Law on oligarchs
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law on preventing threats to national security posed by the excessive influence of oligarchs.
"In all successful European countries there is no such branch of power as the oligarchs. States there work in the interests of their citizens, not a bunch of the richest. This is exactly the kind of change for Ukraine that our citizens voted for in 2019," Zelenskyy said, as quoted by his press service.
Reshuffle
President Vladimir Zelenskyy has dismissed Oleksandr Kuksa from the post of head of the National Statehood Protection Department of the Security Service of Ukraine.
The Cabinet of Ministers dismissed the head of the State Customs Service, Pavlo Ryabikin, due to his appointment as minister for strategic industries.
Ryabikin has been temporarily replaced by Vyacheslav Demchenko, who until 3 November headed the Intelligence Directorate at the State Border Service Administration and now heads the Department for Combating Smuggling and Customs Violations at the State Customs Service.
New group in parliament
Former speaker Dmytro Razumkov has established a new interfaction association, Smart Politics, his press secretary Olha Tuniy has told LB.ua. MP Lyudmyla Buymister, who was expelled from the Servant of the People faction, confirmed to LB.ua that she applied for entry to Razumkov's new association. According to her, there are around 20 members in the association.
Donbas
A Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in Donbas amid five ceasefire violations by Russia-backed militants. They shelled Prychepylivka with 120-mm mprtars and Bolotene, Krymske and Luhanske with 82-mm mortars.
General released from custody
Gen Ihor Pavlovskyy has been released from a remand centre after he was bailed out for 18m hryvnyas, lawyer Rostyslav Kravets has said. The sum was collected by activists and the Petro Poroshenko Foundation in a matter of days.
Pavlovskyy, Kuznya na Rybalskomu board chairman Valeriy Shandra and and two other former heads of one of the Defence Ministry's departments are under the criminal proceedings. The case concerns deliveries to the army of combat boats and ambulances, which, according to DBR investigators, did not meet the established requirements and cannot be used in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They are suspected of inflicting 475m hryvnyas in losses on the state.
Gas
The volume of natural gas transported from the EU to Ukraine in October was 154.7m cu.m. However, exports together with re-exports of gas from Ukraine to European countries increased by 81% compared to September to 479.3m cu.m.
However, gas imports from the EU to Ukraine exceed exports in the first 10 months, the press service of the Ukrainian Gas Transport System Operator said.
Voice party
The Voice party has accused the authorities of blocking its MPs' business trips to the USA.
"However, the official business trip of the Voice delegation was deliberately disrupted due to artificial bureaucratic obstacles. We state that President Zelenskyy's people and a direct order from Bankova [presidential office] are behind the blocking of the business trip of five Voice MPs. As far as we know, this is the second case when the presidential office blocks the official trips of MPs to the USA. We consider such actions by the authorities to be a direct persecution of the opposition, an ungrounded restriction of our political activity and an attack on fundamental democratic institutions," the party said.
Crime
The State Bureau of Investigation informed former President Viktor Yanukovych of a new suspicion. It concerns the mass murders in Kyiv between 18 and 20 February 2014.
Yanukovych is charged with "putting, as part of a criminal group, an illegal obstruction of meetings, rallies, marches and demonstrations, abuse of power and authority by law enforcers, intentional killing and completed attempted killing, inflicting intentional grievous bodily harm, as well as organizing a terrorist act".
Minister's outstanding bills
A court has obliged Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko to pay 76,000 hryvnyas in outstanding gas bills for 2018-2019, NV has reported, quoting the Vasylkiv court.
Coronavirus
Volyn Region will join the red coronavirus zone as of 8 November.
According to Health Minister Viktor Lyashko, 93% of those hospitalized during this wave of coronavirus in Ukraine have not been vaccinated.
Ukraine reported 26,448 new Covid-19 cases this morning.