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Scoop of the day: Ukraine suggests relaunch of Minsk group on Donbas

Scoop of the day: Ukraine suggests relaunch of Minsk group on Donbas

Coronavirus

There have been 13,184 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ukraine, including 327 deaths and 2,097 recoveries by the morning of 6 May.

Covid-19 testing in Zhytomyr Region will be limited for at least three days because the local laboratory is overloaded, its head Zynoviy Paramonov has said. Zhytomyr mayor Serhiy Sukhomlin has demanded his resignation.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has threatened to dismiss heads of regional state administration if they fail to pay high bonuses to medics dealing with Covid-19. He said that the cabinet had transferred the necessary money to the regions in mid-April.

The world's largest transport plane An-225 Mriya has brought medical cargo from China which was paid for by the national oil and gas company Naftohaz Ukrayiny. The cargo includes 500,000 protective suits, 700 patient monitors, 50 portable digital X-ray systems and 50 portable ultrasound systems.

Donbas

Ukraine has suggested relaunching the work of the trilateral contact group on Donbas, presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak has said during a phone conversation with political advisers representing the Normandy Four states. He noted that Ukraine had upgraded its representation to the "very high official level".

International

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend the Victory Day parade in Minsk on 9 May. Ukraine will not hold any large-scale public events on 8-9 May.

Local elections

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to make sure that there are no thresholds for parties at local elections.

Military

A modernised sample of the T-72 tank is being tested in Chernihiv Region. It is being used to fire with the Kombat guided missile. Experts check the range, accuracy and speed using the MFTR210040 radar.

Counterintelligence has identified a resident of Luhansk Region who was trying to collect information about Ukrainian rocket projects on the order of the Russian FSB. He was detained when he was trying to send technical documentation for a modern missile system to his FSB contacts via a messenger.

Energy

Ninety-seven MPs have asked Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal not to lower the share of atomic energy in Ukraine's electricity balance. According to the atomic energy operator Enerhoatom, 10 out of 15 generating units are currently in operation. Acting Energy Minister Oleh Buslavets insists on temporarily cutting atomic energy generation, saying it is a "forced" but necessary decision.

Crime

The Special Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal case against former Prosecutor-General Ruslan Ryaboshapka over the declaring of unreliable information and the acceptance of offer, promise or reception of illicit reward by an official. Ryaboshapka says he does not know the details of the case.

Environment

The Stavanger vessel sailing under the Tuvalu flag has spilled over 8 tonnes of palm oil in Odesa's Pivdennyy port. Damages from pollution run at $2.4m, according to preliminary estimates.

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