Thousands come to thank Poroshenko
In an unprecedented event, several thousand people came to Bankova Street, the location of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, on April 22 to see President Petro Poroshenko, whose presidential term is about to end, in order to express gratitude for everything he did for Ukraine. Mr. Poroshenko thanked those in the crowd for their support and reminded them that he would stay in politics. He emphasized that his goals were to win the parliamentary elections and “return to Bankova” after the next presidential election. (Serhii Nuznenko/RFE/RL)
Portman on Ukraine’s election results
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) on April 22 issued a statement congratulating Volodymyr Zelensky on his election: “I congratulate President-elect Zelensky on his victory in Ukraine’s presidential election. According to international observers, this election was free, fair, and without serious incident,” Sen. Portman said. “This reflects the determination of the Ukrainian people to strengthen their democracy and preserve their national identity despite the continued pressure of Russian aggression. I have been proud to work with President [Petro] Poroshenko to help the country make real progress over the last five years. I look forward to meeting with President-elect Zelensky soon, and working with him and his administration to build on that progress and further strengthen the bond between our two countries,” he added. (Office of Sen. Rob Portman)
UWC mission concludes monitoring
On April 21 the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) International Observation Mission to Ukraine’s 2019 Elections (UWC Mission) monitored the vote during the second round of Ukraine’s presidential election in Ukraine and at Ukrainian diplomatic representations in 25 countries. The UWC Mission consisted of 249 short-term observers (STOs) registered with the Central Election Commission of Ukraine and was the third largest international observer mission to the 2019 Presidential Election in Ukraine. The UWC Mission closely cooperated with the observation mission of its member organization, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), which included 88 STOs. Together the two missions had 337 short-term observers. In addition, 122 long-term observers monitored media for any evidence of disinformation with respect to the election in 28 countries. The UWC Mission is headed by the UWC’s immediate past president, Eugene Czolij, with UWC Vice-President Andriy Futey as deputy head of mission and former UWC Vice-President Peter Sztyk as chief observer. “I thank the leadership and all observers of the UWC and UCCA Missions who, with their professional and efficient work, contributed to securing free, fair and transparent presidential elections in Ukraine during the first and second rounds, generously dedicating their time and financial resources,” stated UWC President Paul Grod. Mr. Czolij stated: “I am satisfied that the election of the president of Ukraine, held under the extraordinary circumstances of ongoing Russian military aggression against Ukraine, was conducted peacefully and offered the citizens of Ukraine the ability to vote for the next President of Ukraine in a calm environment, taking advantage of their constitutional right.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
Zelensky calls for lower natural gas price
Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the government and the state energy company Naftogaz Ukrainy to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to lower the household price for natural gas as of May 1. Ukraine raised household gas prices sharply ahead of the winter in October and secured a new $3.9 billion standby aid agreement with the IMF, whose support has been crucial for Kyiv amid economic struggles and a war with Russia-backed separatists who hold parts of eastern Ukraine. In a statement on Facebook on April 24, Mr. Zelensky’s transition team said that lower prices in Europe in recent months should enable Ukraine to set lower prices for its citizens. Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman’s Cabinet and Naftogaz have already agreed between themselves on a small decrease starting May 1 – instead of the 15 percent increase that had been planned. The Facebook statement suggested that Mr. Zelensky – who is to be inaugurated in early June – supports a price cut but wants to ensure it is agreed with the IMF. “Let’s show – not just in words but in deeds that we can take decisions in people’s interests. For the past four months, gas prices in Europe have been decreasing and now the price of gas for the population in Ukraine is higher than the price of gas on the European market,” the statement said. It urged Naftogaz and the Cabinet “to hold the appropriate consultations with the IMF” and agree on a price decrease to take effect on May 1. The statement warned that neighboring Russia could limit energy supplies to Ukraine from June 1 and might take steps to halt gas transit through Ukraine altogether at the start of 2020. Such moves by Moscow would result in significant financial losses and gas supply risks, it said, adding: “These challenges require us to take effective and fast action.” An IMF spokesman was not immediately available to comment. There was additional political context to the Facebook statement: It came less than 48 hours after Prime Minister Groysman, who has been prime minister for three years, said he will take part in parliamentary elections due in October with a party other than President Petro Poroshenko’s political grouping. Mr. Groysman said in March that he would urge the Finance Ministry and Naftogaz to start talks with the IMF to try to prevent any future rise in gas prices. He told a Cabinet meeting on April 24 that the planned decrease on May 1 – a cut of about 3.5 percent, to 8,247 hrv ($309 U.S.) per 1,000 cubic meters – would not be the last. (RFE/RL, with reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Christopher Miller in Kyiv, Reuters and Interfax-Ukraine)
Russia to pay $44.4 million to Ukrnafta
On April 12, the International Court of Arbitration in Geneva ordered the Russian Federation to pay $44.4 million (U.S.) in favor of the Ukrainian public joint-stock company Ukrnafta as compensation for the seizure of the company’s assets in annexed Crimea. The decision stipulates that Russia is also obligated to pay the accrued interest, which is estimated at over $5.5 million. In April 2014, shortly after the invasion and illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, illegal armed forces of the aggressor state seized administrative offices and 16 gas stations of PJSC Ukrnafta. In October 2014, PJSC Ukrnafta, following Part 1, Article 9 of the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Encouragement and Mutual Protection of Investments, informed the Russian Federation of violation of the rights of PJSC Ukrnafta. Ukrnafta is the largest oil-producing company in Ukraine. NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy owns 50 percent plus one share of Ukrnafta. The rest of the shares belong to private investors, including the former owners of Privat group. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
