30 May 2014

In Donetsk, the bodies of Russian men fighting against the Ukrainian military are being prepared for repatriation back to Russia. Aleksander Borodai, a Russian security consultant turned prime minister of the self-declared “Donetsk People's Republic”, said the separatists’ deaths were a sacrifice. The leaders of the separatist movement are calling Russia to send more fighters to continue the fighting. However, they are calling these fighters 'peacekeepers'. Meanwhile the Kremlin continues to deny supporting the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

Update from the OESC mission in Ukraine:

The situation in Luhansk and Donetsk remained volatile. Due to security restrictions the Special Monitoring Misson (SMM) was unable to carry out its duties and monitor the situation in these areas. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm.

In Dnipropetrovsk, the SMM met with local “Maidan” representatives who explained that one of the main activities of the organization was related to lustration and the fight against corruption. Information and complaints had been received from ordinary citizens and so far 10 cases related to human rights violations, such as illegal detention, had been followed by the organizations.

In Odesa the SMM observed a roundtable which put forward a plan on a public vetting process for the appointment of officials, to enhance transparency and public trust in political decision-making. This pilot project aims to serve as a model for future appointments in Odesa city and the region. 

In Chernivtsi the SMM met with the Commander of the Chernivtsi National Guard, who said that the regional National Guard unit of approximately 60 members, previously deployed to Luhansk, had been relocated back to the region last week. 

In Lviv the SMM met with the deputy director of the municipal board of social protection who predicted a wave of internally-displaced persons (IDPs) from eastern Ukraine. Accommodation was identified as a problematic issue as also confirmed by the operators managing the hotline for IDPs. Lviv city had reportedly exhausted its hosting capacity, while accommodation options outside the town are often in poor condition.

The head of the department of registration at the Lviv Region Ministry of Justice said that since 1 April 2014, 10 individual entrepreneurs and three business entities have transferred their business registration from Crimea to Lviv region, reflecting the relocation of displaced people from Crimea to Lviv.  

In Kyiv, the SMM observed about 200 individuals demonstrating in front of the parliament for greater government support to citizens who had taken loans in foreign currency a few years ago and are now unable to pay them back. The recent decline in the value of the UAH has exacerbated this situation. 

Another group of about 30-40 people demonstrated in front of the Cabinet of Ministers calling for the lustration of the deputy minister of energy and coal ministry and an adviser from the same ministry. Protesters accused both of involvement in corruption.