Ukrainian president sacks heads of 77 district administrations

[jakeXT]

They were sacked in 18 regions of the country, including the Kiev, Lugansk, Lvov, Poltava, Rovno, Kharkov and Kherson regions

KIEV, December 24. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has dismissed 77 heads of district administrations with no explanations available as of yet.

They were sacked in 18 regions of the country, including the Kiev, Lugansk, Lvov, Poltava, Rovno, Kharkov and Kherson regions.

The decrees were posted late on Tuesday on the president’s website.

http://itar-tass.com/en/world/768865



At least 300 prosecutors to be fired in Ukraine based on lustration law

LVIV - Oleh Bachun, a Ukrainian deputy prosecutor general, announced a second wave of lustration of prosecution officials in introducing Roman Fedyk as new prosecutor of the Lviv region on Dec. 24.

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/at-least-300-prosecutors-to-be-fired-in-ukraine-based-on-lustration-law-376058.html

[Fred Sanders]

1. Were the district administrators elected, or how did they get their positions? What is the legality

of a Presidential "decree"?

The dismissal of prosecutors looks like a wholesale purge of the prosecutorial system to turn it into something under the direct heel of the executive branch....this is very dangerous to democracy.

[jakeXT]

2. The parliament was not allowed to leave until it accepted it

The law on "lustration" - the cleansing of the ranks of power - was approved under huge pressure from activists, who took part in mass protests against Mr Yanukovych.
The bill was finally passed after several failed attempts when speaker Okexandr Turchynov warned MPs he would not allow them to leave parliament without a successful result.

http://m.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29239447

[Fred Sanders]

3. Wow. Wholesale cleansing of 1 million civil servants without due process...this is horrible, here

comes Dictator Candy King.

Has there been American official reaction?

[jakeXT]

4. I believe the EU Venice Commission had some problems

http://rt.com/news/214275-ukraine-europe-lustration-law/

[bemildred]

7. They are going to double down, and the war will spread now.

It's a pity. The cost of the "additional" bailout seems to be heading north of $20 billion now too. But I have a feeling they won't see much of that money, since the EU governments will have to pony it up.

[Fred Sanders]

5. EU Commission statement:

“Applying lustration measures in respect of the recent period during which Mr Yanukovych [Yanukovich] was president of Ukraine would ultimately amount to questioning the actual functioning of the constitutional and legal framework of Ukraine as a democratic state governed by the rule of law,” the Commission’s verdict reads.

The number of officials subject to scrutiny has also raised doubts, with the European constitution experts believing “lustration must concern only positions that may genuinely pose a significant danger to human rights or democracy.”

The EU body has also urged the Ukrainian lawmakers to reconsider the criteria for picking officials to be investigated.

“Guilt must be proven in each individual case, and cannot be presumed on the basis of merely belonging to a category of public offices,” the Commission warns.

In general, it calls on the Ukrainian political purge advocates to curb their appetite for persecution, as the watchdog does not believe “that lustration measures are the most appropriate means to combat corruption.”

[bemildred]

6. Tsk. nt

[bemildred]

8. Ukraine cuts train and bus services to Crimea

KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine has suspended train and bus services to the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula, citing security concerns.

The state railways company said that trains bound for Crimea’s regional capital of Simferopol and the port of Sevastopol will run only to stations on the mainland near Crimea starting Saturday. The company said the move was taken to ensure “traffic safety.”

In a separate statement, the Infrastructure Ministry issued a directive to bus companies to stop bus services to Crimea starting Friday.

Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula in March following the ouster of Ukraine’s former Moscow-friendly president after months of protests. A pro-Russia insurgency erupted in eastern Ukraine the following month. Ukraine and the West have accused Moscow of fueling the rebellion with troops and weapons, accusations Moscow has denied.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/ukraine-cuts-train-and-bus-services-to-crimea/2014/12/26/9823c72a-8d16-11e4-ace9-47de1af4c3eb_story.html

[bemildred]

20. Russia and Ukraine have signed an agreement, providing Kiev 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity,

MOSCOW, December 27 (Sputnik) — Moscow and Kiev have signed an agreement on the supply of 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Ukraine, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said.

He added that Russia has already started the delivery, despite the fact that the terms of the agreement have not been fulfilled yet, and hopes for the subsequent payment.

