to ten thousand people attending. \u201cOur demands were very simple: to pass the law on impeachment, to set up the Anti-Corruption Court, to adopt a new election law and to strip the MPs of\u00a0the immunity. What we got instead is political terror and repressions, arrests, persecution and fabricated criminal cases,\u201d a news piece on Saakashvili\u2019s Facebook page reads. The rally walked past the Maidan square up to the European square. The previous \u201cmarch for impeachment\u201d took place on\u00a0December 17<\/span><\/span>. Back then the rally participants clashed with the law enforcement outside the Palace of Arts and Culture (former Zhovtnevy Palace). The leader of the \u201cMovement of New Forces\u201d Mikheil Saakashvili promised to make public\u00a0the list of candidates to the leading posts in the government<\/a>\u00a0at the next rally scheduled for\u00a0February 18<\/span><\/span>. The lawyers of the former Georgian President have\u00a0appealed the court decision of the Tbilisi city court<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0January 5<\/span><\/span>, reports the Georgian TV channel Rustavi-2. The court sentenced Saakashvili in absentia to 3 years in prison. A\u00a0<\/strong>mini-rally\u00a0against the\u00a0Natsionalni<\/strong>\u00a0Druzhyny.\u00a0<\/strong>People rallied in Kyiv against the\u00a0Natsionalni\u00a0Druzhyny \u2013 an NGO founded by the veterans of the Azov regiment. Several dozen people got together at Poshtova square to protest against what they see as the\u00a0legitimization\u00a0of paramilitary movements in Ukraine. People took to the streets holding the placards saying: \u201cWe want no Druzhyny\u201d, \u201cWherever people walk in formations, there will be no freedom\u201d and \u201cFor a society with no violence!\u201d. The \u201cKremlin Report\u201d: will the further US pressure on Russia have its\u00a0<\/strong>effect<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n What is the \u201cKremlin Report\u201d?\u00a0<\/strong>Last week the US Treasury Department released the \u201cKremlin Report\u201d. It is a list of 210 persons \u2013 114 officials and parliamentarians, and 96 oligarchs close to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The list is split into four parts: presidential administration (all the leaders included, 8 members of the presidential administration are already sanctioned); the Cabinet of Ministers (government members headed by Dmitriy Medvedev); other high-ranking political leaders (leaders of the parliament, chiefs of law enforcement and of the federal agencies); oligarchs (businessmen whose assets are estimated worth of $1 billion or more). Vladimir Putin was not included in the \u201cKremlin Report\u201d.<\/p>\n What are the persons listed in the \u201cKremlin Report\u201d facing?\u00a0<\/strong>The \u201cKremlin Report\u201d does not imply the automatic introduction of the sanctions against the persons listed in it, the experts say. For example, according to the Atlantic Council expert Daniel Fried, persons on the list will not immediately face the practical consequences \u2013 for example, financial ones. Nevertheless, the mere fact of becoming part of this list increases the risk of having the sanctions imposed on them in the future, the expert emphasized.<\/p>\n Why are experts and media disappointed?\u00a0<\/strong>Brian Whitmore, an RFERL observer, writes that disappointment was his first reaction to the long-awaited list rolled out by the US Treasury and featuring the most influential officials and oligarchs of Russia. It turned out to be nothing more than \u201creference information\u201d on who is who in the Russian politics. However, according to the author, the Kremlin Report still sends out important messages. It comes as a reminder that the Russian political and economic systems are based on corruption, kleptocracy,\u00a0and cronyism, as well as is a \u201ccold signal\u201d to the Russian elites that may find themselves surprised all of a sudden at some point that they cannot get a visa or open a banking account in the West.<\/p>\n What the US Treasury says.\u00a0<\/strong>Steven Mnuchin, the US Secretary of the Treasury, said that the Donald Trump administration would impose financial sanctions on dozens of wealthy Russians who are part of the \u201cKremlin Report\u201d. He emphasized that the released \u201cKremlin Report\u201d is not to become a substitute for the financial restrictions upon the Russians. “This should in no way be interpreted as we\u2019re not putting sanctions on any of the people in that report,\u201d Mnuchin said.<\/p>\n Is there a \u201cclassified part\u201d of the report?