Political news from Kyiv region, government decisions and Ukraine politics
Former judge Alexei Tandir, who is already being tried for a fatal drunk driving accident at a checkpoint, is now suspected of organizing a criminal group that seized five apartments of deceased persons through forged debt lawsuits and compliant state bailiffs.
The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council held talks with Vance and Kushner on three tracks: prisoners of war, a peace format, and Drone Deals. The result was agreed-upon frameworks, rather than specific commitments.
# SBU Suspects Former Lawmaker of Justifying and Denying Russian Aggression: What This Means Legally and Why Murayev's Case Matters Beyond One Person The Security Service of Ukraine has opened a case against a former member of parliament, accusing him of justifying and denying Russian aggression. This investigation raises important questions about the legal framework behind such charges and the broader implications for Ukrainian society and rule of law during wartime. The case centers on allegations that the former lawmaker publicly made statements that either justified Russia's military actions or denied that Russian aggression was taking place—positions that contradict Ukraine's official position and the widely documented evidence of the invasion. Under Ukrainian law, such conduct can constitute a criminal offense, particularly under legislation designed to protect national security and prevent the spread of pro-Russian propaganda. What makes this case significant extends beyond the individual involved. It reflects Ukraine's efforts to enforce laws protecting the integrity of public discourse during an existential conflict, while simultaneously raising questions about the balance between national security and freedom of expression. The case serves as a test of how Ukraine's legal system applies such laws and whether safeguards exist to prevent abuse. This situation underscores broader concerns about maintaining democratic principles while defending against information warfare—a central component of Russia's campaign against Ukraine.
Finland's President Calls on Europe to Act Independently — Before Washington Assigns It a Seat at the Negotiating Table. But Five Key EU Countries Have Yet to Agree Even on the Format.
Hungary had blocked Ukraine's European integration for years over a list of 11 demands regarding minority rights. Orbán is gone — but the list remains. Now Sybiga publicly states that Kyiv has a "package of proposals."
Court hearings in Lviv are being postponed due to the lawyer's illness, the defendant's hunger strike, and his attempted suicide — but the prosecutor's office refuses to publicly assess whether this constitutes deliberate delays.
The Security Service of Ukraine reports Moscow's plans to increase its presence in Africa by 12,000 personnel by year-end. Behind the figures lies a systemic strategy, not merely military expansion.
A state visit to China on May 14-15 is not diplomatic courtesy, but an attempt to force Xi Jinping to choose between Iranian oil and American markets. Beijing is currently choosing both.
Incidents in Odesa region are not isolated failures but part of a trend: in 2025, attacks on territorial recruitment center workers have been recorded twice as many as in the three previous years combined.
Negotiations between Ukraine and the United States are resuming after Washington became consumed by a Middle East crisis since the end of February. Zelenskyy has outlined three tasks for the delegation — but the key issue of security guarantees is not on the list.
Armenia's Prime Minister publicly distances himself from Moscow on the war against Ukraine — amid the European Political Community summit in Yerevan and a month before parliamentary elections where neutrality carries concrete stakes.
# Survey: Record Support for Union Among Romanians, While Moldova Shows Opposite Trend An INSCOP Research poll registers record-high support for union among Romania's population. Meanwhile, the situation in Moldova presents the opposite picture — and this is precisely what makes these figures politically irrelevant without a Moldovan referendum.
From midnight on May 6, Russia attacks Ukraine with drones, missiles and air bombs — despite the ceasefire announced by Kyiv. Zelenskyy calls this "long-range sanctions in response," but the deterrence mechanism remains unclear so far.
SBU drones have struck one of Russia's largest oil refineries for the second time — a facility that processes 13 million tons of oil annually and supplies fuel to the Russian military. This is no random target 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine.
# Translation: A drone operator from the 155th Brigade organized an unauthorized hazing incident in Dnipro on May 1st, beating a serviceman into unconsciousness and binding his hands with zip ties — then evaded authorities for several days. He is suspected under Part 2 of Article 406 of the Criminal Code, with the investigation also documenting unauthorized absence from his unit.
Luxembourg MEP Fernand Cartaizer sent invitations to colleagues for a meeting with State Duma deputies on June 3 on the sidelines of the SPIEF — despite having already been stripped of his ECR group membership due to such contacts.
Tisza Party's victory changed Hungary's government, but not public sentiment: only 12% of Magyar voters support military aid to Ukraine, while the majority, even among opposition supporters, oppose Kyiv's EU membership.
Negotiations between Kyiv and Washington have been ongoing for months and each time conclude "constructively" — without any binding results. What is actually on the table and why "progress" has not yet gone beyond statements.
Ukraine could become the first post-socialist country with legal private military companies — but the bill in Parliament has stalled over constitutional contradictions even before a presidential push.
# Government Gradually Lifts Restrictions on Female Officials' Foreign Travel The government is gradually removing restrictions on female state officials' travel abroad. Following local deputies in autumn 2025, the restrictions are now being lifted for a broader circle of civil servants. The logic behind this approach is based on separating "replaceable" positions from those critical to the functioning of the state apparatus.
From May 1 to 5, Russia struck 14 regions of Ukraine — there are civilian casualties in each one. The UN monitoring mission says that the combination of scale and geography causes "particular concern."
On May 5, six cities in western Ukraine set temperature records, some breaking marks that stood for over 70 years. The anomaly is not random: May 2025 has already become the second warmest May in global observation history.
Artem Revenskyi, nicknamed Digit, a member of the Kremlin-backed group Sector16, has reached a plea agreement with investigators. Case materials document for the first time how financing of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure was combined with ordinary criminal fraud.
# European Commission Freezes Three-Year Grant to Venice Biennale Over Russia's Return to Exhibition The European Commission has frozen a three-year grant to the Venice Biennale following the exhibition's decision to allow Russia to participate for the first time since 2022. The issue is no longer cultural in nature: it concerns whether an institution financed by EU taxpayers can serve a state structure of a country under sanctions.
Two Chinese citizens have been held in Ukrainian captivity for a year now, Russia is not taking them, China officially does not acknowledge the problem — and now asks Kyiv to comply with international law regarding people whom China itself called "adventurous individuals."
The European Union has promised to increase defense spending to €800 billion per year, but a quarter of defense industry engineers are nearing retirement, while young people are moving into IT. EUROMIL President Emmanuel Jacobs has called this a pan-European crisis that governments prefer to ignore.
Germany's Chancellor Publicly Links Ukraine's EU Accession to Possible Loss of Territory for the First Time. What Stands Behind This Statement — Realism or Pressure?
A private company received billion-hryvnia contracts from the Defense Ministry and National Guard for years while simultaneously operating a network of shell companies managed by residents of the occupied "DNR." Seven suspects have been remanded into custody without bail.
GUR Reveals Characteristics of New Cruise Missile Kh-71K "Kovyor": Electronics from Seven Countries, Range Up to 300 km, Warhead – OFAB-250 Aerial Bomb. Next Step – Launch from S-70 Stealth Drone.
The scandal involving the 14th Brigade is only the second similar case in 1.5 years of the ombudsman's office operation. However, a parallel investigation has revealed that a fighter from another unit spent 502 days on the frontline without rotation.