"In order to reduce the blackouts and other existing problems we [Moscow and Kiev] have held negotiations on the supply of 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Ukraine. We have signed an agreement, but the terms of the contract are not currently fulfilled… Nevertheless, under the instructions of the Russian president, the decision has been made to carry out such a delivery. Hopefully, the payments will be made in future," Russia 24 TV channel has quoted Kozak on its website as saying.
© Sputnik/ Anton Denisov
Ukraine Plans to Import 1500 MW of Electricity From Russia: Energy Minister

In 2013, electricity consumption in Ukraine amounted to nearly 147 billion kilowatt-hours.

http://sputniknews.com/business/20141227/1016296851.html

[bemildred]

9. From Russia with no love: Party-pooping Putin cancels holiday vacation

(CNN) -- Vladimir Putin delivered a lump of coal in the Kremlin's stocking this year when he announced Thursday that he has canceled holiday vacations for members of the government.

Russia's President delivered the bad news at a December 25 meeting he convened of his government, but for those thinking that his timing was merely the diabolical twist of a maniacal scrooge, Christmas is celebrated in Russia on January 7, the traditional date in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

"The Government and its various structures cannot afford such extensive holidays, at least not this year," Putin told government ministers in a speech broadcast on state television. "You know what I am talking about."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/25/world/europe/putin-cancels-holiday-vacation/

[bemildred]

10. Eastern Ukraine prisoner exchange underway

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — A major exchange of war prisoners is getting underway in eastern Ukraine, with around 370 expected to be released.

The pro-Russia rebels are set to release 150 Ukrainian prisoners in exchange for the Ukrainian government releasing 222 captives.

Russia's Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies are reporting that the exchange is taking place on neutral ground between the sectors controlled by the insurgents and the government forces.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-2887521/Talks-Ukraine-settlement-break-down.html

[bemildred]

11. Ukraine Talks Break Down, Exchange of POWs Unconfirmed

---

In the meantime, Ukrainian officials and pro-Russian rebels will not be meeting in Belarus' capital Minsk for a round of peace talks scheduled for Friday.

Belarussian officials on Friday announced the breakdown of the negotiations but did not give a reason. It is not clear if the talks will resume at a later date.

Talks between Ukrainian government negotiators and their pro-Russian separatist counterparts have failed to produce any breakthrough to end the eight-month conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Separatist leaders were quoted as saying Thursday that the only tangible result of the talks in Belarus this week was an agreement on the terms of a prisoner exchange of about 400 fighters.

http://www.voanews.com/content/ukraine-peace-talks-break-down/2574411.html

[bemildred]

12. Putin signs new military doctrine naming NATO as Russia’s top military threat

MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin has signed a new military doctrine that describes NATO’s military buildup near the Russian borders as the top military threat amid Russia-West tensions over Ukraine.

The document released by the Kremlin on Friday maintains the provisions of the previous, 2010 edition of the military doctrine regarding the use of nuclear weapons. It says Russia could use nuclear weapons in retaliation to the use of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies, and also in case of aggression involving conventional weapons that “threatens the very existence” of the Russian state.

For the first time, the new doctrine says that Russia could use precision weapons “as part of strategic deterrent measures.” The document doesn’t spell out conditions for their use.

Putin signed the new doctrine just as a major exchange of war prisoners was expected Friday. But the swap was embroiled in controversy, with some reports saying it has been completed and others saying it had has been pushed back a day.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/12/26/putin-signs-new-military-doctrine-naming-nato-as-russias-top-military-threat/

[jakeXT]

13. 2014, the U.S.-led NATO military alliance was a coalition in search of a new mission and identity.

At the start of 2014, the U.S.-led NATO military alliance was a coalition in search of a new mission and identity.

The war in Afghanistan was coming to a close. Europe, which faced no external security threats, was largely peaceful. And the future of the U.S. military presence on the continent, regarded by many critics as an outdated Cold War relic, was under the microscope as budget pressures raised the specter of more force cuts.

But by March, everything changed.

..

While the crisis in Ukraine has rejuvenated NATO and the U.S. military mission in Europe, challenges remain. NATO members still struggle to meet defense spending benchmarks and the U.S. military still faces deep spending cuts that could affect the future mission in Europe. If the alliance intends to bulk up its presence in eastern Europe, conduct more military drills in the region and enhance its crisis response capabilities, it will need to invest more resources, alliance officials have stated

...

