MH17 trial resumes briefly
The trial in absentia of three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with multiple counts of murder over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over eastern Ukraine in 2014 resumed briefly at The Hague on March 23 amid coronavirus restrictions. The Dutch judges in the trial read out several preliminary decisions before ruling to adjourn the case until June 8 in order to give the defense lawyers of one of the accused more time to prepare their case. The courtroom was almost empty during the 45-minute session, which was livestreamed on the Internet due to restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. MH17 was shot down July 17, 2014, by a Russian-made Buk missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists. The civilian passenger plane was on a flight from Amsterdam to Malaysia when it was shot down. All 298 passengers and crew were killed. The victims included 193 Dutch citizens as well as 43 Malaysians and 38 Australians. The four accused – Russian citizens Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko – remain at large despite the issuance of international warrants for their arrests. Only Mr. Pulatov has appointed defense lawyers to represent him at the trial in the Netherlands. When the trial opened on March 9, it was attended by lawyers, judges, family members of victims and journalists. But the number of prosecutors, lawyers and other staff on March 23 was reduced over the coronavirus pandemic. Family and media were not allowed to attend the trial in person, and judges sat separated from one another by empty seats. (RFE/RL, with reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP and DPA)
Zelenskyy, IMF director hold talks
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva about greater financial support as the eastern European country faces a possible crisis due to the coronavirus. “We discussed increasing the amount of support for Ukraine from the fund during a time of significant challenges for the economy associated with the global pandemic,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a statement on March 22. Ukraine has been in talks with the IMF for months about a three-year, $5.5 billion loan tied to reforms to help the country meet a jump in debt repayments this year. Kyiv, however, has dragged its feet on passing the legislation – which includes a bank law that would prevent tycoons from regaining control over banks that were bailed out with public funds – and the funds have yet to be released. Now, Ukraine is likely to need to borrow even more money internationally as it increases spending to fight the spread of the coronavirus and support companies and individuals negatively affected by the potential economic fallout. Some economists have said Ukraine may need to borrow as much as $10 billion. However, the recent surge in borrowing rates for some emerging market countries due to the pandemic has effectively shut Ukraine out of international bond markets, making access to IMF loans even more vital. The IMF earlier this month set up a separate $50 billion emergency financing program specifically for low-income and emerging market countries like Ukraine to help them deal with the impact of the coronavirus. Ukraine is eligible for a loan under that IMF program whose conditions would differ from those attached to the $5.5 billion lending program. Ms. Georgieva said the call with Mr. Zelenskyy was “constructive” and expressed support for Ukraine, but gave no indication the fund would ease its reform demands before releasing the pending $5.5 billion loan. (Todd Prince, RFE/RL)
Cabinet submits IMF-required bill
Ukraine’s Cabinet has submitted to Parliament a revised bill on banking regulations needed to meet requirements set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new lending package as the country’s feeble economy braces for the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. The bill appeared on the Verkhovna Rada’s website on March 24 and was agreed upon by the central bank and the Finance Ministry. Its aim is to protect the country’s interests following a decision to nationalize insolvent or troubled banks and prevent tycoons from regaining control over their former assets. An extraordinary parliamentary session to review the bill, as well as other measures to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, has been pushed back from March 26 to March 28 after a fourth lawmaker tested positive for COVID-19. While the bill could have broad implications in Ukraine, it is widely known that its main purpose is to prevent Ihor Kolomoisky, the former co-owner of PrivatBank, from regaining ownership rights to the bank. Most of the 103 banks that were either nationalized or had their licenses revoked in 2014-2016 were found to have been engaged in widespread third-party lending. U.S.-based corporate investigative firm Kroll and attorneys at AlixPartners had found a hole of at least $5.5 billion in PrivatBank’s balance sheet. Mr. Kolomoisky has denied wrongdoing and maintains he is the rightful owner of PrivatBank. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Former FM detained on murder charge
