May 13, 2016

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No deal on holding local elections 

BERLIN – Talks involving the foreign affairs ministers of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France have produced no deal on holding local elections in the eastern areas that are controlled by Russia-backed separatists. “These are questions of detail that might appear small, but they are important for creating the basis for local elections in Ukraine,” German Foreign Affairs Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after the May 11 meeting near Berlin. Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin blamed Russia for rejecting a plan to let the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe oversee security for the vote. Mr. Steinmeier also said that “significant progress” was made in the area of security, citing a plan to separate military units along the front line and to create demilitarized zones. Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and separatists has killed more than 9,300 people since April 2014. The conflict has flared up in recent weeks, with numerous cease-fire violations reported. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AP and Interfax)

IMF sees ‘very encouraging’ signs

KYIV – Early signs coming from Ukraine’s new government are “very encouraging,” a top International Monetary Fund official said on May 6. Mahmood Pradhan, deputy head of the IMF’s European department, delivered the fund’s first public endorsement of the new government in Kyiv following the departure of key Western-backed reformers last month. The IMF suspended its $17.5 billion loan program for Ukraine when Kyiv’s political crisis broke out and Mr. Pradhan told reporters in London it may resume the program soon. “We think the signs of the new government’s willingness to adhere to the program, to stay with the program, and their own adjustment efforts are very encouraging,” he said. “We hope the program will be on track and most importantly, the adjustment policies already implemented which are paying dividends and are working, will continue.” The IMF is due in Ukraine next week to formally review progress. In another upbeat sign, the IMF’s latest economic forecast for Ukraine has it eking out growth of 1.5 percent this year after a deep economic contraction of nearly 10 percent last year. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters and TASS)
40.8 million displaced by conflict

GENEVA – The number of people uprooted within their own countries by war and conflict rose last year to a record 40.8 million, a report published on May 10 found. “This is the highest figure ever recorded and twice the number of refugees worldwide,” said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, co-authors of the report with the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center. Some 8.6 million newly displaced people were recorded in 2015, including 4.8 million in the Middle East and North Africa. “Displacement… has snowballed since the Arab Spring uprising in 2010 and the rise of the Islamic State,” said the report, with Yemen, Syria and Iraq accounting for more than half of the total. Outside the Middle East, the countries with the highest numbers of people fleeing were Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan and Ukraine. The report also said 19.2 million people were internally displaced last year by disasters. India, China and Nepal accounted for the highest numbers with 3.7 million, 3.6 million and 2.6 million, respectively. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters and AFP)

Sentsov, Kolchenko may be extradited

MOSCOW – Ukrainian film-maker Oleh Sentsov and Crimean activist Oleksandr Kolchenko, who have been imprisoned in Russia, signed documents for extradition from that country to Ukraine early in April, according to Mr. Kolchenko’s lawyer Svetlana Sidorkina. The documents, which were signed early in April, must have already arrived at the Justice Ministry of the Russian Federation, she told the Moscow-based radio station Echo of Moscow. However, the ministry has not yet confirmed that fact. Ms. Sidorkina guessed that another two Ukrainian citizens, Hennadiy Afanasyev and Yuriy Soloshenko, who are also imprisoned in Russia, had already signed their extradition documents. Messrs. Sentsov and Kolchenko were sentenced in August 2015 by a Russian court to 20 and 10 years in prison, respectively. They were accused of creating an extremist organization and plotting terrorist acts in Crimea. Both suspects refused to admit their guilt. The Memorial human rights center designated them as prisoners of conscience. Mr. Afanasyev, who was involved in the Sentsov-Kolchenko case, was sentenced to seven years in Russia. He is now serving his sentence in a correctional facility in the Russian town of Syktyvkar. The former director of Ukraine’s Poltava-based Znamya defense plant, Mr. Soloshenko was accused for Ukraine and was sentenced by a Russian court in October 2015 to six years in a penal colony. As reported earlier, captive Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, who on March 22 was sentenced to 22 years in prison in Russia, has filled out all the documents needed for her extradition to Ukraine. (Ukraine Today)

