NEW POWER VERTICAL BLOG POST
I just posted a new Power Vertical blog, Putin Forever (which accounts for my light posting to the Feed).
INVASION REHEARSAL?
Yet again, Russia is conducting military exercises, in Rostov Oblast near the Ukrainian border. Ukraine Today has video:
Such exercises have been common in recent months. But cComing on the heels of the separatist "elections" in Donetsk and Luhansk, the maneuvers have sparked fears in Kyiv that Russia is gearing up to re-escalate the conflict in Donbas.
WILL THEY BAN THE iPHONE NEXT?
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
iPHONE TRIBUTE TO STEVE JOBS REMOVED IN RUSSIA AFTER APPLE CEO COMES OUT AS GAY
Russian media reports say a big mock iPhone meant as a monument to the late former Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been taken down in St. Petersburg after his successor, Tim Cook, came out publicly as gay.
The man-sized monument, with an interactive screen displaying information about Jobs, was reportedly put up on the grounds of an IT university in January 2013 on the initiative of a Russian company called Western European Financial Union.
Russian Radio station Biznes-FM cited the company's head, Maksim Dolgopolov, as saying he had it removed in part in order to comply with a law banning the spread of homosexual "propaganda" among minors.
After Cook came out as gay in an essay published on October 30, prominent St. Petersburg anti-gay activist Vitaly Milonov was quoted as saying Cook should be banned from Russia because he could bring AIDS, Ebola or gonorrhea into the country.
(Based on reporting by Biznes-FM and gazeta.ru)
And as one might expect, LifeNews has video.
THE RUSSIAN MARCH SHOULD BE INTERESTING THIS YEAR
The annual Russian March, the seminal event on the nationalist calendar, is set to take place on November 4. And this year's event will be worth watching for a number of reasons. Check out the latest Power Vertical Podcast for a primer:
MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
EU REJECTS REBEL VOTE IN EASTERN UKRAINE
In a statement, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says elections held by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine are an "obstacle to peace," and the EU will not recognize them.
Early local elections in accordance with Ukrainian law, as foreseen in the Minsk agreement, were "the legal and legitimate means of renewing the democratic mandate of the local authorities in these parts of Ukraine. I call on all sides to work towards such elections," she said.
The Minsk truce deal, which has been signed by rebel leaders, Ukrainian and Russian officials, envisions local elections being held across the whole of the east, but under Ukrainian law.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced Moscow will recognize the results, saying in a statement the poll will help reestablish "normal life in the region."
(Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, and TASS)
PRO-RUSSIAN SEPARATISTS HOLD 'ELECTIONS' IN EASTERN UKRAINE
By RFE/RL
Pro-Russian separatists defied international criticism by holding elections in areas under their control in eastern Ukraine.
Residents in separatist-controlled areas voted for leaders and so-called "people's councils" for their "people's republics."
Russia's Interfax news agency, citing an exit poll, said in the "Donetsk People's Republic" incumbent leader Alexander Zakharchenko was expected to win with 81 percent.
Results from neighboring Luhansk, however, were expected later because some polling stations remained open.
The leader of the "Luhansk People's Republic," Igor Plotnitsky, is widely expected to win.
The early results came as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called on Russia to denounce the November 2 elections.
In an online statement, Poroshenko described the controversial elections as a "farce, (conducted) under the barrels of tanks and machine guns."
He added: "I count on Russia not to recognize the so-called elections because they are a clear violation of the September 5 Minsk protocol, which was also signed by Russia's representative."
Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, said on November 2 that the vote violates Ukraine’s constitution and resembles an illegal “power grab.”
It also announced that it has opened a “criminal probe” against the organizers of the vote.
Earlier on November 2, Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said Russia has launched an “intensive deployment of military equipment and personnel” from Russia territory into parts of eastern Ukraine that are controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
AFP reporters near Donetsk say they saw a military column of about 20 trucks, some carrying anti-aircraft guns, heading toward the government-held airport -- although it was not clear whether they were new forces.
Several other Western media outlets also reported witnessing heavy movement of troops near Donetsk.
Among them, reporters for the news sites buzzfeed.com and mashable.com tweeted that they had seen a large military column.
Buzzfeed's Max Seddon wrote: "31 unmarked Kamazes (military trucks) just drove past towards Donetsk. Anti-aircraft weapons, ammunition boxes, radar systems, a bus of gunmen."
In Donetsk, correspondents report seeing gunmen inside several polling stations as voters were casting ballots.
