Envoys seek U.S. support against Russia
WASHINGTON – Envoys from six European countries that border Russia have pushed for more U.S. military and economic support, as they repeated warnings to U.S. senators about an increasingly aggressive Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin, speaking after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, told the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs on March 7 that he had been assured of U.S. support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia-backed separatists. Lithuanian Ambassador Rolandas Krisciunas pointed to new U.S. and NATO military deployments in the three Baltic states, saying the deployments were essential to deter Russian aggression. U.S. armored brigades have begun deploying to Poland, and other NATO members are sending battalions of between 800 to 1,200 troops to each of the three Baltic states and Poland. “Uncertainty and insecurity best describes the current environment we are in,” Polish Ambassador Piotr Wilczek told the panel. “The threat of Russian subversive measures has expanded far beyond the flank of Eastern Europe,” Estonian Ambassador Eerik Marmei, said. “We as neighbors in Russia are a just bit more used to witnessing this behavior” than you are. David Bakradze, the Georgian ambassador to the United States, also testified at the Senate subcommittee. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the subcommittee and longtime critic of Russian policies, said Washington wanted a better relationship with Russia. But he said “that will never be achieved so long as Russia continues trying to drive democracy into the ground.” (RFE/RL)
Ukraine presenting case at the Hague
THE HAGUE – Ukraine launched its case against Russia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on March 6, seeking an order to halt Moscow’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. In an opening statement at the highest U.N. court, lawyers for Ukraine accused the Russian government of making it “impossible for Ukrainian citizens to feel safe anywhere in their country.” ICJ judges hear disputes between states, and cases can take years to pass through the court. Although the court’s rulings are final and binding, it has no means of enforcement. Kyiv accuses Russia of violating U.N. conventions against terrorism and discrimination by supporting groups in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. Moscow seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and has supported separatists in eastern Ukraine in fighting that has killed more than 9,750 people since April 2014. The Kremlin has denied sending troops or military equipment to eastern Ukraine despite what Kyiv and Western countries say is incontrovertible evidence. The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said it “intends to employ all possible means of legal defense” in the case. A senior Russian official told state-run news agency TASS that the Russian delegation will consist of 35 people. Ukraine said in a court filing that since 2014, Russia has stepped up its interference in Ukraine’s affairs, “intervening militarily, …financing acts of terrorism and violating the human rights of millions of Ukraine’s citizens, including, for all too many, their right to life.” It said Kyiv is seeking “full reparations for… acts of terrorism the Russian Federation has caused, facilitated, or supported,” citing bombardments of residential areas and the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which killed all 298 passengers and crew. Ukraine also accuses Russia of mistreating Crimea’s Tatar and ethnic Ukrainian populations since it seized control of the peninsula. The first round of hearings was expected to run until March 9; it will largely consist of procedural matters. (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters and TASS)
Russia: U.N. court has no jurisdiction
THE HAGUE – Russia says the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague has no jurisdiction to issue an order Ukraine seeks to halt Moscow’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. The matter is “clearly outside the court’s competence,” Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry Legal Department Director Roman Kolodkin told the court on March 7, a day after lawyers for Ukraine accused Russia of making it “impossible for Ukrainian citizens to feel safe anywhere in their country.” Mr. Kolodkin said on March 7 that allegations Russia participated in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine are groundless. “The Russian Federation complies fully with its obligations under [the] treaties that are now relied upon by Ukraine,” he also told the court. “Ukraine has not provided substantiations for its position that there are circumstances falling under the convention” on eliminating discrimination, the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry said. Georgia brought a similar case against Russia, but the court ruled in 2011 that it had no jurisdiction to rule on the matter. (RFE/RL, with reporting by AP, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS)
Portugal says Holodomor was genocide
LISBON – The Parliament of Portugal adopted a resolution recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Soviet Ukraine as a genocide. The resolution, the draft of which was submitted by the opposition Social Democratic Party, says that the Parliament voted to “show solidarity with the Ukrainian people and recognize the genocide that led to the death of 7 million Ukrainians in 1932 and 1933 in Ukraine, and condemn all forms of totalitarianism and all varieties of violations and crimes against humanity, like those that took place in the 1930s in Ukraine.” The ruling Socialist Party submitted another draft resolution in memory of victims of the Great Famine in Ukraine, without the word “Holodomor.” Instead, it refers to the famine as “the result of an agricultural policy for farmers, the tragic and terrible consequence of which was the loss of millions of lives from starvation.” The Portuguese Parliament passed this resolution too. It says that the Parliament commemorates the victims of the Great Famine that took place in Ukraine in 1932-1933, and also honors the survivors and their families “to preserve the living memory about what was committed and to preserve the memory of those who lost their lives.” In December 2016, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appealed to the nations of the world to recognize Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people. President Petro Poroshenko also appealed for such recognition during his foreign visits. Currently, 19 countries, including Ukraine, recognize the Holodomor as a genocide. (Euromaidan Press, RFE/RL)