A fourth electricity line to Crimea 

MOSCOW – Russia has launched a fourth and final line supplying electricity from the Russian mainland to annexed Crimea. President Vladimir Putin oversaw the May 11 launch of the new line, saying in a video link from the Black Sea resort of Sochi, “We managed to break through the energy blockade of Crimea within a brief period of time.” The line brings Russia’s electricity supply to Crimea to 800 megawatts a day, which Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said will fully meet Crimea’s needs. The energy bridge is a series of undersea cables across the Kerch Strait located between Russia and Crimea. Crimea continued to buy electricity from Kyiv after Russia forcibly annexed the peninsula in March 2014. But Crimea was plunged into darkness in November, when unidentified individuals blew up power lines linking the peninsula to the Ukrainian grid. Kyiv denied responsibility for the sabotage. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AP, Reuters, TASS and Interfax)

Ukraine recovers 17 stolen paintings

KYIV – Ukraine says it has recovered 17 paintings that were stolen from an Italian museum last year. President Petro Poroshenko congratulated border officials in a ceremony on May 11 showcasing the artworks, which have an estimated value of more than $18 million. “This brilliant operation reminds the world about the efficient struggle of Ukraine against smuggling and corruption,” Mr. Poroshenko said. His office said the artworks were found about one and a half kilometers from the Moldovan border. It also said Ukrainian authorities would now invite Italian experts to authenticate the paintings, which include works by Rubens, Tintoretto and Pisanello. Armed gunmen stole the paintings from Castelvecchio Museum in the northern Italian city of Verona in November. Italian and Moldovan nationals have been detained as suspects. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters and DPA)

Gaidar resigns as acting deputy governor 

ODESA – The acting deputy governor of Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast, Maria Gaidar, has left the post to become an adviser to Governor Mikheil Saakashvili. Ms. Gaidar’s assistant, Viktoria Sybir, said on May 10 that Ms. Gaidar resigned after a new law barring a regional lawmaker being simultaneously a civil servant took effect on May 1. Ms. Gaidar, 33, who is a regional lawmaker, has been serving as acting deputy governor of the Odesa region, supervising social issues since July 2015. She is the daughter of the late Yegor Gaidar, a reformist Russian prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s. She is a vocal critic of Mr. Yeltsin’s successor, Vladimir Putin. Mr. Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s president from 2004 to 2013, has headed the Odesa region since May 2015. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by UNIAN and TASS)

Poppies on a virtual ‘Field of Memory’

KYIV – About 4,000 poppies appeared on a virtual “Field of Memory” created by PlusOne in cooperation with the Ukraine Crisis Media Center. On flowersofmemory.org anyone can plant a “Poppy of Memory” to remember their relatives who suffered in World War II. To do this, visitors log in and fill out a small questionnaire about relatives, friends or acquaintances who participated in the war. Each flower is somebody’s fate. “From the posts on the site we can see that Ukrainians often mention missing persons. People either do not know how their relatives ended up or know that they died, but do not know where to find their graves. This situation is very typical. Gestalt of World War II remains unclosed for many people. That is why there is a need for a place of commemorating their relatives, even if it is a virtual platform. We are pleased that the site ‘Field of Memory’ helps keep every memory of the heroic Ukrainians,” said Oksana Kryachko, digital communications manager at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “Field of Memory” is an opportunity for everyone to commemorate people who 71 years ago were forced to fight for their freedom and life, and for the future as well. The military, volunteers, members of the liberation movement, doctors, ordinary townspeople and peasants, children and adults – all were affected by World War II, organizers of the “Field of Memory” noted. (Ukraine Crisis Media Center)

