U.S. expands Russia sanctions
WASHINGTON – The United States has added 37 individuals and entities to its sanctions blacklist aimed at Russia over its continuing support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and the 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. “Treasury stands with our partners in condemning Russia’s violation of international law, and we will continue to sanction those who threaten Ukraine’s peace, security and sovereignty,” John Smith, acting director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, said on September 1. The United States blacklisted a number of Russian companies operating in Crimea, including construction firms Mostotrest and SGM-Most, which have been helping to build a bridge from Russia to the peninsula, a statement said. Six separatist representatives in eastern Ukraine and 11 officials in Crimea were also sanctioned. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters and AFP)
Embassy of Ukraine expresses gratitude
WASHINGTON – The Embassy of Ukraine in the United States on September 1 reacted with gratitude to the announcement that the U.S. was imposing additional sanctions related to Russian aggression in Ukraine. The text of the Embassy’s statement reads: “We are deeply grateful to the United States for imposing additional sanctions on more than 130 people and entities to strengthen existing restrictions in connection to Russian aggression against Ukraine. Under four separate President’s executive orders, the U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday designated and identified 37 new persons and entities, including separatist leaders, Russian officials, companies operated in occupied Crimea; as well almost 100 entities were added under the sectoral sanctions program. We are confident that these new sanctions underscore American efforts to maintain additional pressure on the Russian Federation for brutal violation of international law by aggression against Ukraine, illegal occupation of Ukrainian Crimea and continuing support of pro-Russian terroristic forces in the Donbas region of Ukraine. It is a clear message to Russian leaders about firm American support of Ukraine’s people’s struggle for freedom and territorial integrity of our country. We insist that the only way to stop the war on the Donbas should be full-scale implementation by the Russian Federation of all provisions of the Minsk agreements.” (Embassy of Ukraine in the U.S.A.)
Russian officials shrug off new sanctions
MOSCOW – Russian officials mostly shrugged off the impact of a new round of sanctions announced by the United States on September 1 targeting 37 individuals and companies involved in Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Companies helping to construct a bridge to Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, were among the biggest new targets, but the officials said they don’t expect any impact from the sanctions. “The sanctions will not affect the construction of the bridge,” said the project’s Crimea Bridge infocenter, which noted that the bridge is being built without Western help. “The contractor has all the resources necessary for the timely completion of the project,” it said. Russian Deputy Economic Development Minister Aleksei Likhachev told TASS on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, that the economic loss from the sanctions would be “minimal,” although he said Russia “regrets” the “hostile spirit” shown by the sanctions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the sanctions a “dead-end track” that fails to solve any problems. He suggested that Russia will respond in kind after analyzing them. “Generally, the principle of reciprocity is used in such cases,” he said. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters, TASS and Interfax)
Kremlin comments on new sanctions
MOSCOW – The Kremlin says expanded U.S. sanctions against Russia are not consistent with talks over possible cooperation between Russia and the United States. “This is not consistent with talks over possible cooperation in sensitive areas that the two presidents discussed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 7. Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in China earlier this week. Mr. Obama described the meeting as “businesslike” and said it touched upon ongoing negotiations between their top diplomats over Syria. Mr. Putin said he and the U.S. president took another step forward on moving to resolve the crisis in Syria. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax and TASS)
EU ambassadors prolong sanctions
BRUSSELS – European Union ambassadors have prolonged asset freezes and visa bans on 146 individuals and 37 entities that, according to the bloc, have threatened Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The decision to prolong the measures by six months was taken on September 7, ahead of a September 15 deadline. The sanctions were first introduced in March 2014 in response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. Their targets include companies in Crimea and various battalions formed by the Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, as well as Russian politicians like Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Dmitry Kiselyov, a state media executive and presenter whom many regard as the Kremlin’s chief propagandist. The EU’s economic sanctions that target Russia’s energy, military and financial sectors are up for renewal on January 31 but will be discussed by EU leaders when they meet for an EU summit in October in Brussels. A decision on the measures is expected when the EU heads of state and governments meet again in December. (RFE/RL)