The Ukrainian government, the United States, the European Union, other western countries, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have said the elections are illegitimate and will not be recognized.
Moscow says Russia will recognize the results.
Four people are running for the post of head of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic, including Plotnitsky.
Three "social movements" are competing for seats in the so-called people's council.
Separately, three people -- including Zakharchenko -- are running for the top post of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, and two movements are competing for seats in the people's council.
Zakharchenko has called the upcoming election "a crucial moment when our state will become legitimate."
"There is no point in pretending otherwise, I will say honestly that everything that happened before -- the Supreme Council was just some people [taking over]," he told a meeting with students from Donetsk National Technical University on October 31.
Zakharchenko admitted that the first people who seized Ukrainian state buildings and police stations were "activists, fiery revolutionaries, but they were in fact [only] self-appointed."
He claimed the November 2 vote would legitimize the people who are elected.
Pro-Russian separatist organizers of the vote said on November 1 that 3 million ballots were printed and that voting by Internet started a few days earlier.
The fighting in eastern Ukraine has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, many of them currently living in Russia.
The elections are not regulated by Ukrainian law or overseen by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission.
It also will not be observed by international monitors from bodies such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), but separatist officials claims they have between 30 and 70 observers from several foreign countries and places like the breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia.
The Ukrainian government and broader international community say the poll violates the September Minsk agreement between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the OSCE, and the separatist regions.
Moscow, however, has said the process is in compliance with the Minsk agreement and has pledged in advance to accept its results.
In comments published on October 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would "of course recognize the results" of the separatists' elections.
Moscow has made no formal recognition yet of the "people's republics" the separatists have proclaimed in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk and denies involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
That is despite what Kyiv, NATO, several Western powers, and numerous eyewitness reports by international correspondents say is clear evidence that Russia has sent in troops and weapons to help the separatists fight Ukrainian forces.
The SBU issued a warning late October 31 of the risk of "provocations" during the separatist vote.
"The process of voting itself and of taking part in these elections is dangerous," SBU official Markiyan Lubkivsky said.
He added that "serious provocations are being prepared that can then be blamed on the Ukrainian authorities."
The elections come at a time when Ukraine's tenuous cease-fire with the separatist fighters is under constant strain.
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council reported on November 1 that six soldiers had been killed and another 10 wounded in fighting since October 31.
The latest UN figures show 4,035 people have been killed in about seven months of war -- more than 300 of them in the last 11 days.
(With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and dpa)
KYIV SAYS RUSSIAN TROOPS DEPLOYED IN EASTERN UKRAINE DURING VOTE
By RFE/RL
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko says Russia has launched an “intensive deployment of military equipment and personnel” from Russia territory into parts of eastern Ukraine that are controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
Lysenko’s announcement came as residents of separatist-controlled areas were voting in controversial elections on November 2.
AFP reporters near Donetsk say they saw a military column of about 20 trucks, some carrying anti-aircraft guns, heading toward the government-held airport -- although it was not clear whether they were new forces.
Several other Western media outlets also reported witnessing heavy movement of troops near Donetsk.
Among them, reporters for the news sites buzzfeed.com and mashable.com tweeted that they had seen a large military column.
Buzzfeed's Max Seddon wrote: "31 unmarked Kamazes (military trucks) just drove past towards Donetsk. Anti-aircraft weapons, ammunition boxes, radar systems, a bus of gunmen."
In Donetsk, correspondents report seeing gunmen inside several polling stations as voters were casting ballots.
Ukraine’s Security Service said on November 2 that the vote violates Ukraine’s constitution and resembles an illegal “power grab.”
It also announced that it has opened a “criminal probe” against the organizers of the vote.
Self-declared officials in parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that are under separatist control say the vote will elect leaders and so-called "people's councils" for their "people's republics."
The Ukrainian government, the United States, the European Union, other western countries, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have said the elections are illegitimate and will not be recognized.
Moscow says Russia will recognize the results.
Four people are running for the post of head of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic, including current leader Igor Plotnitsky.
Three "social movements" are competing for seats in the so-called people's council.
Separately, three people -- including current leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko -- are running for the top post of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, and two movements are competing for seats in the people's council.
Zakharchenko has called the upcoming election "a crucial moment when our state will become legitimate."
"There is no point in pretending otherwise, I will say honestly that everything that happened before -- the Supreme Council was just some people [taking over]," he told a meeting with students from Donetsk National Technical University on October 31.
