Author’s articles
Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina have agreed to introduce a ‘transport visa-free regime’ for freight transport. From 1 January 2027, bilateral and transit freight transport between the two countries will be carried out without permits.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, in Kyiv. Ukraine is expanding its use of artificial intelligence, combat data and technological solutions to counter Russian drones and plan operations.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has tightened her personal control over the work of the EU’s executive body, but is increasingly facing discontent in Brussels and the capitals of member states. According to Bloomberg, some officials and diplomats believe that excessive centralisation of decision-making is hampering the EU’s key economic priorities.
Ukrposhta has launched a cashless payment service using bank cards in all areas of Ukraine with mobile coverage. The company also plans to introduce cash withdrawals and bank card top-ups by the end of June 2026, and subsequently apply for a banking licence for ‘Ukrposhta.Bank’.
The International Modern Pentathlon Federation is lifting restrictions on Belarusian athletes following a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee to restore Belarus’s full status in international sport. As early as June, Belarusian athletes will be able to compete in individual and team events as representatives of their country.
In May, Ukrainians may have received a smaller housing subsidy because the payment was for April, and for that month the heating season is only taken into account up to 15 April. The Pension Fund explained that this effectively amounts to 15 days’ worth of payments.
The 26th selection round for the preferential mortgage scheme for internally displaced persons will take place. It is scheduled for 14 May 2026 at 3.00 pm, and successful applicants will be able to secure a loan at an annual interest rate of 3% for a term of up to 30 years.
The repair of the new treatment and diagnostic wing at Okhmatdyt, which was damaged by a Russian strike on 8 July 2024, has reached its final stage. Work began almost a year after the attack – following a scandal surrounding the first tender, the annulment of its results, and a re-tender via Prozorro.
Ukraine may be set to change the system of police pay. The Verkhovna Rada has backed a bill that sets a minimum basic salary for law enforcement officers at no less than 10 times the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons. In 2026, this amounts to 33,280 UAH.
Following the scandal involving the Khmelnytskyi Medical and Social Examination Commission, the disability categories of dozens of prosecutors were revoked or amended. However, more than 30 prosecutors have already challenged the results of the reviews at the Khmelnytskyi District Administrative Court, and more than half of them have had their appeals upheld.
An indictment has been filed against nine members of a criminal organisation who, according to the investigation, set up a scheme at a private university in Zaporizhzhia to falsely enrol men liable for military service into postgraduate programmes. Through this scheme, nearly 3,500 men of conscription age were illegally registered as “postgraduate students”, and around 3,000 were granted grounds for deferment from mobilisation.
The European Union may delay the first tranche of financial aid for Ukraine from the €90 billion loan until early June. According to sources in European diplomatic circles, negotiations on the Memorandum of Understanding between Ukraine and the EU have already been concluded, but the document has yet to be approved.
