Travel, property, and local info for Ukraine

1+ min ago (1594+ words) Many in Ukraine expect a power vacuum after the departure of Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, from the presidential office " but why is it such a big deal? Two days before peace talks with the US, Ukraine found itself without a delegation head. The resignation of the Presidential Office's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, came as a surprise to Ukrainian society and the political establishment. He stepped down just two days before he was expected to lead Ukraine's negotiating team in the United States. On Thursday, Dec. 4, President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled he would soon appoint a replacement for Yermak. Government sources told Ukrainska Pravda that First Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov (who also serves as minister of digital transformation) and Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal (formerly the prime minister) are among the leading contenders. However, other sources told Kyiv Post…...

34+ min ago (173+ words) Ukraine's state budget for 2026 allocates UAH 298.8 billion for the Ministry of Education and Science. "The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted the state budget for 2026. The document provides for a substantial expansion of investment in human capital: UAH 298.8 billion is earmarked for education and science, UAH 85.4 billion more than in 2025," the ministry said. Another UAH 19.9 billion is earmarked for science, including nearly UAH 3 billion for baseline funding of universities and research institutions based on the results of state certification; UAH 998 million for centers of excellence; UAH 100 million for a new applied research competition in partnership with business; and UAH 300 million for competitive research programs. "Education and science remain among the state's key priorities in 2026. The increased funding underscores that Ukraine continues to invest in human potential, technological strength and future resilience, the foundation of our victory and development," the ministry…...

40+ min ago (314+ words) The second career guidance hub in Kyiv region as part of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project has been opened in Brovary, the first such space has been launched in Vasylkiv, Head of Kyiv Regional Military Administration Mykola Kalashnyk said on Friday. Second career guidance hub opened in Kyiv region as part of DECIDE " authorities The second career guidance hub in Kyiv region as part of the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project has been opened in Brovary, the first such space has been launched in Vasylkiv, Head of Kyiv Regional Military Administration Mykola Kalashnyk said on Friday. The event was held with the participation of the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine Felix Baumann. "Thanks to grant support in the amount of UAH 4.527 million, the hub has been equipped with a modern space with seven practical stations, where young people can try…...

47+ min ago (541+ words) By ILLIA NOVIKOV, Associated Press U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were set to meet Thursday in Miami with a Ukrainian delegation but there was no official confirmation whether the meeting took place. Those scheduled talks came after discussions between President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. envoys at the Kremlin on Tuesday. Previous diplomatic attempts to break the deadlock have come to nothing and the nearly four-year war has continued unabated. Officials largely have kept a lid on how the latest talks are going, though Trump's initial 28-point plan was leaked. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country's delegation in Miami wanted to hear from the U.S. side about the talks at the Kremlin. Zelenskyy, as well as European leaders backing him, have repeatedly accused Putin of stalling in peace talks while the Russian army tries…...

51+ min ago (281+ words) The base, located on the French peninsular of Ile Longue, is used to store France's four nuclear ballistic submarines. French authorities believe the incident was "intended to alarm the public." The French military launched anti-drone measures after detecting five unauthorized drones flying over a base housing nuclear ballistic submarines in northwestern France on Thursday. The base, located on the peninsular of Ile Longue off the coast of Brittany, is used to store France's four nuclear ballistic submarines, according to AFP. The Atlantic Maritime Prefecture, a French government department, is responsible for protecting this part of the coast. Its spokesperson, Guillaume Le Rasle, told AFP that sensitive infrastructure was not threatened, but that the drone violation was "intended to alarm the public." As per AFP and Le Monde, a counter-drone and search operation was launched. The marine rifle battalion responsible for…...

1+ hour ago (232+ words) President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy heard a report by Head of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Maliuk, on the results of the service in countering the Russian occupiers and collaborators. Maliuk reports to Zelenskyy on SBU results in countering Russian occupiers President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy heard a report by Head of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Maliuk, on the results of the service in countering the Russian occupiers and collaborators. "Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Maliuk reported on the results of the service in countering the Russian occupiers and collaborators. It is important that the Security Service of Ukraine remains as accurate as possible in our long-range operations and the destruction of Russian logistics," Zelenskyy said in his Telegram channel on Friday. He also reported on the development of formats…...

1+ hour, 16+ min ago (500+ words) The Danish government plans to nearly halve the amount of assistance it will provide to Ukraine next year, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR, Danmarks Radio) reported. "In a response to an inquiry from the Defense Committee, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated that next year Denmark will provide DKK 9.4 billion. Last year we provided DKK 16.5 billion, and the year before that almost DKK 19 billion," the report said. In 2023, a broad parliamentary majority agreed to create the Ukraine Fund, a financial framework defining Denmark's support for Ukraine. To date, Denmark has provided more than DKK 70 billion in military aid. Denmark currently ranks as the country providing Ukraine with the largest support relative to GDP. Therefore, according to Social Democratic defense spokesperson Simon Kollerup, it is "natural" for support to decrease. "We decided to be one of the countries that provided the…...

1+ hour, 32+ min ago (294+ words) Ukraine's central bank has appointed Volodymyr Lepushynskyi as the new deputy governor to lead the Monetary Stability division, overseeing interest rates, money supply, and macroeconomic policy. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has appointed Volodymyr Lepushynskyi as its new deputy governor, assigning him to lead the bank's Monetary Stability division. Lepushynskyi is set to assume the role on Dec. 8. As the deputy responsible for monetary policy, he will oversee the NBU's tools to control the money supply, including adjusting interest rates, managing reserve requirements, and conducting open market operations. "The foundation of effective monetary policy is a deep understanding of economic processes, the ability to anticipate risks, and the capacity to make decisions that maintain stability even in the most turbulent times," NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyi was quoted as saying in the press release. The NBU Board comprises seven members:…...

1+ hour, 42+ min ago (336+ words) A Kyiv court has refused to release an anti-corruption detective who has been accused of treason and passing confidential data to a Yanukovych-era guard linked to Russian agents. A Kyiv district court on Friday denied a request to release Ukrainian anti-corruption detective Viktor Husarov from pre-trial detention. Husarov, a member of the now-disbanded "D-2" unit from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), is accused of state treason and unauthorized interference in electronic systems, according to a Suspilne correspondent reporting from the courtroom. Investigators allege that between 2012 and 2015, Husarov transferred confidential data from the Interior Ministry's restricted ARMOR database to Dmytro Ivantsov, a former bodyguard to ex-President Viktor Yanukovych and an officer with the State Guard Department. Prosecutors say Husarov continued providing information even after Ivantsov fled to Russian-occupied Crimea in 2014. Husarov's defense argues that he believed he was sharing data…...

2+ hour, 12+ min ago (245+ words) Ukraine has called on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to bolster international mechanisms that protect food security during wartime and to hold Russia accountable for using hunger as a weapon, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture said following a meeting of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development in Paris on Thursday. Vysotsky drew attention to humanitarian programs such as Grain from Ukraine, which has already assisted roughly 20 million people in the most vulnerable regions of Africa and Asia. "Today international food security is not only an economic issue but a matter of survival. Russia is deliberately using hunger as a weapon by destroying Ukraine's agricultural and energy infrastructure. Such actions threaten millions of people far beyond Ukraine's borders," the deputy minister said. The committee adopted a resolution entitled "Ensuring Sustainable Food Security…...