‘Stop Fake’ project cited by NY Times
CHICAGO – In an e-mail message dated March 2, the Chicago-based Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America noted that the “Stop Fake” project of the Journalism School at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy was recognized in a major news story published by The New York Times on February 26. The Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation noted that it has continuously supported and promoted the initiatives of the KM J-School. ”We are proud of their work. Congratulations to Yevhen Fedchenko, who had a vision for the role of journalism beyond academic preparation for journalists, who methodically and quietly built an international network of contacts with media and journalism schools, and who established the first anti-fake news organization that is now broadcast in many languages and many countries,” the foundation said. “Again, Kyiv Mohyla Academy is at the forefront of innovative academic and research programs in Ukraine, and in preparing leaders for the country’s future.” The New York times story, headlined “To Battle Fake News, Ukrainian Show Features Nothing but Lies,” may be read at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/26/world/europe/ukraine-kiev-fake-news.html?_r=2#story-continues-1. (Kyiv Mohyla Foundation)
Court orders arrest of top tax official
KYIV – A court in Kyiv placed Roman Nasirov, Ukraine’s tax and customs service chief, under arrest pending trial on embezzlement charges. A special prosecutor tasked with fighting corruption had sought Mr. Nasirov’s arrest on suspicion of “abuse of office leading to serious financial losses,” citing concerns that he could try to flee the country. After a 14-hour-long hearing, the Kyiv district court ruled on March 7 to send Mr. Nasirov to pretrial detention for two months. He was suspended from his post on March 3 pending an investigation into allegations that he defrauded the state of 2 billion hrv ($74 million U.S.). The suspension came a day after the National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU) said it attempted to serve the 38-year-old, who was in a Kyiv hospital at the time, with a document identifying him as a suspect in the case of fraud and embezzlement of the equivalent of more than $100 million in tax revenues from natural-gas delivery contracts. Soon afterwards, Mr. Nasirov was transferred to an intensive care unit after suffering what a doctor said was a heart attack. The probe marks a rare attempt to prosecute a senior Ukrainian official on suspicion of corruption. Mr. Nasirov could be granted house arrest if he pays bail of $3.7 million – a record amount for Ukraine. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, AP and UNIAN)
U.S. notes anti-corruption efforts
WASHINGTON – The United States Embassy and the European Union delegation to Ukraine on March 7 released a statement on Ukraine’s efforts to combat corruption. It read: “Ukraine’s success in its anti-corruption efforts is critical to delivering results demanded by the people on the Maidan as well as to attracting the foreign direct investment that is needed to support Ukraine’s economy. We commend the increasingly effective efforts of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office to deliver on their mandates. We welcome the court’s taking action on March 7, while noting the last several days underscore the need to establish a specialized anti-corruption court. These events also highlight why the pending NABU audit must be independent, transparent and lead to an objective analysis of NABU’s operations over the last year.” (U.S. Embassy Kyiv)
IMF approves $1 B loan tranche
KYIV – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached an agreement with the government of Ukraine, paving the way for an additional tranche of its loan program to be paid later this month. Ron van Rooden, head of the IMF’s Ukraine mission, said on March 4 that an agreement had been reached “on an updated memorandum of economic and financial policies.” The forthcoming $1 billion loan tranche depended on Ukraine adopting an IMF-endorsed 2017 budget and carrying out banking reforms. The total IMF package to Ukraine is worth $17.5 billion, but payments have been repeatedly delayed over Kyiv’s inconsistent progress on reforms. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters and AFP)
Sberbank threatened with sanctions
KYIV – Ukrainian authorities are threatening to impose sanctions on the local subsidiary of Sberbank, Russia’s main state bank, after Sberbank said it would recognize passports issued by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) made a statement on March 7, after Sberbank said it would comply with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 18 decree ordering Russian authorities to recognize identity documents issued by the NBU said that if Sberbank’s acceptance of separatist-issued documents was confirmed, the central bank would ask Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council to impose sanctions on the Russian bank’s subsidiary in Ukraine. It did not specify what measures it would seek, and added that the sanctions would be subject to approval by President Petro Poroshenko. The bank issued its statement after Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov called for a ban on Sberbank’s operations in Ukraine. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by UNIAN and Reuters)
Envoys prolong sanctions on Yanukovych
