77.6% of the polled Ukrainians believe that the president is directly responsible for corruption in the government and military administrations.
This is evidenced by the data of a public opinion poll on the adaptation of Ukrainians to life in war conditions, conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology in July by order of the Ilk Kucheriv Foundation for Democratic Initiatives.
“Delaying solutions to problems that undermine people’s faith in victory will also hit the president himself. The poll showed that according to 77.6% of citizens, “the president is directly responsible for corruption in the government, military administrations,” – said the executive director of the Foundation “Democratic Initiatives” Petro Burkovsky.
As the sociologist noted, “the widespread argument that ‘the government does not have time everywhere’ does not work after 16 months of war and will no longer play the role of an indulgence for abuse, indifference and incompetence of persons who were elected and appointed precisely so that they ‘had time to do everything and everywhere’ using their powers, all the more expanded under martial law.”
“That is, it is the officials who do not fulfill their duties that are no less a dangerous enemy at this stage than Russia. And citizens expect Vladimir Zelensky’s determination to remove such individuals from power, to listen to and promote performers who honestly point out problems and competently offer solutions,” Burkovsky continued.
“Therefore, the cleansing of the TCC from “invaluable personnel” should be a starting point, not a point in the process of change in the defense sector. In this case, we should not go the way of simple solutions. In particular, we can reasonably assume that the majority of citizens may support such a “simple idea” as “transferring military offenders to the front line.” However, can we trust weapons and soldiers’ lives to people who cynically peddled certificates to evade service? It is unlikely that such a decision will be supported in combat units. But the proposal to replace corrupt officials with veterans will resonate with the public,” summarizes the political analyst.
According to the survey, 72.9% of Ukrainians support the dismissal of wounded military personnel from the ranks of the AFU with the payment of all due compensation for treatment and rehabilitation, and 46.3% – transfer at will to positions in military commissions instead of current employees.
All-Ukrainian survey “Public and Political Attitudes of the Population of Ukraine” was conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in July 2023 at the request of the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives. The survey was carried out by the method of personal interviews using a tablet. Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts were immediately excluded from the sample due to security issues. Kherson region was initially included for calculations, but due to security issues the task for Kherson region was implemented in the neighboring Mykolaiv region.
A total of 2011 interviews with respondents living in 135 localities of Ukraine were conducted as part of the study. Under normal circumstances, the statistical error of the sample does not exceed 3.3%
A representative of the Citizens for Democratic Development of Bulgaria-Union of Democratic Forces (GERB-UDS) coalition, Maria Gabriel, on Monday returned to President Rumen Radev a mandate to form a government, Bulgarian National Radio reported.
“The folder I am returning is empty because I will not allow it to contain the names of people who got there not through open and clear negotiations, but through backroom deals,” she said in a meeting with Radev.
Shortly before her meeting with the president, Gabrielle briefed the Bulgarian National Assembly. It was also attended by Nikolai Denkov of the Continuing Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition.
According to Gabrielle, the two coalitions have worked out a formula based on reason rather than emotion in the last 48 hours. The two coalitions, in particular, came to an agreement to run the government on a rotating basis. The plan was for Denkov to lead the cabinet for the first nine months, with Gabrielle as foreign minister, and for the next nine months they would swap portfolios.
According to observers, the rotational management of the government, among other things, served as a stumbling block to the successful formation of the cabinet.
The Cabinet of Ministers has provided funding for the state-owned enterprise National Project Air Express to stop the implementation of a project of passenger railway communication between Kyiv and Boryspil airport.
The government adopted the relevant resolution at a meeting on Wednesday.
According to an explanatory note to the document, this will minimize Ukraine’s losses associated with the termination of credit and commercial agreements concluded between the SOE National Project Air Express and the China National Complete Engineering Corporation together with the Export-Import Bank of China.
It is expected that as a result of the resumption of negotiations and termination of agreements, about $73.7 million can be returned to the Ukrainian side.
