Ukraine readied Saturday for a change in leadership as a young comedian appeared set to crush his incumbent rival in presidential polls, delivering a stinging rebuke to the old elite.

The 41-year-old TV star <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/comedian-zelensky-in-bitter-battle-with-president-poroshenko-in-ukraine-polls-211924">Volodymyr Zelensky</a>'s bid to lead Ukraine began as a long shot but all polls show him defeating President Petro Poroshenko in a second-round vote on Sunday.

His victory would open a new chapter in the history of a country that has gone through two popular uprisings in two decades and is mired in a five-year conflict with Moscow-backed insurgents in the east.

Despite mounting uncertainty, Ukrainians are fed up with corruption, poverty, and the war that has claimed some 13,000 lives over the past five years.

"There is a hope that a simple man will better understand us and dismantle the system that we have in our country," Yuliya Lykhota, 29, told AFP in Kiev.

"It is very important to raise our people's spirits."

Others said they doubted the political novice's ability to enact real change as Ukraine's sixth president.&nbsp;

"I do not believe he will last long once he's elected," said Sergiy Fedorets, 62.&nbsp;

"He has no support in parliament. He'll be eaten alive."&nbsp;
<img alt="Ukraine presidential candidate" data-align="center" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5b21ce0d-eb66-409d-8ea6-0e62f020ae31" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_1FS54H_0.jpg" />
Ukrainian comedian and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and his wife Olena smile during a presidential election debate with Ukrainian current President at Kiev's Olympic Stadium on on April 19, 2019.(AFP Photo)

Collective anxiety

Poroshenko came to power after a bloody 2014 uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime, triggering Moscow's annexation of Crimea.&nbsp;

But many in the country of 45 million people feel the promises of the uprising have not been fulfilled.

Zelensky has capitalised on popular anger as well as his popularity as the star of the sitcom "Servant of the People", in which he plays a school teacher who becomes a president.

Analysts say his political programme is vague at best and it remains unclear who will fill key positions in his government.

Ahead of the vote a popular news website, Ukrainska Pravda, published an interview with a therapist who pointed to severe anxiety in the country.

"There is not a single person who would not be discussing the situation in the country," said Oleg Chaban.

"People are tenser because they are paying with their lives and expect real change quickly."

Poroshenko, 53, has fought hard to secure re-election but his pleas to forgive him for past mistakes and give him a second chance have fallen on deaf ears.

A survey by the Rating pollster showed Zelensky winning 73 per cent of the vote against 27 per cent for Poroshenko.

'Neither comedy nor horror film'

On Saturday, Poroshenko once again called on Ukrainians to think twice before casting ballots for his rival.

"A five-year presidential term is not a comedy that you can easily switch off if it is no longer funny," he wrote on Facebook.&nbsp;

"Neither is it a horror movie that can be easily stopped."

The West has closely watched the race amid concern a new government might undo years of reforms it has backed.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called both Zelensky and Poroshenko on Friday.

He "reiterated our commitment to working with whomever the Ukrainian people choose to ensure the success of a secure, prosperous, democratic, &amp; free (country)," Washington's special envoy Kurt Volker said on Twitter.

On Friday, the two rivals traded insults in the first and only debate of the campaign at Kiev's 70,000-seater Olympic Stadium in front of thousands of spectators.

Ukrainians said the head-to-head was more about political theatrics and a battle of wits than a much-needed policy debate.

Zelensky accused Poroshenko — a tycoon who made a fortune in chocolate before taking office — of enriching himself and failing to end the war in the east.

The Ukrainian leader attacked the inexperience of the untested Zelensky, questioning his ability to be a wartime commander-in-chief and saying he would not be able to stand up to Russia's Vladimir Putin.

He also drew attention to Zelensky's ties to controversial tycoon Igor Kolomoysky.

Supporters credit Poroshenko with rebuilding the army and securing an Orthodox Church independent of Russia but he won only just over half of Zelensky's vote share in the first round of the election last month.

Ukraine readied Saturday for a change in leadership as a young comedian appeared set to crush his incumbent rival in presidential polls, delivering a stinging rebuke to the old elite.

Ukraine readied Saturday for a change in leadership as a young comedian appeared set to crush his incumbent rival in presidential polls, delivering a stinging rebuke to the old elite. The 41-year-old TV star Volodymyr Zelensky's bid to lead Ukraine began as a long shot but all polls show him defeating President Petro Poroshenko in a second-round vote on Sunday. His victory would open a new chapter in the history of a country that has gone through two popular uprisings in two decades and is mired in a five-year conflict with Moscow-backed insurgents in the east. Despite mounting uncertainty, Ukrainians are fed up with corruption, poverty, and the war that has claimed some 13,000 lives over the past five years. "There is a hope that a simple man will better understand us and dismantle the system that we have in our country," Yuliya Lykhota, 29, told AFP in Kiev. "It is very important to raise our people's spirits." Others said they doubted the political novice's ability to enact real change as Ukraine's sixth president. "I do not believe he will last long once he's elected," said Sergiy Fedorets, 62. "He has no support in parliament. He'll be eaten alive." Ukrainian comedian and presidential candidate Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and his wife Olena smile during a presidential election debate with Ukrainian current President at Kiev's Olympic Stadium on on April 19, 2019.(AFP Photo) Collective anxiety Poroshenko came to power after a bloody 2014 uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime, triggering Moscow's annexation of Crimea. But many in the country of 45 million people feel the promises of the uprising have not been fulfilled. Zelensky has capitalised on popular anger as well as his popularity as the star of the sitcom "Servant of the People", in which he plays a school teacher who becomes a president. Analysts say his political programme is vague at best and it remains unclear who will fill key positions in his government. Ahead of the vote a popular news website, Ukrainska Pravda, published an interview with a therapist who pointed to severe anxiety in the country. "There is not a single person who would not be discussing the situation in the country," said Oleg Chaban. "People are tenser because they are paying with their lives and expect real change quickly." Poroshenko, 53, has fought hard to secure re-election but his pleas to forgive him for past mistakes and give him a second chance have fallen on deaf ears. A survey by the Rating pollster showed Zelensky winning 73 per cent of the vote against 27 per cent for Poroshenko. 'Neither comedy nor horror film' On Saturday, Poroshenko once again called on Ukrainians to think twice before casting ballots for his rival. "A five-year presidential term is not a comedy that you can easily switch off if it is no longer funny," he wrote on Facebook. "Neither is it a horror movie that can be easily stopped." The West has closely watched the race amid concern a new government might undo years of reforms it has backed. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called both Zelensky and Poroshenko on Friday. He "reiterated our commitment to working with whomever the Ukrainian people choose to ensure the success of a secure, prosperous, democratic, & free (country)," Washington's special envoy Kurt Volker said on Twitter. On Friday, the two rivals traded insults in the first and only debate of the campaign at Kiev's 70,000-seater Olympic Stadium in front of thousands of spectators. Ukrainians said the head-to-head was more about political theatrics and a battle of wits than a much-needed policy debate. Zelensky accused Poroshenko — a tycoon who made a fortune in chocolate before taking office — of enriching himself and failing to end the war in the east. The Ukrainian leader attacked the inexperience of the untested Zelensky, questioning his ability to be a wartime commander-in-chief and saying he would not be able to stand up to Russia's Vladimir Putin. He also drew attention to Zelensky's ties to controversial tycoon Igor Kolomoysky. Supporters credit Poroshenko with rebuilding the army and securing an Orthodox Church independent of Russia but he won only just over half of Zelensky's vote share in the first round of the election last month.

As comedian eyes presidency, Ukraine braces for uncertain future

The two men vying to be Ukraine's next president traded insults in a raucous debate on Friday in front of thousands of supporters before an election that could put a comedian with no political experience in charge of a country at war.

The debate, held in a hulking football stadium, was one of the last opportunities for incumbent President <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/ahead-of-presidential-polls-ukraines-poroshenko-says-his-only-opponent-is-vladimir-putin-206780&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjBkZW57d3hAhUUaI8KHVcZBLAQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0ZtZ319c5wCekXC-c6l9Xj">Petro Poroshenko</a> to try to overhaul a significant lead in the opinion polls enjoyed by his challenger <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/comedian-zelensky-in-bitter-battle-with-president-poroshenko-in-ukraine-polls-211924&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiAjMDL7d3hAhWMwI8KHd1FAT8QFggIMAE&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2z1fexAyMQ1FoN7AQsnEYJ">Volodymyr Zelenskiy</a>, a comic.

The event was light on policy and heavy on theatrics with supporters cheering and booing their respective candidates and shouting "Shame" and "Go away" in a gladiatorial atmosphere.

At stake in Sunday's election is the leadership of a country on the frontline of the West's standoff with Moscow following 2014 protests that caused Poroshenko's Kremlin-backed predecessor to flee into exile, and foreshadowed Moscow's annexation of Crimea.

In a rare break from mutual mud-slinging, both men briefly knelt on stage at one point to honour the memory of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the country's simmering 5-year war with Russian-backed separatists.

Zelenskiy, 41, who plays a fictional president in a popular TV series, tried to cast Poroshenko, 53, as a rich out-of-touch leader who has overseen corruption and failed to end the war.

"I'm not a politician," Zelenskiy told Poroshenko. "I'm just an ordinary person who has come to break the system. I'm the result of your mistakes and promises."

He also questioned why living standards were in decline.

"How is it that Ukraine is the poorest country with the richest president?"

Standing in front of a Ukrainian flag surrounded by army veterans, Poroshenko tried to portray Zelenskiy as an inept draft-dodger who would be unable to defend the country against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"You'd be a weak head of state who would be unable to defend yourself from Putin's blows. I don't believe that Mr Volodymyr (Zelenskiy) dreams of handing over Ukraine, of dragging Ukraine back into the Russian empire, but Putin has such a dream."

Zelenskiy was a front for other people, said Poroshenko, accusing him of wanting to further Russian interests and those of Ihor Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's richest businessmen.

He also levelled accusations of financial wrongdoing against Zelenskiy to which the comedian hit back:

"I'm not at the prosecutor's office, I haven't done anything to find myself there, but maybe you'll have to meet with the prosecutor."

Zelenskiy has put Poroshenko on the backfoot by running an unorthodox campaign that eschewed traditional rallies and relied on quirky social media videos and comedy gigs.

The hour-long debate in the stadium, an unprecedented spectacle in Ukraine's modern history, came after Zelenskiy challenged Poroshenko to meet him there.

"I think this is the first and last time it'll be this way in the history of such debates. For them to be in a stadium? Never again. The atmosphere is just super," said Anya, a 25-year-old Zelenskiy supporter from the Poltava region.

"I loved it."

The two men vying to be Ukraine's next president traded insults in a raucous debate on Friday in front of thousands of supporters before an election that could put a comedian with no political experience in charge of a country at war.

The two men vying to be Ukraine's next president traded insults in a raucous debate on Friday in front of thousands of supporters before an election that could put a comedian with no political experience in charge of a country at war. The debate, held in a hulking football stadium, was one of the last opportunities for incumbent President Petro Poroshenko to try to overhaul a significant lead in the opinion polls enjoyed by his challenger Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comic. The event was light on policy and heavy on theatrics with supporters cheering and booing their respective candidates and shouting "Shame" and "Go away" in a gladiatorial atmosphere. At stake in Sunday's election is the leadership of a country on the frontline of the West's standoff with Moscow following 2014 protests that caused Poroshenko's Kremlin-backed predecessor to flee into exile, and foreshadowed Moscow's annexation of Crimea. In a rare break from mutual mud-slinging, both men briefly knelt on stage at one point to honour the memory of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the country's simmering 5-year war with Russian-backed separatists. Zelenskiy, 41, who plays a fictional president in a popular TV series, tried to cast Poroshenko, 53, as a rich out-of-touch leader who has overseen corruption and failed to end the war. "I'm not a politician," Zelenskiy told Poroshenko. "I'm just an ordinary person who has come to break the system. I'm the result of your mistakes and promises." He also questioned why living standards were in decline. "How is it that Ukraine is the poorest country with the richest president?" Standing in front of a Ukrainian flag surrounded by army veterans, Poroshenko tried to portray Zelenskiy as an inept draft-dodger who would be unable to defend the country against Russian President Vladimir Putin. "You'd be a weak head of state who would be unable to defend yourself from Putin's blows. I don't believe that Mr Volodymyr (Zelenskiy) dreams of handing over Ukraine, of dragging Ukraine back into the Russian empire, but Putin has such a dream." Zelenskiy was a front for other people, said Poroshenko, accusing him of wanting to further Russian interests and those of Ihor Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's richest businessmen. He also levelled accusations of financial wrongdoing against Zelenskiy to which the comedian hit back: "I'm not at the prosecutor's office, I haven't done anything to find myself there, but maybe you'll have to meet with the prosecutor." Zelenskiy has put Poroshenko on the backfoot by running an unorthodox campaign that eschewed traditional rallies and relied on quirky social media videos and comedy gigs. The hour-long debate in the stadium, an unprecedented spectacle in Ukraine's modern history, came after Zelenskiy challenged Poroshenko to meet him there. "I think this is the first and last time it'll be this way in the history of such debates. For them to be in a stadium? Never again. The atmosphere is just super," said Anya, a 25-year-old Zelenskiy supporter from the Poltava region. "I loved it."

