Poisoning of Budanov's wife and boycott of the OSCE meeting: highlights for November 28
Marianna Budanova, the wife of the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, was poisoned with heavy metals. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law on the state budget for 2024. Ukraine will boycott the OSCE ministerial meeting due to the invitation of a Russian representative. We have collected the main news for November 28.
Poisoning of Budanov's wife
Marianna Budanova, the wife of the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, was poisoned with heavy metals.
A representative of the Defense Intelligence, Andrii Yusov, said that Budanova is currently undergoing treatment, which is nearing completion.
Earlier, the media, citing a source in the Defense Intelligence, wrote that the substances with which Marianna was poisoned are not used in everyday life or military affairs. The media also reported that the poisoning was probably caused by food. This was revealed by tests that Marianna took because she was feeling unwell.
State budget for 2024
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law on the state budget for 2024.
According to the document, state budget revenues will amount to UAH 1 trillion 768 billion, and expenditures will amount to UAH 3 trillion 355 billion.
UAH 1 trillion 692.6 billion was allocated for the defense and security sector. This is 22.1% of Ukraine's GDP. UAH 469.4 billion will be allocated for social protection, and UAH 14.3 billion will be allocated to support veterans.
Boycott of the OSCE meeting
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will boycott the OSCE ministerial meeting to be held on November 30 and December 1 in Skopje, North Macedonia. The reason is the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko emphasized that Russia is "consistently destroying" the OSCE, "resorting to blackmail and open threats".
In addition, Nikolenko said, Russia is illegally detaining three OSCE representatives who are Ukrainian citizens and have been in prison for more than 500 days.
New blockade on the border
Slovak carriers have announced that they will block the Vysne Nemecke-Uzhhorod border crossing with Ukraine.
According to them, due to the blockade on the Polish-Ukrainian border, Ukrainian carriers have begun to enter Poland through Slovakia. As a result, queues are allegedly forming on the Polish-Slovak border. In addition, the Slovaks claim that Ukrainian carriers do not have to follow the rules and regulations of carriers from other EU countries.
Shelling
On the night of November 28, Russians shelled the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson. The occupiers hit the house of an elderly couple. The 71-year-old man later died in hospital.
In the morning, a five-story building in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, came under Russian fire: one person was killed and two others were injured.
As a result of the Russian shelling of Toretsk in the Donetsk region, a building on the territory of a mining enterprise was damaged. Rescuers rescued 4 people from the rubble.
At noon, Russians also shelled the town of Seredyna-Buda in the Sumy region. The artillery strike killed three people, including a 7-year-old girl.
Crimean Tatar toponyms for Crimea
In Crimea, toponyms will be renamed in the Crimean Tatar language as part of the process of decolonization of toponyms.
This decision was made as part of the implementation of the law on the condemnation and prohibition of propaganda of Russian imperial policy in Ukraine and the decolonization of toponyms.
Toponyms in Crimean Tatar using the Latin script will be used in the media, scientific works, as well as on road signs, and in the production of maps. The relevant mechanisms are already being worked on, and communication is being established with mapping service operators and road signage services, the agency explained.
Other important news for the day:
- The government approves a draft adapted annual program for Ukraine-NATO.
- Shakhtar defeated Antwerp in the Champions League, guaranteeing its place in the European playoffs.
- Kolomoisky's detention was extended. He will spend the New Year in jail if he does not post bail.
- A former deputy mayor of Boryspil and a veteran of the Ukrainian army says that a former Party of Regions member has seized power in the city.
- In Kharkiv region, a man ran over two soldiers to death and fled the scene.