Ukrainian police have detained a former foreign affairs minister on a murder charge related to the fatal shooting of the ex-head of the country’s most popular pro-Russian television network. Leonid Kozhara, 57, who served as foreign affairs minister for two years under Kremlin-friendly former President Viktor Yanukovych, was on March 25 immediately taken to court for a custody hearing, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Herashchenko said on Facebook. He is accused of killing Serhiy Starytskiy, a 56-year-old advertising magnate who directed the Inter TV network. Mr. Starytsky was found dead inside Mr. Kozhara’s suburban Kyiv home on February 22. He was fatally wounded by a bullet from a gun belonging to the former minister, police said. Mr. Kozhara and his wife, who were both at home during the incident, have said Mr. Starytskiy committed suicide in a separate room. However, “investigators and prosecutors reviewed the circumstances of the death… and have concluded that he [Starytskiy] could not have shot himself,” Mr. Herashchenko said. Separately, the National Police said that based on forensic, ballistics and molecular genetic tests, they had enough evidence to charge Mr. Kozhara. During the evening of the shooting, according to police, alcohol was being consumed and an argument erupted between the two men, which escalated into a fight. “Subsequently, the owner of the house went to the bedroom, picked up a gun and, returning to the kitchen, shot his friend,” police said. Mr. Kozhara, who served as foreign minister between 2012 and 2014, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, with reporting by Interfax, Hromadske and AFP)
Ukraine to test lawmakers for COVID-19
The speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and other lawmakers will be tested for the novel coronavirus after one of their colleagues tested positive on March 18, local media has reported. Authorities are trying to trace everyone who has been in contact with National Deputy Serhiy Shakhov of the Dovira (Faith) parliamentary group since he entered the legislature earlier in the week following a trip to an unspecified EU member state. Mr. Shakhov appeared on Ukrainian television on March 12-13, according to deputy Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, and participated in a meeting of the Parliament’s Environment Committee on March 13. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the infected lawmaker’s voter card was registered in Parliament on March 17 and was used to vote, although Mr. Shakhov was absent. “Unfortunately, his colleagues are guilty of multiple voting,” Mr. Zelenskyy said about the widespread phenomenon of multiple voting in the Verkhovna Rada that is punishable by law. Ukraine and the capital city, Kyiv, closed its borders to foreigners for two weeks starting on March 16. Authorities have also cancelled air, rail and bus connections between cities and regions, and shut down the subway in all three cities where they operate, including Kyiv. Amid worldwide travel restrictions, Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said about 21,000 Ukrainian citizens had asked for assistance in returning home from abroad and that 57 flights were planned for their repatriation. “Overall, the number of citizens planning to return to Ukraine is about 38,000,” the ministry said, adding that more than 27,600 people had returned to Ukraine in the previous 24 hours. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, with reporting by Hromadske and Ukrayinska Pravda)
Menendez on Russian abuses in Crimea
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) has criticized Russia for what he called “serious human rights” abuses in Crimea during the six years since Russia’s “illegal occupation and annexation” of the peninsula from Ukraine. “Today, as it was six years ago, Crimea remains Ukrainian territory. Period,” Mr. Menendez, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on March 18. “On this somber day, I stand in solidarity with the Crimean people, who continue to face serious human rights abuses at the hand of their occupiers, including torture, arbitrary arrests and the erosion of basic freedoms of expression and association,” he said. Sen. Menendez’s criticism came as Russian President Vladimir Putin began a two-day visit to Crimea, which Moscow seized in 2014. Moscow deployed military forces across Crimea and secured control of key government buildings in February 2014. The following month, it carried out a hastily organized referendum on Crimea’s status that is considered illegitimate by more than 100 countries. In a statement, Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry criticized Mr. Putin’s visit and denounced Russia’s “cynical” disrespect for international law. The visit coincided with Russian military exercises at a training range in Crimea. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the drills involved 600 airborne troops. In his statement, Sen. Menendez noted that Congress “has made clear” in several pieces of legislation that “the United States should never recognize Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea.” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on February 26 said Washington “does not and will not ever recognize” Moscow’s annexation of Crimea. Mr. Menendez urged other countries around the world to “adopt a policy of nonrecognition of Crimea as Russian territory.” He noted: “When world leaders do not speak out against Putin’s use of violence to alter national borders, it only emboldens future illegal aggression.” On March 16, the European Union said all 27 members of the bloc remained committed to “fully implementing“ a nonrecognition policy, including through the use of sanctions, until Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are restored. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Interfax)