Army to be based on contract principle, Lebedev says

News / 29 December 2012 | 16:37

The call to compulsory military service will be suspended in 2013. The army is to be based on contract principle only, defense minister Pavlo Lebedev said, congratulating the military men and the Ukrainian Armed Forces staff, veterans of the Armed Forces and their families on the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Defense Ministry press service informs.

“In the new year we will face new, large-scale tasks. Ukrainian President has outlined the further reform and development of the Armed Forces. Ukrainian army is undergoing fundamental changes. The structure and managing of the Armed Forces will be reconsidered, the system of training will be improved, the call to military service will be suspended. The army is to be based on contract principle only, as it is done today in the leading world countries,” Lebedev said.

The defense minister added that the changes will relate not only to these strategic issues. “Military reform is not limited to changes in the structure of the Armed Forces, its numerical strength and the principle of recruitment. Maximum attention will be focused on the tasks posed by the country’s leadership on equipping the armed forces with new and modernized weapons and military equipment, the intensification of combat training and advanced training of personnel, provision of social guarantees for soldiers and their families, participation in international peacekeeping and security operations,” the minister said. 

“The coming year will be very important and busy. We will face hard work and very responsible tasks, for which we need mobilizing all human and material resources. I am convinced that together we will overcome any difficulties on the way to the goal,” Lebedev summed up.

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Another Parliament’s committee forms subcommittees

News / 29 December 2012 | 16:06

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Family, Youth, Sports and Tourism created three subcommittees.

As the Parliament’s press service informs, the corresponding decisions were taken at the first meeting of the parliamentary committee.

In particular, MPs created the following subcommittees: 

the subcommittee on youth policy, family and childhood, chaired by MP Mykola Zhuk (the Party of Regions faction);

the subcommittee on physical culture and sports, chaired by MP Serhiy Topalov (the Communist Party faction);

the subcommittee on tourism, health resorts and recreational activities, chaired by MP Ivan Bushko (the Party of Regions faction).

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Russian Airliner Overshoots Vnukovo Runway, Catches Fire

News / 29 December 2012 | 15:45

A Russian Tupolev Tu-204 medium-haul airliner overshot the runway while landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport and caught fire on Saturday, the Russian Interior Ministry said, RIA Novosti reports.

The cause of the incident was not immediately clear.

First reports said there were 12 people on board the plane, including four crewmembers, flying from the Czech Republic.

Initial reports said five people were injured.

The plane almost reached Moscow’s Kievskoye Highway abutting the airport, which was closed off to traffic both ways.

Vnukovo airport has been closed with all incoming planes diverted to Sheremetyevo.

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26.5 thousand fir trees seized from poachers

News / 29 December 2012 | 15:30

Police seized from poachers nearly 26.500 fir trees worth 1.7 million UAH, the Interior Ministry press service informs.

Over 3.8 thousand administrative reports were composed of the offenders, the press service said.

In addition, the monitoring is being conducted at points of sale of the Christmas trees. As of today, six thousand markets, shopping areas and places of natural trade were inspected. 13 thousand police officers and more than 2.600 representatives of public organizations are daily involved to prevent illegal logging of pine and fir trees.

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Parliament’s committee on science and education forms six subcommittees

News / 29 December 2012 | 15:13

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Science and Education formed the subcommittee and elected their chairmen.

As the Parliament’s press service informs, the corresponding decisions were taken at the first meeting of the parliamentary committee.

In particular, MPs created the following subcommittees: 

the subcommittee on pre-school, general secondary and out-of-school education, headed by MP Vitalina Dzoz (the Party of Regions faction);

the subcommittee on vocational education, chaired by MP Anton Dorokhov (the Communist Party faction);

the subcommittee on higher education, chaired by MP Iryna Farion (the Svoboda Union faction);

the subcommittee on science and innovation, chaired by MP Rostislav Pavlenko (the UDAR Party faction);

the subcommittee on intellectual property, chaired by MP Leonid Emets (the Batkivshchyna Union faction);

the subcommittee on legislative support for Ukraine’s integration into the international scientific and educational community, headed by MP Andriy Parubiy (the Batkivshchyna Union faction ).

According to the decree on the committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the seventh convocation, the Committee on Science and Education shall deal with the following issues: education, science, research and technology activities and science parks; the legal status and social protection of research and teaching staff; innovation, high technology development (except for the matters referred to the tasks of the other committees), intellectual property, the principles of scientific and technical expertise.

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54 MPs file inquiry on interpretation of election law provisions

News / 29 December 2012 | 14:55

The Constitutional Court of Ukraine has received an inquiry from 54 MPs regarding the official interpretation of a number of provisions of the law on election of people’s deputies of Ukraine, Interfax informs.

The people’s deputies asked the court to interpret Part 4 of the Article 15, Part 4 of the Article 16, item 13 of Party 2 of Article 30, and Part 2 of Article 104 of the election law.

The inquiry has been passed for consideration to the court’s secretariat.

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Temnyk: Heating season passes well

News / 29 December 2012 | 14:30

Heating season passes well in Ukraine, regional development, construction and housing and communal services minister of Ukraine Hennady Temnyk said during a conference call with the regional heads, the Ministry’s press service informs. 

According to him, the accidents, which occurred and which are inevitable under such deteriorated of networks of community services, have been eliminated quickly. The vast majority of the accidents in the life-support systems, including heating, have been eliminated during the day, he added.

The minister also recommended the governors to pay special attention to the reliability of the life support systems during the holidays, the readiness of the communal services to respond to any complications.

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Thousand Kyiv policemen to be on duty in New Year’s Eve

News / 29 December 2012 | 14:12

Kyiv police will strengthen the protection of public order during the New Year celebrations, Kyiv Interior Ministry department press service informs.

In particular, about a thousand law enforcement officers will be involved to ensure the protection of public order in the New Year’s Eve in the Kyiv city centre.

Law enforcers will strengthen public order on all routes of public transport, especially in the central part of the capital. The additional police squads will be on duty at the railway stations, bus stations and subway stations.

The Kyiv Interior Ministry department press service reminds that traffic in the city center will be limited on December 30 – January 8. 

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