Contents tagged with Verkhovna Rada

  • Ukraine passes law to limit oligarchs’ influence

    The Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, adopted a "law on oligarchs", submitted to parliament by the President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    Parliamentarians approved the law "On Prevention of Threats to National Security Related to the Excessive Influence of Persons who have Significant Economic or Political Weight in Public Life (Oligarchs)” in the second reading. It was supported by 279 out of 450 deputies, 54 opposed, 27 abstained.

    "The purpose of this law is to overcome the conflict of …

  • Washington: Russian puppets still sit in Ukrainian Parliament

    There are still Russian puppets in the Ukrainian Parliament, and Kremlin’s anti-Western narratives are being spread in the Ukrainian media, stated the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine. Kristina A. Kvien, Liga.net reports.

    "Ukraine is currently fighting Russia's aggression on many fronts: the occupation and the attempt to annex Crimea, supported by the conflict in the Donbas. There are also cyberattacks and misinformation spread from the territory of the Russian Federation and through Russia’s …

  • Ukrainian Media: Saakashvili is trying to convince MPs to approve his candidacy for deputy prime minister

    Georgia's third president Mikheil Saakashvili expressed confidence that the majority of Ukrainian MPs will support his appointment as deputy prime minister. The politician places special hope on the "Servants of the People" faction, as it was President Volodymyr Zelensky who offered him this position. The ex-president explained the reluctance of the majority of representatives of the presidential political force to vote for him by the effect of surprise and "confusion" of deputies.

    "I believe …

  • Ukrainian Parliament approves resignation of Prime Minister Honcharuk

    Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has dismissed Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk. The decision was supported by 353 MPs during an extraordinary session of the Parliament.

    In his final statement, Honcharuk said that a lot of dirt has been poured recently on his team for their actions, but his government "did not steal and systematically fought against corruption from the beginning to the end".

    He also noted that during his work he did not receive any illegal orders from …

  • Ukraine offers water for Crimea in exchange for Russia’s concessions in Donbas

    Ukraine could resume the water supply to Crimea in exchange for concessions in the negotiations on the Donbas, said Servant of the People party leader Davyd Arakhamia to the Verkhovna Rada, as broadcast by the TV channel Pryamiy.

    “If we give water to Crimea, we will have a big advantage in the negotiations on the Donbas – that’s my personal position, I’d consider it an adequate compromise,” said the MP. He said that Kyiv could send water to the occupied peninsula if the Russians “withdraw to …

  • Ukrainian MPs form coalition to reclaim Russian Kuban region

    13 members of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, have created an interparty coalition called “Kuban”. The new group will work on the return of Ukrainian ethnic territories and ethnic Ukrainians to the cultural and social field, MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, elected head of the union, wrote on Facebook.

    “First and foremost, we will work on Kuban. But other regions that are densely inhabited by Ukrainians will also be under our close attention,” Honcharenko wrote.

    The MP also published a copy …

  • Ukraine abolishes parliamentary immunity

    Today, September 3, the Ukrainian Parliament approved the removal of parliamentary immunity provision from the Ukrainian Constitution.

    373 Ukrainian MPs voted in favor of the bill. The bill comes into force on January 1, 2020.

    The entire faction “Opposition Platform — For Life” refused to vote for the bill.

    Before the vote, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky spoke from the podium and called on the parliamentarians to complete the process of abolishing the parliamentary immunity. He …

  • Russia classifies all data on economic activity in Crimea

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told the Glavcom news agency that Russia has now classified all information on economic activity in Crimea.

    “[The Russian authorities in Crimea] have even classified all data on economic activity within Crimea. I understand that many people who held different positions there in 2014 have now realized that all the people who do something there are paratroopers from Russia,” the Ukrainian diplomat remarked.

    He believes that maintaining internal stability …

  • Kyiv: Ukraine will not invite PACE observers to parliamentary elections

    Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy canceled the invitation for members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to observe the early parliamentary elections in Ukraine, reports the head of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE Vladimir Aryev.

    Earlier, Ukrainian Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs recommended the Verkhovna Rada to suspend the participation of permanent Ukrainian delegation in the PACE.

    Earlier, PACE removed all restrictions from the …

  • Russian Defense Ministry to shoot 'truthful film' on annexation of Crimea

    Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to create its own film studio in the “Patriot” park near Moscow, where it will shoot a “truthful film”, Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu told the Russian TV channel Zvezda in an interview.

    “We want there to be a good, truthful film, and that is why we have begun and, I think, will soon make that very film studio, film center, where we will shoot the film. Incidentally, it will be here, in the Patriot park, and in various areas in Moscow,” the minister said.

    Among …