Ukrainian presidential candidates trade insults in rowdy stadium debate

A comedian tipped to take over Ukraine's presidency and his incumbent rival went head-to-head in a bitter stadium debate Friday, as campaigning reached its grand finale before a weekend vote.

Polls show Volodymyr Zelensky, a 41-year-old standup comic with no political experience, handily defeating President Petro Poroshenko in a second-round of voting on Sunday.

The showman's bid started as a long shot but he leapfrogged establishment candidates amid frustration over corruption, economic trouble and a conflict with Moscow-backed insurgents in the country's east.&nbsp;

Several thousand spectators attended the first and only policy head-to-head of the extraordinary campaign that took place in Kiev's Olympic Stadium amid beefed-up security.&nbsp;

The rivals appeared together on stage and opened the debate on a positive note by shaking hands before quickly launching mutual attacks.

"I am not a politician," said Zelensky, who spoke first. "I am just a simple person who has come to break down this system," he said.

"I am the result of your mistakes and promises."

53-year-old Poroshenko attacked the inexperience of the untested Zelensky, questioning his ability to serve as commander-in-chief.

"We only have a beautiful and bright sweet wrapper in which everyone can find what he is looking for," said an emotional Poroshenko.

He said Zelensky had over the past few years avoided active-duty military service and added he would not be able to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The debate brought to a close a race that at times descended into farce as the candidates exchanged insults and underwent drug tests at Zelensky's insistence.&nbsp;

A survey by the Rating pollster released Thursday showed Zelensky winning 73 per cent of the vote against 27 per cent for Poroshenko.

Supporters credit Poroshenko -- who took power after a popular uprising in 2014 -- with implementing economic reforms, rebuilding the army, securing an Orthodox Church independent of Russia and winning visa-free travel to Europe.

However, he won just over half of Zelensky's vote share in the first round of the election last month.

The stakes are high for the country of 45 million people seen as a buffer between the European Union and Russia.

Ukraine is mired in a smouldering war with Moscow-backed separatists in the industrial east, a conflict that has claimed 13,000 lives.

A parliamentary election is also due to be held in October.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier Friday his team would record the debate so that Putin could watch when he is free.

"We will watch it for sure," he said.

In a new attempt to squeeze Kiev, Moscow announced Thursday it would be limiting Russian exports of coal, oil and petrochemicals that Ukraine relies on.

Main risks&nbsp;

The West is closely watching the race amid concern that a new government might undo years of reforms.

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted both candidates for separate talks last week.

The main risks associated with a Zelensky presidency are "policy incoherence stemming from inexperience" and "undue influence from oligarchs or Russians," a former Western diplomat told AFP.&nbsp;

In a startling development on Thursday, a Kiev court ruled that the Poroshenko government's 2016 decision to nationalise the country's biggest lender as part of a reform drive was illegal.

PrivatBank was owned at the time by Igor Kolomoysky, a tycoon who controls the channel that broadcasts several of Zelensky's shows.

Poroshenko warned that Ukraine risked defaulting on its debt if the bank were handed back to the tycoon after his government spent nearly $6 billion on recapitalising the lender.

The EU, the United States and the IMF said in coordinated statements they were closely monitoring the situation.

A comedian tipped to take over Ukraine's presidency and his incumbent rival went head-to-head in a bitter stadium debate Friday, as campaigning reached its grand finale before a weekend vote.

A comedian tipped to take over Ukraine's presidency and his incumbent rival went head-to-head in a bitter stadium debate Friday, as campaigning reached its grand finale before a weekend vote. Polls show Volodymyr Zelensky, a 41-year-old standup comic with no political experience, handily defeating President Petro Poroshenko in a second-round of voting on Sunday. The showman's bid started as a long shot but he leapfrogged establishment candidates amid frustration over corruption, economic trouble and a conflict with Moscow-backed insurgents in the country's east. Several thousand spectators attended the first and only policy head-to-head of the extraordinary campaign that took place in Kiev's Olympic Stadium amid beefed-up security. The rivals appeared together on stage and opened the debate on a positive note by shaking hands before quickly launching mutual attacks. "I am not a politician," said Zelensky, who spoke first. "I am just a simple person who has come to break down this system," he said. "I am the result of your mistakes and promises." 53-year-old Poroshenko attacked the inexperience of the untested Zelensky, questioning his ability to serve as commander-in-chief. "We only have a beautiful and bright sweet wrapper in which everyone can find what he is looking for," said an emotional Poroshenko. He said Zelensky had over the past few years avoided active-duty military service and added he would not be able to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The debate brought to a close a race that at times descended into farce as the candidates exchanged insults and underwent drug tests at Zelensky's insistence. A survey by the Rating pollster released Thursday showed Zelensky winning 73 per cent of the vote against 27 per cent for Poroshenko. Supporters credit Poroshenko -- who took power after a popular uprising in 2014 -- with implementing economic reforms, rebuilding the army, securing an Orthodox Church independent of Russia and winning visa-free travel to Europe. However, he won just over half of Zelensky's vote share in the first round of the election last month. The stakes are high for the country of 45 million people seen as a buffer between the European Union and Russia. Ukraine is mired in a smouldering war with Moscow-backed separatists in the industrial east, a conflict that has claimed 13,000 lives. A parliamentary election is also due to be held in October. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier Friday his team would record the debate so that Putin could watch when he is free. "We will watch it for sure," he said. In a new attempt to squeeze Kiev, Moscow announced Thursday it would be limiting Russian exports of coal, oil and petrochemicals that Ukraine relies on. Main risks The West is closely watching the race amid concern that a new government might undo years of reforms. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted both candidates for separate talks last week. The main risks associated with a Zelensky presidency are "policy incoherence stemming from inexperience" and "undue influence from oligarchs or Russians," a former Western diplomat told AFP. In a startling development on Thursday, a Kiev court ruled that the Poroshenko government's 2016 decision to nationalise the country's biggest lender as part of a reform drive was illegal. PrivatBank was owned at the time by Igor Kolomoysky, a tycoon who controls the channel that broadcasts several of Zelensky's shows. Poroshenko warned that Ukraine risked defaulting on its debt if the bank were handed back to the tycoon after his government spent nearly $6 billion on recapitalising the lender. The EU, the United States and the IMF said in coordinated statements they were closely monitoring the situation.

Comedian Zelensky in bitter battle with President Poroshenko in Ukraine polls

Ukraine's security service SBU said on Wednesday it had captured a Russian military intelligence hit squad responsible for the attempted murder of a Ukrainian military spy in the run-up to a presidential election on Sunday.

The issue of how to deal with Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and backs pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, is prominent ahead of the vote, with incumbent Petro Poroshenko casting himself as the commander-in-chief Ukraine needs to defend the country.

Vasyl Hrytsak, the head of the SBU, the main intelligence agency, told a news conference in Kiev that seven members of the Russian group had been detained and charged and that an eighth person had been detained on Wednesday morning.

Two of the group's members were Russian citizens, said Anatoly Matios, Ukraine's military prosecutor, describing them as staff officers of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency. The other six were Ukrainians.

There was no immediate reaction from Russia's GRU.

The SBU has reported before that it captured groups belonging to Russian special agencies.

"Those detained were involved in the attempted murder of an employee of the Ukrainian defence ministry's intelligence service...in Kiev in April," said Matios, adding the group had planted a bomb beneath the man's car which had gone off prematurely, badly injuring one of the accused.

The SBU released a video of the same incident which showed a man placing the bomb under a car before a big explosion. The video showed a man lying in a hospital bed with part of his right arm missing saying he was Russian and born in Moscow.

Ukraine's security service SBU said on Wednesday it had captured a Russian military intelligence hit squad responsible for the attempted murder of a Ukrainian military spy in the run-up to a presidential election on Sunday.

Ukraine's security service SBU said on Wednesday it had captured a Russian military intelligence hit squad responsible for the attempted murder of a Ukrainian military spy in the run-up to a presidential election on Sunday. The issue of how to deal with Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and backs pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, is prominent ahead of the vote, with incumbent Petro Poroshenko casting himself as the commander-in-chief Ukraine needs to defend the country. Vasyl Hrytsak, the head of the SBU, the main intelligence agency, told a news conference in Kiev that seven members of the Russian group had been detained and charged and that an eighth person had been detained on Wednesday morning. Two of the group's members were Russian citizens, said Anatoly Matios, Ukraine's military prosecutor, describing them as staff officers of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency. The other six were Ukrainians. There was no immediate reaction from Russia's GRU. The SBU has reported before that it captured groups belonging to Russian special agencies. "Those detained were involved in the attempted murder of an employee of the Ukrainian defence ministry's intelligence service...in Kiev in April," said Matios, adding the group had planted a bomb beneath the man's car which had gone off prematurely, badly injuring one of the accused. The SBU released a video of the same incident which showed a man placing the bomb under a car before a big explosion. The video showed a man lying in a hospital bed with part of his right arm missing saying he was Russian and born in Moscow.

Russian military intelligence hit squad detained: Ukraine security service

By Jonathan Hall

Involved in armed conflicts on two fronts, in eastern Ukraine and Syria, the Russian Federation’s dual campaigns are often closely associated with one another. Experts looking at Russia’s ongoing operations in the Syrian Civil War often attempt to link them to the conflict in Ukraine. In doing so, analysts and policymakers may inadvertently fail to see the full range of consequences the renewed Russian presence in the Middle East brings. This in no way implies a lack of relationship between the two, but rather that the economic and political benefits Moscow is reaping should be appreciated before such a causal relationship can be understood.

Two main factors of Russia’s intervention in Syria will affect future calculi between interlocutors attempting to resolve the war in the Donbas region and the illegal annexation of Crimea. The first factor that needs addressing is the near-term consequences. Because of its military cooperation with Bashar al-Assad’s regime and other regional players, Moscow has managed to secure billions of dollars from states in the Middle East such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Along with rising global oil prices, Russia has further insulated itself against Western sanctions.

The second implication is the geopolitical importance of Russia’s growing presence in the region, which it is utilising to cast influence throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Its significance comes in the shape of a favorable bargaining position within and without the Minsk framework (for the resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine) for two reasons: geoeconomic clout vis-à-vis the energy market and political leverage over the European Union as it attempts to manage issues related to immigration flows from the MENA region.&nbsp;

Inextricably Linked

September 30, 2015, marked the beginning of Russia’s official involvement in Syria at the request of President Assad, opening with airstrikes around the cities of Homs and Hama in western Syria against the mainstream opposition forces. With the war in eastern Ukraine already being waged for over a year at that point, the two conflicts have since been inextricably linked. Some analysts posit that Russia’s incursion into Syria serves the same purpose as prior aggressions in Ukraine, namely dismantling the current Western-led world order that has been in place since World War II.

Concerning this link, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin likely knew he would be able to use any gains in the Middle East in his favour concerning Ukraine. However, these gains, when seen through a wider lens than just the regional context of Ukraine, provide a clearer analysis of the economically and geopolitically revitalised bargaining position given to the Kremlin on issues with transatlantic partners writ large and, therefore, certainly concerning Donbas and Crimea.

Throughout 2014, as US and EU sanctions began to accumulate, the ruble was at one point devalued by roughly 50 per cent. While Moscow has reclaimed some economic stability, the strength of the Russian currency, which is currently priced at 65 against the US dollar, is no where near its former status of around 35 rubles against the dollar.

While sanctions have certainly hurt Russia’s economy, the drop in the global oil prices had a much more significant effect. Russia’s long-term budget projections placed oil above $100 per barrel; however, at certain points in 2016, the price fell below $30. Moscow’s economic difficulties were further compounded by the budgetary pressures self-imposed by its activities in Ukraine, as well as the economic shock experienced during the 2008-09 global financial crisis that drained central reserves. Even if the sanctions were never imposed, some suggest the Kremlin would still have found itself in a difficult position.

Irrespective of sanctions staying in place, last year the State Duma reviewed the federal budget and projected a surplus of 0.5 per cent of GDP, equating to around $7.7 billion. This was the first expected surplus since 2011, which displays the preponderant effect of oil over Western sanctions given that 2012 marked the beginning of a drop in global oil prices. The World Bank confirmed such reports, forecasting 1.5 per cent&nbsp;GDP growth in 2018, followed by an increase of 1.8 per cent&nbsp;from 2019-20.

Entering Syria

Although the financial losses due to sanctions have not had the same effect as declining oil prices, they have certainly taken their toll. Resumed business with the EU and the US would be the best-case scenario for Russia. However, this would only begin to be a possibility after the Kremlin put forth a concerted effort to work with the international community to bring about peace in the region.

Moscow, however, understands that an abrupt end to the fighting in Donbas, in which it has only marginally admitted involvement, would be highly unlikely, especially while trying to save face on both the international stage as well as in front of domestic audiences. Given this reality, Russia appears fully committed to increasing relations in the Middle East not only militarily, but also economically, as part of its eastward pivot toward the MENA region and Asia. 
 
Important to note is that on the list of sanctioned individuals and entities is Vnesheconombank (VEB), of which Russia’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF), the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), is a fully owned subsidiary. Put simply, SWFs serve as state-owned instruments in public finance. Largely funded by revenues from commodity exports or from foreign exchange reserves in a state’s central bank, SWFs may be used to invest globally. As such, Russia has begun to circumvent the economic hardship of sanctions and severed business partnerships in the West by contractually binding itself to other sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East.

