Ukraine breaks up alleged Russian spy ring a week ahead of presidential elections

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — A spying scandal between Ukraine and Russia threatens to heighten tensions between the countries as Ukraine's holds a presidential runoff election Sunday between a Russian-leaning candidate and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Ukraine's security service said Wednesday five Russians were detained last month after being caught trying to obtain confidential military information from a Ukrainian citizen.

"We have broken up an FSB spying operation," Ukrainian security services spokeswoman Marina Ostapenko said.

Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, confirmed its agents had been detained, but accused Ukraine of sensationalizing the issue.

"It was surprising the Ukraine Security Service's leadership was so hasty in publicizing this incident, because this kind of situation is usually resolved by cooperation between the special services," said an FSB spokesman, who declined give his name.

Ukraine's security service says the FSB agents tried to use "blackmail and threats" to force a Ukrainian citizen to reveal state secrets.

"We are deeply concerned by the outrageous behavior of these spies and about the safety of our citizens," Ostapenko said.

Ostapenko says four of the officers, who were apprehended in a sting operation late last month, have been expelled and another faces espionage charges.

The officers had digital voice recorders, pen-shaped miniature video cameras, memory cards disguised as key-chains, other electronic equipment and $2,000 in cash when they were arrested, Ostapenko said.

The FSB says the Ukrainian citizen its agents were working with had himself been apprehended in November while allegedly spying on neighboring Moldavia's Moscow-backed breakaway Trans-Dniester republic.

The Ukrainian agent was held briefly at a Russian military base and later agreed to assist in intelligence operations in Ukraine, the FSB said.

The election is being bitterly contested between Russian-leaning Viktor Yanukovych and Tymoshenko, a leading figure in the 2004 Orange Revolution.

Russia and Ukraine have clashed repeatedly in recent years over everything from the status of the Russian language to Ukraine's bid to join NATO. The Orange Revolution, which kept Yanukovych out of power, was reviled in the Kremlin, which has since taken firm steps to avoid a similar opposition movement from arising in Russia.

Russian news agency Interfax cited influential pro-Yanukovych deputy Mykola Azarov as saying Wednesday that the spy scandal was aimed at damaging relations between Russia and Ukraine.

Yanukovych beat Tymoshenko 35 percent to 25 percent in the first round of voting of the presidential election Jan. 17. But analysts expect Tymoshenko to close that gap by picking up votes splintered among candidates in the first round.

Source:fox59.com/

Party of Regions members block Ukraine parliament presidium

KIEV, February 3 (Itar-Tass) - Deputies of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament) from the Party of Regions on Wednesday long before the opening of the extraordinary session of the Rada blocked its presidium and rostrum. On the initiative of the Party of Regions the parliament was to introduce on Wednesday amendments to the law on the country’s presidential election.

A group of deputes of the party was keeping watch at the session hall overnight, and in the morning they blocked not only the rostrum and presidium, but also some entrances to the hall. The session was to be opened at 11:00, Moscow time.

Vice speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Nikolai Tomenko expressed surprise by the actions of the Regions Party. “I don’t understand the logic of their actions, because it looks like a paradox – to invite to an extraordinary meeting and then shut the doors before us,” Tomenko noted. According to him, the faction of the Bloc of Yulia Timoshenko (BYT) all the same will take part in the Rada’s extraordinary session, but it will oppose the adoption of changes to law on the presidential election on which the Party of Regions insists.

Source:itar-tass.com/

Azerbaijani parliamentarians to observe second round of Ukrainian presidential elections with PACE delegation

Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. 30 observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will follow the second round of the presidential elections in Ukraine on February 7, APA reports. The delegation led by Hungarian MP Matias Iorsh will also include two members of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Ganira Pashayeva and Sabir Hajiyev.

PACE observers will follow the elections together with the representatives of OSCE and NATO PA, European Parliament and OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The extra delegation of observers include member of the Venice Commission and independent experts of the Council of Europe.

PACE observers will be in Ukraine from February 5 till 8. They will meet with candidates, CEC officials and representatives of NGOs.

The initial opinion of the international observers will be declared at the press conference on February 8.

Source:en.apa.az/

Ukraine to Extract Oil, Gas from Black Sea

Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yuliya Timoshenko, says the State is to finance in 2010 large-scale work on the gas and oil deposits in the Black Sea. Photo by wikimedia
The Ukraine plans to begin developing oil and gas deposits in the Black Sea shelf in 2010.

The statement was made by the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yuliya Timoshenko, cited by the Bulgarian news agency BTA.

Timoshenko says the State is to finance in 2010 large-scale work on the deposits after the conclusion of the court case to establish State ownership over the Black Sea shelf.

“This way gas and oil will no longer belong to some corrupt individuals; they will belong to the Ukraine, Timoshenko is quoted as saying.

Source:novinite.com/

Ukraine crisis will be first test for Lady Ashton

Europe and Russia are embroiled in an escalating contest over Ukraine ‑ its direction, its stability, and its alliances. Diplomats, analysts, and EU officials are warning that the situation could worsen sharply within weeks, in an early test of Catherine Ashton's crisis management skills.

The new EU foreign policy chief will hardly have had time to get her feet under her desk on 1 December, when Ukraine dominates her computer screen. An EU-Ukraine summit three days later will mark her international debut as foreign policy high representative. Ashton's predecessor, Javier Solana of Spain, is known to be extremely "frustrated" with the worsening political, economic and security crisis in Ukraine. A fresh bout of the perennial gas war between Ukraine and Russia may break out after the new year, affecting Ukraine's bitter presidential election later in January.

Then there is Iran, Afghanistan, relations with the US, bureaucratic infighting in Brussels, non-stop travel, overseeing and fronting a new global EU diplomatic service, chairing monthly meetings of European foreign ministers as well as performing the functions of a vice-president of the European commission.

"This is an excruciating job," said the EU official who noted that Solana spent two thirds of his time travelling. Ashton's job is much more arduous since its powers and responsibilities are expanded and it combines being a de facto foreign minister with also being a commission vice-president.

The other international emergency that will test Ashton's mettle quickly is likely to be Iran. For most of the last six years, Solana and the senior EU policy strategist, Robert Cooper, have been dealing with the Iranians on behalf of Britain, France, Germany, and tacitly the Americans. It is not clear, however, whether Ashton will retain that pivotal role. "I'd be surprised if she does. There is no automaticity," said a Brussels diplomat.

"That will be a test of her authority," said Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. "If she loses the role on Iran that will be a setback."

Inside the Brussels beltway, turf battles are already being waged between competing parts of the European bureaucracy over how to organise, staff, and control the so-called external action service, Europe's fledgling global diplomatic arm. "Ashton needs to be the engine and the figurehead for that service," said the diplomat. "It will be a brutal start," said Leonard.


Source:guardian.co.uk