On April 1, the world’s only TV-channel broadcasting in the Crimean Tatar language ATR has been shut down. It would be possible to qualify this fact as a joke, but Federal Supervision Agency for Information Technologies and Communications (Roskomnadzor) that refused to accept application for reregistration of the TV-channel a couple of times, would hardly…
Politics
Last week the majority of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted for introduction of amendments to a law on the special self-governing status in Donbass. At the same time, with fierce battles reinforced by endless criticism by the “Radical Party” of Oleg Lyashko regarding “top-dressing” of the Russian aggressor with small pieces of territories, a Resolution…
Community. It is getting harder for the European Union to reach a consensus in this matter. The Russian Federation continues to push of weak links driving a wedge into the European unity. The European Council adopted a political decision to extend sectoral economic sanctions against Russia at least until the end of the year. Such…
The truce reached in Minsk continues to be technically observed but weapons don’t stop to be used and the number of victims increases. The OSCE mission is not able to control the withdrawal of troops. Russia continues to provide support for separatists. Ukraine is forced to beg the EU and the UNO for peacemakers. …
The meeting of the Verkhovna Rada was arranged for the evening of March 2. The draft laws of the Cabinet of Ministers mainly focused on filling the country’s budget, which already comes unglued, appeared on the agenda. But the deputies failed to start in time: the colleagues of Oleg Lyashko in the Radical Party blocked…
Military activity in Donbass has noticeable declined but the tension remains. Russia continues to look for the weak links of the European Union and threatens to stop the natural gas supplies to Ukraine. The UN Security Council heard the report of the OSCE representatives regarding implementation of the Minsk agreements and the Congress of the…
The Crimean winemakers reviewed the last year’s results by February, shed a few tears and thought of the future that after all looks gloomy: a lack of funding, inability to sell the finished product, change of the administration and visits of the Crimean “self-defense forces” to wineries do not give much cause for optimism. …
Peace in Ukraine still hasn’t come a week after the Normandy format agreements in Minsk. Each party interprets the agreements reached in its own way. The United Nations Security Council adopts a resolution on Ukraine while Debaltseve is attacked by fire. Russia is looking for allies in Europe and Ukraine is asking the West to…
The keynote of the Crimean mass media was defined by two factors last week: the search for “a fifth column”, introduction of a term “creative class” to the masses and another positive news that “the building will save Crimea” from the speaker-constructor of “the State Council” Vladimir Konstantinov. Against the background of the coming anniversary…
When the Russian troops entered the territory of South Ossetia for “provision of fraternal assistance” and pacification of Georgia in August 2008, experts started to say that Crimea was going to be the next one. These words became prophetic. Back in 2008 as well as in 2014 the world responded by a deep concern to…