Ukrainian forces surround nationalist militia following deadly attack in western Ukraine

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At least two people were killed and seven injured in the fighting that broke out after armed men bearing the insignia of Pravy Sektor (Right Sector), a far-Right paramilitary group, drove into the town of Mukachevo, near the Polish and Hungarian borders, on Saturday.

A confrontation between Pravy Sektor and men loyal to a local MP critical of the group appears to have erupted into violence, after which police intervened.

At least two Pravy Sektor fighters were killed in the ensuing melee, which also saw two police cars destroyed by grenade launchers.

An unknown number of Pravy Sektor fighters were still believed to be hiding in countryside near the town on Sunday evening.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/11734520/Ukrainian-forces-surround-nationalist-militia-following-deadly-attack-in-western-Ukraine.html

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1. Far right group challenges Ukraine’s government after gun battle.

A Ukrainian far right group has demanded the resignation of the county’s interior minister
while blocking roads around Kyiv in a protest following a fatal gun battle.

Dozens of supporters of Right Sector are calling for more demonstrations to be held across the county.

On Saturday two ultra-nationalists were killed in a shootout with police in the western town of Mukacheve.

The cause of the violence is unclear, Red Sector claims its members were set upon by local police.

http://www.euronews.com/2015/07/13/far-right-group-challenges-ukraine-s-government-after-gun-battle/

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2. Ukraine Nationalists: Country Headed for Coup

In recent days, the kind of armed violence previously limited to Ukraine's beleaguered east came within 30 miles of the country's European Union borders.

In the city of Mukacheve, one person was killed in a Saturday gun fight between members of far-right nationalists known as Right Sector and security guards connected to a Ukrainian legislator.

Right Sector, whose own volunteer battalion fights alongside government troops in eastern Ukraine, said its members were trying to confront a local crime boss and policemen it alleges were involved in large-scale smuggling in the region.

But some witnesses say the shootout involving automatic rifles and grenade launchers appears to have been part of a criminal turf war over smuggling itself — particularly the illicit transit of cigarettes into EU markets.

http://www.voanews.com/content/ukraine-nationalists-say-country-headed-for-coup/2860024.html

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3. Poroshenko faces new security crisis in western Ukraine

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But mistrust between volunteer units and Ukraine’s armed forces has been building as Poroshenko tries to follow through on a February peace deal whose terms — including partial self-rule for the insurgents — are anathema to the nationalists.

Pravy Sektor members also cast themselves as Robin Hood figures that defend the public against the corruption that has ravaged Ukraine’s political establishment and police since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.

The weekend battles were sparked by Pravy Sektor’s self-proclaimed attempt to prevent Hungary and Slovakia from being flooded with any more contraband cigarettes that have already enriched local Ukrainian politicians and their security overlords.

Pravy Sektor reported the death of two of its members in a shootout with what appeared to be a mixture of security personnel and armed local thugs.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-1-328951-Poroshenko-faces-new-security-crisis-in-western-Ukraine

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8. Poroshenko calls for disarming of ‘illegal groups’ in Ukraine

Ukraine’s president has ordered the disarming of “illegal groups.” Petro Poroshenko made the call after a weekend standoff between a far right group and police in the west of the country.

In a statement, he seemed to refer to the nationalist group Right Sector (Pravy Sektor) which played a big part in protests that toppled former president Viktor Yanukovich last year.

“It’s a discreditation of the real Ukrainian patriots,” said Poroshenko. “No political force should have and will not have any kind of armed cells.”

Right Sector says it has to protect Ukraine from “outside forces,” mainly Russia, trying to destabilise the country.

http://www.euronews.com/2015/07/14/poroshenko-calls-for-disarming-of-illegal-groups-in-ukraine/

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4. Ukraine Leader Warned On Bills Rolling Back Economic Reforms

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has dismissed legislation in Ukraine's parliament that would water down economic reforms demanded by the West in exchange for loans, saying it is sponsored by "lunatics."

In an interview with the Associated Press, Yatsenyuk predicted that none of several controversial bills to roll back reforms mandated by the International Monetary Fund would reach the floor of the parliament.

If they do, he said, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will veto them.

"In every parliament, you have populists. Sometimes they look like lunatics," Yatsenyuk said. "This government and this president are determined and committed to our reform agenda."

http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-warned-rolling-back-economic-reforms-imf-white-house/27126102.html

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5. Ukraine Premier, in White House Visit, Hails Economic Progress

WASHINGTON — The prime minister of Ukraine reassured President Obama on Monday that his embattled government was making important progress in overhauling the country’s troubled economy and meeting the terms of a shaky cease-fire with Russia.

Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, the prime minister, said he told Mr. Obama that he was tackling corruption in Ukraine’s crucial energy industry and working to increase wages. He also predicted that Parliament would vote this week for constitutional changes to devolve more power to local governments in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have waged a violent uprising.

In an interview, Mr. Yatsenyuk said Mr. Obama had pressed him on whether he would hold together his coalition with President Petro O. Petroshenko. “I said, ‘Mr. President, once Benjamin Franklin said: Hang together or hang separate,’” Mr. Yatsenyuk said. “That’s what we are doing with the Ukrainian president. We will stay united.” He pledged that Ukraine would not allow the coalition to fracture the way a previous pro-Western coalition did.

The meeting between Mr. Yatsenyuk and Mr. Obama was not on the president’s public schedule and was disclosed only afterward. In a statement issued on Monday evening, the White House said Mr. Obama had dropped by a White House meeting between Mr. Yatsenyuk and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and had offered his “unwavering support” for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/world/europe/ukraine-premier-in-white-house-visit-hails-economic-progress.html

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7. Obama Hails ‘Ukrainian Reforms’, Says Anti-Russian Sanctions Will Stay

US President Barack Obama praised the visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk for implementing ”much-needed reforms” and pledged to keep in place Washington’s sanctions against Russia.

President Obama and Vice President Biden both expressed “unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and underscored the United States’ commitment to maintaining sanctions on Russia “until it fully implements its obligations under the Minsk agreements.”

The President and Vice President commended the Ukrainian government for the steps it has taken to implement its obligations under the Minsk agreements, including the submission to Ukraine's parliament of draft constitutional amendments on decentralization.

Russia denies any meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs and failure to implement the terms of the Minsk accords.

http://sputniknews.com/us/20150714/1024587685.html

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6. Four Ukrainian Volunteer Battalions Join Right Sector for Kiev Protests

Last Saturday, members of the Ukrainian Right Sector nationalist movement announced protests in Kiev over the standoff in the western Ukrainian town of Mukachevo. Protesters are demanding the resignation of the country’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.

Members of the Aidar, Azov, OUN and Tornado Ukrainian volunteer battalions joined a protest staged in Kiev by the Right Sector radical movement. The protest has taken place near the presidential administration building for three days already.

Last Saturday, Right Sector representatives announced ongoing protests in Kiev over the recent conflict in the western Ukrainian town of Mukachevo. Activists are demanding the resignation of the country’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and commanding police officers in the Zakarpattia Region.

Participants of the protests in Kiev set up kitchen trucks. They are raising money to replenish food reserves. They also lit candles on the road to commemorate the memory of those killed in the Mukachevo shootout, according to media reports.

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150714/1024587124.html