Analysts say rapprochement between the West and Russia is unlikely in the near term, which means tensions are likely to remain high in the coming year.

http://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/year-in-review-2014/us-allies-ramp-up-presence-after-unrest-in-eastern-europe-1.320804

Thank god NATO found a new mission...what would they do without one ?

[bemildred]

19. NATO poses no threat to Russia or any other nation (Updated)

BRUSSELS - NATO poses no threat either to Russia or any other country, NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu told Interfax on Dec. 26 when asked to comment on the section of Russia's new military doctrine concerning NATO.

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/nato-poses-no-threat-to-russia-or-any-other-nation-376225.html

[bemildred]

22. Nato hits back at Russia for listing alliance as top security threat

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/nato-hits-back-russia-listing-alliance-top-security-threat-1481048

[bemildred]

14. Russia to supply coal to Ukraine without prepayment - Ukrainian ministry

KIEV, December 27. /TASS/. Ukraine will start getting Russian coal without prepayment, the Ukrainian Regional Development Ministry said on its website with reference to the presidential press-service.

“The Ukrainian presidential administration says that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a decision to arrange for the supplies of Russian electricity and coal starting from December 26 in an amount of 50,000 tonnes a day without waiting for prepayment,” the report says.

Ukraine’s coal output in November 2014 nearly halved on November 2013, dropping from 7.3 million tons to 4.1 million tons, Ukrainian media said on December, 9, citing the country’s ministry of energy and coal industry.

Since the beginning of the year, coal output was 61.5 million tons.

http://itar-tass.com/en/world/769576

[bemildred]

15. Exchange of prisoners between Ukraine authorities and pro-Russia rebels goes ahead

Ukraine handed over 222 prisoners and the rebels released 145 people, according to Russia's state RIA Novosti news agency - the biggest one-time prisoners swap since the pro-Russian insurgency flared up in eastern Ukraine in April.

Hundreds of others were released during previous months.

Numbers of those to be released varied today and tensions were flying high as buses carrying the prisoners arrived at a site north of the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

At some point during the exchange, separatist rights ombudsman Darya Morozova was quoted by Tass news agency as saying that the exchange was pushed back until tomorrow.

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/exchange-of-prisoners-between-ukraine-authorities-and-prorussia-rebels-goes-ahead-30864103.html

[bemildred]

16. Russia halts grain exports to protect domestic supply

Russia's grain exports have stopped due to curbs brought in to protect domestic supply, putting big deals at risk, an influential farm lobby group said on Wednesday. Russia's main wheat buyers are Turkey, Iran and, very vulnerable to supply disruption, Egypt. Moscow imposed informal grain export controls with tougher quality monitoring and limits on railroad loadings earlier this month, as it tackles a financial crisis linked to plunging oil and Western sanctions.

"Since last Thursday not a single vessel, which had been due to sail under contracts, has left," Arkady Zlochevsky, the head of Russia's Grain Union, the farmers lobby group, said. Officials also plan to impose duty on grain exports. Zlochevsky said its exact level was an unimportant detail, as he was sure it would be prohibitive. "All loadings are suspended, there is only a need to legally formalize it," Zlochevsky said. Global wheat futures rose after his comments. A spokeswoman for Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who had promised to prepare the proposal for an export duty, was not available for comment. Zlochevsky criticized the decision to impose restrictions for the third time in six years. Russia imposed a duty on wheat exports in 2008 and an official ban in 2010 when a drought hit its crop.

The 2010 ban was partially responsible for triggering social unrest and a revolution in Egypt as more than 500,000 tons were not supplied and global prices rose damaging Egypt's state bread subsidy program, Zlochevsky said. About 3 million tons of grain due for export until the end of January were now stuck, Zlochevsky said. As a result, Russia may fail to supply wheat to Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), the state buyer of the world's largest wheat importer, in January, he added. "Of course, it includes supplies to GASC. How would we be able to supply it?" He said shipments would only be possible if and when the government makes an exception for Egypt. Mamdouh Abdel Fattah, GASC's vice chairman told Reuters on Wednesday that trading companies were obliged to abide by their contracts to ship Russian wheat to Egypt. GASC purchased 180,000 tonnes of wheat for January shipment, of which 120,000 tonnes for Jan 11-20 shipment purchased on Dec 11 and 60,000 tonnes for Jan 21-31, bought on Saturday.

http://www.dailysabah.com/money/2014/12/26/russia-halts-grain-exports-to-protect-domestic-supply

[bemildred]

21. Egyptian shipments of wheat avert Russia's February new export duty

Russia will apply a duty on its wheat exports starting February, a month after the latest due shipments to Egypt, the world's largest wheat importer, are sent.

