This ends our live blogging for December 4. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
U.S. Cites 'Concerns' Ukraine May Be Backtracking On Fight Against Corruption
By RFE/RL
The U.S. State Department is raising "concerns" about signs that Ukraine may be backtracking on its commitment to fight corruption, jeopardizing support for Kyiv in the West.
A campaign against public corruption through stepped up enforcement and reforms of the judicial system has been a key requirement for Ukraine to obtain loans and closer relations with the European Union, United States, and International Monetary Fund.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement late on December 4 that "recent events -- including the disruption of a high-level corruption investigation, the arrest of officials from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), and the seizure of sensitive NABU files – raise concerns about Ukraine’s commitment to fighting corruption."
Nauert's statement apparently refers to the disruption last month of an advanced undercover operation investigating corruption in Ukraine's Migration Service described on the website of NABU, an anticorruption agency set up recently in exchange for the EU's relaxation of visa restrictions for Ukrainians in the eurozone.
The NABU said its investigation into allegations that the migration service took bribes to provide foreigners with Ukrainian citizenship, passports, and residency permits began in April.
NABU said it found one of the migration service's deputies was a "leader of the criminal organization" taking bribes within the agency, and she offered to arrange to provide Ukrainian passports and residency permits to an embedded special agent for about $30,000 apiece.
But when the undercover agent arrived at a scheduled November 29 meeting to provide the migration official with half the bribe money, he was arrested by officers of the Ukrainian security service, NABU said on its website, thus the operation "was disrupted."
Nauert said in the U.S. statement: "These actions appear to be part of an effort to undermine independent anticorruption institutions that the United States and others have helped support. They undermine public trust and risk eroding international support for Ukraine."
Nauert noted that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said: “It serves no purpose for Ukraine to fight for its body in [the] Donbas if it loses its soul to corruption. Anticorruption institutions must be supported, resourced, and defended.”
"Reflecting the choice of the people of Ukraine, the United States calls on all branches of Ukraine's government to work together cooperatively to eliminate corruption from public life," Nauert said.
"Eliminating corruption is key to achieving stability, security, and prosperity for all Ukrainians," she said.
U.S. Prosecutors Say Manafort Wrote Op-Ed On Ukraine With Colleague In Russia
By RFE/RL
Prosecutors investigating Russia’s alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election have accused President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, of working with a colleague "assessed to have ties" to a Russian intelligence service to draft an opinion piece about his work for Ukraine.
In court filings, the prosecutors working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team said on December 4 that Manafort and the colleague sought to publish the op-ed under someone else's name and intended it to influence public opinion about his work.
They said Manafort's request to lift his house arrest should be denied because, had it been published, the draft opinion piece would have violated a court order not to publicly discuss the case.
The op-ed was being drafted as late as last week.
Prosecutors did not name the colleague but said the person is based in Russia.
Manafort and three other people have been criminally charged in connection with Mueller's investigation.
Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates were indicted in October on charges that included conspiracy and lying to federal agents.
Former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents and was cooperating with Mueller’s investigators.
On December 1, Michael Flynn, who briefly served as U.S. national security adviser under Trump, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia.
Russia denies it meddled in last year's election, despite what U.S. intelligence officials say is powerful evidence, and Trump denies there was any collusion between his associates and Russia.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
Saakashvili Detained, Home Searched By Ukraine's Security Service
By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
KYIV -- Former Georgian President and ex-Odesa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili has been detained by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) in Kyiv.
SBU spokeswoman Olena Hitlyanska told RFE/RL on December 5 that a search of Saakashvili's apartment was conducted along with investigators from the Prosecutor-General's Office. She did not mention the reason for the search.
Media reports in Ukraine quoted Saakashvili's associate, David Sakvarelidze, as saying that Saakashvili was on the roof of the eight-story apartment building where he lives while the SBU searched his apartment.
He was later taken from the roof by SBU officers and taken to a car outside his apartment building. But the car was unable to leave the site as dozens of people blocked its path.
Video on Facebook showed dozens of riot police around the apartment building preventing people from entering the premises.
The search of Saakashvili's home was conducted two days after his Movement of New Forces party organized a mass rally in Kyiv demanding the impeachment of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Thousands of demonstrators dispersed peacefully after marching through the city center and holding a rally in downtown Kyiv.
The protests were initially called by Saakashvili, a onetime Poroshenko ally, but many of Ukraine's opposition political leaders also joined the demonstrations.
From 2004 to 2013, Saakashvili was president of Georgia, where he is wanted on suspicion of trying to organize a coup there after his exit from office, allegations he denies.
In 2015, he was appointed by Poroshenko to be governor of the Odesa region and surrendered his Georgian citizenship to take the post.
However, Saakashvili resigned in November 2016, saying his reform efforts had been blocked by Poroshenko's allies.
Saakashvili was then stripped of Ukrainian citizenship by Poroshenko in June 2017 in a move he is challenging in court.
Poroshenko has said the real goal of the protest organizers is to destabilize Ukraine.