This week, the composition of the Cabinet of Ministers in Ukraine changed, the European Union imposed the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, and the Rada ratified the agreement on the establishment of the Special Tribunal.
Babel has collected the main news of the week to keep you up to date.
Ratification of the agreement establishing the Special Tribunal
On July 15, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the Agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
On the same day, Zelensky signed the corresponding bill.
Government reshuffle
The Verkhovna Rada dismissed the government of Denys Shmyhal on July 16. The very next day, Yulia Svyrydenko became the new prime minister.
Also on July 17, the Verkhovna Rada approved the new composition of the government. In particular, Shmyhal became the Minister of Defense Oleksiy Kuleba — the Minister of Development of Communities and Territories, and Herman Halushchenko — the Minister of Justice.
In addition, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna has become the Presidential Envoy for Development of Cooperation with the United States. She will hold this position until her appointment as Ambassador to the United States.
New sanctions against Russia
The European Union has adopted its 18th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting 14 people and 41 organizations. The sanctions target the energy and banking sectors, the military industry, and enterprises in Belarus and China.
In particular, the EU lowered the ceiling price for Russian crude oil from $60 to $47.6 per barrel. The bloc also completely banned any transactions related to “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2”.
The United Kingdom also imposed sanctions at the same time as the EU. Three units of Russiaʼs GRU and 18 Russian military personnel and agents were subject to restrictions.
Usyk defeated Dubois
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk defeated Briton Daniel Dubois by knockout and regained the title of absolute world heavyweight champion. The fight ended early — in the fifth round.
Fatal road accident in Kyiv
Late in the evening of July 19, prosecutorʼs office employee Andriy Molochny hit a woman on the sidewalk with his car and fled the scene. The accident was caught on camera.
On July 20, it became known that the victim died in the hospital, and that Molochny himself was drunk at the time of the accident. He was declared a suspect.
Zelensky imposed new sanctions
On July 20, President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions on five people by the National Security and Defense Council for subversive information campaigns.
The following were subject to restrictions: Russian "military officer" Tatyana Aksyonenko, Ukrainian businessman Hennadii Balashov, former MP Natalia Korolevska, Russian journalist Yulia Latynina, and blogger Andriy Serebryansky, better known as Andriy Luhansky.
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