The Russian government has said it will apply a duty of at least 35 Euros ($43) per ton of wheat sent for export as it tries to lower prices on its domestic market, hit by the ruble's fall.

Russia's Grain Farmers Union warned the duty could lead to a possible "loss of confidence in Russia as a reliable supplier of grain to the international market, in particular by key importers such as Turkey, Egypt or Iran."

Egypt already signed deals to import around 180,000 tons of Russian wheat to be delivered throughout January.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/118865/Business/Economy/Egyptian-shipments-of-wheat-avert-Russias-February.aspx

[bemildred]

17. Russia to Deliver 500 000 Tonnes of Coal per month to Ukraine

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak has informed that the country is ready to supply up to one million tonnes of coal per month to Ukraine to help it solve its energy problems.

Kozak, as cited by RIA Novosti, made clear that Russia would supply Ukraine with 500 000 tonnes of coal per month, with an option to double the deliveries, in case an additional agreement was signed on the matter.

Ukraine has been experiencing problems with power generation due to coal shortages.

Over the past week, Ukraine cut off power supplies to Crimea twice, on Wednesday and on Friday.

http://www.novinite.com/articles/165642/Russia+to+Deliver+500+000+Tonnes+of+Coal+per+month+to+Ukraine

[bemildred]

18. Ukraine Wants To Join NATO And Fight Russia: U.S. Must Say No And Make Alliance An Issue of Security

Yeah, I know, Forbes, Cato, etc. But he's right.

The Ukrainian parliament has repealed the law barring participation in NATO. As a sovereign state Kiev is entitled to ask to join the transatlantic alliance. The U.S. has an equal right, even duty, to answer no.

Throughout most of its young life Ukraine has looked both east and west. People wanted to take advantage of the bountiful economic opportunities in Europe and America while preserving commercial and cultural relations with Russia. The majority wanted to join the European Union but not NATO.

President Viktor Yushchenko, the disastrous 2005 election winner backed by the U.S., unsuccessfully pushed his country to join the Western military alliance. In 2010 his successor won approval of legislation promoting “nonalignment” and mandating “nonparticipation of Ukraine in the military-political alliances.” But after months of conflict and a revolution in government this week Ukraine’s Rada repealed that law. “Finally, we corrected a mistake,” said President Petro Poroshenko. “Ukraine’s nonaligned status is out.”

The vote is not the same as an application to join NATO and Ukrainian officials admit that their country will not soon satisfy alliance requirements. However, Poroshenko favors membership, as do a majority of Ukrainians. An application undoubtedly will be forthcoming if Kiev believes it will be approved.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2014/12/26/ukraine-wants-to-join-nato-and-fight-russia-u-s-must-say-no-and-make-alliance-an-issue-of-security-not-charity/

[bemildred]

23. Ukraine: All quiet on the eastern front

Schastiye, Ukraine - In eastern Ukraine, the latest in a series of fragile ceasefires between government troops and separatist pro-Russian rebels has finally brought quiet to this stretch of the front.

Since the ceasefire came into effect on December 9, the ground no longer trembles for the first time in months. Only the occasional crack of sniper fire pierces a silence that has descended on the front line, roughly 16 kilometres from the city of Luhansk.

This is the second attempt in recent weeks to bring an end to the brutal - and often indiscriminate - artillery barrages that rocked positions in Ukraine since the September ceasefire accord unravelled.

The weeks leading up to the current ceasefire saw violence escalate between Ukrainian government forces and separatist rebels, who have been fighting since March after Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine, following the popular overthrow of Moscow-backed president Victor Yanukovich.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/12/ukraine-all-quiet-eastern-front-2014122764519188296.html