Excerpts from the most important news on Ukraine
Budapest inciting ethnic hatred in Zakarpattia for kremlin’s money
28.12.2018
The Hungarian side, now in the person of the Party of Hungarians of Ukraine, duly registered in Ukraine (“Society of Hungarian Culture of Transcarpathia («Karpataljai magyar kulturalis szovetseg (KMKSZ) together with the Center for Sociological Research named after Tivadar Legocki continues manipulating public opinion in Ukraine’s Zakarpatia region, carrying out anti-Ukrainian activities to incite and fuel ethnic hatred and intolerance.In 2018, the organizations drafted and published a small brochure titled “Anti-Hungarian actions in Ukraine,” where Ukraine is directly ...All Ukrainian sailors captured by russia declare themselves prisoners of war
28.12.2018
All 24 Ukrainian sailors captured by russia near the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea on November 25 have declared themselves to be prisoners of war.“As of December 27, all 24 captured Ukrainian sailors told the investigation that they were prisoners of war,” russian lawyer Nikolai Polozov, who defends the Ukrainians, wrote on Facebook.The last two sailors, Andriy Eyder and Andriy Artemenko, who were wounded during russia’s attack on their boats, announced their POW status on Thursday, December ...Norwegian company secures funds for Ukrainian solar project
28.12.2018
Scatec Solar ASA (OSL:SSO) of Norway has secured the needed funds for the 30-MW Kamianka photovoltaic (PV) project in Ukraine. According to RenewablesNow,construction of which will start in early 2019.The project will receive non-recourse debt financing totalling EUR 24.5 million (USD 28m) from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Dutch development bank FMO.The syndicated loan, arranged by the EBRD, will cover 70% of the overall project costs. It includes an A Loan of EUR 12.25 million ...Ukraine Defense Sector will Get 5% GDP in 2019
28.12.2018
More than ₴ 102 billion allocated for the Ukrainian army within the Ukrainian state budget for 2019, reports ua|tv.This amount is ₴ 16 billion more than the defense budget allocated to the sector for the previous year.Expenditures exclusively for defense will exceed 3% of GDP in 2019. The general defense and security sector planned to accept more than 5% of GDP.Poroshenko: Ukraine will never retreat from using its Azov seaports
27.12.2018
President Petro Poroshenko stressed that the crisis in the Azov Sea area did not explode immediately. Ukraine has repeatedly drawn the attention of its partners to the provocations of russians, escalation in the region and attempts by russians to turn Azov into their inland lake.“At times, I will say frankly, the impression was that some of our friends underestimated the obvious risks, although we provided absolutely objective information to our partners. We were not dramatizing. And only the aggressive actions ...moscow could launch attack on Ukraine while the world is distracted
27.12.2018
As people in the West get comfortable for the holidays, the chances increase that russia will take advantage of the distraction to launch attacks against Ukraine, reports Newsweek.“moscow likes to commit aggression when the world is not paying attention,” ambassador John Herbst, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006, told Newsweek. “It invaded Afghanistan during the Christmas season in 1979 and attacked Georgia during August vacation season.”“The russians are seeking complete dominance over the Kerch Strait and the ...Moody’s upgrades Ukraine’s rating to Caa1 from Caa2
24.12.2018
Moody’s has upgraded Government of Ukraine’s issuer and senior unsecured bond ratings to Caa1 from Caa2. The outlook on these ratings has been changed to stable from positive.The key drivers for the upgrade to Caa1 from Caa2 are the following:1. The anticipated improvement in external strength as a consequence of the new Stand-by Arrangement reached with the IMF, including the likelihood of renewed capital market access that will reduce the risk of default;2. Our expectations that recently adopted reforms will ...Volker: russia reluctant to end conflict with Ukraine
23.12.2018
russian Federation rejected the idea of holding a meeting within the framework of the Budapest Memorandum to discuss Ukraine and the issue of restoring its territorial integrity, said in an interview for the Den’ newspaper U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker.Volker confirmed that Washington had supported the idea of convening such meeting but it was russia who shunned from it. He went on to call russia the only state that has violated the Budapest Memorandum, defying the forum ...IMF approves $3.9bn loan for Ukraine
23.12.2018
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a new US$3.9 billion bailout programme for Ukraine to help stabilize the economy and help the government pay back its debts. The decision will see Kyiv receiving a first disbursement of $1.4bn this month from the 14-month programme. The IMF’s decision will help reassure investors. The IMF is expected to consider releasing the next tranches in May and November, according to the country’s Finance Ministry.Slack will suspend accounts in Crimea
23.12.2018
Slack complies with US Department of Commerce sanctions and as such currently prohibits unauthorized use in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and the region of Crimea.Users who travel to a sanctioned country may not be able to access Slack while they remain in that country. Slack said it will suspend user accounts, but once they return to a non-sanctioned market, full access will be restored.Ukrainian ships will try to pass through the Kerch Strait
21.12.2018
Ukrainian ships will try to pass through the Kerch Strait, taking representatives of OSCE and other international organizations on board, said the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov to the BBC Ukrainian bureau. “If we stop and retreat, russia will actually fulfill its task of seizing the Azov Sea, presenting to the rest of the world the new self-defined sea borders in the Black Sea, de facto legalizing the occupation of the Crimea,” the NSDC secretary said.Ukraine is the front line of putin’s struggle against the free world
21.12.2018
U.S. Senators Ron Johnson, Richard Durbin, and 39 of their colleagues introduced a resolution calling for a prompt multinational freedom of navigation operation in the Black Sea and the cancellation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in response to russia’s recent aggressive actions in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov. “The United States and our allies need to rapidly counter russia’s military aggression in the Kerch Strait with strong and resolute action,” Sen. Johnson said. “Assembling a multinational freedom ...
