General Hodges: If West does nothing with annexation of Crimea, Odesa may be next

March 30, 2019 (Ukrinform) Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the United States Army Europe, made a corresponding statement at the conference in Prague dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the membership of the Czech Republic and other Visegrad Four countries in NATO, the Czech news channel STK reports. “If we are not fully united, it will immediately induce them [Russians] to resort to aggression,” the General said, adding that Moscow would use any “cracks” in the Alliance.

Hodges is convinced that NATO needs to build up capacities in the Black Sea region. "It is the area where Russia commits the greatest and strongest acts of aggression. If the West does nothing with the annexation of Crimea, it is quite possible that Odessa and, probably, Romania will be occupied next," he said. According to Hodges, the Alliance must clearly understand the threats it faces in order to continue to be successful. In this context, the General noted that terrorism is “dreadful”, but NATO must also counter potential threats posed by Russia and China.

Ukraine ranks 40th in 2019 Henley Passport Index

March 29, 2019 (UNIAN) Henley & Partners has published the latest 2019 Passport Index, which ranks the countries in terms of visa-free travel, according to which Ukraine is 40th among all countries in the world. According to the report, Ukraine shares the 40th line with Nicaragua and Tuvalu with visa-free travel to 128 countries. 

Vanuatu ranks 39th with visa-free travel to 129 countries. Japan, Singapore and South Korea top the list with visa-free travel to 189 countries. The second place is occupied by Germany, whose citizens may visit 188 countries without a visa or with a visa upon arrival. Denmark, Finland, France, Italy and Sweden rank 3rd, followed by Luxembourg and Spain (both 4th), and Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (all 5th). Afghanistan and Iraq are at the ranking's bottom (104th) with its nationals allowed visa-free travel to only 30 countries.

Russia to Bolster Flanks With New Military Units in 2019

March 29, 2019 (www.themoscowtimes.com) Russia will reinforce its western, eastern and southern flanks this year in response to increased Western military exercises near its border, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Wednesday. Moscow has bolstered its military capabilities since its relations with the United States and the NATO military alliance deteriorated over Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Speaking at a Defense Ministry board meeting, Shoigu said Russia’s move to bolster its flanks comes in reaction to NATO forces “more than doubling the scope and intensity of [their] exercises” near Russian borders. Shoigu announced plans to create one new division and four new regiments in western Russia in 2019, the ministry’s Zvezda news channel reported. The newly deployed troops there will receive weapons and special equipment as part of Russia’s state armament program, he added. The south will be reinforced with a new division for coastal missile defense, two regiments and a missile brigade, the defense minister said. Another missile brigade and a mixed aviation division will be formed in Russia’s eastern military district, Shoigu said.

A new life of the Poltava airport

March 28, 2019 (LB.ua) The first charter flight on the route Poltava - Sharm el-Sheikh was made by the new Ukrainian company SkyUp Airlines. The Boeing 737-700 with 149 passengers departed on March 26 at 13:10. Local authorities suggest that charter flights from Poltava will soon become regular. The first flight to Turkish Anatolia is scheduled for May 2.

Airport "Poltava" was built in the 50-60s of the twentieth century. The new passenger terminal was built in 1985. The airport is located 7 km south-west of Poltava, near the Kiev-Kharkov highway. The airport has a runway with a length of 2550 m and a width of 42 m, equipped with a light signaling system for landing aircraft. Poltava airport renewed its activity in 2018. 

Not long ago Poltava airport received international status and began to serve tourist charter flights.

Central Election Commission: 2,344 international observers to monitor presidential elections in Ukraine

March 26, 2019 (UKRINFORM) The Central Election Commission (CEC) has registered 324 more official observers from foreign countries for the presidential election in Ukraine scheduled for March 31, 2019.

The relevant decision was approved at the commission´s meeting on Monday evening, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. In particular, the Commission registered one observer from the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, one from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, one from Switzerland, one from France, 129 from the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), 13 from the European Parliament, three from the Kingdom of Norway, 32 from the international organization Silba - Initiative for Dialogue and Democracy, three from Slovakia, 76 from the US National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, 38 from the International Republican Institute (IRI), six from the European Platform for Democratic Elections, 20 from the Committee for Open Democracy.

Thus, on March 25, the Central Election Commission completed the registration of official international observers for the presidential election in Ukraine. A total of 2,344 official observers from 19 international organizations and 17 foreign countries were registered.

As reported, the presidential election campaign started on December 31, 2018. On February 8, the CEC completed the process of registration for the post of head of state in Ukraine's presidential election. A total of 44 presidential candidates were registered. Five candidates later withdrew from the presidential race.

U.S. Ambassador urges Ukrainians to vote in presidential election

March 25, 2019 (UNIAN) U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch has urged Ukrainian citizens to cast their ballots on election day a week from today. "If you haven't already made a plan to vote in the Ukrainian presidential elections, I urge you to do so," Yovanovitch said in a video address posted on the embassy website Sunday.

 "Democracy only works with the active participation of its citizens. And elections are how we decide who are leaders will be and tell them what we expect them to do," she said. The diplomat recalled that it was President Barack Obama who had appointed her to head the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and, after Donald Trump was elected in 2016, she continued in the position to "promote and carry out the policies" of the new president and his administration. "This is one of the marks of a true democracy. After the elections, whether an incumbent is re-elected or a new president comes to office, citizens come together and reaffirm their support for the nation and for the will of the voters," Yovanovitch said.

Read more on UNIAN: https://www.unian.info/politics/10490580-u-s-ambassador-urges-ukrainians-to-vote-in-presidential-election-video.html

Ukraine and Sweden to cooperate to counter security threats

March 20, 2019 (UKRINFORM) Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Vasyl Bodnar during a meeting with the delegation of the Defense Commission of the Swedish Parliament discussed further consolidation of efforts in countering Russian aggression, the Foreign Ministry’s press service reported. "Ukraine's experience in countering Russian military and hybrid threats, as well as cyberattacks, is of considerable interest to Stockholm. During the meeting, the sides said that Russia's aggressive policy towards Ukraine is also part of the Kremlin’s plans to destabilize the European continent and undermine public trust in democratic institutions," the ministry’s press service reported.

Vasyl Bodnar also informed the Swedish delegation about the current situation in Donbas and stressed the importance of further consolidation of international community to put more pressure on Moscow so that to return to occupied territories. The deputy minister thanked the Swedish delegation for the strong support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and said that "this support is particularly noticeable in the EU and the UN, where our Swedish partners are co-initiators of all important decisions, resolutions and other documents in support of Ukraine." Members of the Swedish delegation, in turn, assured that Sweden remains a reliable partner of Ukraine in advocating its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a sincere friend in providing practical assistance in conducting reforms.