While not an exhaustive list of SWF partnerships, the following are the most lucrative of contracts set up through the RDIF, which represent short-term financial reprieve and long-term economic bargaining power for the Kremlin: the Qatari Investment Authority has committed over $2.5 billion in assets to Russia, mostly within Russia’s oil giant Rosneft; Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund invested $10 billion, mostly focused on technology and energy; and Abu Dhabi, for its part, has set up a $3 billion fund with the RDIF, focused on developing Russia’s southern infrastructure and agricultural sectors. 
 
Arms Sales

Apart from direct SWF investment, Russia’s arms industry has also received a huge boon since Russia commenced military operations in Syria. The importance of this can be seen from former deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, stating that “arms sales are the most important element of Moscow’s relations with other countries.” For example, in 2009 Moscow sold roughly $9 billion in arms to the MENA region. In 2016, that number rose to $21.4 billion. With the MENA region quickly becoming Russia’s most profitable destination in terms of exporting arms, behind Asia, the correlation of foreign policy interests is clear.

The Kremlin has used the war as effective advertising from the very beginning. In early October, shortly after Russia officially entered the war on behalf of Assad’s regime, Moscow fired 26 cruise missiles from its Caspian Sea flotilla, hitting various targets in Syria. Although it could be argued that the same objective could have been carried out through military capabilities already in-country, Russia was able to broadcast its new technology on a global scale.

Shortly after, customers from the Middle East and abroad began to line up to buy various weapons systems. The key example of this success would be Tehran resuming its position as a top-tier client following the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (and Russia’s assistance in the process) placing weapon orders to the sum of $10 billion.

For the near future, any economic gains achieved by the Russian Federation may directly affect its position moving forward concerning Ukraine. The Kremlin has been hemorrhaging money in backing separatist activities and financing its own operations in Donbas and Crimea. Arms sales and economic partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa will provide the monetary reprieve Russia needs to shield itself from the financial backlash currently being sustained. 
 
Longterm Benefits

While economic deals amongst SWFs and recent increases in arms sales provide Russia assistance in the near-term to face the previous shock to global oil prices as well as Western sanctions, the mid to long-term implications of Russia’s involvement in the Syrian Civil War are the most important to analyze. In terms of bilateral cooperation in the Middle East, relations with Iran are the most important for Russia. A major consumer of Russian arms, Moscow sees Tehran as a “regional superpower” given Iran’s extensive involvement in the war in Syria, its support for Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the question of its future nuclear capabilities.

Russia also views Tehran as a reliable partner with whom it can successfully counter the US presence in the Black Sea, the Caspian region and the Middle East, in addition to controlling Sunni extremism within Russia’s near-abroad — the North Caucasus and Central Asia. While the war in Syria will eventually come to an end, Russia has now successfully locked itself into the region through its access to the Syrian port of Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase, which it will maintain for at least the next 48 years.

The geopolitical importance of Russia’s permanent military presence in the region, in concert with growing forms of economic cooperation, may be better realized through discussion of the north-south corridor. Introduced by President Putin in 2007, this strategic initiative is based upon a mixture of financial planning and political enterprise. Moscow’s goal with the so-called north-south corridor is to utilize its partnerships in the Middle East and create a staging ground for further economic and political cooperation in Africa and the “global south.”

One example of this is a deal likely brokered thanks to SWF investments in Abu Dhabi’s defense sector for Moscow to create an air hub in the UAE. Through this hub, Russia will be able to deliver infrastructure projects and humanitarian aid.

Should Russia continue to gain political clout throughout the MENA region, the European Union may find itself dealing with Russia as its main interlocutor for issues such as the ongoing refugee crisis. In many European countries, issues concerning migration flows are dominating the discourse in the media and political spheres. Domestic political concerns will likely take precedence over the war in Ukraine. Therefore, Russia’s ability to provide concessions — for example through growing its influence in Libya — to work with the EU in dealing with migration may, in turn, lead to unfavorable tradeoffs for Ukraine.&nbsp;

The trends regarding military and economic cooperation between Russia and its Middle Eastern partners may have begun well before the annexation of Crimea. However, it is apparent that Western sanctions and political pressure have since driven the Kremlin farther east, accelerating its efforts. This divergence does not appear to be coming solely out of desperation after the loss of Western investment, but rather because of the real promise Moscow sees in its increasingly eastward-leaning strategic focus.

Russia’s enlarged presence in the Middle East, particularly as it relates to renewed ties with Iran and the potential access this will give the Kremlin to developments in Africa, clearly displays the war in Syria as just the beginning.

Any increased influence in these regions will come at the expense of transatlantic partners and will shift bargaining positions when it comes to its dealings with Russia, namely as it pertains to Ukraine. If these trends persist, in addition to rising oil prices, some rethinking will be required when it comes to countering Russia in Ukraine as sanctions may become less and less relevant. If this is the case, expect the Russian Federation to become economically more viable, geographically more influential and, as a result, perhaps more aggressive in eastern Ukraine.

 
(Jonathan Hall is a security and political risk analyst focused on Eurasian geopolitics, military affairs, and emerging technologies)

(This article was originally published on The Fair Observer. Read the <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/western-sanctions-russia-economy-syria-ukraine-middle-east-news-00171/">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.) &nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

By Jonathan Hall Involved in armed conflicts on two fronts, in eastern Ukraine and Syria, the Russian Federation’s dual campaigns are often closely associated with one another.

By Jonathan Hall Involved in armed conflicts on two fronts, in eastern Ukraine and Syria, the Russian Federation’s dual campaigns are often closely associated with one another. Experts looking at Russia’s ongoing operations in the Syrian Civil War often attempt to link them to the conflict in Ukraine. In doing so, analysts and policymakers may inadvertently fail to see the full range of consequences the renewed Russian presence in the Middle East brings. This in no way implies a lack of relationship between the two, but rather that the economic and political benefits Moscow is reaping should be appreciated before such a causal relationship can be understood. Two main factors of Russia’s intervention in Syria will affect future calculi between interlocutors attempting to resolve the war in the Donbas region and the illegal annexation of Crimea. The first factor that needs addressing is the near-term consequences. Because of its military cooperation with Bashar al-Assad’s regime and other regional players, Moscow has managed to secure billions of dollars from states in the Middle East such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Along with rising global oil prices, Russia has further insulated itself against Western sanctions. The second implication is the geopolitical importance of Russia’s growing presence in the region, which it is utilising to cast influence throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Its significance comes in the shape of a favorable bargaining position within and without the Minsk framework (for the resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine) for two reasons: geoeconomic clout vis-à-vis the energy market and political leverage over the European Union as it attempts to manage issues related to immigration flows from the MENA region. Inextricably Linked September 30, 2015, marked the beginning of Russia’s official involvement in Syria at the request of President Assad, opening with airstrikes around the cities of Homs and Hama in western Syria against the mainstream opposition forces. With the war in eastern Ukraine already being waged for over a year at that point, the two conflicts have since been inextricably linked. Some analysts posit that Russia’s incursion into Syria serves the same purpose as prior aggressions in Ukraine, namely dismantling the current Western-led world order that has been in place since World War II. Concerning this link, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin likely knew he would be able to use any gains in the Middle East in his favour concerning Ukraine. However, these gains, when seen through a wider lens than just the regional context of Ukraine, provide a clearer analysis of the economically and geopolitically revitalised bargaining position given to the Kremlin on issues with transatlantic partners writ large and, therefore, certainly concerning Donbas and Crimea. Throughout 2014, as US and EU sanctions began to accumulate, the ruble was at one point devalued by roughly 50 per cent. While Moscow has reclaimed some economic stability, the strength of the Russian currency, which is currently priced at 65 against the US dollar, is no where near its former status of around 35 rubles against the dollar. While sanctions have certainly hurt Russia’s economy, the drop in the global oil prices had a much more significant effect. Russia’s long-term budget projections placed oil above $100 per barrel; however, at certain points in 2016, the price fell below $30. Moscow’s economic difficulties were further compounded by the budgetary pressures self-imposed by its activities in Ukraine, as well as the economic shock experienced during the 2008-09 global financial crisis that drained central reserves. Even if the sanctions were never imposed, some suggest the Kremlin would still have found itself in a difficult position. Irrespective of sanctions staying in place, last year the State Duma reviewed the federal budget and projected a surplus of 0.5 per cent of GDP, equating to around $7.7 billion. This was the first expected surplus since 2011, which displays the preponderant effect of oil over Western sanctions given that 2012 marked the beginning of a drop in global oil prices. The World Bank confirmed such reports, forecasting 1.5 per cent GDP growth in 2018, followed by an increase of 1.8 per cent from 2019-20. Entering Syria Although the financial losses due to sanctions have not had the same effect as declining oil prices, they have certainly taken their toll. Resumed business with the EU and the US would be the best-case scenario for Russia. However, this would only begin to be a possibility after the Kremlin put forth a concerted effort to work with the international community to bring about peace in the region. Moscow, however, understands that an abrupt end to the fighting in Donbas, in which it has only marginally admitted involvement, would be highly unlikely, especially while trying to save face on both the international stage as well as in front of domestic audiences. Given this reality, Russia appears fully committed to increasing relations in the Middle East not only militarily, but also economically, as part of its eastward pivot toward the MENA region and Asia. Important to note is that on the list of sanctioned individuals and entities is Vnesheconombank (VEB), of which Russia’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF), the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), is a fully owned subsidiary. Put simply, SWFs serve as state-owned instruments in public finance. Largely funded by revenues from commodity exports or from foreign exchange reserves in a state’s central bank, SWFs may be used to invest globally. As such, Russia has begun to circumvent the economic hardship of sanctions and severed business partnerships in the West by contractually binding itself to other sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East. While not an exhaustive list of SWF partnerships, the following are the most lucrative of contracts set up through the RDIF, which represent short-term financial reprieve and long-term economic bargaining power for the Kremlin: the Qatari Investment Authority has committed over $2.5 billion in assets to Russia, mostly within Russia’s oil giant Rosneft; Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund invested $10 billion, mostly focused on technology and energy; and Abu Dhabi, for its part, has set up a $3 billion fund with the RDIF, focused on developing Russia’s southern infrastructure and agricultural sectors. Arms Sales Apart from direct SWF investment, Russia’s arms industry has also received a huge boon since Russia commenced military operations in Syria. The importance of this can be seen from former deputy prime minister, Dmitry Rogozin, stating that “arms sales are the most important element of Moscow’s relations with other countries.” For example, in 2009 Moscow sold roughly $9 billion in arms to the MENA region. In 2016, that number rose to $21.4 billion. With the MENA region quickly becoming Russia’s most profitable destination in terms of exporting arms, behind Asia, the correlation of foreign policy interests is clear. The Kremlin has used the war as effective advertising from the very beginning. In early October, shortly after Russia officially entered the war on behalf of Assad’s regime, Moscow fired 26 cruise missiles from its Caspian Sea flotilla, hitting various targets in Syria. Although it could be argued that the same objective could have been carried out through military capabilities already in-country, Russia was able to broadcast its new technology on a global scale. Shortly after, customers from the Middle East and abroad began to line up to buy various weapons systems. The key example of this success would be Tehran resuming its position as a top-tier client following the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (and Russia’s assistance in the process) placing weapon orders to the sum of $10 billion. For the near future, any economic gains achieved by the Russian Federation may directly affect its position moving forward concerning Ukraine. The Kremlin has been hemorrhaging money in backing separatist activities and financing its own operations in Donbas and Crimea. Arms sales and economic partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa will provide the monetary reprieve Russia needs to shield itself from the financial backlash currently being sustained. Longterm Benefits While economic deals amongst SWFs and recent increases in arms sales provide Russia assistance in the near-term to face the previous shock to global oil prices as well as Western sanctions, the mid to long-term implications of Russia’s involvement in the Syrian Civil War are the most important to analyze. In terms of bilateral cooperation in the Middle East, relations with Iran are the most important for Russia. A major consumer of Russian arms, Moscow sees Tehran as a “regional superpower” given Iran’s extensive involvement in the war in Syria, its support for Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the question of its future nuclear capabilities. Russia also views Tehran as a reliable partner with whom it can successfully counter the US presence in the Black Sea, the Caspian region and the Middle East, in addition to controlling Sunni extremism within Russia’s near-abroad — the North Caucasus and Central Asia. While the war in Syria will eventually come to an end, Russia has now successfully locked itself into the region through its access to the Syrian port of Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase, which it will maintain for at least the next 48 years. The geopolitical importance of Russia’s permanent military presence in the region, in concert with growing forms of economic cooperation, may be better realized through discussion of the north-south corridor. Introduced by President Putin in 2007, this strategic initiative is based upon a mixture of financial planning and political enterprise. Moscow’s goal with the so-called north-south corridor is to utilize its partnerships in the Middle East and create a staging ground for further economic and political cooperation in Africa and the “global south.” One example of this is a deal likely brokered thanks to SWF investments in Abu Dhabi’s defense sector for Moscow to create an air hub in the UAE. Through this hub, Russia will be able to deliver infrastructure projects and humanitarian aid. Should Russia continue to gain political clout throughout the MENA region, the European Union may find itself dealing with Russia as its main interlocutor for issues such as the ongoing refugee crisis. In many European countries, issues concerning migration flows are dominating the discourse in the media and political spheres. Domestic political concerns will likely take precedence over the war in Ukraine. Therefore, Russia’s ability to provide concessions — for example through growing its influence in Libya — to work with the EU in dealing with migration may, in turn, lead to unfavorable tradeoffs for Ukraine. The trends regarding military and economic cooperation between Russia and its Middle Eastern partners may have begun well before the annexation of Crimea. However, it is apparent that Western sanctions and political pressure have since driven the Kremlin farther east, accelerating its efforts. This divergence does not appear to be coming solely out of desperation after the loss of Western investment, but rather because of the real promise Moscow sees in its increasingly eastward-leaning strategic focus. Russia’s enlarged presence in the Middle East, particularly as it relates to renewed ties with Iran and the potential access this will give the Kremlin to developments in Africa, clearly displays the war in Syria as just the beginning. Any increased influence in these regions will come at the expense of transatlantic partners and will shift bargaining positions when it comes to its dealings with Russia, namely as it pertains to Ukraine. If these trends persist, in addition to rising oil prices, some rethinking will be required when it comes to countering Russia in Ukraine as sanctions may become less and less relevant. If this is the case, expect the Russian Federation to become economically more viable, geographically more influential and, as a result, perhaps more aggressive in eastern Ukraine. (Jonathan Hall is a security and political risk analyst focused on Eurasian geopolitics, military affairs, and emerging technologies) (This article was originally published on The Fair Observer. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Western sanctions are driving Russia’s focus on the Middle East

Ukraine's military staged air-defence drills on Saturday (April 13) in the country's east, next to the sea of Azov. Watch video to know more.