Zakharchenko admitted that the first people who seized Ukrainian state buildings and police stations were "activists, fiery revolutionaries, but they were in fact [only] self-appointed."
He claimed the November 2 vote would legitimize the people who are elected.
Pro-Russian separatist organizers of the vote said on November 1 that 3 million ballots were printed and that voting by Internet started a few days earlier.
The fighting in eastern Ukraine has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, many of them currently living in Russia.
The elections are not regulated by Ukrainian law or overseen by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission.
It also will not be observed by international monitors from bodies such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), but separatist officials claims they have between 30 and 70 observers from several foreign countries and places like the breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia.
The Ukrainian government and broader international community have vowed not to recognize the poll, which they say violates the September Minsk agreement between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the OSCE, and the separatist regions.
Moscow, however, has said the process is in compliance with the Minsk agreement and has pledged in advance to accept its results.
In comments published on October 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would "of course recognize the results" of the separatists' elections.
Moscow has made no formal recognition yet of the "people's republics" the separatists have proclaimed in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk and denies involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
That is despite what Kyiv, NATO, several Western powers, and numerous eyewitness reports by international correspondents say is clear evidence that Russia has sent in troops and weapons to help the separatists fight Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine's national security service, the SBU, issued a warning late October 31 of the risk of "provocations" during the separatist vote.
"The process of voting itself and of taking part in these elections is dangerous," SBU official Markiyan Lubkivsky said.
He added that "serious provocations are being prepared that can then be blamed on the Ukrainian authorities."
The elections come at a time when Ukraine's tenuous cease-fire with the separatist fighters is under constant strain.
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council reported on November 1 that six soldiers had been killed and another 10 wounded in fighting since October 31.
The latest UN figures show 4,035 people have been killed in about seven months of war -- more than 300 of them in the last 11 days.
With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and dpa
RUSSIAN SOCCER COACH REFUSED TO SIGN BLACK PLAYERS
The coach of a Russian Premier League team soccer team has said that he will not sign black players and joked that Ebola had spread to his club.
FC Rostov coach Igor Gamula told journalists after a game on October 31 that his club already has “enough dark-skinned players," saying: "We've got six of the things."
He was responding to a question about whether Rostov would sign Cameroon defender Benoit Angbwa.
Gamula also said five of his Russian players were ill with a high temperature and joked that Ebola was the cause.
Rostov midfielder Moussa Doumbia is from Mali, which has seen sporadic Ebola cases.
Rostov won the Russian Cup last season but is now struggling in 14th place within the 16-team Russian league.
Gamula took over as Rostov’s coach in September.
(Based on reporting by AP)
EVENING NEWS ROUNDUP
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
EUROPE PRAISES GAS DEAL, PRESSES RUSSIA ON REBEL VOTES
By RFE/RL
European leaders have welcomed a deal under which Russia is to restore natural-gas supplies to Ukraine but told Vladimir Putin that elections held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine on November 2 will be illegitimate.
Russian President Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande spoke in a four-way telephone conversation overnight after Ukraine and Russia sealed a deal meant to guarantee Russian gas supplies to Ukraine through March 2015.
All four leaders welcomed the gas deal signed late on October 30 in Brussels, a German government spokesperson said, and a Kremlin statement called the agreement "an important step in the context of the future provision of uninterrupted transit of gas to Europe."
But a statement from Poroshenko's office said "Ukraine, Germany and France expressed (the) clear common position that they would not recognize the elections planned by separatists."
It said the elections on rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions would contradict an agreement reached in Minsk on September 5 and aimed to end the conflict between Kyiv and the pro-Russian rebels, which has killed more than 3,700 people since April and poisoned East-West ties.
It said Poroshenko, Merkel, and Hollande "urged Russia not to recognize those elections as well."
Merkel's spokesman, Georg Streiter, said that "Merkel and Hollande underlined that there can only be a ballot in line with Ukrainian law."
He said the votes would violate the Minsk agreement and further complicate efforts to find a solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
"The German government will not recognize these illegitimate elections," Streiter told a news conference, adding that European leaders were united on this issue and had agreed on this at a summit last week in Brussels.
Moscow has made no formal recognition of the "people's republics" the separatists have proclaimed in Donetsk and Luhansk, and the Kremlin denies involvement in the conflict despite what Kyiv and NATO say is clear evidence that Russia has sent troops and weapons into Ukraine to help the separatists.
