Poroshenko: security is precondition
KYIV – President Petro Poroshenko spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on October 16. The Ukrainian president’s press service reported: “The parties discussed consequences of recent consultations at the level of diplomatic advisors in the Normandy format (Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia). They noted efficient German-French-Ukrainian interaction in the elaboration of the road map on the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Petro Poroshenko emphasized the importance of further coordinated efforts aimed to ensure the fulfillment of security conditions of Minsk by Russia and its puppets, which is the precondition for any progress in a political direction. They agreed to conduct a phone conversation in trilateral format at the beginning of the next week to determine prospects of holding a summit in the Normandy format.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
OSCE on restrictions in ‘separatist’ areas
KYIV – A senior member of the monitoring mission in Ukraine from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says 70 percent of the restrictions imposed on the free movement of monitors since May has been in areas outside of the control of Ukraine’s government. Alexander Hug, deputy chief monitor of the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, made the remark in an October 18 interview with RFE/RL. Mr. Hug said the restrictions imposed in parts of eastern Ukraine under the control of Russia-backed separatists usually occur in one of three ways. “We are either stopped and blocked from proceeding further, we can only continue further under certain conditions, or we are delayed over hours at a certain checkpoint before we then can go further,” Mr. Hug said. He also said drone planes used by monitors are shot at, have their transmissions jammed, or have their cameras sabotaged. About 700 OSCE monitors have been active in Ukraine since March 2014. They have a mandate to observe the security situation across all of Ukraine. (RFE/RL, with reporting by RFE/RL’s Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels)
“Separatist” commander killed in Donetsk
KYIV – An unruly commander of Russia-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine who once boasted about having killed captive soldiers has died in Donetsk in an apparent assassination, the latest in a spate of killings that the separatists blame on Kyiv but that others suspect have been carried out by Russia. Arseny Pavlov, a Russian citizen better known by his nom de guerre, Motorola, succumbed to “injuries incompatible with life” after an improvised explosive device detonated as he entered the elevator of his apartment building in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk on October 16, the Interfax news agency reported. It said a bodyguard also died in the blast. The separatist leadership in Donetsk confirmed Mr. Pavlov’s death and said an investigation was under way. Aleksandr Zakharchenko, head of the separatist group that calls itself the Donetsk People’s Republic, blamed the Ukrainian authorities for the blast that killed Mr. Pavlov, who headed a fighting force called the Sparta battalion. Mr. Zakharchenko said the killing amounted to a “declaration of war” by President Petro Poroshenko and vowed to retaliate against members of Ukraine’s military and security services, as well as their families. “All officers, lieutenant colonels, majors who operate on our territory, all your agents, families, are beyond the law as of now. Not only here but in Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk,” Mr. Zakharchenko told a press conference in Donetsk, listing cities that are under government control. “And I would add: when we come to your home, there will be no mercy towards you, believe me.” But Artem Shevchenko, director of communications for Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry, said Mr. Pavlov got what he deserved. “It is a sad but fair end of such bastards on our Ukrainian land,” Mr. Shevchenko wrote in a post on Facebook. Mr. Pavlov fought in fierce battles against Ukrainian forces in Ilovaisk in August 2014 and Debaltseve in February 2015 – separatist campaigns that Western intelligence and reporters on the ground said were backed by regular Russian forces. He also led the Sparta battalion in the protracted battle for Donetsk airport, which left a once-gleaming new terminal completely destroyed, and boasted about having killed 15 Ukrainian combatants captured by his men there. Amnesty International has accused Pavlov of war crimes and the European Union imposed sanctions on him for his alleged actions in Ukraine. (Christopher Miller of RFE/RL)
Memorial ceremony for “Motorola”
