Philip Pronin is a new governor of Poltava Oblast. (Poltava Oblast State Administration/Facebook)
President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Philip Pronin as the new head of the Poltava Regional State Administration, according to a government decree issued on Oct. 10.
Pronin previously held anti-corruption roles in the State Financial Monitoring Committee and other Ukrainian government agencies.
The move comes at a time where the Ukrainian president is under pressure to eliminate pervasive corruption in his government in order to maintain support from the U.S. and other donors who have committed more than $165 billion since Feb. 2022.
Pronin, 41, holds a master’s degree in international economics from the Kyiv University of Economics and has worked for KPMG’s Ukraine audit office.
Lance Luo (Li P. Luo) is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. Previously, he worked at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Hromadske Television in Kyiv. He also spent three years in finance and strategy consulting. Mr. Luo graduated from the University of Southern California and serves as an arbitrator at FINRA.
The list includes Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine's defense minister and previously the longest-serving prime minister, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, Deputy Presidential Office head and ex-commander Pavlo Palisa, and Sergiy Kyslytsya, the first deputy foreign minister and one of Ukraine's key negotiators.
"There are visions of the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine — and we don't have a unified view on Donbas," Zelensky told Bloomberg regarding the latest discussions on the peace plan for Ukraine.
Ukraine will focus on strengthening its army through better mobilization, recruitment, and high-quality training as it continues to resist Russia’s full-scale invasion, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Dec. 8, following a recent meeting with military personnel.
While hailing "significant progress" in peace efforts, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker acknowledged that Trump could decide to "step away" if he sees there is "no deal to be had."
Within this program, 300 million euros ($350 million) will fund a dedicated Ukraine Support Instrument that focuses on modernizing Ukraine's defense industry and integrating it into the EU's broader defense-manufacturing network.
The Air Force did not specify what mission the pilot was carrying out when the death occurred. The circumstances of the pilot's death are being investigated.
The Dec. 5 attack sparked a large fire at the Temryuk Seaport, a facility that handles various types of cargo, including liquefied natural gas used to supply the Russian military.
The move follows an appeal from the parliament to release an additional 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) in support for Kyiv for next year. The first sum of 700 million euros (almost $820 million) was described as the "first step."
Four Russian soldiers were given sentences in the range of 1.5 to 12 years for their involvement in the murder of Russell "Texas" Bentley and an attempt to conceal the crime.
Congress is also calling for more frequent reporting of aid provided to Kyiv by its European allies, reflecting Washington's push for Europe to take on a greater share of responsibility for supporting Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Dec. 7 he was "disappointed" that President Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly had not yet reviewed a U.S. peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
Alexander Khrebet
