A recent order of the Defense Ministry requiring women of certain professions to register for possible military service caused a stir in Ukraine. The order, which came into effect on Dec. 17, lists 100 professions. All Ukrainian women who are from 18 to 60-years-old and employed in these professions must
A selection panel failed to nominate a new chief anti-corruption prosecutor for the second time on Dec. 24, triggering indignation among civil society. Kateryna Koval, head of the panel, demanded that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and other state agencies conduct a second background check on Oleksandr Klymenko, who
On Dec. 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a five-hour press conference about the state of his nation. One of the subjects raised by Russian and foreign journalists was Moscow’s buildup of 122,000 troops within easy striking distance of Ukraine’s border. Putin was asked if he would
A majority of Ukrainians would vote for joining the European Union and NATO if the referendum took place in the upcoming week, according to a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) survey published on Dec. 24. The poll showed that 67% of surveyed Ukrainians would support joining the EU, while
Prosecutors are seeking to arrest ex-President Petro Poroshenko who's been charged with high treason. They've asked for a bail of Hr 1 billion ($37 million), according to several media reports published on Dec. 24, citing the Prosecutor General’s Office. Ukrinform, Ukrainska Pravda and other Ukrainian media also reported, citing
Ukraine's longest river, Dnipro, might turn into a desert in 300 years if nothing is done to curb its pollution, according to the State Ecological Inspectorate. The agency's Dec. 22 announcement follows a study that discovered 161 different chemical pollutants in the Dnipro in June. Then, the parliament’s Accounting
The Ukrainian military fully supports the state of ceasefire in the war zone of Donbas, but it will give an appropriate response to any enemy attack, according to Ukraine's top commander of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Valeriy Zaluzhniy. "Our military keep serving their duties," the general said on Dec.
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) is set to resume direct flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Toronto Pearson Airport in the summer of 2022, according to information available on the UIA booking system. It is currently impossible to take a direct flight from Ukraine to the
From traditional decor and cutting-edge art books to basic home wear and fragrances, Ukrainian brands have everything needed for perfect holiday shopping. To guide you through the best Ukrainian goods available online, the Kyiv Independent has compiled some of its favorite picks this season. Decor: Hey.Guide x Ukrainian Folks
Healthcare workers and employees of orphanages are now eligible for a third booster vaccine dose against Covid-19, according to a press release published by the Ministry of Health on Dec. 22. People in these lines of work can receive their third shot if six months have elapsed since they got
Russia’s invasion threat seen through the eyes of a reporter who knows the consequences of war all too well. Episode #5 of our origin story podcast “Media in Progress” is out: Media in Progress · Will Russia invade again?
Russia currently has nearly 122,000 troops deployed within 200 kilometers of the Ukrainian border, according to Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council secretary. Russian manpower deployed within 400 kilometers is estimated at 143,500, the official said on Dec. 22. Ever since Russia launched its undeclared war
The Supreme Court threw out a Hr 150,000 ($5,500) libel lawsuit filed by Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova against online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda and the Anti-Corruption Action Center, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Dec. 21, citing the ruling. Kyiv’s Pechersk District Court and the Kyiv Court of Appeal had
Ukraine's state-owned gas company Naftogaz has appealed to the European Commission to take action against its Russian counterpart Gazprom’s alleged monopoly on the European gas market, highlighting the company’s manipulation of natural gas supply during the current European energy crisis. In a press release published on the Naftogaz
Five years ago, as Ukrainians prepared for Christmas celebrations, state officials were working late, trying to rescue the country’s financial system from collapse. The largest and most profitable commercial bank in Ukraine, PrivatBank, was about to go bankrupt. Auditors discovered that the oligarchs who owned the bank, Ihor Kolomoisky
The second Christmas and New Year’s season of the pandemic will be less restrictive in Kyiv, with a selection of winter villages and celebrations around the city. Still, all indoor events require certificates of vaccination, negative test or recovery from Covid-19. Face masks are advised even outside in crowded
