According to the speaker of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration on issues in the conflict area, Andrei Lysenko, most “Russian journalists” who wish to work in eastern Ukraine are spies.  He stated this in an interview with Novaya Gazeta.

“It is simple.  There are no joint activities with Russian journalists in the ATO area [eastern Ukraine].  The majority of Russian Federation citizens who were identified as belonging to the press were found to be spies.  They failed a background check …

The Head of the Police of Finnmark, Norway,  Helen Catherine Haetta, appealed to the government p grant the police the right to close the border with Russia.  

“Memories of the autumn events are still fresh.  Because of this, one should consider the physical non-permanent closure of the border for a number of security reasons.  The Head of the Police of that region should have the authority to do that,” Haetta wrote in a letter to the government.  

She also mentioned that such measures can be …

After the resignation of the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, Aivaras Abromavičius, the IMF has warned Kiev of a possible cessation of financial support. The Managing Director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, stated on the 10th of February that it is difficult to imagine that the Fund could further support the country without significant efforts by the Ukrainian Government.

She also expressed concern about how slowly Ukraine is moving in the fight against corruption. The …

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Vadym Prystaiko, said in his interview with Glavkom that Russia spends about $2 billion a year on its international anti-Ukraine campaign. “Moscow spends about $2 billion on promoting the policies of the Party abroad,” Prystaiko stated, noting that this money is used to fund mass media, such as Life News, Sputnik News, Russia Today and others. He noted that this was the amount estimated by Ukrainian diplomats and this figure could be higher.

“How did we …

Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have accused two Russian military observers of attempting to distribute instruction manuals for rocket launchers, hand grenades, and mines, as well as teaching material concerning modern tank warfare, as reported by Interfax on February 9th.

“On the 2nd of February 2016, our investigation brought a criminal case under Article 333 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the procedure for transfer of goods, which are subject to State control). The …

Russia’s business daily, Kommersant, reported that the bank with the largest holdings of Turkish capital, Credit Europe Bank, is for sale in Russia. According to the representatives of the publication, the sale is being made due to the deterioration of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as the overall economic stagnation in Russia. One of the sources in the banking market reported that the search for potential buyers for Credit Europe Bank started in the middle of January.

Financial giant  …

On the 9th of February, at a meeting with employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the President of Ukraine stated that MPs don't need absolute parliamentary immunity.

“I didn’t wait until the People’s Deputies took the initiative to develop draft constitutional amendments concerning the revocation of parliamentary immunity. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted in favor of it and for sending it to the Constitutional Court. Then, they became very busy and they didn’t have the …

By increasing the excise tax on cigarettes and beer, Ukraine will add approximately UAH 28.7 billion and UAH 4.5 billion to its budget, respectively in 2016, as stated in a report by the International Monetary Fund. The text of this report was made available to the Ukrainian news agency UKRINFORM.

Based on the IMF estimates, by increasing the excise tax on tobacco by 40% Ukraine would receive an income of UAH 28.7 billion (1.3% of GDP) this year.  Raising the excise tax on beer by 100% would …