Since our own Brian Whitmore is off this week, it's a good opportunity to catch up with past episodes of his Power Vertical Podcast or give a listen to the latest of "The Interpreter's" occasional podcasts.
Some of Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk's statements at a news conference in Kyiv today about targeting Russian companies and Russian citizens in Ukraine with sanctions:
"According to the law, Ukraine has the right to introduce 26 types of sanctions, including: the freezing of assets; a ban on the activity of enterprises on Ukrainian territory; a ban on using radio frequencies, Internet, and other methods of communication; a ban on participation in the privatization of state-owned objects; a ban on owning licenses; [and] a full or partial ban on transit of all types of resources."
Speaking about whether sanctions could affect Russian gas transit:
"This includes the possible halting of all types of transit, from air flights to transit of resources."
And other related topics:
"I am also addressing our Western partners: it is impossible to provide weapons to those countries which later use these weapons against independent and democratic countries. Because then these weapons could be turned against the producers in the West."
"The visa ban is definitely not the most powerful action, but Russian authorities are not allowed to purchase any Ukrainian state-owned property. We are ready to suspend and to halt a number of licenses that we have granted to Russian companies. We are ready to provide a secondary screening and double-checking of all financial transactions of companies related to Russian Federation."
"We do understand that we as the state of Ukraine will pay the price too, but you guys are paying this price. We know what we are doing. This is the only way to protect and to defend our nation and our country. Be strong and be bold. This is the best remedy."
RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports that a suspect has been arrested in the attack on the Ukrainian House today in downtown Kyiv. Two people were reported injured, neither seriously, when the man threw an explosive device at the trade and exhibition center, where some of the Euromaidan protesters are still camped out despite authorities' efforts yesterday to clear the area. Eyewitnesses helped capture the suspect.
Hard to imagine this happening now, given the punitive import ban on the United States and Europe the Kremlin followed up with this week. But the Polish ambassador to Washington in this video appeal urgesthe U.S. to open its market to his country's apples, following the apple ban Moscow imposed on it last week (h/t @EdwardLucas). Now this just seems quaint.
Russian investigators have requested that five Ukrainian soldiers be arrested on suspicion of war crimes for what the Russian Investigative Committee describes as the "use of heavy offensive weapons of indiscriminate effect" when allegedy firing on the cities of Krasnopartizansk and Krasnodon in the Luhansk region of Ukraine.
The committee, in a statement posted on the Internet, named the individuals and identified them as a battalion commander, a tank battalion commander, a "headquarters chief," a squadron commander, and a deputy commander. The Russian Investigative Committee cited "testimony of other Ukrainian servicemen who served in this brigade," and said the five men denied the charges.
Here's AFP on the story:
Russian investigators said on Friday they had detained five Ukrainian soldiers on suspicion of war crimes in eastern Ukraine, after they crossed into Russia earlier this week.
The soldiers went across the border in a huge contingent of over 400 servicemen on Monday.
Moscow claimed they had surrendered and were switching sides but Kiev said they were forced to cross after running out of ammunition. Most of the men since gone back to Ukraine.
Investigators questioned the troops as witnesses in a probe into war crimes, charges which can carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
The investigators said they had proof that the solders used heavy weapons indiscriminately, wounding or killing at least 10 civilians and destroying 20 homes.
The alleged crimes took place between July 19 and August 3 in the Lugansk region of Ukraine, one of the areas gripped by fighting between the Ukrainian army and pro-Kremlin separatists, they said.
According to this Russian news agency, "prominent French politician" Jacques Myard, the mayor of Maisons-Laffitte, a Paris suburb, has called the European sanctions on Russia "economic suicide" and encouraged the reconition of Crimea as Russian territory.
It's hard to say how influential he is, but his Wikipedia entry has only this paragraph:
Myard made international news when on July 17, 2012, just days before the vote on a new national sexual harassment bill, male lawmakers in the National Assembly including Myard hooted and made catcalls as Housing Minister Cécile Duflot, wearing a floral dress, spoke about an architecture project. Myard told L'Express that the hoots were a way of "paying homage to this woman's beauty."
Ukraine applies its own sanctions on Russia, our news desk reports:
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says the Ukrainian government is proposing that sanctions be imposed by Ukraine against 172 citizens from Russia and other countries and 65 Russian companies who were financing "terrorism" in the country.
Yatsenyuk said the recommendations would be passed on to the National Defense and Security Council and that he expected parliament next week (August 12) to pass laws to legalize the proposed moves.
Yatsenyuk said that sanctions will include asset freezes, banning transit of all types of goods across Ukraine and withdrawing business licences.
Asked if sanctions could affect Russian gas transit, Yatsenyuk said the move could possibly mean halting "all types of transit, from air flights to transit of resources." (Reuters, AFP and Interfax)
The "humanitarian intervention" drumbeat continues in Moscow...