Ukraine

Ukraine extends quarantine to May 22, but begins lifting some restrictions

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KYIV – The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine announced the lifting of some coronavirus-related restrictions beginning on May 11 and the transition to an adaptive quarantine, which will continue until May 22. The announcement was made at the Cabinet meeting on May 4, thanks to what was described as “a stable situation with regard to the spread of COVID-19.”

“The government is primarily seeking to ensure the fast launch of all sectors of the economy that had been forced to halt their activities due to the epidemic. When adopting decisions, we are guided solely by the data of our experts. By their calculations, an early end to the quarantine would mean thousands of new patients. We cannot allow that,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stressed.

Ukraine

34 years after Chornobyl disaster, the Exclusion Zone is burning

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KYIV – April 26 is a black day on Ukraine’s calendar. On that day in 1986, the worst nuclear disaster in history occurred at the Chornobyl power plant near the city of Prypiat in Kyiv Oblast. It has been approximated that 400 times more radioactive substances were released into the atmosphere after the Chornobyl accident than after the nuclear bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

This year, there were no official public commemorations due to the coronavirus quarantine restrictions. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his delegation visited the site of the nuclear accident and surrounding areas.

During the weeks leading up to the 34th anniversary of the tragedy, wildfires ravaged areas of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, posing a potential risk to the defunct power plant.

Ukraine

Easter is celebrated in Ukraine amidst concerns about COVID-19
Faithful urged to stay home and watch services online

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KYIV – As Christians of the Eastern Churches prepared to celebrate Easter on April 19 (according to the Julian calendar), there was concern that potential large crowds of worshippers could further spread COVID-19. According to Ukraine’s Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov, the number of those infected with the novel coronavirus had grown significantly after Palm Sunday services held a week earlier.

This fact compelled the government to focus on preventing crowds on Easter. According to the National Police, about 7.5 million citizens took part in religious services last year on Easter. If a tenth of the faithful came to churches this year, Ukraine could suffer another coronavirus outbreak, according to the director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Communication Depart­ment, Artem Shevchenko.

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Yermakgate scandal rocks Zelenskyy administration

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KYIV – While struggling to address the unprecedented challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the incessant war with Russia in the Donbas, and the looming economic crisis, Ukraine has been shaken by potentially the biggest political scandal since Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected president almost exactly a year ago.

 National Deputy Geo Leros, a member of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People majority faction in Parliament and a former adviser to the president, on March 29 published video online implicating Denys Yermak, the bother of the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, in corruption.

Ukraine

Unprecedented quarantine measures enacted to fight coronavirus in Ukraine

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KYIV – As Ukraine enters the second month of its coronavirus quarantine, new restrictions were enacted on April 6. With 1,668 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of April 8, Ukraine remains one of Europe’s least affected countries (per capita). However, the paucity of virus testing leaves observers to suspect that the real number of those taken ill is highly undercounted.

New quarantine measures are forcing Ukrainians to stay home both for fear of infection and a huge fine for non-compliance with the rules. For a violation of quarantine rules, a penalty of between 17,000 hrv ($623 U.S.) and 34,000 hrv ($1,246) is envisaged. Moreover, for violating sanitary laws and regulations for the prevention of infectious diseases, a person faces criminal prosecution.

Ukraine

Verkhovna Rada dismisses two crucial ministers and approves their replacements amid pandemic

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KYIV – The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on March 30 dismissed Minister of Health Illya Yemets and Minister of Finance Ihor Umansky, in accordance with the submission of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Later, the Ukrainian Parliament supported the government’s nominations for health minister, Maxym Stepanov, and finance minister, Serhii Marchenko, during an extraordinary session of the legislature initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukraine

Nationwide emergency declared in Ukraine as coronavirus spreads

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KYIV – The Cabinet of Ministers, meeting on March 25, imposed an emergency situation regime on the entire territory of Ukraine, extending the coronavirus quarantine that was expected to end on April 3 to April 24. At the time of the government’s announcement, there were 113 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with four deaths, in Ukraine.

“It is planned to introduce the emergency situation regime for 30 days. Accordingly, we also plan to extend all quarantine restrictions for 30 days, until April 24. Please do not confuse the emergency situation with a state of emergency. An emergency situation does not limit the constitutional rights of citizens, but only consolidates the efforts to combat the coronavirus,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. The measure could be extended as necessary, he added.

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New agreements in Minsk seen as attempt to legitimize Russia-backed militants in Donbas

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KYIV – The most recent meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on Peaceful Settlement of the Situation in the Donbas was held in Minsk, Belarus, without being publicly announced beforehand. Only after the media of militant groups in the occupied Donbas published news about the March 11 meeting did a news release appear on the website of the Presidential Office of Ukraine.

 The March 11 meeting was attended by the head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, and the deputy head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Kozak. The results of the meeting included an agreement on additional troop withdrawals, an exchange of prisoners and checkpoint openings. Public outcry was provoked by news about the establishment of an advisory council, a new body that could legitimize the occupational authorities of the uncontrolled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (known by the Ukrainian-based acronym ORDLO).

Ukraine

Will Ukraine renew water supply for Russian-occupied Crimea?

New Cabinet sends mixed signals

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KYIV – On the first day after his appointment as Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal mentioned the possibility of renewing the water supply from mainland Ukraine to the occupied Crimean peninsula. He was speaking on the “Right to Power” program on the 1+1 television channel on the evening of March 5.

“The issue of supplying water to occupied Crimea is not a matter of trade with the invader. It is not a matter of business. It is a matter of humanitarian responsibility before people who live in Crimea. Failure to supply water will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe… We won’t turn the water off at the mainline… We cannot stop giving water to Ukrainians,” Mr. Shmyhal said.

Ukraine

Shmyhal replaces Honcharuk as Ukraine’s prime minister

New Cabinet approved by Rada

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KYIV – The Verkhovna Rada – gathered at an extraordinary plenary session convened by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on March 4 – voted to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk.

The youngest leader of a Ukrainian government in modern history, 35-year-old Mr. Honcharuk was appointed on August 29, 2019. Because Mr. Honcharuk’s team had a year of immunity dating from the appointment, the Parliament could not dismiss the government without their acquiescence. That is why the prime minister wrote a letter of resignation.