DONETSK – Thousands of people have paid their last respects to a top separatist commander in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. At least 5,000 mourners queued on October 19 outside Donetsk’s opera theater, where the body of Arseny Pavlov, a Russian citizen who was better known by the nickname Motorola, was displayed. The ostentatious memorial ceremony was shown live on Russian state television. Mr. Pavlov, 33, died on October 16 when a bomb exploded in his apartment block in Donetsk. A top Donetsk separatist leader blamed the Ukrainian authorities for the blast and said the killing amounted to a “declaration of war,” sparking concerns of new violence by Russian-backed forces whose war with Kyiv has killed more than 9,600 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP and Interfax)
Poland, Ukraine discuss helicopters
WARSAW, Poland – Poland and Ukraine are discussing plans to launch a joint production effort of helicopters that could be used by the militaries of Central and Eastern European allies, according to Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz. “I think that this would be a completely new model but based on the industrial potential of both countries. We know that the Ukrainians make excellent engines, produced by Motor Sich,” Mr. Macierewicz told pro-government broadcaster TV Trwam in a televised interview. “On our part, we have the capacity to make a composite body. There are a number of possibilities here which could allow us to provide a very interesting product for Poland and other countries in Central Europe.” Referring to the conflict in Ukraine, where the country’s government has been combating Russia-backed insurgents since 2014, Mr. Macierewicz said that the Polish military “needs helicopters, in particular because of what is happening east of Poland, on the eastern flank.” Based in Zaporizhia, in southeast Ukraine, Motor Sich makes a wide range of aircraft engines, main gearboxes and other components, as well as performs aircraft maintenance and upgrade services, according to the manufacturer. The company has supplied its output to a number of aircraft and it claims to have supplied its services and products to more than 100 countries worldwide. (Defense News)
‘Sissy pants’ anti-corruption campaign
KYIV – Ukrainians are attempting to shame top public officials into disclosing their financial assets by calling those who don’t “sissy pants.” Anti-corruption activists played off the word “trusy,” which means both underwear and cowards in Ukrainian, to emphasize their point as they assembled in front of the Parliament building in Kyiv on October 18. With the aim of reminding bureaucrats that they are now legally required to file electronic asset declarations, the activists from a half-dozen anti-corruption and reform groups hung boxers and thongs from makeshift clotheslines, waved posters adorned with underwear, and demanded in English, “Hey, sissy pants, submit your e-declarations!” Ukraine recently implemented a new electronic system for public officials to disclose their income and assets, part of a package of reforms demanded by Ukrainian reformists as well as the country’s Western backers. The idea is to prevent public officials from hiding or underestimating their earnings and possessions. The activists believe that officials should come clean to the public they serve by complying with the law, or risk exposing their own dirty laundry, so to speak. Failure to file an e-declaration risks criminal prosecution. “Anyone who fails to file electronic declarations is subject to criminal liability,” said Vitaliy Shabunin, director of the Anti-corruption Action Center (AntAC) and an organizer of the event, warned national deputies at the demonstration. The much anticipated e-declaration system was delayed several times before finally being launched on August 15. But almost immediately it was found to have flaws in its design and application that prevented it from fully functioning and forced it to temporarily shut down. Skeptics accused the government of dragging its feet to allow officials with financial assets several times the amount of their actual government salaries to find a way to cleverly conceal them. As of October 13, only around 6,500 public officials – or about 13 percent of some 50,000 nationwide – had entered their annual declarations in the state register, according to AntAC. The official deadline for all public officials to submit their electronic declarations is October 31. Among those who have yet to declare their earnings are President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, and Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy. (Christopher Miller of RFE/RL)
Defenders’ Day marked in Kyiv
KYIV – Thousands in Ukraine marched in support of their armed forces on the annual Defenders’ Day. An estimated 4,000 people joined the “March of Heroes” in central Kyiv, with banners proclaiming “Ukraine is united and Independent,” “Glory and honor to the defenders of Ukraine” and “Freedom.” President Petro Poroshenko established the holiday on October 14 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea two years ago and the start of the conflict with pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)