Sentsov nominated for Sakharov Prize
European lawmakers have nominated Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, who has been on hunger strike in a Russian prison for nearly four months, for this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the biggest political group in the European Parliament, tweeted on September 12 it had selected Mr. Sentsov, saying the filmmaker is “illegally imprisoned” in Russia. Other nominees for the prestigious prize include Syrian photographer Caesar and Seyran Ates, a female imam in Berlin. The members of the European Parliament will present their nominees to the chamber’s committees on foreign affairs and development on September 27, which will then shortlist three of them. The laureate is to be announced on October 25. Mr. Sentsov, a Crimean native who opposed Russia’s 2014 takeover of the Ukrainian peninsula, is serving a 20-year prison term after being convicted of terrorism in a trial that he, human rights groups, and Western governments contend was politically motivated. Imprisoned in the far northern Yamalo-Nenets region of Russia, Mr. Sentsov started a hunger strike on May 14, demanding that Russia release 64 fellow Ukrainians he considers political prisoners. The annual Sakharov Prize was established in 1988 by the EU’s parliament to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. The prize, named in honor of the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, is worth 50,000 euros ($58,000 U.S.) and will be presented to the winners at a ceremony on December 12. Previous laureates include Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl who has championed the rights of Pakistani girls to receive schooling. (Rikard Jozwiak of RFE/RL)
Silent protest in Poland for Sentsov
Rights activists staged a silent protest in Poland in support of Oleh Sentsov, the Ukrainian filmmaker who was on the 120th day of his hunger strike in a prison in Russia where he’s been in custody for more than four years. The activists stood silently on September 10 as the Russian representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe gave opening remarks at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw. Many participants wore T-shirts or had stickers on their backs saying #SaveOlehSentsov. A native of the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula, Mr. Sentsov was arrested in 2014 and a Russian court later sentenced him to 20 years in prison on trumped-up terrorism-related charges. Mr. Sentsov was a vocal opponent of Russia’s annexation of the Black Sea region, and his supporters called his jailing politically motivated. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AP and DPA)
Bartholomew names exarchs in Ukraine
Archbishop Daniel from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. and Archbishop Hilarion of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada were named as representatives in Ukraine of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Ecumenical Patriarchate appointed the two authorized representatives in preparation for the granting of autocephaly, it was reported on the Facebook page of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “Within the framework of the preparations for the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has appointed as its Exarchs in Kiev His Excellency Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon from the United States, and His Grace Bishop Ilarion of Edmonton from Canada, both of whom are serving the Ukrainian Orthodox faithful in their respective countries under the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” the message says. Earlier, on July 28, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had confirmed the intention to provide the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with autocephaly. The Bishops’ Council of the Constantinople-based Church met on September 1-3. The main topic was the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It is expected that after negotiations with bishops from all over the world, the Ecumenical Patriarchate can make a final decision concerning the terms of the Tomos of Autocephaly for Ukraine’s Church. (112.UA, Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Sushchenko’s 12-year sentence upheld
Russia’s Supreme Court has, as feared, upheld the internationally condemned 12-year maximum security prison sentence against Ukrainian journalist and Ukrinform Paris correspondent Roman Sushchenko. He has vowed to continue the struggle for justice at the European Court of Human Rights, though he also says he is hoping an exchange of prisoners will secure his release. Everything about the arrest and “trial” of Mr. Sushchenko has followed the pattern set in trials of Ukrainians since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the fact that the Supreme Court on September 12 made no change to the Moscow City Court’s June 4 sentence was no surprise, noted Halya Coynash of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (which uses the acronym KHPG). Courts in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea have consistently passed huge sentences against Ukrainians on clearly fabricated charges. There have been repeated calls for Mr. Sushchenko’s release from international bodies and numerous governments, and he was recently honored with the award ‘For Courage’ by the Andrei Sakharov Committee on Journalism as an Act of Conscience. Now that the sentence has come into force, Mr. Sushchenko may be sent any time to a Russian harsh-regime prison, KHPG pointed out. (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group)
Zakharchenko’s successor chosen in Donetsk
Denis Pushilin, the chairman of the “people’s council” of the Russia-backed formation called the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine, has been selected as the acting head of the DPR. Russian media reported on September 7 that Mr. Pushilin, 37, had been selected for the post, which was vacated when Donetsk separatist leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko was assassinated by a bomb blast in a city café on August 31. Earlier, self-proclaimed prosecutors in the unrecognized formation annulled the appointment of Dmitry Trapeznikov to the post, saying it could only be filled by “a first deputy prime minister of the DPR.” Mr. Pushilin reportedly survived two assassination attempts against him in June 2014.