But in comments published on October 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would "of course recognize the results" of the separatists' elections.
The Kremlin statement about the telephone conversation made no mention of the elections.
It also said the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation the September 5 agreement, and underscored the need to observe the cease-fire that was central to the Minsk deal.
The Kremlin said Russia believes the "the establishment of a steady dialogue" between Kyiv and the separatists would "undoubtedly" help stabilize the situation.
Kremlin critics say Russia supported the September 5 agreement because it followed rebel gains that left the separatists in control over large portions of Donetsk and Luhansk, potentially giving Moscow a lever of influence on Ukraine for years to come.
The November 2 balloting in the rebel-held regions comes a week after those areas stayed out of voting in in Ukraine's parliamentary election on October 26, in which pro-Western parties won a sweeping victory.
Poroshenko proposed on October 31 that Arseniy Yatsenyuk stay on as prime minister.
"I have proposed that the Petro Poroshenko Bloc put forward Arseniy Yatsenyuk to the post of prime minister," Poroshenko wrote on Twitter.
Yatsenyuk's People's Front party narrowly beat out the Petro Poroshenko Bloc in voting by party in the October 26 election, according to a nearly complete count.
But Poroshenko's bloc fared better in first-past-the-post voting and was positioned to take more parliament seats than the People's Front, according to election commission data.
Yatsenyuk is a vocal critic of Russia and is popular among Western governments for his support for economic reforms.
He is a target of criticism from Russian officials who say the government that came to power in Ukraine after former president Viktor Yanukovych fled in February in the face of protests seized control in an illegal coup d'etat supported by the West.
Russia annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine in March, adding to tension that increased still further when the conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted the following month.
The hard-fought gas deal provided what European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger called "perhaps the first glimmer of a relaxation" between Ukraine and Russia.
Russia had raised the price it was asking Kyiv pay for gas after Yanukovych's ouster and then stopped supplying gas to Ukraine in June, citing what it said was $5.3 billion in debt and demanding advance payment for any future supplies.
Oettinger said that under the accord, Ukraine will pay Russia $1.45 billion in gas arrears within "days" for Moscow to resume gas deliveries.
He said Russia will then "immediately" lower Ukraine's gas price by 100 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.
Yatsenyuk, in figures later confirmed by Moscow, said Ukraine would pay $378 per 1,000 cubic meters until the end of 2014 and $365 in the first quarter of 2015.
Kyiv will subsequently have access to Russian gas deliveries in exchange for pre-payment, according to Oettinger.
He said Ukraine also agreed to settle another $1.65 billion in arrears by the end of the year.
The deal is expected to include EU funding to help Ukraine pay.
Oettinger said, "we can guarantee a security of supply over the winter," not only for Ukraine but also for the EU nations closest to the region.
Ukraine normally relies on Russia for about the half the gas it uses, and the onset of winter made the need for a deal more urgent.
Russia also provides about one-third of the gas consumed in the European Union, with about half of that pumped via Ukraine.
The EU was seeking to avoid a repeat of 2006 and 2009, when Russia halted supplies to Ukraine amid price disputes, disrupting deliveries to Europe during two cold winters.
News of the agreement appeared to bring relief in Europe, with British wholesale gas prices for November and December falling to their lowest ever levels on October 31.
(With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP)
RUSSIA EXTENDS DETENTION OF ESTONIAN POLICE OFFICER
A Moscow court has extended by two months the detention of an Estonian police officer charged with espionage.
Lefortovo Court spokesperson Yulia Sotnikova said on October 31 that a judge had "granted a request from investigators to prolong the period of detention until January 5" of Eston Kohver.
Kohver was detained on September 5 on espionage charges.
Moscow claims Kohver was seized inside Russia, while Estonian officials say he was captured at gunpoint in Estonia near the border.
The case has strained relations between Russia and Estonia.
The European Union and United States have called for the immediate release of the Estonian security official.
(Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS)
EU FILES WTO TRADE COMPLAINT AGAINST RUSSIA
The European Union has launched a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Russian import duties on some European agricultural and manufactured goods.
The Geneva-based international arbitration body said on October 31 that the EU accuses Russia of levying tariffs on several types of goods that are above the legally binding tariff ceilings that Moscow has agreed to within the WTO mechanism.
Those goods include paper and paperboard, palm oil, and refrigerators.
Under WTO rules, the parties have 60 days to work out a mutually agreed solution. After that, the EU could ask the WTO to adjudicate.
