Move to lift ban on farmland sale
Ukraine’s Parliament has passed a bill in its first reading to remove a ban on the sale of farmland, a move supported by the country’s foreign backers and hailed by Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk as a step away from “feudalism.” A total of 240 lawmakers backed the bill on November 13 to lift the nearly two-decade ban in October 2020, as dozens of protesters opposed to the reform gathered outside the Parliament building. The proposed legislation, which is strongly promoted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, must be voted on a second time to come into force. “This day will go down in the history of Ukraine,” Honcharuk said in a Facebook post after the vote. “Finally, we can move away from feudalism to real market relations as a fully fledged, developed country,” the prime minister added. Those who want to scrap the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land, which was introduced in 2001, say the move would unlock enormous investment potential. However, critics raised concerns that it could allow local oligarchs and foreigners to force out poorer Ukrainians in purchasing plots. The draft bill limits the area that could be accumulated by one person or entity and stipulates that foreigners will not be able to buy land until 2024, but Mr. Zelenskyy has said that matter should be put to a referendum. Ukraine, one of the world’s top grain exporters, has more than 40 million hectares of fertile farmland that cover nearly 70 percent of its territory. Creating a farmland market by lifting the moratorium could add $15 billion a year to Ukraine’s economic output and increase yearly gross domestic product by about 1.5 percentage points, according to the World Bank. The European Union representative office in Ukraine said the bloc supports plans to open the land market in Ukraine, but it insisted that the reform must be “based on rule of law and principles of sustainability, fairness, inclusiveness, and transparency of land-related data.” The EU office added, “Priority to small farmers, safeguards must be put in place to avoid concentration of land ownership.” (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, with reporting by Reuters and AFP)
ICJ can judge complaints against Russia
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear Kyiv’s terrorism-financing complaint against Russia over Moscow’s activities in eastern Ukraine. The November 8 ruling, read out at the Hague-based United Nations court by Presiding Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf, said conditions had been met for the case to be heard in full. It also rejected Russia’s argument that the court does not have jurisdiction in the case. Kyiv alleges Moscow has breached a treaty on terrorism financing by arming and supporting pro-Russia militants in eastern Ukraine since 2014. Kyiv has also charged that Russia-installed authorities have been suppressing the rights of ethnic Tatars and other minorities since Russia occupied and illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014. The case opens a new legal front in strained relations between Russia and Ukraine and could take years to resolve. Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Olena Zerkal told journalists in Kyiv on November 8 that the ruling was a “great victory for Ukraine” and “a victory of the rule of law.” She added, “We can move forward and [present] all arguments at the court and for the international community, concerning violations which [took place] on Ukrainian soil.” Ms. Zerkal underscored: “That means that Russia will be [held] accountable.” She also said authorities in Kyiv think the ruling could set a precedent that will have an impact on other cases filed against Russia in connection with its activities on Ukrainian territory. “This court will hear this case and it might be that it will [have] influence on the Russian position at the [U.N.] Security Council and that we will achieve justice,” Ms. Zerkal said. The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington said the decision was a “landmark day for Ukraine.” In a statement on Facebook, the Embassy said: “It means that, despite Russia’s efforts to avoid accountability, Ukraine’s claims regarding the financing of terrorism in Ukraine and racial discrimination in Crimea by Russia will now move forward to a full hearing.” Justice Yusuf noted that the ICJ’s ruling was limited to the issue of whether the U.N. court has jurisdiction and does not address the merits of Ukraine’s complaints, which were filed in January 2017. Ukraine has asked the ICJ to order Moscow to stop financing militants in eastern Ukraine and to pay compensation for attacks – including the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine, which killed all 298 passengers and crew on board. Ukraine also asked the U.N. court to order Russia to stop discriminating against ethnic Tatars in Crimea. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters, AP and AFP)
Six Crimeans sentenced for extremism
A Russian court has handed lengthy prison terms to six men from Ukraine’s Crimea region, five of whom are Crimean Tatars, for being members of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group. The Southern District Military Court in the city of Rostov-on-Don on November 12 sentenced Muslim Aliyev to 19 years, Enver Bekirov to 18 years, Vadym Syruk and prominent human rights defender Emir-Useyn Kuku to 12 years, Refat Alimov to eight years, and Arsen Dzhepparov to seven years in prison. Amnesty International blasted the Russian authorities for showing “remarkable cruelty,” saying the six men were sentenced to lengthy prison terms on “trumped-up” charges after a “sham” trial. The Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry protested against the court’s “illegal” ruling, and urged the international community to “step up political, diplomatic, and sanctions pressure on the aggressor state to help put an end to human rights abuses” in Crimea. Since Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula, its authorities have prosecuted dozens of Crimean Tatars for allegedly belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Rights groups and Western governments have denounced what they describe as a campaign of repression by the Russian-imposed authorities in Crimea, who are targeting members of the Turkic-speaking Crimean