Ukraine stage large-scale military drills in the east

Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, a political novice and favourite to win <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraines-poroshenko-agrees-to-debate-with-frontrunner-zelensky-207896">Kiev's presidential vote</a>, will head to Paris Friday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.&nbsp;

While many dismissed as a joke his bid to lead Ukraine -- a country at war with Moscow-backed rebels -- Zelensky defeated President Petro Poroshenko in the presidential vote's first round. Polls predict he will also win the election's run-off next Sunday.&nbsp;

The actor, whose only political experience is playing the president in a TV show, is due to meet Macron at the Elysee Palace.&nbsp;

Poroshenko, meanwhile, will head to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, before also meeting Macron in Paris later the same day.&nbsp;

The Ukrainian leader said the pre-election talks in France and Germany are crucial for "the fate of the Ukrainian state and of European security".&nbsp;

They were "especially important", he said, in the face of "attempts" to lift Western sanctions against Russia, imposed on Moscow after its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.&nbsp;

France and Germany are part of the so-called Normandy peace talks with Ukraine and Russia that aim to end a conflict between Kiev and the Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The war has killed 13,000 people over the past five years.&nbsp;

Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of supporting the rebels militarily. Moscow denies that.&nbsp;

Poroshenko, a 53-year-old former foreign minister, has positioned himself as the only candidate able to stand up to the Kremlin.

He is eager to make up lost ground before the run-off vote by showing off his experience and oratory.&nbsp;

Zelensky has said he will only debate Poroshenko in Kiev's Olympic Stadium, which seats over 70,000 people. The Ukrainian president has agreed, but the pair have so far given different dates for the event.&nbsp;

'Strange situation'&nbsp;

Zelensky, 41, has shunned traditional rallies, instead of performing satirical shows and capitalising on frustration over corruption and economic trouble.

By welcoming him, Paris has caused some annoyance in Kiev.&nbsp;

"This is a very unpleasant and strange situation," a high-ranking Ukrainian diplomatic source told AFP.&nbsp;

Analysts say the decision to host the comedian is explained by his success in the March 31 first round when he won 30 per cent of the vote. Poroshenko took almost 16 per cent.&nbsp;

A new poll released Thursday showed 61 per cent of Ukrainians intends to vote for Zelensky in the second round on Sunday. It found only 24 per cent would back Poroshenko.

"France is showing that it knows what the direction the Ukrainian electorate is heading in towards and that it has to make contact," said Leonid Litra, an analyst at the Kiev-based New Europe Center.&nbsp;

Meeting Macron would allow the actor to make clear his vision of the peace process in eastern Ukraine that has currently stalled, Litra said.&nbsp;

Zelensky has suggested including the UK and the US in peace talks. &nbsp;

Despite Zelensky's inexperience, Litra said there is little risk of the frontrunner committing a serious faux-pas in Paris. &nbsp;

"It is not complicated to exchange courtesies. He knows how to do that," he said.&nbsp;

Despite the flamboyant media spectacle, the stakes are high for Ukraine, a country of 45 million seen as the biggest frontier between the European Union and Russia.&nbsp;

In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and war erupted in eastern Ukraine.&nbsp;

Before the conflict with separatists began, Zelensky had struck a conciliatory tone, saying he was ready to "kneel" in front of Putin to avoid a military conflict.&nbsp;

After the first round of the vote, he said he would ask the Kremlin for compensation for the war and for taking Crimea.&nbsp;

Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, a political novice and favourite to win Kiev's presidential vote, will head to Paris Friday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.

Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, a political novice and favourite to win Kiev's presidential vote, will head to Paris Friday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron. While many dismissed as a joke his bid to lead Ukraine -- a country at war with Moscow-backed rebels -- Zelensky defeated President Petro Poroshenko in the presidential vote's first round. Polls predict he will also win the election's run-off next Sunday. The actor, whose only political experience is playing the president in a TV show, is due to meet Macron at the Elysee Palace. Poroshenko, meanwhile, will head to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, before also meeting Macron in Paris later the same day. The Ukrainian leader said the pre-election talks in France and Germany are crucial for "the fate of the Ukrainian state and of European security". They were "especially important", he said, in the face of "attempts" to lift Western sanctions against Russia, imposed on Moscow after its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. France and Germany are part of the so-called Normandy peace talks with Ukraine and Russia that aim to end a conflict between Kiev and the Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The war has killed 13,000 people over the past five years. Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of supporting the rebels militarily. Moscow denies that. Poroshenko, a 53-year-old former foreign minister, has positioned himself as the only candidate able to stand up to the Kremlin. He is eager to make up lost ground before the run-off vote by showing off his experience and oratory. Zelensky has said he will only debate Poroshenko in Kiev's Olympic Stadium, which seats over 70,000 people. The Ukrainian president has agreed, but the pair have so far given different dates for the event. 'Strange situation' Zelensky, 41, has shunned traditional rallies, instead of performing satirical shows and capitalising on frustration over corruption and economic trouble. By welcoming him, Paris has caused some annoyance in Kiev. "This is a very unpleasant and strange situation," a high-ranking Ukrainian diplomatic source told AFP. Analysts say the decision to host the comedian is explained by his success in the March 31 first round when he won 30 per cent of the vote. Poroshenko took almost 16 per cent. A new poll released Thursday showed 61 per cent of Ukrainians intends to vote for Zelensky in the second round on Sunday. It found only 24 per cent would back Poroshenko. "France is showing that it knows what the direction the Ukrainian electorate is heading in towards and that it has to make contact," said Leonid Litra, an analyst at the Kiev-based New Europe Center. Meeting Macron would allow the actor to make clear his vision of the peace process in eastern Ukraine that has currently stalled, Litra said. Zelensky has suggested including the UK and the US in peace talks. Despite Zelensky's inexperience, Litra said there is little risk of the frontrunner committing a serious faux-pas in Paris. "It is not complicated to exchange courtesies. He knows how to do that," he said. Despite the flamboyant media spectacle, the stakes are high for Ukraine, a country of 45 million seen as the biggest frontier between the European Union and Russia. In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and war erupted in eastern Ukraine. Before the conflict with separatists began, Zelensky had struck a conciliatory tone, saying he was ready to "kneel" in front of Putin to avoid a military conflict. After the first round of the vote, he said he would ask the Kremlin for compensation for the war and for taking Crimea.

Ukraine comedian Zelensky to meet French President Emmanuel Macron before presidential run-off

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko agreed Thursday to hold an election debate with frontrunner Volodymyr Zelensky at the country's biggest stadium as he seeks to make up lost ground ahead of a run-off vote.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/partial-results-give-comedian-zelensky-strong-lead-in-ukraine-vote-207122">The 41-year-old actor and comedian Zelensky</a> is favourite to become Ukraine's next president after he dominated the first-round vote on March 31 despite many initially dismissing his candidacy as a joke.

The two will meet in a run-off vote on April 21.

Hours after political novice Zelensky challenged Poroshenko, 53, to hold a debate in a Kiev stadium, the country's largest sports arena, Poroshenko said he was ready to square off with the popular actor.

"(If you want) a stadium, let it be a stadium," Poroshenko said in a video address.

But he also warned that an election debate was no laughing matter and a presidential election would determine the country's fate for decades to come.

"A debate is not a show," Poroshenko said in an apparent jab at Zelensky's lack of political experience.

"A debate is not staged for a stadium spectacle," he added.

Zelensky's political experience had been limited to playing the president in a TV show when he announced his long-shot candidacy at the start of the year.

But he capitalised on frustration over corruption and a stalling economy to leapfrog his establishment opponents.

Addressing Poroshenko, Zelensky listed a number of conditions, saying he should stop calling him a "clown" and a "puppet," a reference to the frontrunner's alleged political ties to oligarch Igor Kolomoisky.

By law, televised election debates are to be held on the last Friday before the second-round runoff, which would be April 19.

With 100 per cent of the ballots counted, Zelensky is ahead with more than 30 per cent of the first-round vote, nearly twice that of Poroshenko, on almost 16 percent.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko agreed Thursday to hold an election debate with frontrunner Volodymyr Zelensky at the country's biggest stadium as he seeks to make up lost ground ahead of a run-off vote.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko agreed Thursday to hold an election debate with frontrunner Volodymyr Zelensky at the country's biggest stadium as he seeks to make up lost ground ahead of a run-off vote. The 41-year-old actor and comedian Zelensky is favourite to become Ukraine's next president after he dominated the first-round vote on March 31 despite many initially dismissing his candidacy as a joke. The two will meet in a run-off vote on April 21. Hours after political novice Zelensky challenged Poroshenko, 53, to hold a debate in a Kiev stadium, the country's largest sports arena, Poroshenko said he was ready to square off with the popular actor. "(If you want) a stadium, let it be a stadium," Poroshenko said in a video address. But he also warned that an election debate was no laughing matter and a presidential election would determine the country's fate for decades to come. "A debate is not a show," Poroshenko said in an apparent jab at Zelensky's lack of political experience. "A debate is not staged for a stadium spectacle," he added. Zelensky's political experience had been limited to playing the president in a TV show when he announced his long-shot candidacy at the start of the year. But he capitalised on frustration over corruption and a stalling economy to leapfrog his establishment opponents. Addressing Poroshenko, Zelensky listed a number of conditions, saying he should stop calling him a "clown" and a "puppet," a reference to the frontrunner's alleged political ties to oligarch Igor Kolomoisky. By law, televised election debates are to be held on the last Friday before the second-round runoff, which would be April 19. With 100 per cent of the ballots counted, Zelensky is ahead with more than 30 per cent of the first-round vote, nearly twice that of Poroshenko, on almost 16 percent.

Ukraine's Poroshenko agrees to debate with frontrunner Zelensky

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - April 1st, 2019

Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy leads presidential polls

Comedian in front, on Ukrainian presidential election

Ukraine's presidential election will be held on March 31, with a record number 39 candidates running for office.

According to recent polls, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, opposition politician Yulia Tymoshenko, and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky are the race's front runners.&nbsp;

Zelensky is known for his portrayal of the president in his role in the Ukrainian TV-series "Servant of the People", but the 41-year-old has no real-life political experience.

If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of votes in the first round, a runoff with the top two candidates will be held on April 21. Preliminary results will be released on Monday, with the president assuming office no later than June 3.

A nationwide opinion poll from March 20-26 revealed that Zelensky and Poroshenko are favoured to win the first round. But since no candidate has received more than 45 per cent support in recent polls, a runoff is likely, said Ukrainian political analyst Taras Berezovets.

"The possibility of a second round of elections is very high because if a candidate can win in the first round, he or she must win 45 per cent or more of the votes. However, none of the candidates will reach that. Zelensky is leading the polls now with only 30.2 per cent. What's more, 25 per cent of voters don't even know who they'll support. So the result is unknown," said Berezovets. 
&nbsp;

Ukraine's presidential election will be held on March 31, with a record number 39 candidates running for office. According to recent polls, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, opposition politician Yulia Tymoshenko, and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky are the race's front runners.

Ukraine's presidential election will be held on March 31, with a record number 39 candidates running for office. According to recent polls, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, opposition politician Yulia Tymoshenko, and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky are the race's front runners. Zelensky is known for his portrayal of the president in his role in the Ukrainian TV-series "Servant of the People", but the 41-year-old has no real-life political experience. If no candidate receives more than 50 per cent of votes in the first round, a runoff with the top two candidates will be held on April 21. Preliminary results will be released on Monday, with the president assuming office no later than June 3. A nationwide opinion poll from March 20-26 revealed that Zelensky and Poroshenko are favoured to win the first round. But since no candidate has received more than 45 per cent support in recent polls, a runoff is likely, said Ukrainian political analyst Taras Berezovets. "The possibility of a second round of elections is very high because if a candidate can win in the first round, he or she must win 45 per cent or more of the votes. However, none of the candidates will reach that. Zelensky is leading the polls now with only 30.2 per cent. What's more, 25 per cent of voters don't even know who they'll support. So the result is unknown," said Berezovets.

