Hostage situation
A man, later identified as Uzbek national Sukhrob Karimov, walked into a bank office in central Kyiv today. He threatened to blow up an explosive allegedly hidden in his backpack unless he is given access to the media. The Leonardo business centre where the bank office is located had to be evacuated while the bank office head agreed to stay as Karimov's hostage if he allowed others to leave. Karimov was talking to journalists for a few minutes on a stream broadcast live by several TV channels when he was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). No-one was hurt. It was reported that he was an oligophrenic person. No explosives were found in his backpack.
Opposition
Statements by local authorities that disagree with the central government's decisions on anti-epidemic measures show that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is losing control of the situation in the country, European Solidarity MP Yana Zinkevych has said on Facebook. She suggested that an extraordinary session of parliament should be convened to decide on urgent anti-crisis measures.
Donbas
The Defence Ministry of Ukraine has commented on Russian Duma committee head Leonid Kalashnikov's remark that Russia should supply arms to militants in Donbas. "Political statements are being made in Russia about the supply of weapons to Donbas in the event of Ukraine receiving military aid from the United States. However, Russia has been waging war against Ukraine for the seventh year in a row. The number of weapons and military equipment in temporarily occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions is known: 480 tanks, over 900 armoured combat vehicles; about 450 cannons and howitzers; about 300 mortars; about 210 multiple-launch rocket systems; about 700 air defence systens; about 450 anti-tank weapons," it said.
Since the start of the day, the Russian occupying troops have violated the ceasefire twice, the Joint Forces Operation HQ has said on Facebook. They fired an anti-tank grenade near Pivdenne and small arms near Maryinka.
Coronavirus
Lutsk and Ternopil will not introduce tough quarantine measures even though they were placed in the most critical, red zone due to their coronavirus dynamics. Both cities insist that the measures in place are sufficient and do not require stopping public transport or closing kindergartens, cafes and shopping centres.
Ukraine has registered 990 new coronavirus cases over the day, 333 patients have recovered and 13 died. Thus, the total count of cases has reached 73,158, including 39,876 recoveries and 1,738 deaths.
Crime
In the Pivdennyy seaport, the State Border Service has found 54.6 kg of cocaine in a banana container from Ecuador. It was packed in 47 blocks hidden in ventilation.