The dispute is the fifth involving Russia and the EU at the WTO.
The European Commission's spokesman for trade issues, Wojtek Talko, said the case was not a complaint against the recent ban on Russian food imports from Europe.
(Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa)
RUSSIAN CENTRAL BANK RAISES INTEREST RATES
The Russian central bank said it would raise interest rates from 8 percent to 9.5 percent as Western sanctions and falling oil prices have sent the Russian ruble plummeting.
The Bank of Russia's board of directors made the decision to raise interest rates at an October 31 meeting.
The central bank had increased the rate to 8 percent in late July, following increased to 5.5 percent in March and 7.5 percent in April.
The United States, European Union and other nations have imposed successive rounds of sanctions on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis.
Russia annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine in March, and Kyiv and NATO accuse Moscow of aiding pro-Russian separatists with troops and arms during a conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 3,700 people in eastern Ukraine since April.
(Based on reporting by TASS, Interfax, and AFP)
U.S AMBASSADOR TO KYRGYZSTAN WARNS OF RUSSIAN INFLUENCE
By RFE/RL
The U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan says that the Central Asian nation's "growing partnership with Russia" presents a challenge to U.S. efforts to support democracy in Kyrgyzstan.
In an article published on the website of the Council of American Ambassadors, Pamela Spratlen (eds: a woman) said the "strong partnership" that Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has forged with Russian President Vladimir Putin "has had its impact on our efforts."
"It remains an unanswered question how Kyrgyzstan can maintain its democratic trajectory while pursuing this partnership," she said.
Spratlen also said that many in Kyrgyzstan get their news from Russian media, and that in the case of the Ukraine crisis "the strident anti-American tone taken by Russian propaganda has crystallized local public opinion around Moscow's narrative of events there."
Kyrgyzstan has seemed to follow Moscow's lead on several issues recently, including drafting laws that legitimize discrimination against homosexuals and would require foreign-based organizations to register as "foreign agents."
(Based on Spratlen article: https://www.americanambassadors.org/publications/ambassadors-review/fall-2014/democracy-in-central-asia-supporting-kyrgyzstan-s-island-of-democracy)
RUSSIAN ACTOR FIRES MACHINE GUN IN DONETSK
Ukrainian authorities have filed charges and Russia's Union of Journalists is demanding an apology after a prominent Russian actor was filmed firing a machine gun near the Donetsk airport while wearing patches that identified him as a member of the press.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry on October 31 filed criminal charges against Mikhail Porechenkov for the pictures taken with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page, "Mikhail Porechenkov, present in Donetsk, personally took part in firing on units of Ukraine's armed forces using an automatic weapon."
Pavel Gutiontov of Russia's Union of Journalists called the incident "irresponsible behavior on the part of the actor" and demanded an apology.
Porechenkov said that it was a staged scene, that he was firing blanks, and that the only bullet-resistant vest and helmet he could find were labelled "press."
(Based on reporting by UNIAN, TASS, and Interfax)
50 RUBLES TO THE DOLLAR?!?
Writing in Slon, Yakov Mirkin, chairman of the Department of International Capital Markets at the Russian Academy of Sciences Insititute of World Economy and International Relations, argued that the ruble could easily sink to 50 to the dollar.
The reasons?
1) The ruble is overvalued anyway;
2) The dollar is rising against major currencies and this upward cycle is likely to continue;
3) Oil prices are falling;
4) A combination of Western sanctions and diversification of energy supplies
5) Capital flight from Russia continues apace.
And in light of Mirkin's argument, it is worth noting that he has consistently been arguing that the ruble is overvalued. Here he is speaking back in August 2013:
UKRAINIAN HOSPITALITY
Russian journalist Ivan Sukhov writing in "The Moscow Times" on working in Ukraine:
"Russian journalists encounter no personal aggression while working in Ukraine. Only the rare local politician refuses to speak to Russian reporters.
And in place of perfectly understandable aggression, Russian journalists encounter only gentle Ukrainian hospitality along with a sizable share of condescending sympathy.
It is as if they want to tell us, 'We will stay here, where we have taken the responsibility for our future into our own hands, whereas you will fly home to Russia's stifling political atmosphere, to a country that futilely reconsiders the outcome of the Cold War and the people are caught up in a mass euphoria over the bloodshed in the Donbass.'"
Read it all here.
MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
RUSSIA, UKRAINE SIGN EU-BROKERED GAS DEAL
By RFE/RL
Moscow and Kyiv have signed a landmark agreement that will guarantee Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine throughout the winter despite tense relations over the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
The EU-brokered deal, which extends until March 2015, was signed at a ceremony in Brussels by the energy ministers of the two countries, Aleksandr Novak and Yuriy Prodan, and European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger.
Outgoing EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who oversaw the signing, hailed the agreement, saying, "There is now no reason for people in Europe to stay cold this winter."
The hard-fought deal followed months-long EU-mediated negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv amid a long and bitter dispute over payments.
The agreement was reached after two days of marathon talks that had stalled before dawn on October 30 when Russia demanded that the EU first agree with Ukraine how to pay Kyiv's outstanding bills and finance gas deliveries through to March.
Oettinger said that under the accord, Ukraine will pay Russia $1.45 billion in gas arrears within "days" for Moscow to resume gas deliveries.
He said Russia will then "immediately" lower Ukraine's gas price by 100 dollars to around $385 per 1,000 cubic meters.
Kyiv will subsequently have access to Russian gas deliveries in exchange for pre-payment, according to Oettinger. He said Ukraine also agreed to settle another $1.65 billion in arrears by the end of the year.
The deal is expected to include EU funding to help Ukraine pay off its debts to Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom.
Oettinger said, "we can guarantee a security of supply over the winter," not only for Ukraine but also for the EU nations closest to the region.
He added that the deal "is perhaps the first glimmer of a relaxation" between Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine's Prodan said the "decisions taken today will provide energy security for Ukraine and the EU."
Moscow cut off gas deliveries to Ukraine in mid-June, citing a $5.3-billion debt and demanding that Ukraine settle its outstanding bills and pay up front for any future deliveries.
The dispute occurred amid Russia's conflict with Ukraine and Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its annexation of Crimea in March and its subseqent military and political support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
With Ukraine relying on Russia for around 50 percent of its gas, the onset of winter made the need for a deal more urgent.
Russia also provides about one-third of the European Union's gas, about half of which is pumped via Ukraine.
The EU was seeking to avoid a repeat of 2006 and 2009 when Russia halted supplies to Ukraine, disrupting deliveries to Europe during two very cold winters.
But Russia's Novak said after the signing that Moscow will remain a "reliable supplier" of energy to Europe and the deal struck with Ukraine will ensure stable gas deliveries over the winter.
In reaction to the deal, the French and German leaders said in a joint statement that the EU will "fully play its role" to implement the gas deal.
Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel said they had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko earlier October 30, and all four "have welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on the delivery of Russian gas to Ukraine, achieved thanks to the mediation of the European Union."
(Based on live broadcast, with additional reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP)
AIR ARMENIA BLAMES RUSSIA FOR FLIGHT SUSPENSIONS
By RFE/RL’s Armenian Service
YEREVAN -- Air Armenia, a passengar and cargo airline based in Yerevan, has suspended all passenger flights until at least December 20 over financial difficulties that the firm is blaming on Russia.
Air Armenia says it is unable continue regular passenger services because of a “panic” among investors and customers over a statement by Russia's federal air navigation service.
Russia's Rosaeronavigatsia announced on September 11 that it would ban Air Armenia from operating flights to Russian cities unless the company paid its outstanding debts by September 21.
Air Armenia said ihe statement damaged its business reputation and that, as a result, its fleet was reduced to one aircraft.
Other than Russian cities, the airline had been flying to Paris, Frankfurt, and Athens.
Air Armenia was founded as a cargo airline in 2003 and began operating commercial passenger flights in 2013 after the bankruptcy of Armavia.
COURT ORDERS NATIONALIZATION OF OLIGARCH'S BASHNEFT SHARES
A Moscow court has ordered the nationalization of a stake in an oil company owned by a detained tycoon.
The Moscow Arbitration Court ruled on October 30 the stake in Bashneft held by billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov's holding company Sistema would be returned to the state.
Prosecutors claimed the stake was illegally privatized by officials in Russia's Bashkortostan region.
The court said new claims could be filed after the worth of Sistema's stake in Bashneft was ascertained.
Yevtushenkov was arrested last month on charges of money laundering related to the acquisition of Bashneft.
His arrested sparked speculation that Russia's largest oil company, state-run Rosneft, would acquire Sistema's Bashneft shares.
Yevtushenkov is one of Russia's richest businessmen, with assets estimated to be worth some $9 billion.