Ukraine to hold presidential election today; 39 candidates running for office

Polling underway for Ukraine presidential election

Ukrainian <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraines-poroshenko-launches-bid-for-second-term-as-president-193732">President Petro Poroshenko</a>, who launched his bid for a second five-year term on Tuesday, tweeted out a day later saying that his fight is against Russian President Vladimir Putin.&nbsp;

In a tweet, Poroshenko said that the people of Ukraine are his ally and that he isn't ashamed to say openly that his opponent is Putin.&nbsp;

"When asked who is my ally, with whom I am willing to unite and coordinate my actions, I answer - My ally is the Ukrainian people. Who is my opponent? I am not ashamed and say openly – my opponent is Putin," read his tweet.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Коли запитують, хто є мій союзник, з ким я готовий об'єднуватися і координувати свої дії, я відповідаю: мій союзник є український народ. Хто є мій опонент? Я цього не соромлюся і кажу відкрито – цей опонент є Путін. <a href="https://t.co/aMpHw9IaVJ">pic.twitter.com/aMpHw9IaVJ</a>
— Петро Порошенко (@poroshenko) <a href="https://twitter.com/poroshenko/status/1110661603333152768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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On Tuesday Poroshenko launched his election bid in front of thousands of supporters. Presidential polls in Ukraine is predicted to be a tight electoral race.

"The feeling of deep responsibility before the country, before contemporaries, before past and future generations prompted me to decide to run again for the presidency," Poroshenko said.

Among his policy priorities, Poroshenko said Ukraine would apply to join the European Union by 2024 and that a special court to try corruption cases would be up and running this year, news agency Reuters reported.&nbsp;

Poroshenko, along with thousands of believers, took part on Saturday in a mass prayer for a&nbsp;free and fair election which will determine the&nbsp;country's next president on Sunday.

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who launched his bid for a second five-year term on Tuesday, tweeted out a day later saying that his fight is against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who launched his bid for a second five-year term on Tuesday, tweeted out a day later saying that his fight is against Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a tweet, Poroshenko said that the people of Ukraine are his ally and that he isn't ashamed to say openly that his opponent is Putin. "When asked who is my ally, with whom I am willing to unite and coordinate my actions, I answer - My ally is the Ukrainian people. Who is my opponent? I am not ashamed and say openly – my opponent is Putin," read his tweet. Коли запитують, хто є мій союзник, з ким я готовий об'єднуватися і координувати свої дії, я відповідаю: мій союзник є український народ. Хто є мій опонент? Я цього не соромлюся і кажу відкрито – цей опонент є Путін. pic.twitter.com/aMpHw9IaVJ — Петро Порошенко (@poroshenko) March 26, 2019 × On Tuesday Poroshenko launched his election bid in front of thousands of supporters. Presidential polls in Ukraine is predicted to be a tight electoral race. "The feeling of deep responsibility before the country, before contemporaries, before past and future generations prompted me to decide to run again for the presidency," Poroshenko said. Among his policy priorities, Poroshenko said Ukraine would apply to join the European Union by 2024 and that a special court to try corruption cases would be up and running this year, news agency Reuters reported. Poroshenko, along with thousands of believers, took part on Saturday in a mass prayer for a free and fair election which will determine the country's next president on Sunday. (With inputs from Reuters)

Ahead of presidential polls, Ukraine's Poroshenko says his only opponent is Vladimir Putin

Ukraine's police said Sunday that 25 officers were injured in clashes with ultra-nationalists who tried to attack a presidential motorcade ahead of elections at the end of this month.

Nineteen police officers were hospitalised in the city of Cherkasy, where supporters of the far-right National Corps party tried to block President Petro Poroshenko's motorcade and accused the government of corruption.

Three officers were also injured in clashes with the same group in Kiev near the presidential offices, with one hospitalised.

The incidents further exacerbate tensions ahead of the presidential elections on March 31 in a country plagued by graft scandals and an ongoing conflict with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Police spokesman Yaroslav Trakalo told AFP that probes have been opened into the events in Kiev and Cherkasy.

A police video from the city about 150 kilometres (90 miles) southeast of Kiev shows a crowd of men, some with masks on, swarm around a motorcade of police cars, with some climbing on the roofs, opening car doors and punching policemen.

The protesters lit flares, filling the street with smoke, and shouted obscenities. "Who are you protecting, these scumbags devastated Ukraine's army!" one of the protesters can be heard in the video.

National Corps spokesman Oleksandr Alfyorov confirmed to AFP that the group's activists were involved in clashes in both cities.

He accused police of blocking streets to prevent people from accessing the square where Poroshenko was giving a speech.

The protesters wanted to "raise the question of corruption in our government," including misappropriation of funds in the military.

Poroshenko was recently accused of turning a blind eye to a scheme smuggling military parts. Last week he said he had fired the official who was allegedly profiting from the scheme.

Poroshenko was in Cherkasy Saturday to honour locally-born national poet Taras Shevchenko and meet local residents. He has not made any comment about the clashes.

Poroshenko is one of three leading candidates in the presidential polls, alongside TV actor Volodymyr Zelensky and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Ukraine's police said Sunday that 25 officers were injured in clashes with ultra-nationalists who tried to attack a presidential motorcade ahead of elections at the end of this month.

Ukraine's police said Sunday that 25 officers were injured in clashes with ultra-nationalists who tried to attack a presidential motorcade ahead of elections at the end of this month. Nineteen police officers were hospitalised in the city of Cherkasy, where supporters of the far-right National Corps party tried to block President Petro Poroshenko's motorcade and accused the government of corruption. Three officers were also injured in clashes with the same group in Kiev near the presidential offices, with one hospitalised. The incidents further exacerbate tensions ahead of the presidential elections on March 31 in a country plagued by graft scandals and an ongoing conflict with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Police spokesman Yaroslav Trakalo told AFP that probes have been opened into the events in Kiev and Cherkasy. A police video from the city about 150 kilometres (90 miles) southeast of Kiev shows a crowd of men, some with masks on, swarm around a motorcade of police cars, with some climbing on the roofs, opening car doors and punching policemen. The protesters lit flares, filling the street with smoke, and shouted obscenities. "Who are you protecting, these scumbags devastated Ukraine's army!" one of the protesters can be heard in the video. National Corps spokesman Oleksandr Alfyorov confirmed to AFP that the group's activists were involved in clashes in both cities. He accused police of blocking streets to prevent people from accessing the square where Poroshenko was giving a speech. The protesters wanted to "raise the question of corruption in our government," including misappropriation of funds in the military. Poroshenko was recently accused of turning a blind eye to a scheme smuggling military parts. Last week he said he had fired the official who was allegedly profiting from the scheme. Poroshenko was in Cherkasy Saturday to honour locally-born national poet Taras Shevchenko and meet local residents. He has not made any comment about the clashes. Poroshenko is one of three leading candidates in the presidential polls, alongside TV actor Volodymyr Zelensky and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Tens of police hospitalised after Ukraine clashes ahead of poll

Ukraine's pro-Western President Petro Poroshenko launched his bid for a second five-year term in front of thousands of supporters on Tuesday, ahead of a tight election race in March.

A 53-year-old confectionary magnate and one of Ukraine's richest men, Poroshenko has steered the country on a pro-Western and pro-NATO course since coming to power in the aftermath of the 2014 Maidan protests and Russia's annexation of Crimea.

"The feeling of deep responsibility before the country, before contemporaries, before past and future generations prompted me to decide to run again for the presidency," Poroshenko said.

Among his policy priorities, Poroshenko said Ukraine would apply to join the European Union by 2024 and that a special court to try corruption cases would be up and running this year.

Poroshenko's popularity has dwindled over patchy efforts to tackle corruption and his failure to end the conflict in the eastern Donbass region that has killed more than 10,000 people.

He has also failed to raise living standards in one of Europe's poorest countries.

Poroshenko, however, may be a more predictable option for investors than his nearest challengers such as former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko or Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a political novice who achieved fame as a comic actor.

Tymoshenko, the frontrunner, wants to cut gas prices for households, which may set her on a collision course with the International Monetary Fund and other foreign backers who pumped billions into Ukraine to keep its war-scarred economy afloat.

Ukraine's pro-Western President Petro Poroshenko launched his bid for a second five-year term in front of thousands of supporters on Tuesday, ahead of a tight election race in March.

Ukraine's pro-Western President Petro Poroshenko launched his bid for a second five-year term in front of thousands of supporters on Tuesday, ahead of a tight election race in March. A 53-year-old confectionary magnate and one of Ukraine's richest men, Poroshenko has steered the country on a pro-Western and pro-NATO course since coming to power in the aftermath of the 2014 Maidan protests and Russia's annexation of Crimea. "The feeling of deep responsibility before the country, before contemporaries, before past and future generations prompted me to decide to run again for the presidency," Poroshenko said. Among his policy priorities, Poroshenko said Ukraine would apply to join the European Union by 2024 and that a special court to try corruption cases would be up and running this year. Poroshenko's popularity has dwindled over patchy efforts to tackle corruption and his failure to end the conflict in the eastern Donbass region that has killed more than 10,000 people. He has also failed to raise living standards in one of Europe's poorest countries. Poroshenko, however, may be a more predictable option for investors than his nearest challengers such as former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko or Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a political novice who achieved fame as a comic actor. Tymoshenko, the frontrunner, wants to cut gas prices for households, which may set her on a collision course with the International Monetary Fund and other foreign backers who pumped billions into Ukraine to keep its war-scarred economy afloat.

Ukraine's Poroshenko launches bid for second term as president

Facebook said on Monday it will beef up its rules and safeguards around political adverts to prevent foreign interference in elections, including those in Europe this year.

The world's largest social network has faced pressure from regulators and the public after last year's revelation that British consultancy Cambridge Analytica had improperly acquired data on millions of US users to target election advertising.

"We will require those wanting to run political and issue ads to be authorised, and we will display a 'paid for by' disclaimer on those ads," Facebook's recently-appointed head of global affairs Nick Clegg told a news conference.

Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister hired by Facebook in October last year, said the new tools to be launched in late March aim to help protect the integrity of European Union elections due to be held this spring.

Facebook said that the transparency tools for electoral ads would be expanded globally before the end of June, while the tools would be in launched in India in February before its elections and in Ukraine and Israel before polls in both.

The tools are similar to those adopted for the US mid-term elections, Clegg said, adding that all political ads will be stored in a publicly searchable library for up to seven years.

This will contain information such as the amount of money spent and the number of impressions displayed, who paid for them and the demographics of those who saw them, including age, gender and location.

The new tools, which will be launched in March, will also cover 'issue ads' which do not explicitly back one candidate or political party but which focus on highly politicised topics like immigration.

Facebook said it will also set up two new regional operations centres focused on monitoring election-related content in its Dublin and Singapore offices.

Clegg denied that Facebook sells users' data.

"Selling people's information to advertisers would not only be the wrong thing to do, it would undermine the way we do business, because it would reduce the unique value of our service to advertisers," he said.

Facebook said on Monday it will beef up its rules and safeguards around political adverts to prevent foreign interference in elections, including those in Europe this year.

Facebook said on Monday it will beef up its rules and safeguards around political adverts to prevent foreign interference in elections, including those in Europe this year. The world's largest social network has faced pressure from regulators and the public after last year's revelation that British consultancy Cambridge Analytica had improperly acquired data on millions of US users to target election advertising. "We will require those wanting to run political and issue ads to be authorised, and we will display a 'paid for by' disclaimer on those ads," Facebook's recently-appointed head of global affairs Nick Clegg told a news conference. Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister hired by Facebook in October last year, said the new tools to be launched in late March aim to help protect the integrity of European Union elections due to be held this spring. Facebook said that the transparency tools for electoral ads would be expanded globally before the end of June, while the tools would be in launched in India in February before its elections and in Ukraine and Israel before polls in both. The tools are similar to those adopted for the US mid-term elections, Clegg said, adding that all political ads will be stored in a publicly searchable library for up to seven years. This will contain information such as the amount of money spent and the number of impressions displayed, who paid for them and the demographics of those who saw them, including age, gender and location. The new tools, which will be launched in March, will also cover 'issue ads' which do not explicitly back one candidate or political party but which focus on highly politicised topics like immigration. Facebook said it will also set up two new regional operations centres focused on monitoring election-related content in its Dublin and Singapore offices. Clegg denied that Facebook sells users' data. "Selling people's information to advertisers would not only be the wrong thing to do, it would undermine the way we do business, because it would reduce the unique value of our service to advertisers," he said.

Facebook tightens paid ads rules ahead of EU elections

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-metro-opens-account-on-facebook-next-stop-instagram-189306&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjli7rf2fTfAhVRSX0KHYs2CfsQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2_1RBJ5qRBAILlbk1-5ktO">Facebook</a>&nbsp;said on Thursday it had removed hundreds of Russia-initiated pages, accounts, and groups that it judged to be involved in coordinated inauthentic behaviour on its Facebook and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/photo-of-an-egg-beats-kylie-jenners-record-to-become-instagrams-most-liked-post-ever-190169&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiQ2auL2vTfAhUSdt4KHWA6AwkQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2hNFKUFq-nISzR4Ac3Xn-W">Instagram</a> platforms.

Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said in a blog post it had unearthed two separate operations which originated in Russia, with one active in multiple countries across eastern Europe and the other specific to Ukraine.

The company said it had taken down about 364 Facebook Pages and accounts run by the first Russian network and operating in Baltic Sea states, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Central and Eastern Europe, adding that these pages were linked to employees of Russian news agency Sputnik.

The company also said that based on a tip from US law enforcement, it had separately removed 107 Facebook pages, group and accounts and 41 Instagram accounts that originated in Russia and operated in Ukraine.

"We didn't find any links between these operations, but they used similar tactics by creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing," the company said.

Facebook has been under fire for the last two years for its self-admitted sluggishness in developing tools to combat extremist content and propaganda operations.

Facebook and Twitter Inc took down millions of posts and shuttered accounts linked to influence operations by Russia, Iran and other actors in the run-up to US mid-term elections in November.

Facebook said on Thursday it had removed hundreds of Russia-initiated pages, accounts, and groups that it judged to be involved in coordinated inauthentic behaviour on its Facebook and Instagram platforms.

Facebook said on Thursday it had removed hundreds of Russia-initiated pages, accounts, and groups that it judged to be involved in coordinated inauthentic behaviour on its Facebook and Instagram platforms. Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said in a blog post it had unearthed two separate operations which originated in Russia, with one active in multiple countries across eastern Europe and the other specific to Ukraine. The company said it had taken down about 364 Facebook Pages and accounts run by the first Russian network and operating in Baltic Sea states, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Central and Eastern Europe, adding that these pages were linked to employees of Russian news agency Sputnik. The company also said that based on a tip from US law enforcement, it had separately removed 107 Facebook pages, group and accounts and 41 Instagram accounts that originated in Russia and operated in Ukraine. "We didn't find any links between these operations, but they used similar tactics by creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing," the company said. Facebook has been under fire for the last two years for its self-admitted sluggishness in developing tools to combat extremist content and propaganda operations. Facebook and Twitter Inc took down millions of posts and shuttered accounts linked to influence operations by Russia, Iran and other actors in the run-up to US mid-term elections in November.

Facebook removes more pages, accounts with Russia links

A court in Moscow ruled on Wednesday that four Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia last year off the coast of Crimea should be kept in pre-trial detention until April 24, Russian news agencies reported.

Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels and their combined crew of 24 on November 25 near Russian-annexed Crimea. Moscow accuses them of illegally entering Russian waters, something Kiev denies.

In similar rulings on Tuesday, the court extended the detention of the other 20 Ukrainians until April 24 and, in the case of four of them, until April 26.

The United States and European Union have called on Russia to release the men, but the Kremlin has said they must be put on trial. No date has been set for a trial.

Moscow could hand over the men as part of a prisoner swap deal with Ukraine later this year, a Russian diplomatic source was quoted as saying last week by the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper.

A court in Moscow ruled on Wednesday that four Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia last year off the coast of Crimea should be kept in pre-trial detention until April 24, Russian news agencies reported.

A court in Moscow ruled on Wednesday that four Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia last year off the coast of Crimea should be kept in pre-trial detention until April 24, Russian news agencies reported. Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels and their combined crew of 24 on November 25 near Russian-annexed Crimea. Moscow accuses them of illegally entering Russian waters, something Kiev denies. In similar rulings on Tuesday, the court extended the detention of the other 20 Ukrainians until April 24 and, in the case of four of them, until April 26. The United States and European Union have called on Russia to release the men, but the Kremlin has said they must be put on trial. No date has been set for a trial. Moscow could hand over the men as part of a prisoner swap deal with Ukraine later this year, a Russian diplomatic source was quoted as saying last week by the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper.

Russia rules to hold jailed Ukrainian sailors until April 24: Agencies

The spiritual head of Orthodox Christians worldwide formally granted independence to the Ukrainian church on Saturday, marking a historic split from Russia which Ukrainian leaders see as vital to the country's security.&nbsp;

The decree, granting "autocephaly", was signed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at a service with the head of the Ukrainian church Metropolitan Epifaniy and President Petro Poroshenko in St George`s Cathedral in Istanbul.

"I want to thank the millions of Ukrainians around the world who responded to my appeal to pray for the church to be established," Poroshenko said at a ceremony accompanied by solemn liturgical singing.

"I want to thank the generations of Ukrainians who dreamed...and finally God sent us the Orthodox Church of Ukraine," he told the congregation in the crowded church. 
The patriarchate, the seat of the spiritual leader of some 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, endorsed Ukraine`s request for the new church in October. The decree, or Tomos, will be handed to Epifaniy at a ceremony on Sunday, completing the process of recognition by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Ukraine last month chose 39-year-old Epifaniy to head the new church, in a move which Poroshenko compared to Ukraine's referendum for independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The move incensed Moscow, and prompted President Vladimir Putin to warn of possible bloodshed in his annual news conference. Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed after Moscow`s seizure of Crimea in 2014.

Ukraine imposed martial law in November, citing the threat of a full-scale invasion after Russia captured three of its vessels in the Kerch Strait.

BITTER RUSSIAN OPPOSITION

The Ukrainian Orthodox church has been beholden to Moscow for hundreds of years, and Ukraine`s leaders see church independence as vital to tackling Russian meddling.

Kiev says Moscow-backed churches on its soil are a Kremlin tool to spread propaganda and support fighters in the eastern Donbass region in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people. The churches strongly deny this.

"Tomos - is just a paper, the result of restless political and personal ambitions. It was signed in breach of canonicity and this is why it has no power", Vladimir Legoida, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Synodal Department for Church-Society and Media Relations, posted in Telegram messenger.

Epifaniy was chosen by a council at the St Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, built by the son of Prince Volodymyr whose baptism in 988 led to the spread of Christianity in the region.

The new church may boost pro-Western leader Poroshenko, who lobbied hard for its creation and faces a tight election race in March.

Russia bitterly opposes the split, comparing it to the Great Schism of 1054 that divided western and eastern Christianity. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill made a last ditch appeal against the process last month.

"Huge win for Ukraine, defeat for the Kremlin," economist Timothy Ash wrote on Twitter. "(It) will make Moscow`s hope of some future pull of Ukraine back into its `orbit` nigh on impossible without the use of overwhelming (catastrophic) military force."

Religious divisions deepened in Ukraine after 2014 and two Orthodox factions vie for dominance.&nbsp;

The church known as the Moscow Patriarchate, aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, sees itself as the only legitimate church in Ukraine. On Dec. 20, Ukrainian MPs passed a law that could force the church to add "Russian" to its name.&nbsp;

The rival Kiev Patriarchate was born after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its popularity has grown since 2014. It favours European integration and championed the independent church but the Moscow Patriarchate denounces it as schismatic.&nbsp;

The spiritual head of Orthodox Christians worldwide formally granted independence to the Ukrainian church on Saturday, marking a historic split from Russia which Ukrainian leaders see as vital to the country's security.

The spiritual head of Orthodox Christians worldwide formally granted independence to the Ukrainian church on Saturday, marking a historic split from Russia which Ukrainian leaders see as vital to the country's security. The decree, granting "autocephaly", was signed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at a service with the head of the Ukrainian church Metropolitan Epifaniy and President Petro Poroshenko in St George`s Cathedral in Istanbul. "I want to thank the millions of Ukrainians around the world who responded to my appeal to pray for the church to be established," Poroshenko said at a ceremony accompanied by solemn liturgical singing. "I want to thank the generations of Ukrainians who dreamed...and finally God sent us the Orthodox Church of Ukraine," he told the congregation in the crowded church. The patriarchate, the seat of the spiritual leader of some 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, endorsed Ukraine`s request for the new church in October. The decree, or Tomos, will be handed to Epifaniy at a ceremony on Sunday, completing the process of recognition by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Ukraine last month chose 39-year-old Epifaniy to head the new church, in a move which Poroshenko compared to Ukraine's referendum for independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The move incensed Moscow, and prompted President Vladimir Putin to warn of possible bloodshed in his annual news conference. Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed after Moscow`s seizure of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine imposed martial law in November, citing the threat of a full-scale invasion after Russia captured three of its vessels in the Kerch Strait. BITTER RUSSIAN OPPOSITION The Ukrainian Orthodox church has been beholden to Moscow for hundreds of years, and Ukraine`s leaders see church independence as vital to tackling Russian meddling. Kiev says Moscow-backed churches on its soil are a Kremlin tool to spread propaganda and support fighters in the eastern Donbass region in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people. The churches strongly deny this. "Tomos - is just a paper, the result of restless political and personal ambitions. It was signed in breach of canonicity and this is why it has no power", Vladimir Legoida, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Synodal Department for Church-Society and Media Relations, posted in Telegram messenger. Epifaniy was chosen by a council at the St Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, built by the son of Prince Volodymyr whose baptism in 988 led to the spread of Christianity in the region. The new church may boost pro-Western leader Poroshenko, who lobbied hard for its creation and faces a tight election race in March. Russia bitterly opposes the split, comparing it to the Great Schism of 1054 that divided western and eastern Christianity. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill made a last ditch appeal against the process last month. "Huge win for Ukraine, defeat for the Kremlin," economist Timothy Ash wrote on Twitter. "(It) will make Moscow`s hope of some future pull of Ukraine back into its `orbit` nigh on impossible without the use of overwhelming (catastrophic) military force." Religious divisions deepened in Ukraine after 2014 and two Orthodox factions vie for dominance. The church known as the Moscow Patriarchate, aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, sees itself as the only legitimate church in Ukraine. On Dec. 20, Ukrainian MPs passed a law that could force the church to add "Russian" to its name. The rival Kiev Patriarchate was born after the collapse of the Soviet Union and its popularity has grown since 2014. It favours European integration and championed the independent church but the Moscow Patriarchate denounces it as schismatic.

Ecumenical Patriarch signs decree granting Ukraine church independence

The leaders of France and Germany on Friday reiterated their call for a "solid, full and permanent ceasefire" in Ukraine's conflict-torn east ahead of a planned cessation of hostilities.

Their remarks came a day after representatives from <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/the-forgotten-ukraine-crisis-185797">Ukraine</a>, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) announced that a fresh ceasefire would start Saturday morning.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions in April 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

The 2015 Minsk summit laid out a ceasefire and international monitoring in eastern Ukraine, but a pro-Russian insurgency has persisted.

In a joint statement, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/theresa-may-defiant-emmanuel-macron-contrite-amid-crises-that-threaten-the-eus-stability-184093">French President Emmanuel Macron</a> and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/the-life-and-times-of-german-chancellor-angela-merkel-184967">German Chancellor Angela Merkel</a> welcomed the latest ceasefire announcement.

"The approach of the New Year's and Orthodox Christmas holidays must serve as an opportunity for the stakeholders in the conflict in eastern Ukraine to focus on the needs of civilians, who have suffered all too long as a result of this conflict and its consequences," the leaders said.

"The guarantee of a safe and secure environment should enable the implementation of crucial humanitarian measures. We now call on the parties to assume their full responsibilities, especially with regard to civilians in the area."&nbsp;

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced the end of martial law in the country's border regions, which was introduced last month after Russia's seizure of three of Kiev's navy vessels in the Sea of Azov.

Russian border patrol boats fired on, boarded and seized the three Ukrainian vessels, along with 24 sailors, in November off the coast of Crimea. The sailors are still being held in detention by Russian authorities.

Macron and Merkel said these "excessive inspections" were a source of "deep concern".

"We call for all ships using the Kerch Strait to be given safe, free, and unhindered passage, and for the immediate and unconditional release of the Ukrainian sailors. They too must be allowed to spend the holidays with their families."&nbsp;

In a separate statement, Merkel's office said the chancellor had also discussed the Ukrainian issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call Friday and urged the release of the sailors.

The leaders of France and Germany on Friday reiterated their call for a "solid, full and permanent ceasefire" in Ukraine's conflict-torn east ahead of a planned cessation of hostilities.

The leaders of France and Germany on Friday reiterated their call for a "solid, full and permanent ceasefire" in Ukraine's conflict-torn east ahead of a planned cessation of hostilities. Their remarks came a day after representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) announced that a fresh ceasefire would start Saturday morning. More than 10,000 people have been killed since the Moscow-backed insurgency broke out in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions in April 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The 2015 Minsk summit laid out a ceasefire and international monitoring in eastern Ukraine, but a pro-Russian insurgency has persisted. In a joint statement, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the latest ceasefire announcement. "The approach of the New Year's and Orthodox Christmas holidays must serve as an opportunity for the stakeholders in the conflict in eastern Ukraine to focus on the needs of civilians, who have suffered all too long as a result of this conflict and its consequences," the leaders said. "The guarantee of a safe and secure environment should enable the implementation of crucial humanitarian measures. We now call on the parties to assume their full responsibilities, especially with regard to civilians in the area." On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced the end of martial law in the country's border regions, which was introduced last month after Russia's seizure of three of Kiev's navy vessels in the Sea of Azov. Russian border patrol boats fired on, boarded and seized the three Ukrainian vessels, along with 24 sailors, in November off the coast of Crimea. The sailors are still being held in detention by Russian authorities. Macron and Merkel said these "excessive inspections" were a source of "deep concern". "We call for all ships using the Kerch Strait to be given safe, free, and unhindered passage, and for the immediate and unconditional release of the Ukrainian sailors. They too must be allowed to spend the holidays with their families." In a separate statement, Merkel's office said the chancellor had also discussed the Ukrainian issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call Friday and urged the release of the sailors.