DPR slates elections for November 11
On September 7, the Donetsk “people’s council” designated November 11 as the date for the election of the head of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) to replace Denis Pushilin, who was tapped as the acting leader of the DPR after the assassination of Aleksandr Zakharchenko. The Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry said on September 7 that neither Kyiv nor the international community will recognize the elections on the “temporarily occupied territories” in eastern Ukraine. “If fake ‘early elections’ are conducted, their outcome will be legally void. They will not create any legal consequences and will not be recognized by Ukraine or the global community.” The ministry also blamed Moscow for promulgating the elections and said they undermine the Minsk agreements. The move seemed to violate the Minsk accords for regulating the conflict in eastern Ukraine, under which the question of elections in areas controlled by the militants must be agreed by the tripartite contact group that includes representatives of Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the “separatists.” After Mr. Zakharchenko’s killing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the bombing was “a Ukrainian provocation… obviously aimed at derailing the implementation of the Minsk agreements.” Mr. Pushilin said on September 7 that “we have yet to decide on the DPR’s representative in Minsk.” He added, “I believe there are lots of worthy people who are ready to represent the DNR on the Minsk platform. We will make the decision shortly.” Although Russia denies involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Moscow has provided military, economic and political support to the breakaway movements controlling parts of Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In November 2016, the International Criminal Court (ICC) determined the conflict to be “an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.” (RFE/RL, with reporting by Interfax)
EU to Russia: Halt DPR, LPR ‘elections’
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has criticized a plan by Russia-backed forces in eastern Ukraine to hold elections and has called on Moscow to use its influence to stop the vote from taking place. A statement by Ms. Mogherini’s spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said reports that “so-called ‘elections’ will be held in the so-called ‘Luhansk People’s Republic’ and ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ on November 11 runs contrary to the spirit and letter of the Minsk agreements, which have specific provisions regarding the organization of local elections in that region.” It added that “all steps that would obstruct the advancement of the implementation of the Minsk agreements must be avoided” and that the EU expects “Russia in particular to make full use of its influence on the separatists in this regard.” The fighting in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 10,300 people since 2014 and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. (RFE/RL)
One killed, one wounded in 24 attacks
Militants opened fire on the positions of the Ukrainian armed forces 24 times over the past 24 hours, killing one Ukrainian soldier and wounding one more, the press center of the headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said on September 11. “Russian invaders opened fire on the positions of our troops on 24 occasions, using weapons banned by the Minsk agreements three times. The enemy fired from 120 mm and 82 mm mortars, arms of infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms… One Joint Forces serviceman was killed and one more was injured in fighting,” the JFO HQ said in a report on its Facebook page. Militants fired at Ukrainian positions near Krymske, Zolote, Luhanske, Mayorsk, Shumy, Pivdenne, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane, Lebedynske and Shyrokyne. According to Ukrainian intelligence, two militants were killed and four wounded in the past day. “Since the beginning of the current day, the enemy has shelled twice the positions of the Joint Forces from heavy machine guns and small arms near Kamianka and Shyrokyne. One serviceman was wounded in shelling,” the report noted. (Interfax-Ukraine)
One killed, three injured in Donbas
