Poroshenko on restoring control over east
KYIV – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has vowed to regain sovereignty over separatist-held areas in the country’s east in 2016. “Ukrainian sovereignty over the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions must be restored,” Mr. Poroshenko told journalists on January 14. He added that securing Crimea’s return from Russian control was a priority, saying “de-occupation” of the peninsula that was annexed by Russia in March 2014 must be implemented via international mechanisms and with EU and U.S. help. “We – the society, the army, the government – have largely strengthened our country’s defense,” the Ukrainian leader also said. “This is reflected by the fact that our enemy is losing its willingness to continue its offensive against Ukraine.” He added, “In January 2015 we had a goal to survive, and in January 2016 we have a goal to succeed. I hope everyone understands the difference.” The president said that all points of the ceasefire accords pertaining to the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk that were signed in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, must be implemented by all sides. “We will not allow any revision of the Minsk agreements,” Mr. Poroshenko said. The Minsk agreements called for the return of Ukrainian control over the border between the separatist-held areas and Russia by the end of 2015, but that and other issues agreed in the deal have not been implemented on schedule. (RFE/RL, with reporting by UNIAN, AFP and AP)
U.S., Kremlin officials discuss Ukraine
WASHINGTON – Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and Kremlin aide Vladislav Surkov met behind closed doors in Russia’s western exclave of Kaliningrad on January 15, the latest talks in a flurry of recent diplomacy to broker an end to the bloody 20-month-old war in Ukraine’s east. The meeting, held at a state residence outside Kaliningrad, focused on “the situation in eastern Ukraine and the need for full implementation of the Minsk agreements,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington, referring to measures signed in February to resolve the war between Kyiv’s forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. In a statement earlier in the day, Mr. Kirby said the meeting was part of “our continued efforts to work with Russia to ensure full implementation of the Minsk agreements, in close coordination with the other Normandy powers – Ukraine, Germany and France.” The AFP news agency cited an unidentified source familiar with the matter as saying that the meeting was held on Russian territory because Mr. Surkov, widely credited as the mastermind behind Russian President Vladimir Putin’s consolidation of political power at home, is among the Russian officials hit with Ukraine-related sanctions. Mr. Surkov was quoted by Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti news agency as saying that his talks with Nuland were “constructive and useful.” He told reporters, “It was a kind of brainstorm session in search of compromises for the fulfillment of the Minsk agreements.” In Kyiv, U.S. Embassy spokesperson Jonathan Lalley said, “We regularly engage Russian and Ukrainian government officials, our partners and allies in Europe, and other countries around the world on the situation in eastern Ukraine and on implementation of the Minsk agreements. We also routinely update our Ukrainian and European partners, including France and Germany, on our conversations with Russia. U.S. officials briefed senior Ukrainian officials at Bankova and the Ukrainian government today, Saturday, January 16, on Assistant Secretary Nuland’s discussion with Mr. Surkov. (RFE/RL, with reporting by AFP and TASS; U.S. Embassy Kyiv)
In Minsk, sides vow to abide by truce
MINSK – Negotiators at the Ukraine peace talks have vowed to make fresh efforts to enforce a shaky ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. Martin Sajdik, the envoy for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), made the comment on January 13. He spoke in Minsk after a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group, which is negotiating a settlement to the conflict that has killed more than 9,000 people since April 2014. Mr. Sajdik said the parties agreed to try again to fully halt fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia separatists and discussed new efforts to exchange war prisoners. Taking part in the Minsk talks was Boris Gryzlov, a former speaker of the Russian Parliament who has been named a Russian envoy. Mr. Gryzlov, a member of Russia’s presidential Security Council, is seen as more influential than his predecessor, Mikhail Zurabov. His appointment has been interpreted by some analysts as a sign the Kremlin wants to intensify the talks. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP, AP and Interfax)
Obama, Putin discuss Ukraine crisis
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone on January 13, discussing the crises in Ukraine and Syria, the White House said. “They spent a significant portion of their time discussing the need for the Russians to live up to the commitments that they made in Minsk – to end their support for separatists that are destabilizing Ukraine right now,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Mr. Obama told Mr. Putin that a key next step in resolving the Ukrainian crisis was for all sides to agree on the modalities of local elections in the Donbas region of Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. The two leaders also discussed a resolution to Syria’s crisis and the situation on the Korean peninsula, a Kremlin statement said. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AP and Reuters)
‘Winter on Fire’ nominated for Oscar
