The week in numbers

29 people were killed and another 105 suffered various injuries as a result of the shelling of the residential district “Vostochniy” in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, 62% of Ukrainians subject to mobilization received draft papers, and Ukrainian troops defended the Donetsk airport terminal for 242 days.

For 2-3 years oil prices may remain at the level of $50-60 dollars per barrel, as predicted by a global oil giant BP. At the same time, the international rating agency Fitch says that in 2015, Brent crude oil may cost $55 per barrel, and WTI - $50 per barrel.

10% of Ukrainian companies, no more than that, will be affected by the reduction of the single social fee (from 41% to 16.4%), according to the State Regulatory Service.

10th position in the world rankings of steel producers has been retained by Ukraine, according to the World Steel Association.

12 people were injured in an explosion near the office of the Moscow district court in Kharkiv. Eight of them were hospitalized. Law enforcement officials regard the incident as a terrorist attack.

18 candidates have applied for the job of the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau to the commission that will select the winner.

29 people were killed and 105 suffered various injuries as a result of the shelling of the Vostochniy residential district in Mariupol. According to local authorities, 53 multi-storey buildings and 14 private houses, four schools and three kindergartens were hit by the militants’ Grad rockets. In addition, last week, eight people were killed and 13 were wounded during the shelling of a bus stop in Donetsk.

39 families of fallen heroes from a so-called Heavenly Hundred [protesters killed during Euromaidan events] were given permission from the regional authorities of the State Land Agency to develop land management projects for the ownership of land plots. At the beginning of 2015 the total of 145 citizens were entitled to free land plots. In addition, the Ministry of Social Policy has increased the maximum size of the pension for the loss of a breadwinner for the families of killed protesters to UAH 8,500.

REUTERS

62% of Ukrainians subject to mobilization have received draft papers. The Defense Ministry reports that all citizens subject to mobilization in Khmelnytsky and Poltava regions have been informed, while Vinnitsya, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions are also close to maximum notification.

95-97% of Ukrainians will not be affected by the introduction of a new tax on luxuries, says Ukraine’s Finance Minister Natalia Jaresko.

For 242 days the Ukrainian troops were defending Donetsk airport’s new terminal, but after fierce fighting that led to a collapse of part of the building they were forced to retreat from the position. ATO forces continue to control the parts of the airport that are still suitable for defense.

500 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory has captured by Russia-backed insurgents since the signing of the Minsk agreements in September, 2014.

900 criminal proceedings regarding crimes against the Maidan protesters, in particular, on murder, wounding with firearms and assualt, have been incorporated into one criminal case, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

2,101 orphans and children deprived of parental care were adopted in Ukraine in 2014. Among them, 519 were adopted by foreign nationals, according to the Ministry of Social Policy.

2,300 Ukrainian citizens applied for asylum in Poland (mostly residents of the Donbas and Russia-occupied Crimea) at the end of 2014. The number is 50 times greater than in 2013. According to Poland’s immigration authorities, over 60 Ukrainian citizens applied during first two weeks of 2015.

REUTERS

4,500 thousand of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were granted the status of combatants, as reported by the General Headquarters of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

8,000 – 9,500 Russian troops are now in the east of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, referring to the data from Ukraine’s security services.

11,000 people over two days have applied for positions in the new patrol police in Kyiv, which is being set up instead of the State Automobile Inspection (known as the DAI). The salary of the new law enforcement body’s personnel is planned to be set between UAH 6,000-8,000.

15,500 Ukrainians have already applied to the immigration authorities to obtain biometric passports.

19,051 pieces of weaponry and military equipment required by the armed forces, were restored and repaired in Ukraine during the Anti-terrorist operation. According to the General Headquarters, 17,889 units were repaired by military repair teams, and the rest of the equipment by specialized teams from state enterprises.

Every Ukrainian will have to pay a considerable amount of taxes this year / Photo by UNIAN

UAH 39,527 in taxes is an average amount to be paid in 2015 by Ukrainian citizens. Besides, according to the study by the CASE-Ukraine center, the share of public debt per Ukrainian working citizen, to date, is about UAH 56,600.

900,000 people have been displaced from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian-backed militants. The Ministry of Social Policy predicts an even further increase in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to intensified hostilities.

$200 million is the estimated annual loss for global economy due to natural disasters, according to the UN secretary general.

UAH 260 million is planned by the Cabinet of Ministers to be allocated for IDPs’ payments for utilities and rent in January, but only for those who have submitted requests for such aid – over 22,000 people, according to the Ministry of Social Policy.

EUR 425 million of additional funds will be allocated by France for fighting against terrorism. According to the country’s prime minister, such an increase is necessary and will be aimed at combating the growing threat from extremists, as alone in France, 3,000 people must now be kept under surveillance by law enforcement.

UAH 2.5 billion has been paid to the budget by Ukrainian taxpayers since the introduction of the country's military fee (August, 3, 2014).

RUR 1.375 trillion is the amount Russia plans to spend on stabilizing its economy. Initially, the draft of the “Plan for sustainable economic development and social stability in 2015” stipulated RUR 2.7 trillion, but after taking into account criticisms from the Ministry of Finance and proposals from other departments, the draft was revised.

Margarita Andreyeva

UNIAN in Google News