Verbytskyi's dismissal, failed seizure of Verkhovna Rada, which was prevented by SBU: July 1 highlights
Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, who is being investigated for possible illegal enrichment, was dismissed from his post. A group of people was detained in Kyiv, which on June 30 was preparing provocations in the capital, in particular, the seizure of the building of the Verkhovna Rada. We collected the main news for July 1.
Verbytskyi's dismissal
Dmytro Verbytskyi, who is being investigated for possible illegal enrichment, was dismissed from the post of deputy prosecutor general.
He, for his part, said that the negative information in the mass media, which concerns him, also affects the image of the prosecutor's office in general. Therefore, he wrote a resignation letter to avoid a negative impact on the work of the Prosecutor General's Office.
"Aware of the importance of preserving the reputation of the state body that I represent, I consider my decision correct. Ready to continue to defend its honor and professional reputation. I am waiting for the completion of the official investigation and inspection of the NACP, which should put an end to this issue," Verbytskyi said in a comment to "Interfax-Ukraine".
The capture of the Verkhovna Rada, which was prevented
Law enforcement officers detained a group of people who were preparing provocations in Kyiv on June 30. The perpetrators, in particular, planned to seize the building of the Verkhovna Rada.
The investigators established that a group of people conspired to hold a so-called veche (assembly) in Kyiv on June 30, in which they wanted to involve public organizations and people under the pretext of a public event.
During this event, the participants were supposed to "elect the interim government" of Ukraine, seize the building of the Verkhovna Rada, block its work, and "remove the state leadership from performing their duties." At the same time, the conspirators did not tell the participants of the event about their violent plans.
Blocking trucks at the border
Since July 1, Poland has suspended entry/exit passes for Ukrainian trucks that do not have permits for international cargo transportation.
The permit in question is the ECMT permit (book), a multilateral permit issued to a carrier that allows it to operate freely within the 44 member countries of the European Conference of Ministers of Transport.
However, already in the evening, the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Serhiy Derkach announced that Poland had settled the issue of border crossing for trucks from Ukraine. The country's customs and border services will not require any permits for two-way traffic.
Rada will spend a week without sessions
The Verkhovna Rada postponed the plenary sessions for one week. Such a decision is associated with plans for personnel changes in the Cabinet of Ministers.
As RBC-Ukraine writes with reference to sources in the Verkhovna Rada, the reason for the postponement is the necessary time to coordinate personnel changes in the government. The meetings will begin on July 15.
Burials at the National Military Cemetery will take place this year
This fall, the first burials will take place at the National Military Cemetery in Kyiv Oblast, despite the opposition of residents.
According to the Acting Minister of Veteran Affairs, Oleksandr Porkhun, the start of military burials at the national cemetery will be speeded up, and its construction is already underway, which is facilitated by the rainless weather.
As for discussions with locals who oppose the construction of the cemetery, the official noted that the discussions are still ongoing. Porkhun said that he had already been three times to the site of the construction of the cemetery. According to him, one gets the impression that "we speak different languages with them."
Ukraine and the threat of default
Already on August 1, the grace period during which Ukraine did not pay its foreign debts ends. There are two options — to agree on an extension of the period of freezing debt service or actual default.
In 2022, Ukraine managed to agree on the postponement of payments to investors in the country's foreign debt in view of the full-scale war.
Over the past two years, Ukraine's creditors have agreed to suspend debt service payments. The deferment — from both public and private creditors — amounts to 15% of GDP per year. If these payments were to occur, they would become the second largest item of government spending (after defense spending).
Zelenskyy is "not happy" with Syrskyi
News outlet NV reports that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "generally not very happy" with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Both Zelenskyy and the President's Office are dissatisfied with both the preparations for the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast and a number of other issues. However, the source of the NV noted that the chief executive is unlikely to be removed from his post in the near future.
Other news
- Several explosions rang out in temporarily occupied Sevastopol. The local occupation authorities announced the operation of anti-aircraft defense and the destruction of air targets.
- The US Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump can claim immunity from criminal prosecution for certain actions he took in the last days of his presidency, including the storming of the Capitol in January 2021.
- The Russian military lost 58 watercraft in the south of Ukraine in one month.
- A large-scale cyber attack by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine at the end of May left at least 250,000 subscribers without communication in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, primarily in Crimea.
- At least 38 Russian winged (glider) bombs fell on Belgorod Oblast of the Russian Federation in the period from April 2023 to April 2024.