Radio dictation, arrival of soldiers from North Korea at front, rejected meeting with UN chief: October 25 highlights

Radio dictation of national unity

Today, the 25th radio dictation of national unity took place for the Day of the Ukrainian Language and Writing. This year's author of the text "The Magic of Words" was the writer Oksana Zabuzhko, and it was read by serviceman and writer Pavlo Vyshebaba.

Many Ukrainian men and women joined this flash mob. The dictation was also written by Ukrainian military personnel, in particular in Kursk Oblast, as well as polar explorers from Antarctica.

Zelenskyy rejected a meeting with the UN secretary general

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, refused UN Secretary General António Guterres a visit to Ukraine after he attended the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.

"After Kazan, [Guterres] wanted to come to Ukraine, but the president did not confirm his visit. Therefore, Guterres will not be here, precisely because of the humiliation of common sense and international law in Kazan," said a representative of Ukrainian authorities.

Subsequently, the UN stated that the parties "will try to organize a visit at a mutually convenient time."

When will soldiers from North Korea appear on the battlefield?

Ukrainian intelligence believes that as early as October 27-28, the North Korean military will be deployed in combat zones against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following a meeting with the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi.

The involvement of troops from the DPRK is "an obvious escalating step by Russia," which wants the war to continue. The president calls for a "principled and strong reaction" from world leaders.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg writes that North Korea may send even more of its soldiers to the Russian Federation.

The plan for medical expert commissions from the government

The Cabinet of Ministers, by decision of the National Security and Defense Council and the president, approved a plan to combat corruption and other offenses among Medical and Social Expert Commissions (MSEC) in Ukraine.

The MSEC in its current form is promised to be liquidated already this year. Currently, a group is being created to review the decisions made by the commissions. Inspections will continue for the next three months.

At the same time, the Pension Fund, together with the SBI, the National Police and the SBU, should conduct a quick audit of all disability pension payments to prosecutors and other officials of state bodies, and the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Policy should immediately submit to the government bills on the comprehensive reform of the MSEC.

Prosecutors began to resign after their increased pensions were discovered

Five heads of regional prosecutor's offices and the head of one of the specialized prosecutor's offices in the field of defense have filed resignation notices from their positions. They received increased pensions for years of service, said Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.

These are prosecutors from the Zaporizhzhia, Rivne, Ternopil, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy regional prosecutor's offices and the specialized prosecutor's office in the field of defense in the Southern region.

According to Kostin, an official investigation is currently underway regarding the legality of the prosecutors' acquisition of disability and the accrual of pension payments to the prosecutors.

The first sentences for conscripts who evaded mobilization

Kyiv courts passed the first sentences for evading mobilization. A resident of Obolon was sent behind bars for 5 years.

Another man from the Solomyanskyi district was sentenced to four years in prison. In total, seven men were punished, and 19 more are waiting for the court's decision.

The police reported that since the beginning of the year, the investigators completed the pre-trial investigation and submitted indictments to the court in 26 criminal cases involving evasion of the draft and military registration. 51 conscripts were charged.

Usyk sent a message to Trump

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk appealed to American stand-up comedian and podcast host Joe Rogan to ask the US presidential candidate to release Ukrainians from Russian captivity.

"if Mr. President is so confident in his influence over Putin, could he help #FreeAzovstalDefenders and all Ukrainians from Russian captivity right away? Time is of the essence," the boxer wrote.

Other news

• The National Guard stated that it did not reward the mayor of Odesa, Hennadiy Trukhanov. This is reportedly an initiative of individual military personnel.
• US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are tied at 49% in seven swing states less than two weeks before the election.
• Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, received lists of soldiers considered missing through Qatar’s mediation.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the government to introduce a new support program from December 1. Each citizen should receive 1,000 hryvnias ($25).
• The State Tax Service checked the management for the presence of disability registered after February 24, 2022. Among 17 people, only one received disability due to injuries at the front.