Coronavirus
Ukraine has registered a record-high number of new 829 Covid-19 cases over the day. There were 758 new cases a day earlier. By the morning of 18 June, Ukraine has registered a total of 34,063 cases, incouding 966 deaths and 15,447 recoveries.
Kyiv and 10 more regions do not meet the requirements for easing the coronavirus quarantine, according to the Health Ministry.
Transcarpathian Region will close kindergartens and gyms again due to the deteriorating situation around Covid-19. There have been 32.07 new cases per 100,000 over the past seven days.
The head of the Lviv military hospital, Medical Service Col Ivan Hayda, died of the coronavirus, according to Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyy.
Vinnytsya and Bar Metropolitan Simeon (Shostatskyy) of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine tested positive for the coronavirus. The virus was found during the planned treatment of his chronic disease.
Eastern Partnership
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has supported the development of a roadmap for the future of the Eastern Partnership and its adoption at the sixth summit in 2021. He attended the video conference of the Eastern Partnership leaders by video link.
Zelenskyy said that the Eastern Partnership is useful for Ukraine because it brings it closer to EU membership. "The Eastern Partnership should not limit its partners' ambitions. For some, political dialogue is enough, for some it is a strategic partnership with the EU, some strive for integration into the joint market based on 'four freedoms', while others, like Ukraine, demand full-fledged membership of the EU," he said.
Poroshenko's cases
Ex-President Petro Poroshenko has said that yet another case was opened against him, this time over alleged incitement of religious feud by securing the tomos for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. According to the State Investigation Bureau, the case was initiated by "believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate".
A rally outside Zelenskyy's office demanded that the authorities "stop political repression" against Poroshenko. The ex-president did not attend the rally as he went to church ahead of the funeral for his father who died on 16 June.
Kyiv's Pecherskyy district court, which was to select a measure of restraint for Poroshenko in the case of Foreign Intelligence chief Serhiy Semochko, was deferred until 1 July. Prosecutors initially demanded Poroshenko's arrest but later said that he could be released on his recognizance. Poroshenko objected, urging the court to consider the essence of the matter.
The embassies of Canada, the USA and Germany have warned the Ukrainian leadership against political interference in the course of justice. "All citizens in a democracy deserve to be treated equally and fairly under the law. The justice system should not be used for the purpose of settling political scores," the US embassy tweeted.
Russia sanctions
The EU Council has extended until June 2021 sanctions against Russia for the illegal occupation of Crimea. "We need to step up pressure for human rights violations, illegal issuing of passports, Kerch railway construction, Russian polling in Crimea #CrimeaIsUkraine," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has tweeted.
Parliament
Parliament denied support to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal's government programme again.
Parliament has given the first reading to Zelenskyy's bill on all-Ukrainian referenda. Only one question which can be answered "yes" or "no" can be put to a referendum.
Fatherland MP Olha Belkova has stepped down, saying she needs a "reset". Parliament supported her resignation but did not let Voice MP Svyatoslav Vakarchuk hand in his mandate.
Kyiv regional head
Zelenskyy has appointed Vasyl Volodin as head of the Kyiv regional state administration instead of Oleksiy Chernyshov who left the post in early March 2020.
Not welcome
A car of pro-Russian MP Vadym Rabynovych was pelted with eggs as he visited Chernihiv. Police detained a dozen of "radically-minded young people" who attempted to block the car and threw eggs at it. Scuffles broke out.
Education
The parliamentary committee for education, science and innovations will not recommend MPs to approve the rector of the Chernihiv National Technological University, Serhiy Shkarlet, for education and science minister.