WASHINGTON – A documentary film about Ukraine’s Euro-Maidan protests has been nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature. The Oscar nominations were announced on January 14 at a ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif. The Oscars will be handed out on February 28. “Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom” is a 2015 documentary film about the Euro-Maidan uprising that overthrew Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The film, by director Evgeny Afineevsky, won the Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. (RFE/RL)
Canadian brigade group deploys to Ukraine
OTAWA – On January 10, the first group of approximately 200 Canadian Army soldiers from 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group deployed to Ukraine for Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s training mission to Ukraine, to relieve 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Troops, who will be returning to Canada. Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s Minister of National Defense, stated, “With the return of the troops based in Petawawa, I am pleased to see additional soldiers deploying from Valcartier to offer continued support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces under Operation UNIFIER. This important training mission demonstrates that Canada, together with our other allies, stands proudly in support of our Ukrainian friends.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress)
U.S. delivers $23 M in vital equipment
KYIV – On January 16 at Boryspil International Airport, the United States delivered $23 million in vital military communications and medical equipment to Ukraine. The shipment included $21 million in secure radio equipment to help Ukrainian soldiers communicate effectively without putting themselves in harm’s way, as well as nearly $2 million in battlefield life-saving medical equipment. After clearing customs, the U.S.-donated equipment will be delivered to Ukrainian Army units participating in U.S.-led training taking place at Yavoriv and Khmelnytsky. U.S. trainers from the Joint Multinational Training Group (JMTG-U) will train Ukrainian soldiers on the equipment for use on the frontlines. This $23 million in assistance is part of the U.S. $75 million dollar European Reassurance Initiative (ERI). Since the Ukraine conflict began, the United States has committed more than $260 million in security assistance to Ukraine, including the provision of body armor, vehicles, night and thermal vision devices, medical equipment, heavy engineering equipment, radios, patrol boats, rations, tents and counter-mortar radars. (U.S. Embassy Kyiv)
Bild: Russia finances occupied Donbas
OTTAWA – The German newspaper Bild published an extensive study of how the Russian Federation finances the Russian-occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk oblast. The report concludes, “The details of Russia’s funding of the ‘separatist regions’ in eastern Ukraine that Bild has researched reveal the true intentions in Putin’s government – in two respects: First, they are proof of a continuous and obvious violation of the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine, and they expose the tight links between the self-proclaimed ‘People’s Republics’ and the Russian Federation. These links consist in nothing less than the east-Ukrainian conflict zone’s total financial dependence on Moscow. It can, second, be seen that Putin’s Russia is not in the least interested in implementing the signed Minsk Agreement from September 2014. The agreement intends for the medium-term reintegration of the corresponding regions under Ukrainian control. Instead, Russia’s policy can rather be considered as the long-term stabilization of the internationally unacknowledged construct of the ‘people’s republics’ of Donetsk and Luhansk and the stabilization of their status quo. … Taking a closer look at the welfare situation in the ‘rebel areas’, they are best described as a colony of Russia that was established and is kept alive by Moscow.” The full report is available in English at http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/ukraine-konflikt/russia-finances-donbass-44151166.bild.html (Ukrainian Canadian Congress)
Relatives of MH17 victims demand data
AMSTERDAM – Relatives of those killed in the MH17 air disaster are demanding the release of what they say is key evidence that could shed light on the tragedy over eastern Ukraine in July 2014. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) was shot down over the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk with the loss of all 298 lives on board, most of them Dutch. The Dutch Safety Board said in its final report released on October 13, 2015, that the jet was destroyed by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile, fired from an area at the time under the control of pro-Russia separatists. A separate criminal probe is also being conducted in the Netherlands to determine who was responsible and bring them to justice. Now, Dutch relatives of the MH17 tragedy have written to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to protest that primary radar data was not made available to the investigators by either the Russian or Ukrainian authorities. “We can’t accept that people have refused to provide crucial information,” the families said in the letter, published on January 13. They are urging Mr. Rutte to push either the United Nations or the International Civil Aviation Organization to demand that the data is handed over. The families hope that may help pinpoint who fired the missile at the plane. The EU, the United States and Ukraine believe the plane was downed by Russia-backed separatists using a Buk missile system provided by the Russian military. Moscow denies providing such equipment and has suggested that the aircraft was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter jet or with a Buk fired by the Ukrainian military – claims roundly dismissed by Kyiv and Western governments. (RFE/RL, with reporting by AFP)
