Travel, property, and local info for Ukraine

3+ min ago (430+ words) On Thursday, December 18, at 12, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Reintegration of Ukrainians: Cultural, Identity and Socio-Economic Aspects of Return," carried out with the support of the Hans Seidel Foundation Representative Office in Kyiv. Participants: President of the Razumkov Center Yuriy Yakymenko, expert on social and economic policy, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine (2016 - 2019). Pavlo Rozenko, leading expert on social and gender programs of the Razumkov Center Olha Pyshchulina, deputy director of the sociological service of the Razumkov Center Mykhailo Mishchenko, freelance expert on social issues (Berlin) Oleksandra Kolomyets and labor market analysis expert, Solidarity Fund PL Mykola Sudakov (8/5a Reitarska Street). The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Ukraine YouTube channel. Admission requires registration on the spot with press ID cards. Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'Reintegration of Ukrainians: Cultural, Identity and Socio-Economic…...

6+ min ago (227+ words) Ukrainian Defense Forces are holding back the enemy's onslaught and have repelled 68 Russian assaults over the past 24 hours, stopping 43 attacks on the Pokrovsk axis, the East Group of Forces said on Tuesday. . "On the Pokrovsk axis, our defenders stopped 43 attacks by the aggressor. "The enemy is trying to infiltrate the northern part of the city, using fog. These attempts are being blocked, the enemy is being destroyed," the message on Telegram said. According to information, the situation in the Myrnohrad area remains difficult, Ukrainian units continue to fulfill assigned tasks and hold their lines. "The enemy is actively shelling Myrnohrad with the help of aerial-guided bombs (KABs). The enemy is conducting intensive assault operations, trying to penetrate and gain a foothold in the southeastern outskirts of the city. The defense forces are destroying the enemy's assault groups using all available…...

15+ min ago (286+ words) On the night of December 8, Special Operations Forces (SOF) fighters launched a strike on a drone storage area in Donetsk and a fuel and lubricants warehouse in the temporarily occupied Luhansk region. Special Operations Forces strike enemy drone and fuel depots in Donetsk and Luhansk regions On the night of December 8, Special Operations Forces (SOF) fighters launched a strike on a drone storage area in Donetsk and a fuel and lubricants warehouse in the temporarily occupied Luhansk region. "In the town of Donetsk, Special Operations Forces drones struck a UAV depot belonging to the 9th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (51st Army). The depot contained a significant number of tactical-level reconnaissance and attack UAVs, as well as their combat parts. In Luhansk region, in the town of Semeykyne, an enemy Yug fuel and lubricants depot was struck. As a result of the strike,…...

22+ min ago (237+ words) The establishment of the Federation of Insurance Associations of Ukraine is another clear demonstration of the effective transformation of the market, as large foreign companies now feel more comfortable operating alongside local players, understanding who stands behind them and what their financial performance is, Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Andriy Pyshnyy said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. "We not only assess but fully support such trends and want to see them across all segments with which the National Bank interacts. Synergy is an important element of high-quality communication between the market and the regulator and, at the same time, the foundation for creating equal conditions in the market for all participants," he said. According to Pyshnyy, the market is ready to implement a new philosophy of interaction based on mutual respect and trust. The remaining market players understand…...

31+ min ago (175+ words) Russia is spreading violence, chaos, destabilization, looting, and cruelty in every corner it sets foot in, noted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, commenting on media reports of Russian atrocities in Mali. He called for international legal action against war criminals and for African governments to refrain from any cooperation with Russia. Russia is spreading violence, chaos, destabilization, looting, and cruelty in every corner it sets foot in, noted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, commenting on media reports of Russian atrocities in Mali. He called for international legal action against war criminals and for African governments to refrain from any cooperation with Russia. "Rape, torture, looting, extrajudicial killings, and inhuman violence against ordinary people. All of the awful atrocities that the Russians are committing in Ukraine, they are also committing in Mali and other African states. The label may be different'Wagner,…...

41+ min ago (186+ words) Ukraine has officially been invited to become an associate member of the Working Group on Bribery of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in International Business Transactions, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka has said. Ukraine has officially been invited to become an associate member of the Working Group on Bribery of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in International Business Transactions, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka has said. "Ukraine has been officially invited to become an associate member of the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions and to join the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and International Commercial Transactions," Kachka wrote on X. According to the deputy prime minister, this represents recognition of…...

46+ min ago (279+ words) During an audience with Pope Leo XIV, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefed him on his diplomatic work and invited him to visit Ukraine. Zelenskyy invites Pope to visit Ukraine During an audience with Pope Leo XIV, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefed him on his diplomatic work and invited him to visit Ukraine. "During today's audience with His Holiness, I thanked him for his constant prayers for Ukraine and for the Ukrainian people, as well as for his calls for a just peace. I informed the Pope about diplomatic efforts with the United States to achieve peace," Zelenskyy said on X. The parties discussed further efforts and the Vatican's mediation to return Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. "Thank you for this conversation and for all the attention given to our people. I invited the Pope to visit Ukraine. This would be a…...

53+ min ago (143+ words) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb'n agreed during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo'an on Monday that T'rkiye would continue facilitating supplies of Russian gas to Hungary, Hungarian news agency MTI reported. At a press conference following talks with Erdo'an in Istanbul, Orb'n said the sides discussed cooperation in the energy sector. He recalled that Hungary had recently reached an agreement with the United States under which U.S. sanctions on Russian gas and oil would not apply to Hungary, after which Russia guaranteed continued supplies. "Today, an agreement was also reached with President Erdogan that the Turks will ensure the route for this," Orb'n said. The Hungarian prime minister added that this guarantee is a "serious matter" and may be necessary, given that 7.5 billion cubic meters of gas have already flowed to Hungary via T'rkiye this year alone....

58+ min ago (95+ words) US President Donald Trump stated the need to hold presidential elections in Ukraine. "They haven't had an election in a long time," the American leader said in an interview with Politico. Asked whether Kyiv needed to organize elections, Trump replied: "Yes, I think it's time." According to him, the people of Ukraine must have a choice. "And maybe Zelenskyy would win the election. I don't know who would win," he noted. "You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore," Trump added....

59+ min ago (635+ words) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday prepared to send the United States revised proposals to end the war started by Russia's February 2022 invasion, as he met with Pope Leo XIV in Italy. Zelensky on Monday held talks with European leaders in London and Brussels as US President Donald Trump keeps up pressure on Kyiv for a settlement. Trump has accused Zelensky of not even reading his administration's proposals. An initial version was judged by Ukraine's allies to be overly favourable to Russia. Zelensky said that Washington's earlier 28-point plan had been reduced to 20 points after US-Ukraine talks at the weekend. Ukrainian and European officials "are going to work on these 20 points, Zelensky told an online press conference on Monday. "We do not like everything that our partners came back with. Although this issue is not so much with the Americans…...