Coronavirus
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine plans to have half of its population vaccinated in 2021-early 2022 and set up a system for the monitoring of biological threats.
He was speaking at an expert forum "Ukraine 30" in Kyiv today. According to the president, there will be 30 large-scale forums held on a weekly basis to address the most pressing challenges facing the country.
Zelensky plans to get vaccinated against Covid-19 together with servicemen because he is the supreme commander-in-chief. He suggested that it was likely to be the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Ukraine has received a confirmation that it will be supplied with 22 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has said.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine does not object to vaccination as a medical procedure if it is conscious and voluntary, Ukrainian News has quoted Archbishop Yevstratiy (Zorya) as saying.
On the morning of 8 February, Ukraine registered 2,141 new Covid-19 cases and 47 fatalities.
Donbas
Russia-backed militants have broken the truce twice since midnight, the Joint Forces Operation HQ has said. Near Pivdenne they fired with 120-mm mortars and near Vodyane with an automatic mounted grenade launcher and small arms.
Yesterday, the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the trilateral contact group, Leonid Kravchuk, said that the Ukrainian army should return fire when attacked: "Why should we be observing and pretending that nothing is happening? There should be tough reaction in everything, otherwise they will understand that our deeds are a sign of our weakness."
Crimea
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has demanded that Twitter delete a verified account of the Russian Foreign Ministry's office in Crimea.
"In addition 2 our previous calls we reiterate that it is absolutely unacceptable to give so called MFA in #Crimea a verified check mark while the Int’l community incl. the majority of UN member-states clearly say #CrimeaIsUkraine. @Twitter must block that account immediately!" Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheparova has tweeted in English.
Russia has built a military base near Novoozerne in the vicinity of the Donuzlav Lake since 2018, according to the National Centre for Control and Testing of Spacecraft of Ukraine. Also, new radar stations and at least eight S-400 missile systems were placed near Kerch.
Military
A Centre for Defence Strategies has been set up in Ukraine to monitor defence reform and develop key state policies concerning security and defence. The centre is headed by former Defence Minister Andriy Zahorodnyuk, its board consists of Ukrainian and foreign experts.
Security
TV presenter Oksana Marchenko, the wife of notorious pro-Russian MP Viktor Medvedchuk, has been included in the Myrotvorets database of individuals believed to be detrimental to Ukraine's security. Some of the reasons include her denial of Russian aggression against Ukraine, participation in Russia's anti-Ukrainian propaganda events, and illegal business in occupied Crimea.
Parliament
MP Mykyta Poturayev has denied rumours that the three pro-Russian channels were banned from broadcasting to coerce the Opposition Platform-For Life party into cooperating with the president's Servant of the People which lacks votes to be able to pass important decisions in parliament on its own. He told Censor.net that, effectively, there is a de facto coalition between Servant of the People and the Trust (Dovira) group.
Crime
The cyber police have busted a collection firm which blackmailed its debtors with porn images. The scheme involved over 30 people who set up two financial companies which issued loans and later harassed their clients who were late on their payments by sending edited porn images to debtors' families.