\u00a0<\/strong>According to the US Treasury Department, there is a classified part that speaks of the future economic sanctions against the persons listed in the report,\u00a0Bloomberg<\/a>\u00a0quotes Steven Mnuchin, the US Treasury Secretary, and Tony Sayegh, the department\u2019s assistant secretary for public affairs. Thus, Mnuchin stated that the \u201cKremlin Report\u201d will result in imposing of the sanctions, Sayegh confirmed it. According to the latter, the report has a classified part. \u201cTreasury included a classified annex in the report in order to avoid potential asset flight from the named individuals and entities, as well as to prevent disclosure of sensitive information,\u201d Sayegh added.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s reaction.\u00a0<\/strong>Responding to the \u201cKremlin Report\u201d rolled out by the US, the Federal Council (Sovet Federatsii) of the Russian Federation started preparing the draft law that is to define the notion \u201cinterference into the sovereignty of the state\u201d. Co-author of the document Lyudmila Bokova said that one of the actions within the \u201csymmetrical response\u201d is introducing into the law the notions of \u201csovereignty\u201d and \u201cinterference into the sovereignty of the state\u201d. RBC, quoting a source close to the commission, said the document is \u201ca revenge for the report and the ban of the Russian national team from the Winter Olympics\u201d.<\/p>\n What the new law is about.\u00a0<\/strong>At night on February 1, the Polish Senate adopted a new version of the Law \u201cOn the Institute of National Remembrance\u201d. According to the Law, persons talking of the \u201cPolish-organized concentration camps\u201d or denying \u201cthe crimes of Ukrainian nationalists\u201d may be held criminally liable. The law is yet to be signed by the President of Poland Andrzej Duda, he has 21 days to do so.<\/p>\n How it works.\u00a0<\/strong>According to the law, it will be possible to hold criminally liable those who will be using term \u201cPolish concentration camps\u201d in public or will acknowledge the participation of Poland or Poles in the Holocaust. A fine can be imposed or a\u00a0three-year\u00a0sentence may follow.\u00a0Perpetrators outside\u00a0of Poland can be held liable as well.<\/p>\n International reaction: Israel.\u00a0<\/strong>Due to the approval of the\u00a0law,\u00a0Israel has\u00a0canceled<\/a>\u00a0the visit<\/a>\u00a0of the Polish Head of the National Security Bureau to Jerusalem. Media also reported the intention of the state to approve the decision to withdraw its ambassador from Poland.<\/p>\n President Poroshenko\u2019s reaction: \u201cbiased\u201d.\u00a0<\/strong>The President Petro Poroshenko emphasized that the adopted law does not correspond with the earlier declared principles of strategic partnership between Ukraine and Poland as well as urged the Polish side \u201cfor objectivity and a dialogue\u201d.<\/p>\n The reaction<\/strong>\u00a0of the Foreign Affairs Minister Klimkin: \u201cwe are for an equal dialogue\u201d.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWe have always stood for an equal dialogue and strategic partnership with Poland, but we do not perceive the language of bans and limitations,\u201d the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin said. He also noted that the idea of recognizing certain nations as criminal leads nowhere.<\/p>\n The reaction<\/strong>\u00a0of the director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance: a threat to Ukrainians in Poland.\u00a0<\/strong>Volodymyr Vyatrovych, director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, noted that the Polish law in question is first of all directed against the Ukrainians living in Poland, and is supported by the pro-Russian forces.<\/p>\n OSCE is concerned.\u00a0<\/strong>The OSCE is also concerned with the adoption of the Law on the setup of the Institute of National Remembrance. \u201cHistory is a matter of independent academic research and of free discussion, not of judiciary decision. The law should be rejected as a disproportionate restriction of freedom of expression. Only when statements constitute incitement to violence or discrimination could they be criminalized,\u201d said Harlem D\u00e9sir, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.<\/p>\n The\u00a0International Monetary Fund<\/a>\u00a0set a condition for Ukraine to have the Extended Fund Facility reconsidered and the next tranche disbursed: it is the adoption of the Law on the Anti-Corruption Court as well as bringing the gas prices to the market level, said Goesta Ljungman, IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Anti-Corruption Court.