Political news from Kyiv region, government decisions and Ukraine politics
A 58-year-old Dmitry Vasilchenkov killed six people on the streets of Kyiv with officially registered firearms. The tragedy exposed a loophole in the licensing system: a person with a criminal record obtained a rifle.
The Trump administration reinstated permission to purchase Russian oil just two days after publicly promising not to do so. Democratic senators called the decision "shameful" and claimed that Putin is "playing Trump for a fool."
# Translation: On July 10, in Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, counterintelligence officer Ivan Voronych was killed. Five pistol shots, two mercenaries from abroad — and according to Butusov's data, neither of them had a chance of surviving according to the organizers' plan.
NATO support has fallen the most sharply among all institutions — by 21.9 percentage points over six months. Meanwhile, attitudes toward China have more than doubled. This is not disillusionment with the idea — it is a bill for specific actions.
Lviv Territorial Recruitment Center confirmed an incident in Yavoriv. The National Police classified the event as a criminal offense — a proceeding has been opened.
# English Translation On April 17, Tehran announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz as part of a ceasefire. On April 18, the IRGC reported that it had "restored control to its previous state" — citing the continuation of the American blockade of Iranian ports. Trump had warned in advance: the blockade will remain until a deal is signed.
# Russian State Duma Approves Bill Allowing Putin to Send Military Abroad to "Protect" Russians from Foreign Courts The State Duma has passed legislation that would permit President Putin to deploy troops beyond Russia's borders to "protect" Russians from foreign judicial proceedings. Political analysts view the measure not as a humanitarian provision, but rather as legal cover for future military interventions—particularly in the Baltic states.
# Governor of Leningrad Region Confirms Strike on Vysotsk Port — One of Russia's Key Baltic Infrastructure Hubs Comes Under Fire The Governor of Leningrad Region confirmed an attack on the Vysotsk port, one of the key nodes of Russia's Baltic infrastructure, which came under fire.
The head of the Presidential Office acknowledged that over the past six months, Ukraine has been meeting only the minimum recruitment threshold, while Russia has already completed its annual recruitment plan for 2025 — 403,000 people — ahead of schedule.
The EU Defense Commissioner proposed an intergovernmental agreement that bypasses vetoes in existing EU treaties. France, Germany, and Belgium are already objecting — and their position will determine whether the proposal becomes an agreement.
Moldova has declared the commander of Russian troops in Transnistria and five of his subordinates as persona non grata. If they attempt to cross the Dniester River or depart through Chisinau, they will be detained and deported.
After Syrsky's report on Russian military regrouping, Zelensky warned: activation in Belarus is not accidental, but the Kremlin's logic with allies is already known from the examples of Maduro and Assad.
Trump announced that the US will remove Iranian nuclear "dust" for free, while Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. The details of the mechanisms for implementing both agreements remain an open question.
# English Translation The Ministry of Defense has not yet formalized the idea of transferring the functions of forced delivery of draft dodgers to the National Police even in the form of a draft law — but the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already publicly declined to accept it. The conflict between the two agencies reveals a deeper problem: who and under what conditions should carry out the most unpopular part of mobilization.
Orban's defeat removes one of the Kremlin's key levers in the European Union, but does not eliminate the problem itself: Russia may shift its networks of influence to other countries with a "Soviet legacy."
Araghchi announced full opening of the Strait of Hormuz as part of ceasefire, but actual shipping traffic remains collapsed: instead of 130+ vessels per day — nine. There is a ceasefire, but no enforcement mechanism.
# Russian Defense Ministry Lists Ukrainian Drone Suppliers as Potential Targets The Russian Ministry of Defense has released a list of 11 companies across 12 countries that it claims manufacture drones for Ukraine. Two of the companies are Czech. Dmitry Medvedev openly called the list "potential targets for Russian armed forces." The Czech Republic responded by summoning the Russian ambassador, but the question of the EU's broader response remains unclear.
The Obolonsky Court has handed down a suspended sentence to Yaryna Aryeva, rejecting charges of driving under the influence of drugs. The prosecution had requested 6.5 years in prison and disagrees with the verdict.
The United States has imposed a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following failed negotiations in Islamabad. However, behind the scenes, Washington is prepared for concessions, according to Politico, because without them there will be no deal.
Hanno Pevkur openly acknowledged: without the American security umbrella, Europe is currently vulnerable. But this frankness raises an uncomfortable question about the pace of its own defense efforts.
Deputy Head of Military Intelligence Vadym Skibytskyi told Financial Times that Moscow is already deploying its strategic reserve to the front — and this, in his view, speaks louder than any negotiating rhetoric.
The Czech initiative has already supplied Ukraine with nearly a million shells in 2025 and could reach 1.8 million by year's end — but its future depends on elections in Czechia this autumn.
Hungary's new prime minister wants to diversify oil supplies, but cannot do so immediately. That is why both Brussels and Kyiv appear willing to give Budapest time — through the repaired pipeline.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed on a 10-day ceasefire beginning at 11 p.m. on April 16 Kyiv time. Hezbollah, which has been conducting an actual war, was not involved in the negotiations — and this is the key question for any forecasts.
After the destruction of the "Moskva," withdrawal from Sevastopol, and a series of strikes on Novorossiysk, the Russian Black Sea Fleet has lost its ability to operate as a fleet — and now functions mainly as a carrier of missiles for strikes on land.
Kyiv and Amsterdam signed a defense cooperation agreement with an emphasis on unmanned aircraft. Details are inside, with more questions than answers so far.
# Ukrainian Drone Forces Strike Russian Black Sea Fleet Supply Center in Sevastopol Ukraine's unmanned systems have struck the 758th Material and Technical Supply Center of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol — a facility whose destruction undermines the fleet's operational capabilities. According to military expert Ivan Kyryshevsky, the successful strike demonstrates systematic degradation of Russian air defense systems over Crimea.
Moscow itself announced an Easter ceasefire — and violated it thousands of times. Now Kyiv wants the Security Council to document this publicly, even though there is no enforcement mechanism there.
Sweden's Defense Chief Michael Claesson has warned that Moscow could occupy a Baltic island—not to hold it, but to test whether the Alliance will respond at all. The scenario is simple, and the vulnerability is real.
Over three years, the number of attacks on military recruitment center employees has increased from 5 to 341 per year. Most cases have stalled at the pre-trial investigation stage, while courts that do issue verdicts more often choose suspended sentences.