BRUSSELS – European Union ambassadors have decided to prolong asset freezes imposed by Brussels against Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych and 14 of his associates. The decision on March 2 by the ambassadors sets up a vote by EU ministers who were expected to confirm the one-year extension. One politician who previously had been sanctioned by the EU, Yuriy Ivanyushchenko from Mr. Yanukovych’s former party, the Party of Regions, has been removed from the sanctions list that was approved by the EU ambassadors on March 2. Mr. Ivanyushchenko recently was cleared of any wrongdoing by Ukraine’s high court. The EU sanctions were imposed shortly after the collapse of Mr. Yanukovych’s government in February 2014 against people who, according to the EU, “were responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian state funds or for abuse of office causing a loss to Ukrainian public funds.” Apart from the former president, the list includes his son Oleksandr Yanukovych, former Prime Ministers Mykola Azarov and Serhiy Arbuzov, and the head of Mr. Yanukovych’s administration, Andriy Kliuiev. Ukraine’s former Prosecutor-General Viktor Pshonka, former Justice Minister Olena Lukash, and former Internal Affairs Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko remain on the EU sanctions list. The European Court of Justice in 2016 rejected challenges filed against the sanctions by Mr. Yanukovych and others on the list. (Rikard Jozwiak of RFE/RL)
Red Cross not allowed to visit hostages
OTTAWA – Ukraine’s representative to the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine-OSCE-Russia), Iryna Herashchenko, stated that Russia and its proxies, the Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” are not allowing representatives of the International Red Cross to visit Ukrainian hostages held in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine’s east, Radio Svoboda reported. Ms. Herashchenko stated that the Red Cross “was allowed into prisons even by the odious dictatorial regimes of [Saddam] Hussein and [Muammar] Qaddafi, today the Red Cross is working in Syria, providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population. The only ones not allowing the Red Cross into prisons, not allowing the Red Cross to search for those who have disappeared, not allowing the Red Cross to see hostages or pass letters to family is Russia and the [peoples’ republics].” She added, “Despite all the promises of [Vladimir] Putin in the Normandy Format meetings, despite all calls by world leaders, despite all calls by Ukraine that the apolitical, neutral mission of the Red Cross should be doing this work… The question of why they’re not allowed in is rhetorical, probably they are hiding something from the world.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Ukraine Daily Briefing)
Akhmetov vows to fight back
KYIV – A company controlled by billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man, said on March 2 that the seizure of some of its assets by Russia-backed separatists in the eastern part of the country is “unacceptable.” The March 1 move to seize dozens of coal mines and other enterprises, including a telecoms firm and a humanitarian organization funded by Mr. Akhmetov, followed an announcement by the separatists that they would take control of companies located on territory they hold in response to a road and rail blockade imposed more than a month ago by nationalist Ukrainian lawmakers and veterans of the ongoing war in the east. The separatists want Ukrainian companies operating on their territory to register and pay taxes locally instead of to the government in Kyiv. “We believe that private property is sovereign, and the demands of re-registration of our companies and payment of taxes to self-proclaimed DNR and LNR are unacceptable,” Mr. Akhmetov’s SCM Group said in a statement referring to the separatist-controlled areas of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SCM Group, which also provides heating, electricity and gas to millions of Ukrainians, said it is one of few links between the government-controlled areas and non-government controlled areas of Ukraine. President Petro Poroshenko has denounced the move by the separatists as “another brutal and dreadful violation of international law.” (RFE/RL)
Nigerian pirates release eight sailors
MOSCOW – Nigerian pirates have released seven Russian sailors and one Ukrainian sailor after they were kidnapped early last month on the cargo ship the BBC Caribbean, Russian news agencies reported on March 5. Citing a human rights activist in Crimea, Russian news agencies said that the sailors had been released after talks between the owners of the ship and pirates. The sailors were at a Frankfurt airport and would return home next week, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting activist Pavel Butsay from Sevastopol. Mr. Butsay told the TASS news agency that a ransom was paid but did not disclose the sum. The BBC Caribbean cargo vessel belongs to the German Briese Schiffahrts cargo company. It was attacked in Nigeria’s waters on February 5. Security experts say the seas off the coast of Western Africa are some of the world’s most dangerous, with pirate ships often seizing oil tankers and holding sailors for ransom, Reuters reported. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters, TASS and Interfax)
U.K., Poland voice support for Ukraine
KYIV – United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Foreign Affairs Minister Witold Waszczykowski of Poland were in Kyiv on March 1 for meetings with President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, Vice Prime Minister Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze and Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin. Foreign Secretary Johnson stated, “This visit reinforces our unwavering support for Ukraine. The U.K. remains committed to defending Ukraine’s sovereignty. We are adamant that Russia’s annexation of Crimea is illegal and we urge Russia to return it. I welcome the progress made on implementing reforms and tackling corruption. The U.K.-Ukraine reform conference in July will enable us to showcase the great work that is being done in Ukraine.” Foreign Affairs Minister Waszczykowski stated, “Poland and the U.K. since the beginning of Revolution of Dignity have supported Ukraine on its pro-European path. I’m extremely happy that together with Minister Boris Johnson we will be able to reiterate our commitment to Ukraine’s European choice, sovereignty and territorial integrity.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Ukraine Weekly Briefing)