Militants fired on positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces 33 times over the past 24 hours, killing one Ukrainian serviceman and wounding three more, the press center of the headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said on September 12. “Invaders opened fire on the positions of our troops 33 times. The enemy twice used weapons banned by the Minsk agreements. Four servicemen were injured in fighting, one of them died from severe wounds,” the JFO headquarters said in a report on its Facebook page. According to the report, illegal armed formations shelled Ukrainian positions near Stanytsia Luhanska, Krymske, Zolote, Katerynivka, Luhanske, Novoluhanske, Mayorsk, Shumy, Kamianka, Pisky, Maryinka, Starohnativka, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane and Shyrokyne. “Since the beginning of the current day, the enemy has fired at the positions of the Joint Forces five times. Two cases of shelling were recorded in the Luhansk sector near Krymske, and the others in the Mariupol sector near the settlements of Hnutove and Vodiane,” the press center said. According to Ukrainian intelligence, two militants were killed and five more were wounded over the past day. (Interfax-Ukraine)
NATO, Ukraine sign letter of cooperation
The U.S. 7th Army reported on September 7 that U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Thomson III, commander of NATO Allied Land Command, or LANDCOM, signed a letter of cooperation with the Ukrainian Army Col. Gen. Serhii Popko, commander of Ukrainian Land Forces Command, on September 6 at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in Yavoriv, Ukraine. This event took place in an intimate setting while thunder echoed – not only from the stormy sky pouring rain but also from the complex training demonstration being conducted down the road as part of Rapid Trident 2018, an exercise involving approximately 2,270 personnel from 14 nations, September 3-15. LANDCOM works to support the readiness, standardization and interoperability of the NATO alliance’s land forces. As an annual, multinational exercise designed to enhance military interoperability between Ukraine, NATO allies and Partnership for Peace nations – Rapid Trident was the opportune time to celebrate a combined commitment to cooperation. “This is a tremendous honor for LANDCOM,” Lt. Gen. Thomson said before signing the letter. “I am very excited about being here and sharing time with the Ukrainian Land Forces. Our [LANDCOM] headquarters and our staff are very excited about the future of this relationship.” Col. Gen. Popko said: “I hope we will continue our cooperation in the future. We started the cooperation with LANDCOM last year [and] we do feel some results. We are truly interested in the future cooperation that is critically essential for us [and] beneficial and hopefully, it will be interesting for LANDCOM as well.” The Ukrainian commander also took the time to thank multinational forces for helping with Ukraine’s individual, unit and collective training. A prime example of this shared assistance is the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine mission – currently manned by the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment – that is helping to build up the Yavoriv Combat Training Center and provide mentorship to assist with Ukraine’s long-term military reform. The signing of the letter of cooperation, Rapid Trident and the JMTG-U mission demonstrate the international commitment to strengthening strategic relationships, building interoperability and collective capabilities, and establishing the framework for nations to come together to achieve common security goals. “This dangerous world that we live in is uncertain and so complex that all of us working together is very, very important for our future and our shared values,” said Lt. Gen. Thomson. (7th Army Training Command)
Ground forces strengthened in Azov sector
The ground forces of Ukraine’s military have strengthened their groups in the Azov Sea sector in response to Russia’s aggressive actions at sea, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces Serhiy Popko said. “To that effect, we are taking measures to ensure full control of the situation in the region, support the actions of a naval group and ensure the reliable defense of the seacoast. We are organizing a permanent presence and control of the area by forces of combined arms brigades and territorial defense brigades, missile troops and artillery units, as well as army aviation units,” Commander Popko wrote on his Facebook page late on September 11. (Interfax-Ukraine)
IKEA to open first store in Ukraine
Ukraine’s Business News reported, “Sweden’s IKEA has signed a lease for its first store in Ukraine – 4,000 square meters in the expansion of Kyiv’s Ocean Mall that opens in 2019. In a sign that the home furnishing retailer plans a major commitment, IKEA also is negotiating with other shopping centers across Ukraine to open smaller stores in the ‘city store’ format, Liga.net reports citing commercial real estate sources.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)