Coronavirus
There have been 18,616 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ukraine, including 535 deaths and 5,276 recoveries by the morning of 18 May.
The Cabinet of Ministers plans to allow subway, kindergartens, public transport and hotels to resume operation as of 25 May in those cities where the coronavirus situation does not show signs of escalation.
President's presser
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing to hold a news conference on 20 May, LB.ua has learnt from sources in the presidential office.
Crimean Tatars
On 18 May, Ukraine remembers victims of the deportation of Crimean Tatars by Joseph Stalin's government.
Zelenskyy has said he plans to give the Islamic holidays of Qurban Bayrami and Uraza Bayram the status of state holidays.
The former first deputy information policy minister, Emine Dzhaparova, will be appointed first deputy foreign minister. She will deal with the issues of Crimea and public diplomacy, according to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Surrogacy
Foreign parents of children born by surrogate mothers in Ukraine will be able to recover them after they agree their visits to the country with the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry or the ombudsman's office.
Scandalous interview
Several dozen activists have picketed the office of media producer and journalist Dmytro Hordon in Kyiv after he interviewed Crimean ex-prosecutor and Russian Natalya Poklonskaya and terrorist Igor Girkin wanted by Ukraine and the Netherlands. The interviews caused outrage in social networks,
Petro Poroshenko's European Solidarity party has demanded that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) open a criminal case against Hordon.
Rally
A rally in support of Odesa activist Serhiy Sternenko was held outside the main office of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), where he was summoned for investigative actions. In May 2018, he lethally stabbed one of the attackers during self-defence.
Local elections
The Central Electoral Commission has allowed Ukrainians to vote in local elections in districts where they actually reside rather than where they are officially registered. The resolution takes effect on 1 July 2020.
Polls
A survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 68% of respondents consider themselves happy, 16% think they are unhappy and 14% feel both. Compared with 2018, the number of happy people increased by 6%.
According to a survey by the Rating pollster, Ukrainians consider Leonid Kuchma to be the best president (20%). He is followed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (16%) and Leonid Kravchuk (13%). It found that 39% of Ukrainians would still vote for Zelenskyy, 13% for Petro Poroshenko and Yuriy Boyko.
Crime
Deputy Justice Minister Olha Onishchuk, who oversees fight against raiders and notary reform, has said her office was broken into. "Unwanted guests" sawed off the locks and left other "surprises" to keep in her fear, she said.