The explanatory note also states that at the moment the SOE National Project Air Express is not solvent, and in order for the enterprise to be able to terminate the contracts under the mentioned project, it is necessary to pay off debts on salaries and payments to the state budget, as well as accumulate funds for participation in litigation.
In particular, the state-owned enterprise National Project Air Express has arrears in wages – UAH 831,000, in payment of personal income tax – UAH 341,000, in military fee – UAH 28,500, and in single social security tax – UAH 222,000.
As reported, in Ukraine for a long time there was an unrealized national project Air Express – railway passenger communication Kyiv-Boryspil International Airport, construction of other infrastructure facilities in Kyiv region. For its implementation in 2011, under state guarantees, a loan agreement was concluded with the Export Import Bank of China in the amount of $372.3 million. CCEC was appointed as a general contractor for the turnkey construction works.
In June 2015, it became known that Ukraine and China were ready to discuss the possibility of redirecting credit funds provided for Air Express to other projects, and in March 2016, the Ministry of Infrastructure received the consent of Chinese partners to reformat the Air Express project.
On November 30, 2018, Ukrzaliznytsia launched an express train to Boryspil airport with a floating schedule of 21 to 30 voyages per day. To this end, about 4 km of non-electrified track was added to the existing railway infrastructure, including a 272 m long railway overpass over the M03 Kyiv-Kharkiv highway. Two passenger platforms were built. For operation on the route Central Kyiv Railway Station-Boryspil Airport, Ukrzaliznytsia repaired five rail buses manufactured by Pesa Bydgoszcz SA previously purchased for operation on other routes.
The Cabinet of Ministers has regulated the operation of the MedData information and analytical system, which allows monitoring data on procurement and provision of medical institutions with goods and services purchased at the expense of budgetary funds.
According to the relevant government resolution adopted on January 19, the government is the owner of the system, the Ministry of Health is the owner of the information, and the state-owned enterprise Medical Procurement of Ukraine is the holder and administrator of the system.
At the same time, Medical Procurement of Ukraine ensures the functioning, implementation, support and maintenance of the system, as well as monitoring and analysis of the quality of its functioning.
In addition, Medical Procurement of Ukraine provides for information interaction with public electronic information resources, information protection from unauthorized access, technical support for the operation of hardware and software resources, user access to information in the system, compatibility and electronic interaction with the central database and/or electronic medical information systems.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has set an immigration quota for 2022 at 8,488 people.
The relevant decision was made at a government meeting on Wednesday.
In particular, a quota for relatives of Ukrainian citizens (siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and granddaughters) was 805 people; for persons who were previously citizens of the country – 406 people; for parents, spouses and minor children of immigrants – 2,345 people; and figures of science and culture, whose immigration meets the interests of Ukraine – 730 people.
For persons who have carried out foreign investment activities in the economy of Ukraine in foreign convertible currency in the amount of at least $100,000, immigration is established without restrictions.
In addition, this year, 4,101 highly qualified specialists or workers can immigrate to Ukraine under a quota, the urgent need for which is tangible for the country’s economy.
Among other things, a quota of 99 people has been established for persons who have served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine for three or more years.
For persons who have continuously lived in the territory of the state for three years from the date of establishing a status of victims of human trafficking for them, a quota of two people has been established.
As reported, in 2021, the immigration quota was 9,818 people.
The Government of Ukraine, two days before the end of 2021, approved a financial plan for it for JSC Odesa Port-Side Plant, which assumes a net profit of UAH 106.995 million.
Relevant order of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1781 of December 29 was published on its website on Friday, December 31.
The financial plan itself is absent in the publication, however, according to its explanatory note published on the government website, due to a loss of Odesa Port-Side Plant in the 2020 tax declaration in the amount of UAH 5.02 billion, dividends are not planned for 2021.
The explanatory note does not contain other details of the financial plan, but it says about the intention to receive an overpayment of income tax in the amount of UAH 320.6 million by the end of this year.
Odesa Port-Side Plant manufactures chemical products, and is also engaged in transshipment of chemical products to sea transport.