Poroshenko speaks on Day of Remembrance

KYIV – Speaking on May 8, the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko stated, “Long-awaited peace in Europe was established on May 8, 1945, after six years of war. Last year, Ukraine joined European countries in their celebration of the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation. …Today, in eastern Europe, violations of the norms of international law, unprecedented from the times of Hitler and Stalin, are taking place. A predatory and voracious empire again ignores state borders. …Ukraine is resisting again.” He added: “Every Ukrainian can be proud of the fact that we have created a modern army in two years. …As the commander-in-chief, I must take into account all factors: military, international, economic and other. That is why we are focusing on political-diplomatic means to return Ukrainian sovereignty to the temporarily occupied territories. …Any step towards a political settlement must be preceded with tangible progress on questions of security.” The president underscored that his goal “is to return, through political-diplomatic means, all of the Donbas, and then Crimea.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress)

Mejlis calls on EU to strengthen sanctions

OTTAWA – Refat Chubarov, head of the Mejlis, the representative assembly of the Crimean Tatar People, called on the countries of the European Union to strengthen sanctions against Russia, including an oil embargo and removal of Russia from the SWIFT international bank transfer payments system, Radio Svoboda reported. Mr. Chubarov stated, “Against the backdrop of increasing repressions against Crimean Tatars, our task is to persuade the international community to implement tougher sanctions against Russia.” On May 12, the European Parliament was expected to hold debates and consider a resolution on the violations of the rights of Crimean Tatars, Radio Svoboda reported. On April 26, the authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea banned the Mejlis. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress)

OSCE assists sustainable development 

MINSK – The engagement of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in the environmental sphere contributes to sustainable development – mapping of radiation risks, wildfire containment and cooperation between Aarhus Centers – in areas affected by the Chornobyl nuclear tragedy, Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities Yurdakul Yigitguden said on April 25 at an international conference in Minsk marking 30 years since the disaster. “Chornobyl will continue to have an important place on the agenda of OSCE activities in Eastern Europe,” he said. “Chornobyl has demonstrated how important it is for the international community to cooperate in addressing the risks and consequences of devastating disasters. We have taken concrete steps in translating relevant political commitments into action on the ground – the 2005 Ministerial Declaration on the 20th anniversary of the disaster and 2007 Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Security.” The OSCE continues its work of addressing radiation risks and recently started a new project to reduce the risks of wildfires in contaminated areas in Belarus and Ukraine. Funded by Germany’s 2016 OSCE chairmanship and Austria, this project is being implemented under the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) by the OSCE in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and with the support of the Global Fire Monitoring Center. ENVSEC is a partnership initiative bringing together the OSCE, the UNEP, the U.N. Development Program, U.N. Economic Commission for Europe and the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. The ENVSEC Initiative attaches particular importance to the challenges of Chornobyl and their implications for security. (OSCE)

Donetsk parade may violate peace deal

KYIV – A May 9 Victory Day parade in Donetsk by Russia-backed separatists featuring tanks, artillery and rocket systems may violate the Minsk peace agreement, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. (RFE/RL’s Current Time TV)

Focus on detecting forged travel documents

CHERKASY, Ukraine – Two six-day training courses for Ukrainian border control officers aimed at increasing their operational awareness to recognize original, forged and false documents, and in using forensic equipment to identify document forgery, were held in Cherkasy on May 2-7 and May 9-15 at Ukraine’s Border Management College. Participating were 47 border control officers and 12 national trainers. The courses were conducted by Ukrainian national officers under the supervision of Austrian document experts. As a follow-up to the train-the-trainer course conducted earlier this year, these training courses aimed to provide in-depth knowledge about the manufacturing process of forged travel documents, as well as the latest trends in counterfeiting methods and means of identifying them. These two courses are the final installments in a series of six courses and aim to build on the existing skills of Ukrainian officers in detecting forged travel documents by disseminating knowledge on document security features and the various frameworks of visa regimes. The courses are organized by the Transnational Threats Department of the Secretariat of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in cooperation with the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) of the U.S. Department of Justice. (OSCE)

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