Daily Digest: Top stories from Wednesday, Nov. 14 - Nov. 14, 2018

- Government and Law
Experts say that plenty of tainted candidates have been shortlisted in the selection of anti-corruption judges, reports Oleg Sukhov. Lots of bad candidates, and some good ones, have gotten past the latest stage of selection for the High Anti-Corruption Court and Supreme Court, observers have said.
Ukraine’s election campaign is entering into full swing as political parties begin splurging on adverts for their presidential candidates, six weeks before the official start, reports Bermet Talant. The latest financial reports of the major political parties, from July through to September, offer a glimpse into how much some early campaigners have already spent on the race to become president in 2019.
The Moscow Patriarchy in Ukraine has refused to take part in a Unification Council here. The Bishop Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, under the Moscow Patriarchy, declared that it will not participate in the upcoming Unification Council, that will also choose the new Kyiv Patriarch. The Moscow council issued a 13-point statement in which it declared itself the only legal Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The bishops declared illegal any actions that take place without the consent of the Russian Orthodox Church. Read the full story here.
After the supposed “kidnapping” of his son in occupied Crimea, the Czech Prime Minister faces a no-confidence vote. A bizarre scandal involving claims that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš had his own son kidnapped and held in Crimea to hide his involvement in a corruption scheme is threatening to topple the government in Prague. The Czech opposition has called on Babiš to resign and said it would hold a no-confidence vote after journalists claimed that Babiš had ordered the abduction of his son. Read the full story, as reported by Bermet Talant, here.
- Business and Economy
UnionPay, the Chinese rival to Visa and Mastercard, is to enter Ukraine. The Chinese payment system, reportedly the world’s biggest payment system both in terms of cards issued and volume of operations, is entering the Ukrainian market, the National Bank of Ukraine has said. The NBU’s Committee on Supervision and Regulation of Banking Activities has agreed on market entry conditions with UnionPay, the central bank said. Read the full story, as reported by Oleksiy Sorokin, here.

Russia is appealing against a UK court ruling on its purchase of $3 billion in Ukrainian Eurobonds. Moscow has appealed against a British ruling on the $3 billion that Russia “lent” to Ukraine in 2013 by purchasing its Eurobonds, Russia’s Finance Ministry said on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters. In September, Britain’s court of appeal ruled that Ukraine, attacked by Russia and Russian-backed forces in 2014, had a justifiable defence in the $3 billion Eurobond case that was originally brought by Russia. The court said that the the case should be allowed to go to a full trial.
Ukrainian poultry giant MHP has reported a net loss of $48 million in relation to foreign exchange translation losses. Myronivsky Hliboproduct, or MHP, said the loss occoured in July-September, compared to a $41 million net profit in the same period last year. According to the financial statements of the company – that have not been audited – revenue grew by 19 percent in Q3 2018, to $422 million, but earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization fell by 6 percent, to $99 million. You can read the full story here.
Naftogaz will reportedly postpone the placement of Eurobonds. The state energy company Naftogaz Ukraine has postponed the placement of five-year Eurobonds, a financial markets source has told Interfax-Ukraine. “The placement has been postponed due to the unfavorable situation on the market,” the source reportedly said. Read the full story here.
- Defense and Security
Ukrainian Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak has said next year’s defense budget is too low, reports Illia Ponomarenko. The Hr 209.5 billion ($7.45 billion) defense budget for 2019, Ukraine’s highest ever, is still not enough to meet the military’s needs, Defense Minister Poltorak told the cabinet on Nov. 14. “We face lots of challenges today,” the minister said during the regular weekly meeting of the government. “The continuing hostilities (in the Donbas war zone) took up significant funds. Some 40,000 military personnel (deployed there) are losing their health or lives, and, as I believe, there can be no higher priority than the procurement of new weapons and military hardware.”
A criminal case against former Berkut officers has been sent to court. A bill of indictment against two former officers of the Berkut special police unit in Kyiv, suspected of the illegitimate detention of Euromaidan protesters in 2013, has been sent to district court. Read the full story.
Police reported nearly 500 traffic accidents in the Ukrainian capital on Nov. 14 as heavy snow swept across Kyiv, causing chaos on many streets. By the early evening, 14,498 calls reporting traffic incidents had been received by the 102 hotline, according to police sources.