Excerpts from the most important news on Ukraine
DoJ stepped up its investigation into Deutsche Bank
07.12.2019
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has intensified its investigation into Deutsche Bank’s involvement in Danske Bank money laundering scandal, Reuters reports.One source familiar with the matter stated the DoJ has established a new line of inquiry into whether Deutsche Bank helped transport tainted money from Danske into the US.DoJ officials have also begun working with Frankfurt state prosecutors as well as those in Estonia, the sources claimed. Frankfurt prosecutors are looking into Deutsche’s role in processing payments for ...US Treasury Sanctions russian cybercriminal organization
07.12.2019
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against Evil Corp, the russia-based cybercriminal organization responsible for the development and distribution of the Dridex malware. Evil Corp has used the Dridex malware to infect computers and harvest login credentials from hundreds of banks and financial institutions in over 40 countries, causing more than $100 million in theft, treasury.gov reports.This malicious software has caused millions of dollars of damage to U.S. and international financial institutions and their ...Belarusians protest integration deal with russia
07.12.2019
Belarusians are hitting the streets to protest against what they say could be a full capitulation to moscow, lrt.lt reports.The protesters are calling for the Belarusian leader to withstand moscow’s pressure and not to sign a new integration deal between Belarus and russia. The Union State agreement from 1999 is due to be renewed in 2020, and previous media reports suggested it may include a de facto confederacy between the two states.The scope of the renewed Union State agreement that ...Ukraine sends International Criminal Court details of execution of Ukrainian POWs by russia
07.12.2019
The Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union prepared and sent an information notice to the International Criminal Court about extrajudicial executions Ukrainian soldiers by russians.The message consists of the facts of the extrajudicial executions of 9 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by fighters of the so-called ‘Cossack Union’ Don Army Oblast during the fighting for Ilovaysk in 2014 and Debaltseve in 2015. This report will be considered by the Office of the Prosecutor ...EU Bank launches new program to strengthen the agri-food sector
06.12.2019
The European Investment Bank and mid-caps in Ukraine, eib.org reports.The program is intended to help Ukraine benefit from the opportunities offered by the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area .The EIB funds will ...Kyiv-Odesa highway will be changed into a European standard motorway
04.12.2019
The Ukrainian authorities and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have signed a EUR 900 million memorandum of understanding that should transform the Kyiv-Odesa highway into a European standard motorway within the next three years.The funding, which will also help finance the construction of a new highway bypass to the north of Lviv, will be issued jointly by the EBRD and the European Investment Bank.The Kyiv-Odesa road connects the Ukrainian capital to the country’s major Black Sea port ...STADA has announced the acquisition of Ukraine’s key pharmaceutical producer
02.12.2019
German-based global pharma giant STADA has announced the acquisition of the pharmaceutical business of Biopharma, one of Ukraine’s key pharmaceutical producers.The deal, which is set to close by the end of December 2019, includes Biopharma’s modern production facilities in the Kyiv region. The purchase, for an undisclosed fee, represents a significant landmark for the Ukrainian pharmaceutical industry and is one of the largest international investments in Ukraine in recent years.“We see great potential in the Ukrainian market. With this acquisition, ...Investigative reporter filed a complaint against the BBC
01.12.2019
John Sweeney, a BBC investigative reporter, accused the broadcasting corporation of pulling the plug on politically sensitive reports with connection to russia.“I am writing to you as a reluctant whistle-blower to ask for a thorough investigation into BBC News and Current Affairs in regard to, firstly, a number of films relating to the far-right, russia and Brexit that were not broadcast, secondly, films that were broadcast but were improperly compromised and, thirdly, a number of senior journalists who have been ...russia spends at least USD 1.2bn a year on disinformation
30.11.2019
The World Economic Forum ranks the spread of misinformation and fake news, as among the world’s top global risks. In line with other reports, the forum finds that fake news outlets and operations are seeing unprecedented traffic and engagement.According to the new research conducted by a University of Baltimore economist and AI and cybersecurity company CHEQ, the creation and dissemination of fake news encompass state-sponsored bad actors, motivated by ideology, or simply plain profit.The level and costs of fake news operations ...Students want lecturer at the University of Alberta fired after calling Holodomor a ‘myth’
30.11.2019
A controversial post shared on the Facebook page of an assistant lecturer at the University of Alberta Dougal MacDonald, claiming the Holodomor genocide is a “myth,” has sparked calls for him to be fired.The Ukrainian Canadian Students’ Union is calling on the University of Alberta to “immediately terminate and censure Assistant Lecturer Dougal MacDonald for anti-Ukrainian hate speech, Holodomor denial as well as libel and defamation of a community and a former chancellor.https://www.facebook.com/SUSKNational/posts/2525943380794525?xts%5B0%5D=68.ARC6EeMtNjMI3LcwFkzY3riabDMY0w0FVzbtjE8Zc291gE3_qZvtUjygqVfoApC4m8uHghyNSVDDBdGoNa0fSL9SZErZ4IemrWnV-ZT3S3RY10dvmyD-ZBro0732yYkE6bMMn4Oy1WQK_K3cE1HYkcWczzzuVUdx7c0j3Xk6KgwNcLq400hWiOlfkTWas4kwsqZUEfszsSJjV4qGOuxT5SLN3rD7wdutQCF8LDTPhyXhq5TS-y2jmbDjaHF07fZj3i1KYnYqF7HuOZtZAs6AE4ueW068SfHC6BN7JnDmTmpwDf-VY21JRi95NUgxOjZpJiHOBexGpZtKO9GclkmI0BrQKYhittRxoX3DD0O6o1V-moAkFRv7SU0JqWiBA_YtXPgP7zpXAM2gM53Y5EDj6HO1X3QljocAkV2_kN4xvRXC_i2cbBeIspZpFWru-_Wg05Of22BjsTU5dMAvpeh8U_SagDJFti8kpxD9JM8_pAD7hw7DCBwKDwI&tn=-R“Anything less will tarnish the impeccable reputation of ...Moody’s has improved the rating outlook for seven Ukrainian banks
29.11.2019
Moody’s Investors Service has improved the rating outlook, from ‘stable’ to ‘positive’ for seven Ukrainian banks: PrivatBank, Oschadbank, Ukreximbank, Raiffeisen Bank Aval, Prominvestbank, Sberbank, and Pivdenny Bank.Moody’s also confirmed it basic credit rating of Ukrainian banks –Caa1. On PrivatBank, the subject of a takeover lawsuit by former owner Igor Kolmoisky, Moody’s wrote of the bank, nationalized three years ago: “Improving PrivatBank’s ratings is driven by an increase in Ukraine’s sovereign rating, stabilization of the banking system, and improved asset ...NBU board reports attack by the former PrivatBank owner Kolomoisky
27.11.2019
The board of the National Bank of Ukraine has stated that an attack on the NBU, which has been going on for several weeks, is being carried out by former PrivatBank owner Ihor Kolomoisky, who owes the state $5.5 billion, Ukrinorm reports.“A focused attack on the National Bank in the form of ordered speculation and slander in the media, paid rallies outside the NBU building, and even attempts by ‘hired thugs’ to forcibly invade the NBU, has been going ...