(Based on reporting by AFP, rapsinews.ru, and Interfax)
LATVIA-BASED RUSSIAN NEWS PORTAL BLOCKED IN KAZAKHSTAN
By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
An online Russian news portal based in Latvia has been blocked in Kazakhstan over an article described by Astana as "inflicting ethnic discord."
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Investments and Development said on October 30 that the Meduza.io website published an article "propagating ethnic discord and threatening the territorial integrity" of Kazakhstan.
The article about ethnic Russians living in Kazakhstan's eastern city of Ust-Kamenogorsk (aka Oskemen) is titled: "Ust-Kamenogorsk People's Republic. Are Locals Ready For Polite Green Men?"
‘Green Men’ refers to the deployment in foreign countries of Russian military forces wearing unmarked green uniforms – as Russia has done in the past in regions of Georgia and Ukraine.
The ministry also has filed a lawsuit against Meduza.io in connection with the article.
It says the website will remain blocked in Kazakhstan until a local court rules in the case.
(With reporting by Interfax)
KYRGYZ WILL NEED PASSPORTS TO ENTER RUSSIA
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
Kyrgyzstan's State Registration Ministry says that as of January 1, 2015, Kyrgyz citizens will no longer be able to enter the Russian Federation using their national identification documents.
Since 2007, Kyrgyz labor migrants have been travelling between the two countries with internal identification documents. Now they will have to obtain travel passports.
The regulation, announced on October 29, will affect hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz labor migrants who work in Russia and periodically travel between the two countries.
Moscow announced earlier this year that it wants to tighten by 2015 the regulations for entering Russia by nationals of former Soviet republics that are not members of the Russia-led Customs Union and Eurasian Economic Union.
In May, Kyrgyzstan signed a road map under which it is to join the Customs Union, which currently comprises Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, by the end of 2014.
NATO REPORTS UNUSUAL RUSSIAN WARPLANE ACTIVITY AROUND EUROPE
NATO said on October 29 that it tracked and intercepted four groups of Russian warplanes “conducting significant military manoeuvers” in international airspace close to the borders of the European Union during the previous 24 hours.
NATO’s SHAPE military headquarters in Mons, Belgium said: “These sizeable Russian flights represent an unusual level of air activity over European airspace.”
It said the planes included strategic bombers, fighters, and tanker aircraft.
They were detected over the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Black Sea on October 28 and 29.
Russian bombers flew south all the way to international airspace west of Portugal and Spain.
Norwegian, British, Portuguese, German, Danish, and Turkish fighters were scrambled to intercept and identify the Russian planes.
Planes from the non-NATO nations of Finland and Sweden also responded.
Since Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, tensions between NATO and Russia have risen to the highest level since the Cold War.
(Based on reporting by AP and AFP)
EVENING NEWS ROUNDUP
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
KREMLIN MOVES TO QUASH PUTIN HEALTH RUMORS
Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on October 29 that the Russian president is in good health, seeking to quash rumors of an illness.
Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that "everything is okay" with Putin's health, Russian news agencies Interfax and TASS reported.
"They will wait in vain. May their tongues wither," Peskov said of those who claim Putin is ill.
Peskov spoke after a spate of Russian media reports referring to an October 24 column in the tabloid "New York Post" whose author, Richard Johnson, cited unidentified sources as saying Putin had pancreatic cancer.
Putin and the Kremlin have strongly discouraged reporting about the 62-year-old president's private life.
(Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax)
ROSNEFT THREATENS TO SUE NEWSPAPER OVER SANCTIONS REPORT
Russia's largest oil company, Rosneft, is threatening to sue the Russian daily "Kommersant" for a report alleging Rosneft sent President Vladimir Putin proposals for countersanctions against Western companies and individuals.
"Kommersant" reported on October 29 that state-run Rosneft's proposals include limiting cooperation aboard the International Space Station, prohibiting burial of U.S. and EU nuclear waste in Russia, and possible confiscation of property in Russia owned by Western countries or their citizens.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, denied there were any Rosneft proposals for sanctions, but presidential aide Andrei Belousov and Economy Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev seemed to contradict this.
State-run TASS reported Peskov said reports Rosneft had sent such proposals were untrue.
Peskov said decisions on imposing sanctions were made "in line with the relevant departments, and taken on the level of the government and president."
A different TASS report quoted Belousov as saying, "We are closely studying Rosneft's proposals."
Belousov went on to say, "I would say the radicalism of the proposals for now exceeds the current level of tensions."
