Donbas
Private 1st Class Vyacheslav Minkin of the 72nd detached mechanized brigade was killed by an enemy sniper in Avdiyivka's suburbs, the press service of the Fastiv city council, has said on Facebook. He was 31 years old.
Overall, there were two ceasefire violations in Donbas today, according to the Joint Forces Operation HQ. Russia-backed separatists opened fire with small arms and a grenade launcher near Shumy.
Some 37% of Ukrainians approve of the actions and statements by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on establishing peace in Donbas. Some 44.8% of Ukrainians believe that ending the war in Donbas requires a dialogue with Russia's Vladimir Putin, a survey by the Razumkov Centre think-tank has found.
Over 64% of Ukrainians consider the hostilities in Donbas as the Russo-Ukrainian armed conflict, according to the survey.
Coronavirus
By the morning of 24 November, Ukraine has registered 12,287 new Covid-19 cases, 188 fatalities and 8,298 recoveries, according to Health Minister Maksym Stepanov.
The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine predicts the number of coronavirus cases to reach around 743,826 by the end of November and over 1 million by 20 December, according to the Institute of Market Problems and Economic-Environmental Research.
Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko has suggested that Ukraine should announce a two-week lockdown during the New Year holidays. In a Telegram post, he said mass festivities had better be cancelled and taken online.
The director-general of the Pivdenne design bureau, Oleksandr Dehtyarev, died of the coronavirus, according to the presidential office. He has headed the bureau since 2010.
Economy
Ukraine will offer businessmen tax holidays, the writing off of debts (up to 3,060 hryvnyas) and an 8,000-hryvnya compensation (if they have to close down) to support them during the coronavirus quarantine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
According to Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, Ukraine has reached "significant progress" in negotiations with the IMF. He added that he expected the 2021 draft budget to be sent to the government and parliament for consideration shortly.
Rally outside US embassy
The youth wing of pro-Russian Opposition Platform-For Life organized a rally "against external management" outside the US embassy in Kyiv. A young man pretending to be US philanthropist George Soros had a woman dressed in traditional Ukrainian clothes on a leash.
Israel
A free trade area between Ukraine and Israel will take effect as of 1 January 2021, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has tweeted. He described it as a "new level of relations between the countries and 'green light' to the growth of exports, closer cooperation in hi-tech, engineering, investment".
Afghanistan
Ukraine is ready to join reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said. "Ukrainian companies are ready to supply industrial, construction materials, locomotives, tractor, railway equipment," he said.
Reshuffle
President Zelenskyy has accepted the resignation of the head of the Khmelnytskyy regional state administration, Dmytro Habinet. His first deputy, Roman Prymush, will step in as the acting head of the administration. Last week the government approved Serhiy Hamaliya's nomination for the post.
Charity
Taras Chmut, a co-founder of the Ukrainian Military Portal, has been appointed the director of the Povernys Zhyvym (Come Back Alive) Foundation specializing on providing assistance to Ukrainian servicemen.
Crime
In Kharkiv, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has exposed a former member of the self-proclaimed Luhansk people's republic who fought as a sniper against the antiterrorist operation forces in Luhansk Region in 2015-2016.