Ex-Foreign Ministry spokesperson appointed as Toronto consul general
Nikolenko, who had been a spokesperson for over three years, announced his resignation on March 8, saying he was about to start "a new diplomatic chapter."
Politics
Russian communists call for investigation into West's possible role in Stalin's death
The Communists of Russia party has urged the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and top prosecutors to investigate potential Western intelligence involvement in the 1953 death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, the Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Shmyhal: Ukraine aims to reduce number of ministries by one-third
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, 20,000 government vacancies have already been cut in 2024.
Are Zelensky and his top general really in discord?
Editor's Note: This story initially mistakenly said that President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi haven't been seen together in public in two months. It was corrected since the two were seen together in public more recently. After successfully taking Ukraine through the initial stages of the all-out war, President
Why Ukraine likely won't hold elections next year
When Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a fake vote to extend his mandate in March 2024, Ukraine will not be allowed to hold an election due to the martial law imposed amid Russia's aggression. This won't suddenly make Russia more democratic than Ukraine. If Russia had not invaded Ukraine, it
Who is Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's soon-to-be defense minister?
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sept. 3 that Rustem Umerov was Ukraine's soon-to-be defense minister, he said the former MP "needs no introduction." Days before, Umerov had been rumored to be the main candidate to replace Oleksiy Reznikov, who had held the post since November 2021 and whose
How outcome of Russia’s war can tip international order
A year into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there is little doubt in the West that Ukraine needs to win. Led by the U.S., Western support helped Ukraine push back Russian forces and kept Russian President Vladimir Putin from achieving his major warmongering goals. But Russia’s war
Ukraine’s political veteran Yulia Tymoshenko sues government to get diplomatic passport back amid war
Former prime minister and leader of the Batkivshchyna party (26 seats in parliament) Yulia Tymoshenko along with fellow lawmaker Hryhoriy Nemyria are suing the foreign ministry to return their diplomatic passports, the Kyiv Independent learned from court records. Both were stripped of their diplomatic passports over the summer for not
Who is Oleksandr Klymenko, Ukraine's new top anti-corruption prosecutor?
The new Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin began his reign with a long-awaited move, ending the seemingly never-ending saga of choosing the country's top anti-corruption prosecutor. Oleksandr Klymenko, who won the job contest back in December, was formally named the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) on July 28.
Andriy Kostin appointed prosecutor general. Here's what we know about him
Parliament appointed lawmaker Andriy Kostin, a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky's party, as prosecutor general. 299 lawmakers supported the president's candidate on July 27. Kostin, seen as a staunch Zelensky loyalist, has been accused of sabotaging judicial reform. He also used to be the Zelensky administration's preferred candidate for the
New top prosecutor accused of sabotaging graft cases, persecuting opposition
Oleksiy Symonenko, who became acting prosecutor general on July 17, may be formally appointed as the prosecutor general by the Verkhovna Rada next week, with his past record suggesting he values loyalty to the presidential administration more than being effective on the job. “He’s as loyal to the authorities
Rinat Akhmetov trades media licenses for clean slate
Ukraine’s richest man doesn’t want to be called an oligarch anymore. For that, he’s ready to publicly distance himself from politics and relinquish his sway over the domestic media market. Rinat Akhmetov, who owns System Capital Management (SCM), the country’s largest holding and the bulk of
Explainer: What’s behind Zelensky’s public ousting of top officials
Editor's Note: Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and Security Service Head Ivan Bakanov were fired by parliament on July 19, 10 hours after the article was published. President Volodymyr Zelensky dropped major news on a typically slow Sunday evening, removing from office two of his staunchest allies – Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova
Explainer: Is there any merit to Congresswoman Spartz' accusations against Zelensky's chief of staff?
Ukrainian-born U.S. Congresswoman Victoria Spartz has recently come out with sweeping accusations against President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak. The accusations, published on July 8 and July 9, range from corruption and sabotage of reforms to allegedly serving Russian interests. Yermak hasn't commented on the accusations.