Macron, Merkel urge 'full' Ukraine ceasefire ahead of planned truce

Britain sends royal ship to black sea to help Ukraine

In the last three years with the humdrum of events in the Middle East, the European immigration crisis and a host of other competing geopolitical issues, somehow the crisis in Ukraine, which came into being in 2014, and its potential implications for European security bypassed most international concerns. It has come back into the reckoning with the recent Russian seizure of three Ukrainian ships sailing to the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait. Under a 2003 treaty between Moscow and Kiev, the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov are shared territorial waters but Ukraine claimed their ships were fired upon and prevented access they legitimately sought; six sailors were injured too. The Russians have been playing a game of denial while preventing freedom of navigation to Ukraine to access its eastern region by sea. This region is home to two important ports, Berdyansk and Mariupol, from which major Ukraine export and import trade is carried out. There is more to it considering that this is the region close to the area where the minority ethnic Russian separatists are preventing domination of the Ukrainian majority and thus Western control.

Very few are aware today that one of the sharpest hybrid conflicts is currently prevailing in Ukraine and is alleged to be sponsored by Russia; the European Union and NATO believe that it has Russia’s stamp all over it as a part of the resurgence in Russian concern about its security of the western flank. It’s a complex issue which had all the likelihood of blowing into a much larger crisis; yet it has festered with international attention far too focused on other areas of concern. That concern is returning; so it is important to know how this began four years ago and what the larger strategic implications are.

When Ukraine separated from the erstwhile USSR in 1991, both Russia and Europe wished to incorporate Ukraine into their respective transnational strategies due to its unique geostrategic location almost akin to Turkey, as a bridge between Europe and the Caucasus. Incorporation within the European structure would mean an aggressive march of the Western alliance towards the Russian ‘near abroad’ region; something that was progressively happening with assimilation of former Warsaw Pact countries.

However, Russia had additional stakes here. About 17 per cent of Ukraine’s population or 8.5 million is ethnic Russian and wishes to retain its Russian linkage for mutual security. Independent Ukraine has rested on a fragile social consensus of a population holding onto an ever fading promise that prosperity would come from leaving the Soviet Union and joining the West. Yet Ukraine is poorer than it was in the last year when it left the Soviet Union.

There have been uprisings in 1994, 2001 and 2004 (Orange Revolution) but the increasingly massive protests failed each time to fundamentally change things.&nbsp;

These protests, termed the Maidan Revolution, have traditionally commenced from Kiev’s central square called the Maidan Nezalezhnosti. Ukraine remained divided between becoming Euro or Russia centric, even as the bigger states of the EU rejected attempts to admit it to the elite Euro club.

The Euro-Maidan revolution of 2014, which saw protests against the democratically elected and Russian supported President Viktor Yanukovych, was what the Russian leadership feared the most. A potential easing away of the controls over political and economic strings which tied the nations in the region to Russia’s interests. Russia’s principal motive in seizing Crimea and backing the separatist movement in the east was not to gain territory, but above all to suppress the Euro-Maidan and to restore Russia’s influence over the government in Kiev that Yanukovych had previously guaranteed. The Maidan threatened Russia’s interests not only in Ukraine: it showed that oligarchic-capitalist states in the region could be overthrown by a sustained popular uprising.

Russia aimed to prevent Ukraine’s further incorporation into the Atlantic alliance through an association agreement or a free trade regime with the EU or a path to NATO membership. It was alarmed at the economic consequences for itself of an EU-Ukraine free trade regime and at the possibility that this might become a back door for Ukraine to get into NATO. Through the last four years, Russia has pursued hybrid conflict below the threshold; that threshold may be crossed with it naval actions against the Ukraine Navy; the latter has threatened to pursue its right to sail into the Sea of Azov.

While economic sanctions by the US-led Western alliance were placed early and continue, there are three reasons for the continuing crisis. These are: The unrelenting revival of Russian imperialism since 2000, the divisions in the Western alliance over policy towards Russia, and the diminished capacity of the USA to project its own power into the region. The US also worries about the potentially enhancing German power over the region if given a free hand but is incapable of doing much on its own. In the meanwhile, the oligarchs who run Ukraine are unable to revamp its economy unless the country steps towards either of the competing camps.

Given the recent instability in France and Belgium and the expected spread of instability to other parts of Europe, Ukraine remains one other area of major concern in the European security matrix unless the Western alliance and Russia can come to some terms of agreement for joint control without decided advantage to either. The question is will the people of Ukraine allow joint control or attempt to take things in their hands, leading to yet another round of instability.

(This article was originally published on DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-the-forgotten-ukraine-crisis-2698789">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

In the last three years with the humdrum of events in the Middle East, the European immigration crisis and a host of other competing geopolitical issues, somehow the crisis in Ukraine, which came into being in 2014, and its potential implications for European security bypassed most international concerns.

In the last three years with the humdrum of events in the Middle East, the European immigration crisis and a host of other competing geopolitical issues, somehow the crisis in Ukraine, which came into being in 2014, and its potential implications for European security bypassed most international concerns. It has come back into the reckoning with the recent Russian seizure of three Ukrainian ships sailing to the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait. Under a 2003 treaty between Moscow and Kiev, the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov are shared territorial waters but Ukraine claimed their ships were fired upon and prevented access they legitimately sought; six sailors were injured too. The Russians have been playing a game of denial while preventing freedom of navigation to Ukraine to access its eastern region by sea. This region is home to two important ports, Berdyansk and Mariupol, from which major Ukraine export and import trade is carried out. There is more to it considering that this is the region close to the area where the minority ethnic Russian separatists are preventing domination of the Ukrainian majority and thus Western control. Very few are aware today that one of the sharpest hybrid conflicts is currently prevailing in Ukraine and is alleged to be sponsored by Russia; the European Union and NATO believe that it has Russia’s stamp all over it as a part of the resurgence in Russian concern about its security of the western flank. It’s a complex issue which had all the likelihood of blowing into a much larger crisis; yet it has festered with international attention far too focused on other areas of concern. That concern is returning; so it is important to know how this began four years ago and what the larger strategic implications are. When Ukraine separated from the erstwhile USSR in 1991, both Russia and Europe wished to incorporate Ukraine into their respective transnational strategies due to its unique geostrategic location almost akin to Turkey, as a bridge between Europe and the Caucasus. Incorporation within the European structure would mean an aggressive march of the Western alliance towards the Russian ‘near abroad’ region; something that was progressively happening with assimilation of former Warsaw Pact countries. However, Russia had additional stakes here. About 17 per cent of Ukraine’s population or 8.5 million is ethnic Russian and wishes to retain its Russian linkage for mutual security. Independent Ukraine has rested on a fragile social consensus of a population holding onto an ever fading promise that prosperity would come from leaving the Soviet Union and joining the West. Yet Ukraine is poorer than it was in the last year when it left the Soviet Union. There have been uprisings in 1994, 2001 and 2004 (Orange Revolution) but the increasingly massive protests failed each time to fundamentally change things. These protests, termed the Maidan Revolution, have traditionally commenced from Kiev’s central square called the Maidan Nezalezhnosti. Ukraine remained divided between becoming Euro or Russia centric, even as the bigger states of the EU rejected attempts to admit it to the elite Euro club. The Euro-Maidan revolution of 2014, which saw protests against the democratically elected and Russian supported President Viktor Yanukovych, was what the Russian leadership feared the most. A potential easing away of the controls over political and economic strings which tied the nations in the region to Russia’s interests. Russia’s principal motive in seizing Crimea and backing the separatist movement in the east was not to gain territory, but above all to suppress the Euro-Maidan and to restore Russia’s influence over the government in Kiev that Yanukovych had previously guaranteed. The Maidan threatened Russia’s interests not only in Ukraine: it showed that oligarchic-capitalist states in the region could be overthrown by a sustained popular uprising. Russia aimed to prevent Ukraine’s further incorporation into the Atlantic alliance through an association agreement or a free trade regime with the EU or a path to NATO membership. It was alarmed at the economic consequences for itself of an EU-Ukraine free trade regime and at the possibility that this might become a back door for Ukraine to get into NATO. Through the last four years, Russia has pursued hybrid conflict below the threshold; that threshold may be crossed with it naval actions against the Ukraine Navy; the latter has threatened to pursue its right to sail into the Sea of Azov. While economic sanctions by the US-led Western alliance were placed early and continue, there are three reasons for the continuing crisis. These are: The unrelenting revival of Russian imperialism since 2000, the divisions in the Western alliance over policy towards Russia, and the diminished capacity of the USA to project its own power into the region. The US also worries about the potentially enhancing German power over the region if given a free hand but is incapable of doing much on its own. In the meanwhile, the oligarchs who run Ukraine are unable to revamp its economy unless the country steps towards either of the competing camps. Given the recent instability in France and Belgium and the expected spread of instability to other parts of Europe, Ukraine remains one other area of major concern in the European security matrix unless the Western alliance and Russia can come to some terms of agreement for joint control without decided advantage to either. The question is will the people of Ukraine allow joint control or attempt to take things in their hands, leading to yet another round of instability. (This article was originally published on DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The forgotten Ukraine crisis

Ukrainian MPs scuffle in parliament

A&nbsp;brawl erupted between members of Ukrainian parliament on Thursday&nbsp;over a poster placed on the tribune.

Parliament member Nestor Shufrych from the Opposition Bloc Party tore off a poster depicting Ukrainian oligarch and politician Viktor Medvedchuk and naming him '(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's agent'.

This triggered a brawl in which a member of parliament from People's Front party Yuriy Bereza punched Shufrych in the face.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his annual news conference that he held a meeting with Medvedchuk lately to discuss the possible release of Ukrainian sailors seized by Russian after an incident in the Kerch Strait.

A brawl erupted between members of Ukrainian parliament on Thursday over a poster placed on the tribune. Parliament member Nestor Shufrych from the Opposition Bloc Party tore off a poster depicting Ukrainian oligarch and politician Viktor Medvedchuk and naming him '(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's agent'.

A brawl erupted between members of Ukrainian parliament on Thursday over a poster placed on the tribune. Parliament member Nestor Shufrych from the Opposition Bloc Party tore off a poster depicting Ukrainian oligarch and politician Viktor Medvedchuk and naming him '(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's agent'. This triggered a brawl in which a member of parliament from People's Front party Yuriy Bereza punched Shufrych in the face. Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his annual news conference that he held a meeting with Medvedchuk lately to discuss the possible release of Ukrainian sailors seized by Russian after an incident in the Kerch Strait.

Watch: Ukrainian MPs scuffle in parliament over putin's agent poster

Russia retains a heightened military presence on Ukraine's border, having pulled back "less than 10 per cent" of its forces since tensions between the countries peaked in November, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ukraines-president-names-leader-of-new-church-in-split-from-russia-184350">Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko</a> said.

"The biggest part (of troops) is still there, less than 10 per cent have been withdrawn," Poroshenko told a press conference.

After a maritime conflict with Moscow in the Black Sea in late November, Poroshenko accused Russia of having sharply raised its military presence on the border, with Ukraine warning of the threat of "full-scale war."

In response, Kiev imposed martial law for 30 days in 10 regions that border Russia, the latest page of the unprecedented crisis in relations between the two neighbours.

"The threat of an invasion of Russian armed forces on Ukrainian territory still exists and we must be prepared for it," Poroshenko said, adding he sees no reason for the snap lifting of martial law.

On November 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels and detained 24 crew members in the most dangerous incident in years between the ex-Soviet neighbours.

In 2014, Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. That move was followed by a deadly conflict in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border, but Moscow has denied the claims despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.&nbsp;

Russia retains a heightened military presence on Ukraine's border, having pulled back "less than 10 per cent" of its forces since tensions between the countries peaked in November, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.

Russia retains a heightened military presence on Ukraine's border, having pulled back "less than 10 per cent" of its forces since tensions between the countries peaked in November, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said. "The biggest part (of troops) is still there, less than 10 per cent have been withdrawn," Poroshenko told a press conference. After a maritime conflict with Moscow in the Black Sea in late November, Poroshenko accused Russia of having sharply raised its military presence on the border, with Ukraine warning of the threat of "full-scale war." In response, Kiev imposed martial law for 30 days in 10 regions that border Russia, the latest page of the unprecedented crisis in relations between the two neighbours. "The threat of an invasion of Russian armed forces on Ukrainian territory still exists and we must be prepared for it," Poroshenko said, adding he sees no reason for the snap lifting of martial law. On November 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels and detained 24 crew members in the most dangerous incident in years between the ex-Soviet neighbours. In 2014, Moscow annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. That move was followed by a deadly conflict in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists. Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border, but Moscow has denied the claims despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Russia retains heightened military border presence: Ukraine President Poroshenko

Ukraine chose the leader of a new national church on Saturday, marking a historic split from Russia which its leaders see as vital to the country's security and independence.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Metropolitan Epifaniy, of the Kiev Patriarchate church, had been chosen as head of the new church.