Tatar community and others who have spoken out against Moscow’s takeover of the peninsula. The six men, who were arrested in February 2016, were found guilty of “organizing and taking part in the activities of a terrorist group and plotting an armed power seizure.” All six said they were not guilty and Ayder Azamatov, a lawyer for one of the defendants, told RFE/RL that the sentences will be appealed. In a statement, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia director, Marie Struthers, urged the Russian authorities to “immediately quash the unjust convictions and release the six men.” She added, “Emir-Usein Kuku is behind bars simply for speaking out for the rights of the Crimean Tatar community. It is devastating that he has fallen victim to the overt repression of the occupying power.” Hizb ut-Tahrir is banned in Russia as a terrorist organization but operates legally in Ukraine. However, Moscow imposed its own laws on the Crimean Peninsula after it annexed the territory in 2014. (Current Time, Crimea Desk, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Kremlin lukewarm on meeting proposal
Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has proposed face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ease tensions between the two countries as a conflict pitting Kyiv against pro-Russia separatists rages in eastern Ukraine. Mr. Nazarbaev told a conference in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan, on November 12 that Mr. Zelenskyy had agreed to take part in such a meeting. Though the Kremlin appeared less enthusiastic about Mr. Nazarbaev’s proposal, Mr. Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Moscow wanted to bring Russian-Ukrainian ties “back to normal,” though this needed “a mutual approach by Kyiv” to happen. “Certainly, Putin… believes a meeting just for the sake of a meeting will be barely fruitful and it should be prepared first. …We are all focused on preparations for the Normandy-format talks,” Mr. Peskov said. The “Normandy format” refers to four-way talks between Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany. “If they [Putin and Zelenskyy] need a neutral site for talks, I have offered Kazakhstan,” Mr. Nazarbaev said. Mr. Nazarbaev’s office said earlier that the former president discussed by phone with the Russian leader the possibility of holding a Putin-Zelenskyy summit. It remains unclear when exactly Mr. Nazarbaev talked about the issue with Mr. Zelenskyy. Mr. Zelenskyy has said that he would not exclude a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Putin, but added that such talks most likely would be held during the next Normandy-format talks. On November 11, the Russian president discussed plans for holding the next Normandy-format talks in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Kremlin said. The last Normandy talks took place in October 2016. One of the conditions for the next Normandy talks was a mutual pullback of troops by Ukrainian armed forces and pro-Russian separatists, which both sides announced as completed on November 11. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Kommersant, TASS, Kazinform, Tengrinews and Reuters)
Ukraine launches probe into Portnov
Ukrainian police have launched a probe against Andriy Portnov, the ex-deputy chairman of the presidential administration who is accused of obstructing the professional activities of RFE/RL journalists. Maksym Tsutskiridze, the deputy chief of the National Police, told RFE/RL on November 7 that the probe was initiated the day before under two articles of the Criminal Code – “obstruction of the legitimate professional activity of journalists” and “threats or violence against a journalist.” Mr. Portnov responded on his Telegram messenger channel, saying that he would file a “symmetrical” police report on RFE/RL for the same offenses – since October 30, he has claimed to be in the employ of 112 Ukraine television and maintains that he enjoys the same level of journalistic protection. Mr. Portnov has released the personal data of several members of the investigative journalism group Skhemy (Schemes), a joint project run by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and UA:Pershy television, which was looking into his relations and dealings with current officials in the Ukrainian government. The release by the former lawmaker and deputy head of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s administration included registration data on 16 vehicles used by editorial and staff members of Schemes. Coming in batches, the first release on October 31 included the passport data, home address, name and date of birth of a driver contracted to Skhemy. Mr. Portnov’s Telegram posts have also threatened the journalists with physical harm by inviting anyone who comes across these vehicles to “give a stiff rebuff” to the drivers. RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has condemned Mr. Portnov’s actions, calling them “unacceptable,” and has urged Ukrainian authorities to “hold accountable those who commit actions that undermine the public’s belief in Ukraine’s commitment to freedom of expression.” Mr. Portnov initially fled to Russia along with Mr. Yanukovych and other high-level officials in the wake of the 2014 pro-democracy Euromaidan movement. He returned after this year’s presidential election. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
A bribery suspect in president’s office
Ukrainian anti-corruption detectives on November 12 have detained the head of one of the main departments at the Presidential Office for allegedly demanding a $300,000 bribe, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) said on Facebook. The official was arrested while taking half the amount from an individual as payment for assistance in getting a person appointed to a management position at the state-run Naftogaz oil and gas conglomerate. The SAP would only say the suspect is a woman and didn’t name the presidential department where she works. A former deputy culture minister was also detained along with an unspecified number of other suspects that SAP alleged constituted an “organized crime group.” The Presidential Office on Facebook also didn’t name the principal suspect and the department. “This person has worked in various departments of the Presidential Administration since 2005,” the Presidential Office said. “There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ for the head of state. Corruption must be uprooted: the higher the position of the corrupt individual, the more dangerous are their abusive practices toward the state.” (RFE/RL, based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, Censor.net, Gordonua, Novoye Vremya, Interfax, and Ukrayinska Pravda)
