NEWSBRIEFS (11/10/96)

NEWSBRIEFS

Ukrainian law bars dual citizenship

KYIV - The Verkhovna Rada on October 30 adopted a new citizenship law barring dual citizenship. The new legislation requires anyone seeking Ukrainian citizenship to relinquish all foreign citizenship. The previous law of October 1991 had allowed dual citizenship if a bilateral treaty between countries existed providing for mutual citizenship (no such treaty was signed with Russia). The new law states that anyone who has lived in Ukraine since 1991 may be naturalized. Individuals living abroad who can prove Ukrainian origins may be eligible as well. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Duties to rise on food imports

KYIV - Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko announced that his government will raise duties on food imports by as much as 50 percent over the next few months in a move aimed at protecting domestic food producers. The Ukrainian government has already increased duties on potato imports and will soon do likewise on meat and dairy products. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Eight killed in gas explosion

KYIV - Eight people were killed in an early morning gas explosion on November 5 in Melitopil in eastern Ukraine that destroyed four stories of a residential building. A spokesperson for the Emergency Ministry said rescue workers were searching the rubble for bodies. Preliminary investigations pointed to a build-up of gas in the building. (Reuters)

Fleet issues jeopardize visit

MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin told journalists in Ryazan on November 1 that talks with the Ukrainian government had not produced a final decision on the issues surrounding the Black Sea Fleet. In a sign that the October 24 Yeltsin-Kuchma agreement on the fleet may be hitting some snags, Mr. Chernomyrdin said his scheduled mid-November visit to Kyiv to sign an agreement on the fleet will only take place if "constructive solutions" are found by then. The sticking point has been the terms of basing Russia's portion of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Kyiv names new information minister

KYIV - Zinovii Kulyk, the chairman of the State Committee for TV and Radio and acting president of the national TV company, was appointed Ukraine's new information minister. News of the appointment had not been widely publicized due to a pending government investigation into Mr. Kulyk's alleged involvement in improper distribution of airtime on nationwide Channel 3. He has also been accused of heavily censoring programs produced by independent broadcasters for Ukrainian television. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Ukrainian MiG disappears off Crimea

KYIV - A MiG-29 disappeared off of the Crimean coast on October 31. Both the Ukrainian Navy and the Russian Black Sea Fleet sent search parties. It is uncertain whether the MiG fell into the sea, or whether it was hijacked. (Reuters)

Russian bank chairman praises hryvnia

KYIV - The chairman of the Russian National Bank said currency reform in Ukraine was conducted correctly. The new Ukrainian currency, the hryvnia, was introduced in September. Sergei Dubinin, on a visit to Kyiv, said Russia could learn from Ukraine's success to get rid of the excessive zero digits on its own bank notes. (OMRI Daily Digest)

New naval commander for Ukraine

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma on October 28 appointed Rear Adm. Mykhailo Yezhel as commander of Ukraine's Navy and deputy defense minister, and Rear Adm. Viktor Fomin as first deputy commander of the Navy. Adm. Volodymyr Bezkorovainy, his first deputy Mykola Kostrov, and deputy naval commander Oleksander Ryzhenko had tendered their resignations on the eve of President Kuchma's visit to Moscow. Russian Public TV then speculated that they had resigned because of concessions Kyiv made over the fleet. Defense Minister Oleksander Kuzmuk denied that Adm. Bezkorovainy was being cast off politically, adding that the former commander was offered the job of defense minister's aide in charge of Black Sea Fleet talks. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Moldovan president visits Ukraine

KYIV - During a visit to the Ukrainian capital, Moldovan President Mircea Snegur said relations with Ukraine are a priority for his country. Ukraine is Moldova's second-largest trading partner after Russia, and Moldova relies on Ukraine for its energy supplies. President Snegur expressed his gratitude to Kyiv for acting as mediator in the Transdniester conflict, while President Leonid Kuchma reaffirmed his support for Moldova's territorial integrity. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Chornobyl 1 to be shut down

KYIV - Reactor No. 1 at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Station will be shut down on November 30, international news agencies reported. Ukraine had promised to close the reactor in November, but Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Yurii Kostenko said two weeks ago that stopping it as planned could generate problems. The decision is in line with a schedule in which Kyiv has agreed to shut down Chornobyl by the year 2000 in return for $3 billion in grants and funding from the G-7. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Snegur to seek Russian withdrawal

MOSCOW - President Mircea Snegur of Moldova on October 25 told journalists in Moscow that if he is re-elected he would insist that Russian troops be withdrawn from eastern Moldova by late 1997. Mr. Snegur made the statement after meeting Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin during a Black Sea Economic Cooperation summit. He further reiterated earlier statements that Moldova, whose constitution provides for neutrality, does not plan to join any military alliance, including NATO. (OMRI Daily Digest)

Credit cards debut in Ukraine

KYIV - Aval Bank, one of Ukraine's biggest banks, is offering its customers a credit card. However, few will be able to afford it, as the preconditions for the MasterCard or Visa cards, which have a $1,000 limit, include a $100 card fee and a deposit of $1,500. The average monthly wage in Ukraine is $80. Acknowledging that not many would apply for the card, Yevhen Plotytsa, head of Aval's credit division, said, "If we get 2,000 to 3,000 people a year, that will be very nice." (Reuters)