Gorshenin Institute
Gorshenin Institute will host a roundtable "An analysis of defence industry reform and the state defence order" at 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 23 December 2020. The event is organised by Gorshenin Institute and StateWatch NGO with the support of LB.ua. Ukroboronprom director-general Yuriy Husyev is among the participants.
Coronavirus
On the morning of 16 December, Ukraine registered 10,622 new Covid-19 cases, 12,549 recoveries and 264 fatalities. The case total since the start of the pandemic has reached 919,704.
Since the start of the pandemic, 2,161 people in Ukraine have got re-infected with the coronavirus, according to the Public Health Centre. This is 0.25% of the total number of all registered cases. The re-infection happened at least 40 days after the first positive test.
Rallies
Medics have held a rally in Kyiv's Independence Square, demanding higher budget spending on health care. Several dozen doctors held posters calling the budget "shameful".
Ex-MP's case
The Kyiv territorial department of the State Investigation Bureau has sent a formal indictment for former MP Tetyana Chornovil to court. She is suspected of "deliberately inflicting the death of another person as a result of collusion by a group of people". In particular, investigators suspect her of "managing a group of people and taking direct involvement in setting an office of a political party in Lypska Street in central Kyiv" on 18 February 2014. A party officer staff member died in that fire.
UK
The Ukrainian parliament has ratified the agreement on political cooperation, free trade and strategic partnership between Ukraine and the UK, according to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Crimea
The UN General Assembly has passed an enhanced resolution on the situation with human rights in Crimea and Sevastopol. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: "Yet another proof of global solidarity with Ukraine in non-recognition of Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea. Resolution calls on Member States to increase pressure on Russia within international frameworks to make it comply with its obligations under international law as an occupying Power, as well as grant access to Crimea for international monitoring missions."
Survey
Were a presidential election be held this weekend, 28% (57% in the runoff) would vote for incumbent Volodymyr Zelenskyy and 19% (43%) for ex-President Petro Poroshenko, according to a survey conducted by the Razumkov Centre on 4-9 December.
Zelenskyy became a disappointment for 42.1% of respondents in 2020, the Razumkov Centre has found out. At the same time, 20% of respondents called him the politician of the year.
Reshuffles
Parliament has dismissed Minister for Veterans' Affairs Serhiy Bessarab.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved Oleksandr Starukh and Andriy Boychuk as heads of the Zaporizhzhya and Ivano-Frankivsk regional state administrations
Exclusive: The head of the State Customs Service, Pavlo Ryabikin, has allegedly tendered his resignation after one month in the role, LB.ua has learnt from its sources.
President's party
Exclusive: Servant of the People MPs are being asked to sign a faction agreement which describes the principles of their work and behaviour. The document prepared by faction head Davyd Arakhamiya obliges MPs to attend all parliament and other sessions, support the president's initiatives, not to criticise their colleagues and the government, and to let the faction leadership know if MPs hold different views, LB.ua has learnt from its sources.