Verkhovna Rada

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence has approved the extension of martial law and general mobilization in Ukraine for 90 days, until August 11, 2024.

The Verkhovna Rada is planning to consider a bill that would allow for the early release of some prisoners for military service during mobilization or martial law, except for those convicted of serious crimes such as murder, rape, terrorism, or drunken driving that caused death.

Ukrposhta employees will have the right to carry and use firearms to protect postal funds and facilities, subject to special training and strict conditions, according to a draft law that will be reconsidered by the Verkhovna Rada with proposals from President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Verkhovna Rada plans to consider in the second reading a draft law that increases fines for evading mobilization from UAH 3,400 to UAH 25,500, depending on the violation and whether it occurred during a special period.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposes to extend martial law and general mobilization in Ukraine for another 90 days.

The Ministry of Defense has approved an order establishing a list of diseases for determining fitness for military service with such categories as fully fit, fit for rear units, and unfit.

The Cabinet of Ministers appointed new deputy ministers of justice, head of the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines, and head of the State Agency for Digital Development.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the creation of a subgroup to work on the confiscation of frozen Russian sovereign assets abroad in favor of Ukraine.

The Cabinet of Ministers is working on a draft law to create a Government Center that will be responsible for the quality of documents and consolidate the functions currently performed by four regulatory ministries.

The "commander" of the 7th company of the illegal armed group "Self-Defense of Crimea" was sentenced in absentia to 13 years in prison for his participation in the seizure of Crimea in 2014.

Ukraine's first hospital power plant, the Khmelnytsky Diagnostic and Treatment Center, has started selling surplus electricity generated by rooftop solar panels to the grid.

Ukraine is doing everything possible to ensure China's participation in the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15-16, as China's presence is crucial for achieving a just and lasting peace based on the territorial integrity, sovereignty of Ukraine and the return of all imprisoned and deported children.

Economist Volodymyr Landa warns that the government will be tempted to put a "noose" on business by suddenly raising taxes to increase budget revenues. Therefore, businesses should be prepared for a possible tax increase.

MPs from the Agrarian Committee expressed doubts about the corruption case against Minister Mykola Solsky, calling him a professional and suggesting political persecution, and some MPs even hinted that the case was fabricated.

The Ministry of Defense plans to introduce an "electronic queue" for visiting military commissariats and launch the "Electronic Office of the Conscript" app by May 18 to address the problem of long queues caused by the new mobilization law requiring personal data to be updated.

The Center for Countering Disinformation denies reports of the resignation of Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov as false information.

The draft law on the "white business club" by Danylo Hetmantsev, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's tax committee, was criticized as a manual for milking businesses that are not on the privileged "white list," creating a favorable environment for corruption and discrimination against those who are not members.

Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise conducts comprehensive examinations, including biological and trace evidence studies, to detect smuggled cigarettes and counterfeit products of well-known brands.

Journalists will have access to cover parliamentary sessions in the Verkhovna Rada with additional accreditation and security checks, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The case of Minister Solsky”: NABU urged to announce the fate of ATO soldiers who received land allegedly owned by the National Academy of Sciences.

The creation of the Unified Database of Tobacco Product Samples by the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute may become an additional tool in the fight against the shadow cigarette market, allowing to quickly determine the origin of a cigarette pack and strengthening the expert capacity in the fight against illicit trafficking of tobacco products.

The UN Human Rights Committee has recognized that Russia's imposition of Russian citizenship on residents of occupied Crimea constitutes ethnic discrimination and a violation of human rights, including arbitrary detention of Ukrainians, their illegal transfer to Russia to serve their sentences, and the forced imposition of Russian citizenship.

The Cabinet of Ministers has authorized the State Emergency Service to provide paid services for the certification of mine action operators, creating a market environment for the involvement of the private sector in humanitarian demining to clear Ukraine of mine debris as soon as possible.

The Cabinet of Ministers authorized the ARMA to purchase military bonds worth UAH 1. 7 billion using funds from seized assets.

The Moldovan Parliament will consider a resolution condemning the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children by russia and the need for their speedy return home, as agreed during a meeting between the Vice Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Olena Kondratyuk and the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament Igor Grosu.

The government responded that allowing Russian prisoners of war to make phone calls fulfills an important informational function, providing Russians with objective information that could increase the number of prisoners of war.

The idea to eliminate the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the suspicion of Solsky - experts hint at a strange coincidence.

Four Russian servicemen from Buryatia have been notified of suspicion of torturing civilians in Kyiv region during the temporary occupation of Bucha district.

According to CASE Ukraine senior economist Volodymyr Dubrovsky, the draft law on the “white business club” proposed by Danylo Hetmantsev is aimed at dividing entrepreneurs and undermining their efforts to reform the tax system.

Stefanchuk met with Polish MPs to discuss military support, Zelenskyy's Peace Formula, Ukraine's path to the EU and NATO, and post-war reconstruction.