Lithuania sends ammunition to Ukraine
VILNIUS – Lithuania has supplied Ukrainian troops fighting Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country with 150 tons of ammunition. Defense Minister Juozas Olekas said on September 3 that it was Lithuania’s duty to help a “devoted friend who was attacked by Russia.” This will mark the second time Vilnius has sent military aid to Ukraine since it began fighting the separatists after Moscow illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. “We responded to the Ukrainian request and hope it will make their life easier,” Mr. Olekas told AFP on September 3. Russia’s interference in Ukraine has increased concerns in Lithuania, which was under Moscow’s thumb until the disintegration of the Soviet Union a quarter-century ago. “Lithuania has consistently helped Ukraine in its fight for territorial integrity and the defense of its values, and we would like to keep helping as much as we can,” Mr. Olekas told Reuters. About 150 tons of ammunition was handed over to Ukraine, mostly 5.45-caliber cartridges for Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles that the Lithuanian army no longer uses, a spokesman for the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told Reuters. Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Minister Linas Linkevicius recently called for European Union sanctions on Russia over its backing of separatists in Ukraine to remain in place until the situation on the ground improves, dismissing calls from the EU’s rotating president, Slovakia, for them to be lifted. Last year, Lithuania rejected Moscow’s protests that its previous supply of lethal weaponry to Ukraine violated international arms-trade commitments. Lithuania has invited wounded Ukrainian soldiers for treatment in its hospitals and sent military instructors to the country. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters and AFP)
Fighting subsides for new school year
POTSDAM, Germany – Violence has abated in Ukraine’s east as the warring sides made a fresh attempt at a ceasefire in a separatist conflict that has killed more than 9,500 people since April 2014. Speaking at a meeting of ministers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Potsdam, German Foreign Affairs Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on September 1 that the latest truce deal had sharply reduced military activities. Mr. Steinmeier, who holds the rotating OSCE chair, said the reduction was a hopeful sign after months of increasing fighting along the lines of contact between government forces and Russia-backed separatists. The trilateral contact group on Ukraine, which comprises representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE, struck a deal the previous week for a ceasefire to coincide with the new school year. A similar 2015 ceasefire held for less than a week. In a joint statement, France’s President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that the latest truce “must be the start of a lasting ceasefire.” They noted that “Germany and France are extremely concerned about the security situation in eastern Ukraine, especially along the line of contact” between separatists and government forces. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Bloomberg, AFP and Interfax)
Mogherini: Truce holding in Ukraine’s east
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says a ceasefire is holding in eastern Ukraine, where fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 9,500 people since April 2014. “We hope that this can constitute a good basis not only for the restart of the school year but also for a continuation of the situation in this respect,” Ms. Mogherini said on September 2 after meeting the EU’s 28 foreign ministers in Bratislava, Slovakia. Ms. Mogherini also said the ministers agreed that the bloc would look into supporting a planned police mission by the OSCE to help the stalled peace process in Ukraine’s east. She added that the lifting of the sanctions against Russia “is going to be linked to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements” aimed at resolving the conflict. (RFE/RL)
Umerov released from psychiatric clinic
SYMFEROPOL, Ukraine – A noted Crimean Tatar activist has been released from a psychiatric hospital in Russia-occupied Crimea. Ilmi Umerov, the former deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatars’ self-governing body, the Mejlis, was charged with separatism in May after he made public statements opposing Moscow’s forcible annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014. In August, Mr. Umerov was forcibly admitted to a psychiatric clinic for a month of assessment tests. Mr. Umerov’s relatives and lawyers said he was released from the clinic on September 7. The lawyers added that they will seek the transfer of their client, who suffers from heart problems, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, to a cardiology clinic. Human rights groups have urged the Russia-backed authorities in Crimea to drop the charges against Mr. Umerov and provide him with necessary medical treatment. The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has called the case against Mr. Umerov “illegal and politically motivated.” A few days prior to his release, Mr. Umerov, 59, spoke to a Reuters reporter who gained access to the hospital in Symferopol, where he was being held. “With this bouquet [of ailments], to be in such conditions is of course dangerous,” he was quoted as saying. He added that on his fourth day at the clinic he collapsed and lost consciousness. He also said that he had been barred from speaking to journalists. Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin compared Mr. Umerov’s detention to the Soviet-era practice of holding dissidents in psychiatric hospitals. (Crimean Desk of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, with reporting by Interfax, TASS, Reuters and AFP)