Dozens killed by swine flu virus
KYIV – An outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu virus has killed more than 50 people in Ukraine this winter – an increase of 10 percent over last year, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukrainian Health Minister Aleksandr Kvitashvili urged people not to panic, saying, “We haven’t exceeded the epidemic threshold, and every year January is the peak of the flu season.” Nevertheless, the outbreak is serious as many people died unnecessarily by not seeking treatment in time to be saved, he said at a Сabinet meeting on January 13. People with high temperatures should immediately consult doctors and not attempt to self-medicate, as some treatments are not effective after 48 hours, he said. The areas worst hit include Kyiv, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia and Odesa, lawmaker Irina Sysoyenko wrote on her Facebook page. She said 28 people have died from flu in Odesa and 25 in Vinnytsia. “As of today, 5.7 percent of the population is ill with the flu,” Ms. Sysoyenko wrote. “Of these, 70 percent are children and pregnant women.” According to the Health Ministry, only 0.3 percent of Ukraine’s population received flu vaccines. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by the Kyiv Post and TASS)
Ukrainians among dead in Burkina Faso
KYIV – Four of the people killed during a January 15 terrorist attack on a hotel and a restaurant in the capital of Burkina Faso were Ukrainian citizens, the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry announced on January 16. A total of 29 people have been reported killed in the attack, responsibility for which was claimed by a group called Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. At least 10 of the victims were foreigners, including six Canadians, two French, two Swiss and one U.S. citizen. The four attackers – two of them reportedly women – were killed by security forces. Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore described the attack as “cowardly and vile.” (RFE.RL, based on reporting by AP, Interfax, AFP and TASS)
Tatar leader: Crimea blockade to continue
PRAGUE – A leading Crimean Tatar activist has vowed that a months-long, civilian-led blockade of the annexed peninsula will continue until it is freed from Kremlin control, stressing that only concrete action can be effective. “We showed the Tatars in Crimea, Ukrainians and all pro-Ukrainian people that there is a genuine movement under way to free Crimea,” explained Lenur Islyamov to RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service in a video interview. The Crimean Tatars and other groups have blocked road links from mainland Ukraine to Crimea since September and are suspected of blowing up electricity pylons in November, disrupting power supplies from Ukraine to the peninsula for weeks. The incident heightened tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, with Russia retaliating by cutting off coal exports to Ukraine. The blockade has also meant hardship for much of the peninsula’s 2.3 million people, about 250,000 of whom are Crimean Tatars whose presence on the peninsula dates back centuries. Amid shortages of basic items, including food, some are questioning whether the strategy could backfire and make enemies of potential allies. However, Mr. Islyamov, a former deputy prime minister of Crimea, while acknowledging the blockade “may be harsh in some ways,” is insistent that it should continue. “Crimea is the land of the Crimean Tatars. It is our land,” he said. “Therefore, when we organize an economic blockade, or an energy blockade, we are completely within our rights. We are Crimean Tatars. Crimea is our land.” Mr. Islyamov said in mid-December that the blockade would be extended to the sea early this year. “We have several stages,” Newsweek quoted him as saying. “At the beginning it was a product blockade and we did it. Next came the energy blockade. We did that too.” He added, “We would like to make the occupation of our land as expensive and complicated as possible. We will squeeze out and burn out the occupiers from Crimea, because this is our land, our graves, and our history.” Speaking to RFE/RL, Mr. Islyamov said it made absolutely no sense to cooperate in any way with the “occupier,” Russia. “If an occupier has taken over your territory, then let him supply his own housing, food, medicine and everything else,” he said. “Why should we trade with a government that occupied our land, and is holding us, our relatives, kids, and other loved ones as hostages?” (Tony Wesolowsky of RFE/RL)
Kyiv: No power for occupied Crimea
KYIV – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine is prepared to restore electricity to Crimea after more than a month of severe outages, but only if the peninsula annexed by Russia rejoins Ukraine. “We are ready to supply electricity to Crimea that is Ukrainian. You can have it if you want. If not, we’ll wait until Ukrainian sovereignty over Crimea is restored,” he said on January 14 at his annual press conference. Russia has refused to go along with Ukraine’s conditions for renewing a contract that expired on January 1 to provide Crimea with electricity. Mr. Poroshenko said Ukraine is prepared to “assure supplies of electricity,” but the contract must stipulate that Crimea is an “autonomous republic” of Ukraine. He insisted that Kyiv is doing what it can to “prevent more complications in the lives” of Crimeans, but pointed out that Crimean leaders themselves had declined to renew the power contract. Residents of the peninsula have been experiencing chronic power shortages since the main lines carrying power from Ukraine were blown up on November 22, 2015. A partial restoration of electricity during December came to a complete halt after another attack on the power facilities on December 30. (RFE/RL, with reporting by TASS)