UKRAINE CRISIS HORIZON (18 - 24 Jan 2021)
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UKRAINE CRISIS HORIZON (18 - 24 Jan 2021) KEY EVENTS 1 Event 1 Work On A "Road Map" For Settling Disputes In Bilateral Relations Between Ukraine And Hungary Is Underway - Energy/Pipelines Deputy Head Of The Office Of The President Russia Controlled Area 2021-01-18 "On January 27, at the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary will arrive in Ukraine and hold a number of official meetings. By the way, the whole range of issues will be discussed," the Deputy Head of the President's Office said. PRESIDENT.GOV.UA 2 U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Russian Vessel Involved With Nord Stream 2 Pipeline 2021-01-19 The U.S on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a ship involved in building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to take Russian natural gas to Europe, as the Trump administration sought to raise pressure on the project on its last full day in office. REUTERS 3 How To Contain Putin’s Russia 2021-01-19 After President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20, some elements of U.S. policy toward Russia will change immediately. No longer will the president of the United States seek to befriend Russian President Vladimir Putin, as President Donald Trump did throughout his tenure. Biden will not hesitate to criticize Putin’s belligerent actions, especially those directed at the United States. The Biden administration will also incorporate liberal norms and democratic values back into the United States’ Russia policy, so Putin can expect more criticism of Russian autocracy and more support for human rights. FOREIGNAFFAIRS 4 Russia’s Crimean Crimes Demand Tougher Sanctions 2021-01-19 Almost seven years have passed since the Kremlin first began its campaign of hostilities against Ukraine, but Russia has yet to face the full force of international justice. Efforts to end this impunity are slowly gaining momentum, with international courts recently reporting progress in a number of cases relating to the Russo-Ukrainian War. Meanwhile, Ukrainian civil society activists are seeking more immediate action and calling on the United States to widen sanctions against Russian officials accused of human rights abuses in Russian-occupied Crimea. ATLANTICCOUNCIL 5 ‘Brotherly’ Connection Between Moscow & Kiev Will See Friendship Eventually Restored, Says Ukrainian Opposition Leader Medvedchuk 2021-01-19 Ukrainian opposition politician Viktor Medvedchuk has predicted that relations between Moscow and Kiev will eventually return to normal, despite the “Russophobia” of the current Ukrainian authorities. Medvedchuk is the leader of Opposition Platform – For Life, a party that advocates for the normalization of ties with Russia. After President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ruling Servant of the People faction, it is the country’s second-most-popular political group. Writing on its website on the 366th anniversary AI Powered Crisis Situation of the Pereyaslav Council, he noted that Ukraine and Russia are two “brotherly peoples.” RT This product is prepared by a group of subject matter experts using a number of open 6 Russia-Installed "Authorities" May Hold Another "Referendum" In Occupied Donbas sources with a hybrid methodology that merges both traditional methods and AI-powered, 2021-01-20 The so-called "leader" of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" ("DPR"), Denis Pushilin, says another data-driven approaches. "referendum on self-determination" could be held in the Russia-occupied part of Ukraine's Donetsk region. UNIAN 7 Action Needed To Protect Fragile Ceasefire In East Ukraine, New OSCE Head Says Political Situation 2021-01-20 More steps are needed to protect a fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine as violations are rising, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde told Reuters during a trip to the region on Wednesday. Linde was on her first visit to Ukraine since taking over as the rotating head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which monitors the conflict in the Donbass Geopolitical Situation region between Ukraine and Russian-backed forces. REUTERS 8 Russia Regrets That OSCE Chairperson Did Not Meet With Donbass Representatives - Diplomat Governence 2021-01-21 Russia regrets that OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde did not meet with representatives of Donetsk and Lugansk during her visit to Ukraine, Russia’s Permanent Envoy to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich Economic Situation said at an online meeting of the permanent council of this international organization on Thursday. TASS 9 European Parliament Calls For Halt On Nord Stream 2 Construction After Navalny Arrest Environment 2021-01-21 The European Parliament has demanded construction stop on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The controversial pipeline will double the capacity of an already existing natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. DW Socio-cultural ASSESSMENT Military Situation After the annexation by Russia, Crimea has witnessed a dramatic rise in human rights abuses. But Russia has not faced substantial sanctions / reactions against these abuses. Recently, both international courts and Ukrainian civil society activists are seeking more Overall immediate actions to end Russia's impunity. Towards the end of 2020, the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court has announced plans to call for a full investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine and the European Court of Human Rights has nowadays attested Ukraine’s claims against Russia as "partly admissible." Beyond the Horizon International Strategic Studies Group Although the Kremlin rules out any international rulings condemning its actions in Ukraine, court process / decisions play an active role to justify sustained sanctions against Russia. But it would be better to consider that the judicial process of International Criminal www.behorizon.org © 2021 Court and European Court of Human Rights are not fast to produce results. Authorizing the U.S. government to sanction human rights offenders, the Global Magnitsky Act seems the suitable instrument to start to struggle against Russian human rights abuses in Crimea..