\u00a0<\/strong>The setup of the Anti-Corruption Court in line with all the recommendations by the Venice Commission is the main obstacle on the way to the IMF loans. No progress is currently observed in this area. On the contrary, last week fake information was spread that the IMF is ready to soften its conditions and that it approves of the draft law submitted by the President. What to do with the gas prices.\u00a0<\/strong>According to IMF\u2019s Ljungman, the\u00a0introduction\u00a0of the market prices for gas aims at avoiding the artificial segmentation of the market separately for households and for the\u00a0industry. There are certain conditions and they need to be fulfilled. \u201cThese are the achievable figures and we hope for their quick implementation,\u201d Ljungman said.<\/p>\n Refrain\u00a0from the increasing\u00a0<\/strong>salaries.\u00a0<\/strong>The Ukrainian authorities<\/a>\u00a0are tempted to increase the salaries very quickly,\u00a0however,\u00a0it is going to have a negative impact on the growth of the economy, Goesta Ljungman is convinced. The International Monetary Fund supports the increase of salaries for Ukrainians only in accordance with the increase of the labor productivity, as the higher pace will have a negative impact on the growth of the\u00a0economy.<\/p>\n
\nOSCE.<\/strong>\u00a0Last week the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (OSCE SMM) recorded a 25-percent decrease in the number of the ceasefire violations compared with the previous week. The daily number of ceasefire violations varied between 200 and 1,000,\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0Alexander Hug, Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, at a press-briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. \u201cIn Dokuchaievsk, we confirmed that six civilians had sustained injuries as a result of the hostilities,\u201d Alexander Hug said. Two civilians were wounded by unexploded ordnance \u2013 in the area of the uncontrolled Donetsk and in government-controlled Verkhniotoretske. OSCE SMM monitors also confirmed the death of a 57-year old man killed in Olenivka on January 21.<\/p>\n
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Read also:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cParamilitary units or a PR move: 10 facts about \u2018The National Militia Units\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n
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\nHow the list was compiled and why it was changed.\u00a0<\/strong>Anders \u00c5slund, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, who was one of the expert advisers on compiling of the \u201cKremlin Report\u201d, writes that there was an initial list compiled by a team of experts. However, all of a sudden it was substituted by a high-ranking official from the US presidential administration with the one compiled based on the Forbes ranking of the world\u2019s richest persons as well as the officials of the Russian Presidential administration. \u00c5slund is not aware of the fact who the high-ranking official in question was, but he claims that Steven Mnuchin, the US Secretary of the Treasury bears the responsibility for the changes as it was him who has approved the list.<\/p>\n
\nA new standoff with Poland: the \u201canti-Bandera\u201d law<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n<\/div>\nIMF\u2019s new loans: what is the price?<\/h3>\n
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\nRead also:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cSimulation or step forward: will there be the Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine?\u201d<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n
\nCulture: A documentary about a Ukrainian boy in the near-front area wins an award at the biggest Scandinavian festival<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n\u201cThe Distant Barking of Dogs\u201d, the documentary telling about 10-year old Ukrainian boy living in the near-front town in eastern\u00a0Ukraine\u00a0won an award<\/a>\u00a0at the biggest Scandinavian film festival – G\u00f6teborg Film Festival in Sweden. The documentary received the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Dox and thus was acknowledged as the best Scandinavian documentary. It was co-produced by Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. The movie was directed by Simon Lereng Wilmont from Denmark. For a year the film crew followed the path of Oleh who lives in Hnutove, Donetsk region, together with his grandmother. Last year \u201cThe Distant Barking of Dogs\u201d won the First Appearance Award as a debut feature at one of Europe\u2019s key documentary film festivals IDFA in the Netherlands.<\/div>\n\t\t