Articles :

Electricity supplies to Avdiyivka and the local coke plant have been cut off amidst fierce fighting; Russia’s fearmongering over gas supplies has failed to impress the European Union; Ukrainian economy is growing and budget revenues – increasing, while the National energy regulator once again adopts scandalous decisions - these are major economic news of the past week.

Acting Head of Ukraine’s Mission to NATO Yehor Bozhok has told UNIAN about some details of Russia’s “prank attack” against NATO, how the Bloc’s governing bodies respond to the latest escalation in Avdiyivka and whether they expect the situation to worsen, as what is the Alliance’s attitude to the call by President Poroshenko to hold a referendum on NATO accession.

Situation revolving around Ukrzaliznytsia may provoke a government crisis. Samopomich Party through its talking heads is trying to tackle the “waste blockade” of Lviv and tries to contribute to the blockade of railway connection with the areas in Donbas beyond government control.

While in Finland and Estonia, Petro Poroshenko raised some Ukraine-related issues, significant for the country. At a January session of PACE, the friends of Russia were really close to getting a long-awaited revenge. Acts of vandalism against the Polish graves in Ukraine have a rather logical explanation.

The Government presented its medium-term plan of reform aimed at securing economic growth, Ukrzaliznytsia [Ukrainian Railways] was withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Infrastructure, while the National Bank, State Statistics Service, and businesses announced their forecasts for the next 12 months - these are the main economic news of the outgoing week.

Arms exports remain an important source of income for the Ukrainian defense sector. One of the major export contracts is this year’s delivery of a final batch of Oplot main battle tanks to Thailand. The deal is worth nearly $250 million.

Ukraine marked its Unity Day with no excessive glitz. Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy’s positive assessment of parliament’s work looks dubious as the Ukrainian Parliament shamefully closed its session on Friday failing to reach a quorum. The Ukrainian Cabinet is increasingly resembling a terrarium with those dwelling there facing a range of external challenges.

The Economic Forum in Davos has become a platform for Petro Poroshenko’s intensive negotiations. Donald J. Trump’s inauguration was among the factors that destabilized the legislative process in Ukrainian Parliament. Ukraine has lodged a lawsuit against Russia with the International Court of Justice. Igor Dodon does not intend to recognize Crimea Russian territory.

The International Monetary Fund has promised in the coming days to agree on the details of the decision on the allocation for Ukraine of a new tranche of the loan; the hryvnia seems to be calming down following the stormy days at year-start; and the government has brought to top agenda the issue of pension reform – these are the key economic news of the outgoing week.

The Ukrainian government has decided to make the most of the effect of the earlier raise of the minimum wage, but so far it has not succeeded much. Nadiia Savchenko seems to have outsmarted herself with the publication of Donbas POW lists. The incident with MP Serhiy Pashinsky using his firearm gave new impetus to public focus on the practice of Interior Minister Arsen Avakov awarding weapons to certain individuals.

New Year’s festivities were no obstacle for senior officials of Ukraine and the EU to exchange opinions on prospects of development of bilateral relations. Ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, his opponents have been highly active in the media, which affects the actions of the future president and his team.

The National Bank went on the interbank market several times, selling foreign currency to support the falling hryvnia; the Government says it is up to create new jobs to fight unemployment and poverty; and the International Monetary Fund has promised to hold a meeting in the coming weeks on the allocation of another bailout tranche - these are the major economic events of the past week.

While foreign investors are looking at Ukraine, in no hurry to invest in large projects, loans from international financial institutions and the G7 governments remain the only incentive for the development of the national economy. Terms of allocation of loans are becoming tougher, requiring from Kyiv some fundamental change.

Grand privatization of 2016 was yet another failure. There were several reasons for such a shameful result- the lack of interest of foreign investors due to the ongoing Russian aggression, as well as macroeconomic instability. However, Ukrainian officials have not "climbed out of their way" to effectively sell state assets.

During these New Year’s holidays, the Ukrainian society was vigorously tested for its readiness to restore relations with Russia. The Ukrainian President, Prime Minister and Parliament Speaker have each made it clear in their public addresses that the country had already passed the worst stage of the crisis.

Ukraine continues to strengthen its military capabilities. In 2016 the national military industry showcased a number of new projects, while the country’s defense sector, for the fourth consecutive year, received record funding.

Russia has intensified its efforts to force Ukraine to peace in Donbas on Moscow’s terms. The official Kyiv should take a closer look at the actions of new president of Moldova Igor Dodon. French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen makes statements that seem alarming for Ukraine and also threaten the integrity and future prospects of the European Union.

In January 2015, a permit system was introduced for crossing the demarcation line between government-controlled territory and occupied areas of the Ukrainian Donbas. UNIAN reports on the changes at this “border” within the country that have developed over the past two years.

Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine has forced the authorities to launch reforms in one of the country’s strategic sectors – power engineering. Thanks to the measures taken, national energetics has become more independent and stable than it was two years ago, although there is yet plenty to be done.

One December night, along with the adoption of the state budget 2017, the Ukrainian Parliament approved amendments to the Tax Code. Despite the fact that new approaches of tax policy were being worked out for a whole year, the businesses were informed of some major innovations right New Year’s eve. UNIAN tried to figure out what awaits the taxpayers in Ukraine in 2017.