The Interfax news agency quoted Ulyukayev as saying the proposals were a "very complex document" and adding, "I don’t think it is grounds for making any decisions."
The "Kommersant" report said "Russian government officials" had provided information about the alleged proposals.
A statement from Rosneft said the company was "deeply shocked" by the "Kommersant" article and might sue the newspaper.
Western governments have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The sanctions target key Russian industries and individuals close to Putin, including Rosneft and its head, Igor Sechin, who is a former Kremlin deputy chief of staff.
The sanctions have hurt Rosneft, which has already requested additional funding from the Russian government to make up for losses incurred due to sanctions.
British oil company BP reported on October 28 that its income from its operations with Rosneft dropped from $808 million in the third quarter of 2013 to $110 million in the same period this year.
(Based on reporting by TASS, Interfax, Reuters, and Kommersant)
WHITE HOUSE DETECTS SUSPICIOUS CYBER ACTIVITY, REPORT BLAMES RUSSIA
The White House says it has taken measures to counter suspicious activity detected on its unclassified computer network.
A White House official would not say who might have been responsible for the activity on what was described as an unclassified computer network used by employees of the Executive Office of the President.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the authorities had taken "immediate measures to evaluate and mitigate the activity."
In a report on October 28, the "Washington Post" cited sources as saying hackers believed to be working for the Russian government breached the unclassified computer network in recent weeks.
The White House has declined to comment on the "Washington Post" report.
A U.S. administration official said there were no indications that classified networks had been affected.
(Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and dpa)
VICTIMS OF STALIN TERROR REMEMBERED IN MOSCOW CEREMONY
By RFE/RL
Activists are gathering near the former KGB headquarters to honor the memory of thousands of men and women executed by Soviet authorities during Josef Stalin's "Great Terror."
Speakers at the daylong ceremony at the Solovetsky Stone memorial on Moscow's Lubyanka Square read out aloud the names, ages, occupations, and dates of executions of some 30,000 people killed by Soviet authorities in 1937-1938.
Muscovites and others brought flowers, pictures of victims and candles to the site of the "Returning the Names" commemoration, which began at 1000 (local time; 0800 Prague time) and was to end at 1000 (local time; 0800 Prague time).
The annual ceremony is organized by Memorial, Russia's oldest and best-known human rights organization, which is under pressure from the government.
On October 10, Russia's Justice Ministry appealed to the Supreme Court to close Memorial.
Memorial has held the ceremony every year since 2006 at the site near the headquarters of the Federal Security Service, the KGB's main successor.
Ceremonies were also being held in other Russian cities.
(Based on live broadcast by october29.ru)
SEPARATISTS SHELL UKRAINIAN TROOPS
Pro-Russian separatists reportedly shelled the position of Ukrainian government troops in southeastern Ukraine on October 29, despite an almost two-month-old cease-fire agreement.
Authorities in the port city of Mariupol say military positions located near the village of Talakovka were targeted on October 29 by conventional artillery and Grad rockets that were fired from from the separatist-controlled region of Donetsk.
Casualties were reported among troops.
The cease-fire agreement signed in early September ended most fighting between the two sides -- although battles at the Donetsk airport, in Mariupol, and in villages near the city of Luhansk continue on an almost daily basis.
The UN says more than 3,700 people have been killed in six months of fighting between government forces and separatists in eastern Ukraine, with hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes.
(Based on reporting by Interfax and UNIAN)
RUSSIAN AIRLINE PLANS YEREVAN-CRIMEA FLIGHTS OVER kYIV'S OBJECTIONS
By RFE/RL's Armenian Service
The Grozny Air civil aviation company, based in the Russia's Chechnya region, is pressing ahead with plans to launch regular flights from Yerevan to Crimea, despite protests from Kyiv.
Timur Shimayev, an executive officer for Grozny Air, told RFE/RL on October 29 that the firm's inaugural flight to Crimea is scheduled for November 17.
But Ukraine's Ambassador to Armenia, Ivan Kukhta, told reporters in Yerevan on October 29 that any commercial flights between Yerevan and Crimea must first be approved by Kyiv.
Kukhta's statement came five days after a spokesman for the Armenian government’s Civil Aviation Department, Ruben Grdzelian, said that a Russian regional airline had not been allowed to launch flights between Armenia and Crimea since the Ukrainian penninsula was annexed by Russia in March.
Moscow's annexation of Crimea has been condemned as illegal by the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations General Assembly.