Arrest in faulty bulletproof-vest case
A Kyiv court during a custody hearing on November 11 ordered a major general at the Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense to six months in pretrial detention or release on bail set at $3.1 million in a public-procurement embezzlement case involving substandard bulletproof vests. Dmytro Marchenko, the main directorate chief at the Defense Ministry, is accused with four other suspects of causing about $4 million in losses to the state when purchasing 100,000 sets of military uniforms, 20,000 inferior bulletproof vests and defective tents for the army at inflated prices. Three out of five bulletproof vests were found to be pierceable during testing, State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) chief Roman Truba said on his Telegram messaging channel. In July, the DBR published audio recordings of Defense Ministry officials speaking about the specific brand of vests that were bought, their low quality, of having knowledge bullets could pierce them, and that they didn’t meet technical standards. The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv has yet to preside over custody hearings for the other four suspects, who have not been named. Mr. Truba added that more suspects will be arrested in the case in the future. In June, the DBR conducted 40 searches at the residences of dozens of Defense Ministry officials related to purchases of military gear at inflated prices. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Ukrayinska Pravda and Interfax).
Activist flees Russia after assault
A Russian activist who has criticized the government for the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014 has fled the country after he was attacked and threatened. Damir Mukhammadayev, from the city of Kaliningrad in Russia’s western exclave by the same name, sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland, told RFE/RL on November 6 that he and his family had left Russia, fearing for their safety. Mr. Mukhammadayev has taken part in rallies to protest Crimea’s annexation and persecution of Crimean Tatars by Russian authorities. In 2016 he was viciously beaten up by unidentified attackers. He told RFE/RL that Russian law enforcement officers tried to recruit him as an informer in July and threatened to imprison him. “We first left for a former Soviet republic and later moved to a country in the West. At this point I cannot tell you my exact location due to security reasons,” Mr. Mukhammadayev said. Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014 and began backing separatists in Ukraine’s east, where more than 13,000 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Forces complete pullback from frontline
Kyiv and Russia-backed militants say they have completed a pullback of troops and weapons from a third frontline area in eastern Ukraine. The move is one of a series of confidence-building measures that could pave the way for a four-way summit aimed at ending the conflict in Luhansk and Donetsk regions that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014. Ukraine’s military said its forces completed the withdrawal from the settlements of Petrivske and Bohdanivka in the Donetsk region at noon on November 11. A total of 42 servicemen, three armored vehicles and 48 small arms were moved one kilometer back, according to Oleksandr Shtupun, a Ukrainian military spokesman. Mine clearance in the area was to begin on November 12, after monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) confirm the withdrawal of forces. A representative of the “separatists” in the Luhansk region previously said they had fully withdrawn from the area. The disengagement began on November 9 following a recent similar withdrawal in two others sections of the frontline in the neighboring Luhansk region. The mutual withdrawal of military forces from the three frontline areas stem from a breakthrough in talks between Kyiv and Moscow on October 1 that set preconditions for a face-to-face, four-way meeting to end the conflict. Also on November 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed plans for holding a summit between Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to the Kremlin. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said there was a “possibility that the summit could be held before the end of the year.” (RFE/RL, with reporting by AP, UNIAN, Interfax and TASS)
Trains to Crimea to cross Kerch Bridge
The first trains from mainland Russia to the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula across the newly constructed bridge over the Kerch Strait will start rolling next month, TASS reported, citing the Grand Service Express carrier. The privately owned railway company on November 7 announced the first train will depart from St. Petersburg for Sevastopol on December 23 and will travel 2,741 kilometers in 43.5 hours. Tickets go on sale on November 8 with prices for that route starting at $55 (U.S.).The train from Moscow to Symferopol – the peninsula’s capital city – departs on December 24 and travels 2,009 kilometers in 33 hours. Tickets start at $62. The railway section of the bridge marks its expanded use after Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the connection on May 15, 2018, for vehicular usage. With a length of 19 kilometers, the bridge cost $3.7 billion to build and is Europe’s longest, surpassing the Vasco da Gama bridge in Portugal. Kyiv has condemned the project not only for violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity but also for the bridge’s low clearance, which has encumbered maritime shipping traffic for Ukraine. Russia seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014 and quickly annexed the region in a move not recognized by the international community. Sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States have targeted those involved in building the bridge, including businessman Arkady Rotenberg, a close Putin ally whose company won construction rights for the bridge. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by TASS)