A selection panel failed to appoint a new chief anti-corruption prosecutor at what was supposed to be its final meeting on Dec. 21. Panel members blamed a recent decision by a tainted court led by a judge suspected of corruption. What anti-corruption activists see as the latest act of sabotage
On Dec. 9, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Oleksandr Tupytsky, head of Ukraine’s Constitutional Court, and Andriy Portnov, ex-deputy chief of staff for pro-Kremlin ex-President Viktor Yanukovych. Both stand accused of corruption and obstructing reforms. That was surely a great push for Ukrainian reforms and a massive blow
Energy company DTEK was forced to import 300 megawatt-hours from Slovakia on the night of Dec. 21 to make up for the emergency shutdown of a faulty coal power unit at its Burshtyn thermal power plant in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. DTEK generates 30% of Ukraine’s electricity and is owned by
Confectionery companies belonging to the family of former President Petro Poroshenko have been fined Hr 283.6 million ($10.4 million) by the Anti-Monopoly Committee (AMCU) for alleged anti-competitive behavior. Poroshenko used to be a long-time owner of this group of confectionary companies known under the brand Roshen. He transferred
Ukraine harvested 106 million tons of cereals, legumes, and oilseeds in 2021 thanks to favorable weather conditions. It is the biggest harvest the country’s ever had since its independence in 1991, according to Roman Leshchenko, the minister of agriculture. The record harvest included more than 84 million tons of
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called for a new meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in early 2022 to establish a dialogue regarding the Kremlin’s ongoing threat of full-fledged war against Ukraine. Stoltenberg made the statement on Dec. 21 during his Brussels meeting with newly-appointed Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae
Kyiv had its first heavy snowfall of the season on the evening of Dec. 20, with 13 centimeters of snow rapidly covering the capital. Traffic ground to a halt across the city while the number of road accidents surged. For example, a tram derailed on Kyrylivska Street in the Podil
Two Ukrainians imprisoned by Russian-led militants in the occupied Donbas, Igor Nazarenko and Olena Piekh, are in critical condition, according to Dec. 20-21 statements by Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights Ludmila Denisova. The cases against both of the Ukrainians are politically motivated, the ombudsman said. Nazarenko and Piekh
The number of workers who operate as individual entrepreneurs in Ukraine has hit a five-year high of 2 million, monitoring service Opendatabot reported on Dec. 20. In the first 11 months of 2021, a total of 85,000 new people registered as individual entrepreneurs, continuing a growing trend that's been
The selection of the country’s top anti-corruption prosecutor has come under the threat of being canceled by Ukraine's most controversial court. On Dec. 20, the Kyiv District Administrative Court ruled that the contest must be shut down. The court said in a statement that the selection committee lacks the
Ukraine has launched its official account on Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming platform, on Dec. 20. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has partnered with the Ukrainian Institute and Slukh, an online media outlet covering music, for this cultural diplomacy project. “It was created to promote a positive image
State railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia's failure to fulfill its freight contracts and sell core assets were the main reasons it lost $436 million (Hr 11.9 billion) in 2020, according to a Nov. 23 report by the Accounting Chamber, Ukraine's top state auditor, that surfaced in the media on Dec. 20.
Ukrainians who got Hr 1,000 from the government for getting their coronavirus shots are mainly spending it on cinema, books and theaters, according to new stats from the Ministry of Culture. The government began paying its promised cash rewards on Dec. 19 through the Diia mobile app. The bounty,
Ukrainian low-cost carrier SkyUp Airlines announced on Dec. 17 that it would launch six new regular flights from three Ukrainian regional capitals to destinations in Austria, Greece and Spain. The flights will be launched in 2022. The western city of Lviv will benefit the most, receiving four twice-weekly SkyUp flights
The State Investigation Bureau has charged former President Petro Poroshenko with high treason on Dec. 20. The detectives suspect Poroshenko of involvement in the organization of coal supplies to Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises from Russian-occupied areas in the Donbas in 2014-2015. Poroshenko has earlier denied wrongdoing. On Dec. 17, the
Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have reached an agreement to confirm more than 36 nominees for ambassadorships and senior positions in exchange for a vote on renewed sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 project. According to American publication Politico, the deal struck on
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