Obama and Putin meet in China
HANGZHOU, China – U.S. President Barack Obama said he had a “businesslike” meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in China and spoke with him about Syria, Ukraine and cybersecurity. Mr. Obama told reporters in Hangzhou on September 5 that the two leaders discussed ongoing negotiations between their top diplomats over Syria. He said they agreed to instruct their diplomats to keep trying over the coming days to reach an accord that could lead to a durable cessation of hostilities. He said any ceasefire accord must also allow delivery of humanitarian aid to suffering civilians. Obama warned that the current situation in Syria, in which he said Moscow’s ally Damascus is bombing opposition forces “with impunity,” is strengthening the ability of extremist groups to recruit new members. The U.S. president said he also spoke with Mr. Putin about Ukraine and the urgency of implementing the Minsk agreement. He said he made clear to the Russian leader that until the Minsk accord is implemented, Washington “will not pull down sanctions.” Mr. Obama said the meeting was “constructive but not conclusive.” He said, “We will see whether Putin, despite talking about wanting a negotiated solution, is comfortable with a constant low-grade conflict on the Russian-Ukraine border.” Finally, the U.S. president said he also spoke with Mr. Putin about cybersecurity and U.S. concern over cyber intrusions from Russia and other countries. He said he hopes all states with cyber capabilities will act responsibly rather than use their technologies to weaken other states. He said Washington does not want to see “an arms race” in cyberspace. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by BBC, Reuters and AFP)
Injuries in fire at Ukrainian TV station
KYIV – Five people were reportedly hurt when a fire broke out at a Ukrainian television station in Kyiv. TV Inter’s headquarters caught fire on September 4 after a group of around 20 protesters gathered outside the building and set tires afire and threw them in the building. Reports say that several employees were treated for carbon-monoxide poisoning while another suffered a broken leg, according to an Inter statement. Kyiv police official Andrei Krishenko said witnesses indicated a smoke bomb was thrown into the building. Authorities said they had arrested six people in connection with the fire. The station continued broadcasting from mobile facilities outside the building. The station is widely regarded by many Ukrainians as being pro-Russia. The affiliation of the protesters was not clear. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AP, Interfax and TASS)
EU, U.S. call attack on station ‘unacceptable’
PRAGUE – European and U.S. officials have denounced an arson attack on a pro-Russian Ukrainian television station, calling such violence “unacceptable.” European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic on September 6 urged Ukraine to conduct a full, independent investigation into the attack on the TV station, which was set ablaze in Kyiv over allegations that it is pro-Russian. Ms. Kocijancic said Brussels “plays close attention to all incidents of violence against journalists and media outlets.” Washington earlier condemned as “unacceptable” the attack on Inter TV by about 20 Ukraine nationalists wielding firebombs and dressed in camouflage fatigues. “We support thorough investigation into arson at Inter, are following closely,” the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv tweeted on September 5. Ukrainian authorities said they detained nine people in connection with the fire, which apparently was set off by a smoke bomb thrown into the building, but that all were released after questioning. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s media-freedom representative also strongly condemned the attack. “Violence is never an acceptable response to disagreements with editorial policy, even if the reporting is seen as provocative and controversial,” Dunja Mijatovic said. Ms. Mijatovic said she was “encouraged” by the swift law enforcement response and the condemnation of the attack by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Ukraine’s journalism union. But she noted that other Kyiv officials and groups have accused the broadcaster of disloyalty to Ukraine and are seeking to suppress its reporters. (RFE/RL, with reporting by AFP)
Station releases security camera footage
KYIV – A popular Ukrainian TV channel has released what it says is security-camera footage of an arson attack on its Kyiv studios, an incident that increased concerns over violence against journalists and threats to media freedom in the politically volatile country. The footage, published by the Inter channel late on September 6, appears to show a group of people entering the studios and setting them on fire while a violence-marred protest over what critics say is its pro-Russian stance took place outside the building on September 4. It shows at least eight masked people in dark clothing and white helmets forcing their way in before moving from room to room, spraying fire retardant from an extinguisher in an apparent attempt to conceal their actions from the security cameras and cause confusion among employees, some of whom can be seen dashing to an exit. Outside, camouflage-clad protesters carrying a yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag are seen gathering on the steps in front of the building’s entrance, suggesting they were in cahoots with the alleged attackers. In the final seconds of the spliced footage taken by several cameras, the alleged perpetrators are seen fleeing the office as a fire ignites near the front desk. The release of the security-camera footage appears unlikely to resolve controversy in Ukraine over the incident. Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov, who has called Inter’s programming “anti-Ukrainian,” expressed doubt about the authenticity of the security footage, claiming it had been “corrupted.” In an interview with Channel 24, he said the servers hosting the video files had been “flooded with water” while the fire was being put out, according to the news agency Ukrinform. He also said that Inter had not turned over the CCTV footage in its entirety to authorities who have requested it, and suggested that the channel started the fire itself. A metal fence covered with signs reading “Burn, Inter, burn!” and “Inter is a Kremlin agent!” that was erected after the fire remained in front of the TV offices on September 7. (Christopher Miller of RFE/RL)
Russian military drills on Ukraine border
MOSCOW – Moscow has launched large-scale military drills on Ukraine’s eastern border and around Ukraine’s Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula. The Russian Defense Ministry said on September 5 that 12,500 servicemen are taking part in the drills across its southern military region. It said the Russian naval forces in the Black and Caspian seas are participating in the exercises and that planes also are being used. The six-day exercises will test the army’s ability to “plan, prepare, and carry out military actions,” the ministry said in a statement. Russia last month conducted a large-scale snap drill, putting its troops on full combat readiness in military districts bordering Ukraine and the Baltic states. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine spiked over the summer after Moscow accused Kyiv of attempting armed incursions into Russia-annexed Crimea. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP and Reuters)
Visa liberalization is expected
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said on September 3 that there will be a decision in both the European Parliament and among European Union member states to grant visa liberalization to Ukraine and Georgia later this year. Speaking to RFE/RL at a meeting among EU foreign ministers in Bratislava on September 2 and September 3, Mr. Hahn noted that “among member states there was a clear indication and by many of the member states a clear expectation that both countries should get it.” Both the European Parliament and the European Council must give a green light to visa liberalization and EU sources told RFE/RL they believe this will happen with both countries in October or November and that citizens will be able to travel to the EU’s Schengen zone without visas later this winter. (RFE/RL)
Protests against media crackdown in Crimea
WASHINGTON – International media groups have intensified efforts to support Mykola Semena, a Crimean journalist and contributor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), calling on Russian authorities to allow him to leave the peninsula to receive medical care. In a joint appeal issued September 2, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) warned that Mr. Semena suffers from cardiac problems and would risk becoming permanently incapacitated without urgent treatment. Mr. Semena, who contributes to RFE/RL’s Crimea Realities website, was charged in April under the Russian Criminal Code for allegedly violating Russia’s territorial integrity after he wrote an article expressing the view that Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, should be returned to Ukraine. He is currently under house arrest in Symferopol. The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine and Ukraine’s Deputy Information Minister Emine Dzheppar have alsocondemned the criminal case against Mr. Semena and insisted he be permitted to receive medical attention in Kyiv. “Authorities in Crimea should drop the charges against Mykola immediately and allow him to receive the medical treatment he needs,” RFE/RL President Thomas Kent said. Referring to a month-long blockage of the Crimea Realities website in Crimea that shows no sign of abating, Mr. Kent added, “The case against Mykola is part of a concerted effort by Russian and Russian-backed authorities to obstruct RFE/RL’s journalistic mission to provide an independent press to residents of Crimea.” The website, published in the Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian and Russian languages, is blocked by a majority of internet providers in Crimea, following an order on August 1 by the counter-extremism and terrorism unit of the peninsula’s Moscow-backed prosecutor’s office. Nevertheless, residents using other means, and users in Russia and mainland Ukraine have continued to access the site, logging 1.7 million visits in August. Crimea Realities also reaches audiences in Crimea through radio broadcasts on medium waves. In an interview about his case with RFE/RL on August 31, Mr. Semena said, “I think several objectives are pursued here: to silence me, to prohibit me to work, or to force me to leave.” Mr. Semena was awarded a medal of honor for “outstanding merit” by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on August 30, in honor of the anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. (RFE/RL)