Ukrainian, Russian ombudswomen to meet with Sentsov:
By RFE/RL
Ukrainian ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova and her Russian counterpart, Tatyana Moskalkova, have arrived in Russia's far-northern region of Yamalo-Nenets, where they plan to meet with jailed Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov.
Denisova wrote on Facebook on June 28 that she flew to the region in the same plane with Moskalkova, but later took a separate route to reach the village of Labytnangi, where Sentsov is serving his prison term.
On June 15, Denisova was not allowed to meet with Sentsov despite previously reached agreements.
Crimea native Sentsov, 41, is serving a 20-year prison term in Russia after being convicted on terrorism charges that he and human rights groups say were politically motivated.
He has been on hunger strike since May 14, demanding the release of 64 Ukrainian citizens he considers political prisoners.
Western governments and rights organizations have called for Sentsov to be released, and the Russian human rights group Memorial considers him to be a political prisoner.
Several groups have called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to pardon Sentsov, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Ukrainian film director would have to ask for the pardon himself before it could be considered.
Sentsov's lawyer, Dmitry Dinze, said on June 22 that Sentsov would not submit a request for a pardon as he considered himself innocent.
Ukrainian due to be released from Russian prison put in solitary confinement:
By the Crimea Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
A Ukrainian activist jailed in Russia has been put in solitary confinement weeks before his scheduled release, a human rights organization says.
Yana Goncharova of the RosUznik rights group told RFE/RL on June 27 that an administrator at a penal colony in the town of Kirovo-Chepetsk told her that Oleksandr Kostenko had been "punished for systemic violation of the penitentiary's internal order."
According to Goncharova, Kostenko, whose prison term is due to end on August 3, is concerned that the prison administration is imposing more restrictions on him so close to his scheduled release.
Kostenko was sentenced to four years and two months in 2015 after a court in Russia-annexed Crimea convicted him of attacking security troops in February 2014 during protests in the Ukrainian capital against pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Kostenko was also found guilty of illegally obtaining, keeping, and carrying parts of a firearm.
He rejected the charges and pleaded not guilty, saying the case against him was politically motivated. Kostenko's prison term was later shortened by eight months.
Crimea was forcibly occupied and annexed in March 2014 by Russia, which characterizes Yanukovych's ouster during the pro-European protests known as Euromaidan as a Western-backed "coup."
One hundred countries in the United Nations have condemned Russia's annexation of Crimea as a violation of international law.
The takeover of Crimea and Russian support for separatists in eastern Ukraine prompted the United States, the European Union, and others to impose sanctions on Russia.
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Wednesday, June 27, 2018. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage. Thanks for reading and take care.
'More Reforms Are Needed Now,' EU's Mogherini Tells Ukraine
By RFE/RL
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has called on Ukraine to continue on its path to reform, despite what she called the “huge challenges” posed by Russia’s involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea.
“If we are here today, it is to clearly say that we stand by Ukraine, by its people, by its government, to support the reforms already done,” Mogherini told the Ukraine Reform Conference in Copenhagen on June 27.
Mogherini said she was “impressed by the determination and the energy” with which Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman and the Ukrainian government are “pushing for reforms, especially on anticorruption.”
But she insisted that "more reforms are needed now."
Mogherini praised Ukraine’s plan to establish an independent anticorruption court, saying that once the court is fully established, "Ukraine will have the possibility to live up to the standards recommended by the Venice Commission," a group of independent experts in constitutional law.
"We all know that reforms are not taking place in a void. The challenges are huge," she also said, citing the “illegal annexation” of Ukraine's Crimea region by Russia in March 2014 and the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 10,300 people since April 2014.
“The European Union has always underlined Russia's responsibility in this and we keep supporting Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence in a united and decisive manner," Mogherini added.
The EU official said Ukraine and the bloc have “never been closer than today,” pointing out the “biggest support package in our history.”
The EU has pledged a 13 billion euro ($15 billion) package to “support the reform process” in Ukraine and help the country cover its external financing needs.
Mogherini also said that the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine put into effect last year is the “most ambitious” the bloc has ever developed with a partner country.
Speaking at the Copenhagen conference, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan reinforced the importance of the Ukrainian government adhering to requirements set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for further financial assistance from the international organization, according to a statement released after the event.
The brief statement did not cite specific requirements, but in the past the United States and IMF have urged Kyiv to push for reforms, including the crackdown on corruption, to secure additional loans. Reforms targeting the health-care and pension systems, decentralization, and public administration have also been cited.
Sullivan also reiterated U.S. opposition to Nord Stream 2, a planned natural-gas pipeline that is to run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine.
Nord Stream 2 would double the existing Nord Stream pipeline's annual capacity. But critics argue it will increase dependence on Russia and enrich its state-owned energy companies at a time when Moscow stands accused of endangering European security.
Hroysman, the Ukrainian prime minister, told the conference that "we are going through a tough time of building a new Ukrainian state.”
“In order to succeed, in order to move faster, we need support of the democratic world, because today we are in a fight standing up for our right to choose, the right to our own statehood and territorial integrity against an aggressor, which happens to be Russia," he added.