Donbas casualties
National Guard serviceman Serhiy Mykhalchuk, 21, was killed as a result of artillery shelling in Donbas. According to the Rapid Reaction Brigade, he covered his friend with his body from the debris.
According to the Joint Forces Operation HQ, one serviceman was killed and two wounded amid eight enemy attacks on 8 April.
Church anniversary
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ignored the first anniversary of the unification congress at which the Orthodox Church of Ukraine independent from Moscow was established. He neither attended a solemn service nor said anything on the event on his website.
For his part, ex-President Petro Poroshenko, who attended the service, said that the issuance of the thomos to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was a milestone of his life.
Human rights
Ukraine has deported opposition blogger Elvin Isayev to Azerbaijan ahead of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to this country set for 16-17 December. Isayev, who allegedly violatd the Ukrainian migration legislation, was immediately placed in a remand centre in Azerbaijan on 14 December.
Cabinet of Ministers
The minister of the Cabinet of Ministers, Dmytro Dubilet, has said that he will use the services of a private security company rather than state-provided guards. He is now accompanied by two private guards.
In an interview with the pro-Russian TV channel Nash, he said that ministers and their deputies were unhappy with their salaries. "They see that in the private sector they could earn, I don't know, 10-20 times more than they do now. And indeed, they find it difficult to support their families," he said.
Crime
Polish border guards have detained two Ukrainians who attempted to smuggle in this year's largest batch of amber. They confiscated over 103 kg of amber worth around 50,000 euros and 4,000 cigarette packs worth 13,000 euros.
Two long-haul drivers died after eating in a road café in Mykolayiv. Three more poisoned drivers are in hospital.