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Scoop of the day: Ukraine, UK sign major deal

Scoop of the day: Ukraine, UK sign major deal

Coronavirus

Ukraine is preparing to set up temporary hospitals for coronavirus patients now that 21,000 existing hospital beds have been occupied, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has said in a video address.

He recalled that a new record-high number of daily cases, 5,397, was reported this morning. Ukraine has crossed the 5,000 daily threshold for the first time. He added that although Western countries are tightening quarantine, Ukraine cannot afford another nationwide lockdown. "This will be a catastrophe," he predicted.

Zelenskyy's UK visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have signed an agreement on political cooperation, free trade and strategic partnership in London.

The sides also agreed to start working on relaxing visa regulations. 

Naftogaz Ukrayiny

The state audit of the national fuel company Naftogaz Ukrayiny has revealed financial violations in the company's operation which inflicted 75.5bn in losses on the state budget, the head of the State Audit Service, Hennadiy Plis, has said in a letter to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, a copy of which was made available to the Yevropeyska Pravda website.

Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev has told Hromadske Radio that a criminal case was opened against the company's management "based on accusations of high treason". He noted that the company's management consider this as a "very pressing invitation to a public discussion", which they are ready to accept because they have "nothing to hide".

Donbas

The Joint Forces Operation HQ has registered three ceasefire violations since midnight near Pisky and Opytne. No casualties were reported.

Crime

The National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine have detained the head of the Vinnytsya regional office of the Motorway Service, Ihor Alyeksyeyev, who is suspected of offering a bribe of 4.2m hryvnyas to the head of the Vinnytsya regional state administration, Serhiy Borzov.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has blocked a Kyiv-based bot farm which it believes was sponsored from Russia. The SBU is checking whether representatives of Russian special services were involved in its operation.

Three Ukrainian contract servicemen were found dead in a leased apartment in the village of Novoivnytske, Zhytomyr Region. According to the local police, there were no injuries found on their bodies.

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