The curfew for the winter holidays in Kyiv will be in effect as usual – from 00:00 to 05:00, the Kyiv City Military Administration’s telegram channel reported on Sunday.
“There will be no mass events in Kyiv on Christmas and New Year’s Day – no fairs, no celebrations. Such a decision was made by the Kyiv Defense Council,” the message says.
At the same time, a Christmas tree will be installed on St. Sophia Square in the center of Kyiv at the expense of patrons. Installation work is scheduled to begin on Sunday, December 3.
“The opening will be on December 6, St. Nicholas Day. The Christmas tree will be installed exclusively at the expense of patrons – without spending budget funds on the arrangement of the Christmas tree and electricity,” the military administration said.
Kyiv has returned to the ranking of the most expensive cities to live in, ranking 132nd out of 173, according to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
The report notes that in 2022, the Ukrainian capital was not included in the ranking due to Russian aggression, and in 2021 it ranked 118th. Due to the lack of data for 2022, prices in Kyiv were not included in the calculation of average inflation.
The World Cost of Living (WCOL) study was conducted by the EIU from August 14 to September 11, 2023, based on prices for the most commonly used goods and services. In the world’s largest cities, prices have risen by an average of 7.4% over the past year, in terms of local currencies. This is slightly slower than the 8.1% price increase in 2022, but significantly higher than the trends of 2017-2021.
Singapore and Zurich share the first and second places in terms of cost of living, while New York and Geneva take the third and fourth places. The top ten most expensive cities also include Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Paris, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv and San Francisco. Western Europe accounts for four of the top ten most expensive cities in the ranking, due to persistent inflation and rising food and clothing prices, along with the appreciation of the euro and the region’s currencies.
Damascus (Syria) remains the cheapest city in the world. The Russian cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg have seen the largest drops in their rankings – by 105 places to 142nd place and by 74 places to 147th place, respectively.
The EIU compares more than 400 price indicators for more than 200 products and services in 173 cities.
On Friday, December 1, special vehicles, emergency vehicles and bus service for passengers from the left bank to the right bank of the Podilsko-Voskresenskyi Bridge crossing were opened in Kyiv to ensure life support during martial law, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
“At the first stage, bus route No. 111 will operate here in the direction of the metro station “Square of Ukrainian Heroes” – metro station “Livoberezhna,” Klitschko wrote in his telegram channel.
He emphasized that the Podilsko-Voskresenskyi bridge crossing is the largest of the transport infrastructure facilities in Kyiv and Ukraine: its length is more than 10 km.
“A few years ago, we planned and promised to ensure passenger traffic as the first stage of the facility’s launch. And today, it has finally happened! To all the skeptics and those who tried to block the work at the facility, I will say one thing: now look for other reasons for your manipulations,” the mayor added.
The New Year’s tree in Kyiv will be installed on St. Sophia Square, just like last year, at the expense of patrons, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
“This decision was made today by the Kyiv Defense Council. The city will not spend any money. Just like last year, the Christmas tree will be set up and decorated at the expense of patrons. And in compliance with the regime of limiting the use of electricity. Global Decor LLC is responsible for the installation and maintenance of the main Christmas tree, all resources and financial support related to this,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram on Monday.
According to him, there will be no mass events, fairs or entertainment on St. Sophia Square. “If the city’s district state administrations plan any festive events in the districts, it will be only in compliance with safety rules in places where there are shelters. And also not at the expense of the Kyiv budget,” the mayor added.
According to Klitschko, the Christmas tree will be set up in the capital by December 6 and dismantled by January 10. This is earlier than last year, “because this year we celebrate Christmas according to the New Julian calendar,” the mayor explained.
On Monday, the entry of large vehicles to Kyiv will be restricted due to expected snowfall on November 26-27, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
“The entry of large vehicles into the city on Monday, November 27, will be restricted,” Klitschko wrote on his Telegram channel on Friday, recalling the warning of weather forecasters.
The mayor also asked drivers and pedestrians to “take into account the weather conditions and be as careful as possible on the roads. Do not go to the city in a private car unless absolutely necessary. Use public transportation instead. And if you are traveling by car, do not park it along roadsides or on sidewalks. This interferes with the work of snow removal equipment.”
According to Klitschko, this season in Kyiv, “525 units of main and additional special equipment of Kyivavtodor will be fighting ice and removing snow on roads, bridges and sidewalks. In total, 17.3 thousand tons of salt and 54.5 thousand tons of sand have been prepared.”
According to the Ukrhydrometeorological Center, a significant increase in snow cover is expected on the afternoon of November 26 and at night on November 27, with winds of up to 17-22 m/s, blizzards, snow drifts, and ice on the roads.
The European Parliament has agreed to open an office in Kyiv at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the European publication Euractiv, this is stated in a document of the European Parliament’s bureau.
The decision, approved on Monday evening, is intended to facilitate relations with the Ukrainian parliament, in particular, to establish its contacts with the “relevant committees” of the European Parliament, as well as to facilitate administrative work.
The Bureau is the body of the European Parliament responsible for making administrative decisions on the internal functioning of the institution.
Reportedly, the European Parliament has a liaison office for each member state, which helps the parliament to establish links with them, for example, by communicating with stakeholders, organizing events and maintaining links with local media.
