Only matter of time before black list' is posted..

'Segodnya' ran the following story today:

"Europe and the United States have received "black list" of Ukrainian officials

The list includes Yanukovych, Azarov, Firtash, Boyko and Khoroshkovsky

Long before the adoption of the PACE resolution on the functioning of democratic institutions in Ukraine, the opposition gave the leadership of the United States and European Union a list of Ukrainian officials, to whom they should apply sanctions and deny entry into these countries.

According to sources, more than serious attention, both in the EU and over the ocean in the U.S., has been given to the resulting list. According to available information. the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mentioned the possible legalization of such a list during her recent meeting with Viktor Yanukovych [in Davos].

This list of 'grounded' Ukrainian officials, which very soon will be the subject of discussion in the highest offices of the EU and the U.S., will be headed by President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who the opposition accuses of being "the mastermind of political repressions in Ukraine", and his oldest son, Oleksander Yanukovych.

The 'top ten' includes the founder of "RosUkrEnergo" Dmitro Firtash, the Minister of Energy and Mining, Yuriy Boyko, head of the Presidential Administration Serhiy Lyovochkin, head of the SBU Khoroshkovsky, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and Foreign Minister Konstantin Hryshenko.

Also on the list are members of the General Prosecutor's Office and chief serious crime investigator Oleksander Nechvohlod."

LEvko says 'Segondya' is a big-selling daily owned by Rinat Akhmetov - normally quite reliable - no obvious reason they should mislead. It is anyone's guess when the application of such sanctions could occur. But they will be put into place unless Yanukovych changes his attitude to political opponents - and at the moment there is little sign of this happening.
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Dmytro Salamatin has been appointed Minister of Defence. I blogged about this thug last year. Yanukovych had previously appointed him general director of the State arms company "UkrBoronProm". His experience of the military is limited...but he will be totally loyal to the pres.

By the beginning of this year, as head of 'UkrBoronProm' Salamatin ensured all Ukrainian arms exports were monopolised and under his personal control. All income was paid to a Belize offshore company via Cyprus-based bank accounts. Ukrainian arms trade cash flows are now completely centralised, and any foreign intermediaries have most probably been excluded. Previously a separate offshore structure was set up for every major arms export contract. This allowed several insider 'clans' to flourish, and was useful when supplying arms to both sides of one conflict... [Source]

He may become even more useful if/when anti-gov. demonstrations need to be broken up and scattered, and heads cracked..

Hint to EU and Dept. of State: Maybe there is room on 'the list' for Salamatin too...