"This day will go into history as a sacred day ... the day of the final independence from Russia," Poroshenko told thousands of supporters, who shouted, "glory, glory, glory".

Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed following Moscow's seizure of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine imposed martial law in November, citing the threat of a full-scale invasion after Russia captured three of its vessels in the Kerch Strait.

The Ukrainian Orthodox church has been beholden to Moscow for hundreds of years, and Ukraine's leaders see church independence as vital to tackling Russian meddling.

Kiev says Moscow-backed churches on its soil are a Kremlin tool to spread propaganda and support fighters in the Donbass region in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people.

The churches strongly deny this.

The leader of the new church was chosen by a council that met at the St Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, built by the son of Prince Volodymyr whose baptism in 988 led to the spread of Christianity in the region.

"The question of autocephaly is a question of Ukrainian national security," Poroshenko had told the council earlier.

"This is a question of Ukrainian statehood. We acquire spiritual independence, which can be compared to the achievement of political independence. Break off the shackles, which bind us to the empire."

Ukraine chose the leader of a new national church on Saturday, marking a historic split from Russia which its leaders see as vital to the country's security and independence.

Ukraine chose the leader of a new national church on Saturday, marking a historic split from Russia which its leaders see as vital to the country's security and independence. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Metropolitan Epifaniy, of the Kiev Patriarchate church, had been chosen as head of the new church. "This day will go into history as a sacred day ... the day of the final independence from Russia," Poroshenko told thousands of supporters, who shouted, "glory, glory, glory". Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed following Moscow's seizure of Crimea in 2014. Ukraine imposed martial law in November, citing the threat of a full-scale invasion after Russia captured three of its vessels in the Kerch Strait. The Ukrainian Orthodox church has been beholden to Moscow for hundreds of years, and Ukraine's leaders see church independence as vital to tackling Russian meddling. Kiev says Moscow-backed churches on its soil are a Kremlin tool to spread propaganda and support fighters in the Donbass region in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people. The churches strongly deny this. The leader of the new church was chosen by a council that met at the St Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, built by the son of Prince Volodymyr whose baptism in 988 led to the spread of Christianity in the region. "The question of autocephaly is a question of Ukrainian national security," Poroshenko had told the council earlier. "This is a question of Ukrainian statehood. We acquire spiritual independence, which can be compared to the achievement of political independence. Break off the shackles, which bind us to the empire."

Ukraine's President names leader of new church in split from Russia

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/strasbourg-christmas-market-attacker-killed-after-gun-battle-183878">Strasbourg Christmas market attacker killed after </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/strasbourg-christmas-market-attacker-killed-after-gun-battle-183878">gun</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/strasbourg-christmas-market-attacker-killed-after-gun-battle-183878"> battle</a>

French security forces on Thursday night killed the suspect, Cherif Chekatt, 29, who was allegedly responsible for the attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg in which three people had died.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/today-has-been-out-of-this-world-its-a-thumbs-up-for-astronauts-branson-on-virgin-galactics-voyage-183902">Today has been out of this world, it's a thumbs up for astronauts: Branson on Virgin Galactic's voyage into space</a>

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, flew higher than it ever has before on Thursday, surpassing what the US Air Force considers the boundary of space, and marking the first manned flight to space from US soil since 2011.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/eu-leaders-reject-mays-plea-over-brexit-deal-183880">EU leaders reject PM Theresa May's plea over Brexit deal</a>

EU leaders rejected a plea by Theresa May on Thursday to help her sell her Brexit deal to parliament, warning she must set out exactly what she wants -- and announcing they would step up contingency plans in case the deal collapses.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-going-to-open-up-whole-country-they-want-to-please-me-trump-183898">China going to open up </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-going-to-open-up-whole-country-they-want-to-please-me-trump-183898">whole</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-going-to-open-up-whole-country-they-want-to-please-me-trump-183898"> country, they want to please me: Trump</a>

In a major policy shift, China is "going to open" up the entire country, US President Donald Trump said Thursday amidst trade negotiations with the Chinese.

"I just see this in the front page of The Wall Street Journal which just came out. China is going to open its policy, a big policy shift. They are going to open the whole country, that they want to please President Trump, that they want to do things that they have to do and that people should have been after China for years, I mean frankly," Trump told Fox News in an interview.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/no-trump-putin-meeting-while-russia-holds-ukraine-ship-john-bolton-183876">No Trump-Putin meeting while Russia holds Ukraine ship: US NSA John Bolton</a>

There will be no meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin while Russia still holds Ukrainian ships and sailors seized near Crimea, US national security adviser John Bolton said on Thursday.

Strasbourg Christmas market attacker killed after gun battle French security forces on Thursday night killed the suspect, Cherif Chekatt, 29, who was allegedly responsible for the attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg in which three people had died.

Strasbourg Christmas market attacker killed after gun battle French security forces on Thursday night killed the suspect, Cherif Chekatt, 29, who was allegedly responsible for the attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg in which three people had died. Today has been out of this world, it's a thumbs up for astronauts: Branson on Virgin Galactic's voyage into space Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, flew higher than it ever has before on Thursday, surpassing what the US Air Force considers the boundary of space, and marking the first manned flight to space from US soil since 2011. EU leaders reject PM Theresa May's plea over Brexit deal EU leaders rejected a plea by Theresa May on Thursday to help her sell her Brexit deal to parliament, warning she must set out exactly what she wants -- and announcing they would step up contingency plans in case the deal collapses. China going to open up whole country, they want to please me: Trump In a major policy shift, China is "going to open" up the entire country, US President Donald Trump said Thursday amidst trade negotiations with the Chinese. "I just see this in the front page of The Wall Street Journal which just came out. China is going to open its policy, a big policy shift. They are going to open the whole country, that they want to please President Trump, that they want to do things that they have to do and that people should have been after China for years, I mean frankly," Trump told Fox News in an interview. No Trump-Putin meeting while Russia holds Ukraine ship: US NSA John Bolton There will be no meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin while Russia still holds Ukrainian ships and sailors seized near Crimea, US national security adviser John Bolton said on Thursday.

News brief: Big stories of the day

The head of the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/we-wont-testify-captured-ukrainian-navy-captains-tell-russia-183847">Ukrainian navy</a> is meeting his US counterpart this week in Washington, where they will discuss the Russian navy's recent seizure of three Ukrainian vessels, a US official said Thursday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/rising-tension-between-russia-and-ukraine-keeps-tourists-away-from-crimea-181930">Russian ships </a>last month opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels as they tried to pass through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, and detained the 24 Ukrainian crew members.

Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said Ukraine's Admiral Ihor Voronchenko is meeting Thursday and Friday with US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson.

Richardson and other Pentagon officials "will reiterate the US support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters, as well as the right of its vessels to traverse international waters," Pahon told AFP.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this month blasted the Russian navy's "brazen" violation of a treaty that allows both Russian and Ukrainian ships free passage in the Kerch Strait.

Pahon said the US government supports "Ukraine in its pursuit of a diplomatic and peaceful solution to the ongoing Russian aggression, including Russia's recent unprovoked attack on Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea."

Ukraine's foreign minister on Thursday called for a speedy international response to Russia's "aggression" after it seized the three Ukrainian navy ships and 24 sailors.

The confrontation at sea on November 25 was the first open military incident between Kiev and Moscow since 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and a conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russia separatists and government forces, which has claimed more than 10,000 lives.

The head of the Ukrainian navy is meeting his US counterpart this week in Washington, where they will discuss the Russian navy's recent seizure of three Ukrainian vessels, a US official said Thursday.

The head of the Ukrainian navy is meeting his US counterpart this week in Washington, where they will discuss the Russian navy's recent seizure of three Ukrainian vessels, a US official said Thursday. Russian ships last month opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels as they tried to pass through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, and detained the 24 Ukrainian crew members. Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said Ukraine's Admiral Ihor Voronchenko is meeting Thursday and Friday with US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson. Richardson and other Pentagon officials "will reiterate the US support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters, as well as the right of its vessels to traverse international waters," Pahon told AFP. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this month blasted the Russian navy's "brazen" violation of a treaty that allows both Russian and Ukrainian ships free passage in the Kerch Strait. Pahon said the US government supports "Ukraine in its pursuit of a diplomatic and peaceful solution to the ongoing Russian aggression, including Russia's recent unprovoked attack on Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea." Ukraine's foreign minister on Thursday called for a speedy international response to Russia's "aggression" after it seized the three Ukrainian navy ships and 24 sailors. The confrontation at sea on November 25 was the first open military incident between Kiev and Moscow since 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and a conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russia separatists and government forces, which has claimed more than 10,000 lives.

US, Ukraine navy heads meet after Russia ship seizure

Two Ukrainian navy captains being held in a Russian jail have refused to provide testimony because they consider themselves prisoners of war, their lawyers said on Wednesday.

Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels and their combined crew of 24 last month off the coast of Russian-annexed Crimea and accused them of illegally entering Russian waters.

Ukraine has said Russia captured the two small gunboats and one tugboat illegally and accused Moscow of military aggression.

The United States and the European Union have called for the release of the sailors, who are in pretrial detention in Moscow.

Roman Mokryak, the commander of one of the gunboats, told Russian investigators he would not provide any information until his crew was released, his lawyer, Ilya Novikov, said on Wednesday.

"He believes he alone answers for what happens on board, that his crew carried out his orders and that they cannot be held to account," Novikov wrote on Facebook.

Oleh Melnychuk, the captain of the tugboat, has also refused to testify, denying Moscow's accusations and calling himself a prisoner of war, his lawyer Edem Semedlyayev wrote in a separate Facebook post on Wednesday.

No date has been set for the sailors' trial.

Ukraine has said it fears Russia is preparing to attack it, citing an alleged military build-up along its border. Russia denies this and says Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is trying to whip up anti-Russian sentiment as part of an election campaign.

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014 and backs, separatists, fighting Kiev's forces in the east of the country.

Two Ukrainian navy captains being held in a Russian jail have refused to provide testimony because they consider themselves prisoners of war, their lawyers said on Wednesday.

Two Ukrainian navy captains being held in a Russian jail have refused to provide testimony because they consider themselves prisoners of war, their lawyers said on Wednesday. Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels and their combined crew of 24 last month off the coast of Russian-annexed Crimea and accused them of illegally entering Russian waters. Ukraine has said Russia captured the two small gunboats and one tugboat illegally and accused Moscow of military aggression. The United States and the European Union have called for the release of the sailors, who are in pretrial detention in Moscow. Roman Mokryak, the commander of one of the gunboats, told Russian investigators he would not provide any information until his crew was released, his lawyer, Ilya Novikov, said on Wednesday. "He believes he alone answers for what happens on board, that his crew carried out his orders and that they cannot be held to account," Novikov wrote on Facebook. Oleh Melnychuk, the captain of the tugboat, has also refused to testify, denying Moscow's accusations and calling himself a prisoner of war, his lawyer Edem Semedlyayev wrote in a separate Facebook post on Wednesday. No date has been set for the sailors' trial. Ukraine has said it fears Russia is preparing to attack it, citing an alleged military build-up along its border. Russia denies this and says Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is trying to whip up anti-Russian sentiment as part of an election campaign. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014 and backs, separatists, fighting Kiev's forces in the east of the country.

We won't testify: Captured Ukrainian navy captains tell Russia

A new corvette Orekhovo-Zuyevo <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-tests-new-anti-ship-cruise-missile-and-s-125-air-defence-system-181743">arrived in the port of Sevastopol</a> on Friday&nbsp;to join the Russian Black Sea Fleet in annexed Crimea.

Orekhovo-Zuyevo is a Buyan-M class corvette armed with nuclear-capable Kalibr cruise missiles with a claimed range of 2000 km, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Her sister ship - corvette Vyshny Volochek has already joined the fleet in June.

In 2016 two other ships of the same class took part in military action in Syria. The Black Sea Fleet is expected to get two more corvettes armed with Kalibr missiles next year, the spokesman of the fleet Aleksei Rulev told journalists last month.

Earlier this week,&nbsp;two patrol ships Dmitry Rogachev and Vassiy Bykov had also arrived in Sevastopol.

The enforcement of the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, follows Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian navy vessels off the coast of the peninsula on November 25.

A new corvette Orekhovo-Zuyevo arrived in the port of Sevastopol on Friday to join the Russian Black Sea Fleet in annexed Crimea. Orekhovo-Zuyevo is a Buyan-M class corvette armed with nuclear-capable Kalibr cruise missiles with a claimed range of 2000 km, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence.

A new corvette Orekhovo-Zuyevo arrived in the port of Sevastopol on Friday to join the Russian Black Sea Fleet in annexed Crimea. Orekhovo-Zuyevo is a Buyan-M class corvette armed with nuclear-capable Kalibr cruise missiles with a claimed range of 2000 km, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence. Her sister ship - corvette Vyshny Volochek has already joined the fleet in June. In 2016 two other ships of the same class took part in military action in Syria. The Black Sea Fleet is expected to get two more corvettes armed with Kalibr missiles next year, the spokesman of the fleet Aleksei Rulev told journalists last month. Earlier this week, two patrol ships Dmitry Rogachev and Vassiy Bykov had also arrived in Sevastopol. The enforcement of the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, follows Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian navy vessels off the coast of the peninsula on November 25.

Watch: New missile carrier ship joins Russian fleet in Crimea

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