During the past week, Volodymyr Zelensky signed laws on the state budget for 2025 and on record tax increases. Meanwhile, the oppositionʼs attack on the governmentʼs army has begun in Syria, and in Georgia there are rallies against the governmentʼs decision to postpone negotiations on joining the EU.
Babel has rounded up the key events of recent days to keep you up-to-date.
The Law on the State Budget-2025 and the historic tax increase in Ukraine
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law No. 11416-d on the historic increase in taxes, for which parliamentarians voted on October 10. It is expected that the stateʼs income from taxes in 2025 will amount to 141 billion hryvnias.
In addition, Zelensky signed the law on the state budget for 2025. The state budget included record expenditures at the level of 3.94 trillion hryvnias. Of these, defense expenditures amount to 2.22 trillion hryvnias.
Elections in Georgia and the freezing of the countryʼs accession to the EU until 2028
The European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it did not recognize the parliamentary elections in Georgia held on October 26, 2024. MEPs called on Brussels to impose personal sanctions on Georgian officials who are considered responsible for "anti-democratic actions" and violations of voting rules.
Prime Minister of Georgia Iraklii Kobakhidze said that the country refuses to start negotiations with the European Union until the end of 2028. According to him, European politicians and bureaucrats use allocated grants and loans to blackmail Georgia.
After the governmentʼs statements, people went to rallies in Tbilisi and other cities. The security forces used water cannons against the activists and beat them, in response the protesters threw firecrackers at the law enforcement officers. Several dozen people were hospitalized.
The offensive of the Syrian opposition on Assadʼs forces
Armed clashes between the forces of the Syrian regime and the opposition military group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) began on November 27. The offensive was launched by the Syrian Revolutionary Forces in "response to months of continuous attacks on civilians" by the Assad regime in Aleppo province.
The governmentʼs army responded with rocket attacks on the enemy. Russian troops suffered losses during the fighting in Syria. Against this background, the Russian Federation changed the commander of forces in the region. A new general Oleksandr Chaika was appointed there.
Later, the media wrote thatAleppo was out of government control for the first time since the start of the military conflict that began more than a decade ago. In addition, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies reportedly seized Aleppo airport and dozens of nearby towns on November 30.
Russiaʼs attack on Ukraineʼs energy facilities on November 28
On the morning of November 28, the Russians hit Ukraine with missiles and UAVs. As a result of the attack, energy infrastructure facilities were damaged, and there were problems with electricity and water.
In particular, emergency shutdowns were introduced in Mykolaiv — there was no electricity for more than 30 hours. Zhytomyr was partially left without electricity. Civil infrastructure was damaged in the Sumy region. 523 000 customers remained without electricity in the Lviv region.
In the Rivne region, more than 600 settlements were cut off, and the water supply was disrupted. 280 000 people were left without electricity for some time. Critical infrastructure facilities were also hit in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
After massive strikes by Russia, a series of power outages were introduced across Ukraine.
Agreement between Israel and Hezbollah on a cease-fire in Lebanon
Israel and Hezbollah have officially signed a cease-fire agreement in Lebanon. It entered into force on November 27.
The US, France and allies have pledged to work with Israel and Lebanon to ensure the agreement is fully implemented. But US troops will not be involved, the US President Joe Biden said.
The ceasefire agreement in Lebanon obliges Israel to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army to deploy its forces in the region. They give 60 days for this. Hezbollah will end its armed presence along the border south of the Litani River.
Already on November 28, the Israeli military and the Hezbollah group accused each other of violating the agreements.
The court on the appeal of the nationalization of PrivatBank
The Commercial Court of Cassation as part of the Supreme Court confirmed the impossibility of returning the state-owned PrivatBank to its former owners and confirmed the legality of closing the proceedings on the claim of the bankʼs executor Ihor Kolomoiskyi and Triantal Investments LTD.
In this case, the plaintiffs, Kolomoiskyi and Triantal, a company registered in Cyprus, tried to challenge the agreement for the purchase of the bankʼs shares by the state and get back the bankʼs shares.
PrivatBank welcomed the courtʼs decision, noting that the case of Kolomoiskyi and the Triantal company carried significant risks for the stateʼs financial system.
Reform of MMCs in Ukraine
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine together with the Ministry of Health presented the reform of military medical commissions (MMCs), which will be implemented by November 2025. Its goal is to "change the outdated system".
Now it will not be necessary to go to the territorial recruit center (TRC) for the MMC (military medical commision). Conscripts will be able to independently choose the hospital where they will undergo a medical examination.
The reform will make it possible to divide the decision of the military medical commission into two separate sets of data — medical and administrative. Some specialists will conduct a medical examination for MMC, and others will analyze the anonymized results of these medical examinations.
Notre Dame opened after a five-year reconstruction
The Cathedral of Notre Dame opened in Paris — for the first time since the devastating fire of 2019. More than 1,300 builders and craftsmen from all over the world took part in the restoration of the cathedral. €700 million was spent on restoring the cathedral.
The cathedral will be officially opened on December 7. The heads of many states, specialists from which participated in the restoration, were invited to the ceremony. After that, Notre Dame will start receiving tourists and parishioners as usual.
The largest sanctions against the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation
Great Britain imposed sanctions against 30 ships of Russiaʼs shadow fleet, which over the past year transported oil and oil products worth billions of dollars.
In total, London has already imposed sanctions on 73 Russian oil tankers — more than any other country. The insurance companies "AlfaStrakhovanie" and VSK, which ensure the operation of the Russian fleet, also came under restrictions.
Income from the sale of oil is one of the key sources of Russian financing of the war in Ukraine. Sanctions against Russiaʼs shadow fleet are expected to weaken the Kremlinʼs war machine, clear shipping lanes of dangerous traffic and protect international trade.
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