In Rada, Savchenko praises Zelensky
Ukrainian lawmaker Nadiya Savchenko has returned to Parliament a week after she was unexpectedly released from jail, where she had been held for more than a year over allegations that she plotted a terrorist attack on Parliament. Speaking on April 23, Ms. Savchenko vowed to remain in politics and said she does not plan to be in opposition to Volodymyr Zelensky, who defeated incumbent Petro Poroshenko by a wide margin in an April 21 presidential runoff election. “It was enough for me to read [his] program. Many points there are those I was talking about three years ago,” Ms. Savchenko said without giving details. “I saw in Zelensky’s program everything that had to be there. I think that must be supported.” Ms. Savchenko, who returned from Russia a hero following two years in prison there but was arrested in her home country in March 2018, was freed on April 16 because the term of her pretrial detention expired and had not been extended. She said she will continue to work as a lawmaker in the Verkhovna Rada “because I was sworn in to the Ukrainian people.” She added, “As for my political future, yes, I will stay in politics. I will not be alone. I have a team.” Before her arrest Ms. Savchenko had drawn fire from several political camps, facing criticism for holding talks with the separatists without government consent and for comments nationalists said indicated she advocated accepting Moscow’s seizure of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. After Ms. Savchenko’s release, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said that the accusations against her remain in place. Ukrainian media reports said that the next hearing in the case was scheduled for May 7. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, with reporting by UNIAN, Gordon and Interfax
Operation UNIFIER’s Roto 7 begins
On April 14, the sixth rotation (Roto 6) of the Canadian contingent which is a part of operation UNIFIER in Ukraine has passed command to the next, seventh rotation (Roto 7) during the Transfer of Command Authority (TOCA). Operation UNIFIER is the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) mission to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since the start of the mission in September 2015, more than 11,100 Ukrainian Security Forces of Ukraine (SFU) candidates have undergone training. On March 18, the government of Canada announced the extension of Operation UNIFIER until the end of March 2022. Canada sends a group of about 200 CAF members to Ukraine every six months. Roto 7 CAF members will be there until the end of March 2022. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
Zelensky pledges to hold referendum on NATO
Volodymyr Zelensky pledged on April 18 to hold a referendum on whether or not Kyiv should join NATO if he is elected president. He said, “we have clearly chosen our path to Europe,” but added that it was critical to build a nationwide consensus on joining the alliance. “It’s obvious that NATO means security and a high level of [our] military, but I want to unite the country,” he told RBK Ukraine. Mr. Zelensky added that he would work to convince people in the mostly Russian-speaking eastern parts of Ukraine to overcome their negative view of NATO. “I will record daily video appeals to the eastern regions of Ukraine to tell them that NATO isn’t a beast that is going to swallow you,” he said. President Petro Poroshenko has pushed for Ukrainian membership in NATO and the European Union, though membership in either grouping is unlikely due to the country’s rampant corruption and five-year-long conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Mr. Zelensky also said he would push for early parliamentary elections if elected president as the unicameral Verkhovna Rada is controlled by Mr. Poroshenko’s ruling party. The next parliamentary elections are scheduled for October. Mr. Zelensky said early elections were part of his idea of a “renewal” of Ukraine’s ruling class. (RFE/RL, with reporting by AP and Ukrinform)
Facebook bans Azov over ‘hate speech’
The militaristic, far-right Azov movement and its various branches have used Facebook to promote its anti-democratic, ultranationalist messages, and Facebook has occasionally taken down pages and groups associated with Azov when they have been found to be in violation of its policies on hate speech and the depiction of violence. The first Facebook removals occurred in 2015, Azov members told RFE/RL. But after continuous, repeat violations – which includes many war veterans and militant members with openly neo-Nazi views who have been involved in attacks on LGBT activists, Romany encampments and women’s groups – Azov is now officially banned from having any presence on Facebook, the social network has confirmed to RFE/RL. Despite the ban, however, which quietly came into force months ago, a defiant Azov and its members remain active on the social network under pseudonyms and name variations, underscoring the difficulty Facebook faces in combating extremism on a platform with some 2.32 billion monthly active users. Responding to an RFE/RL e-mail request on April 15, a Facebook spokesperson wrote that the company has been taking down accounts associated with the Azov Regiment, National Corps and National Militia – the group’s military, political, and vigilante wings, respectively – on Facebook for months, citing its policies against hate groups. The spokesperson did not say when exactly the ban came into force. Human rights groups such as Freedom House have warned that Azov’s increasing visibility and impunity is a cause for concern. “Far-right political forces present a real threat to the democratic development of Ukrainian society,” said a recent Freedom House report, referring to Azov and similar groups. That threat is not due to political support – polls show its political party, National Corps, is supported by less than 1 percent of Ukrainians – but because the far-right is “aggressively trying to impose their agenda on Ukrainian society, including by using force against those with opposite political and cultural views.” (Christopher Miller of RFE/RL)