As Ukraine withdraws from Sievierodonetsk, Battle of Donbas enters next phase
In the Battle of Donbas, Ukraine’s military has made a painful yet long-anticipated decision — withdrawing from the last patches of the city of Sievierodonetsk. By June 25, the last Ukrainian combat units left their ruined positions in the city’s industrial zone for Lysychansk, a heavily fortified point to
Serhiy Prytula: ‘Flawed political system has not vanished, it has laid low until war ends’
When Russia’s full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24, Serhiy Prytula, comedian turned politician, quit everything he was working on to fully devote himself to helping Ukraine. Since then, his charity has crowdfunded over Hr 1 billion ($34 million), becoming one of the largest in Ukraine after Come Back Alive,
Zelensky's full speech at Munich Security Conference
Editor's Note: The following is the full translated transcript of the speech delivered by President Volodymyr Zelensky at the 58th Munich Security Conference on Feb. 19. It was published by the President's Office and is republished here without changes. Zelensky delivered the speech in Ukrainian. Find the highlights here. Ladies
Zelensky’s MP expelled from party after video showed him try to bribe police
Oleksandr Trukhin, a lawmaker from the governing President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People faction, was kicked out of the party after a journalistic investigation exposed his attempts to bribe police officers at a car crash site. The party announced the decision to expel Trukhin on Feb. 2, a
Zelensky party’s lawmaker reportedly caught taking bribe
Serhii Kuzminykh, a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People parliamentary faction, was caught while allegedly accepting an Hr 558,000 ($20,000) bribe on Jan. 28, according to law enforcement sources of Ukrainian news websites Ukrainska Pravda and Censor.Net. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said
Who is Murayev, the man UK exposes as potential leader of Kremlin's coup
The British government has accused the Kremlin of seeking to install a pro-Russian leadership in Ukraine, in a statement on Jan. 22. "We have information that indicates the Russian government is looking to install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv as it considers whether to invade and occupy Ukraine," the statement
Selection panel launches judicial reform
A selection panel on Jan. 21 effectively launched Ukraine’s long-awaited judicial reform process, starting a contest for jobs at the High Qualification Commission, a judicial governing body. The panel was created in September, but its work has been delayed due to obstruction by Ukraine’s judiciary and uncertainty over
Court rules not to arrest Poroshenko
Kyiv’s Pechersk District Court made its long-anticipated ruling on the pre-trial arrangements of ex-President Petro Poroshenko. On Jan. 19, the court ordered Poroshenko to sign a writ of personal recognizance, which is a pledge by the defendant to attend court without posting bail. The court chose not to place
Poroshenko arrest hearing: Prosecution asks for $37 million bail, court deliberates for 11 hours without result
Six hours into ex-President Petro Poroshenko's arrest hearing on Jan. 17, the judge left for the chambers, allegedly for a 20-minute break. He never reappeared in the courtroom. After nearly six hours without the judge, the hearing was postponed until Jan. 19. Poroshenko left the courthouse. "I'll see you all
Poroshenko returns to Ukraine, faces possible arrest
Ex-President Petro Poroshenko returned to Ukraine on Jan. 17 after a one-month absence. He is facing arrest in a treason case. Poroshenko left Ukraine promptly on Dec. 18, after the State Investigation Bureau detectives tried to hand him a summons. Two days later, he was charged with high treason. Poroshenko
Zelensky's party lawmaker buys nationwide television channel
Oleksiy Kovalov, a lawmaker with the ruling 242-member Servant of the People party, announced on Dec. 28 that he has bought the nationwide TV Channel 4. Kovalov said that the broadcaster with its team of 200 people will preserve its “pro-Ukrainian vector” and independent editorial policy. “Our family decided to
Prosecutors reportedly seek to arrest ex-president Poroshenko with $37 million bail
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
Detectives try to summon Poroshenko, may charge him in Medvedchuk case
The State Investigation Bureau tried to hand a summons to ex-President Petro Poroshenko in a case into treason and aiding terrorist groups in Russian-occupied areas of the Donbas. The bureau said detectives had attempted to give him the summons in front of the Verkhovna Rada on Dec. 17 but he
Deputy minister resigns after video of his altercation with police goes viral
Deputy Interior Minister Oleksandr Gogilashvili submitted his resignation after a video surfaced of him yelling insults at police officers trying to establish his identity. The Cabinet of Ministers accepted Gogilashvili's resignation on Dec. 13 after President Volodymyr Zelensky urged them to dismiss the official. Gogilashvili caused the scandal on Dec.
Zelensky leads presidential poll with 23.5%, Poroshenko polls second
President Volodymyr Zelensky leads presidential polls with a share of 23.5% of decided voters, maintaining a 10.1% lead over ex-president and leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko, who got 13.4%. Zelensky's support 2.5 years into his presidency is 6% down from the result he
Anti-corruption body: Medvedchuk failed to declare $2.68 million in assets
Lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk, co-head of the pro-Kremlin 44-member Opposition Platform - For Life faction, failed to declare assets worth over Hr 73 million ($2.7 million), the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) announced on Dec. 8. According to the agency, Medvedchuk did not declare his Kyiv land
Zelensky’s address to parliament: What you need to know
On the morning of Dec. 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky gave his annual speech to Parliament. Here are the key points from his address: Dialogue with Russia Zelensky’s headline-grabbing statement was that Ukraine “cannot end the war (in the Donbas) without direct dialogue with Russia.” The president said that Ukraine’
Thousands of protesters demand Zelensky’s resignation
Several thousand protesters gathered in central Kyiv on the evening of Dec. 1 to demand President Volodymyr Zelensky’s resignation over what they see as his concessions to the Kremlin. The protesters zeroed in on Zelensky’s statement earlier the same day that he’s not afraid of direct negotiations
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