Culture Minister's resignation, Girkin's arrest and nationalization of Sense Bank: highlights of July 21

Resignation of Culture Minister Tkachenko

The Verkhovna Rada received a notice of resignation from Oleksandr Tkachenko, who stepped down from the post of Minister of Culture on his own initiative. It will be considered at the next plenary session of the parliament.

Arrest of Girkin-Strelkov

The former leader of the "DPR" militants, Igor Girkin-Strelkov, was detained in Russia. His wife said that representatives of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation came to their house and took Girkin under his arms.

The militant is accused of publicly calling for extremist activities on the Internet. A court in Russia has already imposed a pre-trial restraint on him - Girkin is will be held in custody until September 18.

Russian media also reported the detention of Pavel Gubarev, an associate of Girkin, near the courtroom. He was holding a single picket and demanding Strelkov's freedom. Gubarev is one of the organizers of pro-Russian protests in Donbas in 2014.

Nationalization of Sense Bank

On July 21, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution to withdraw Sense Bank (formerly Alfa-Bank) from the market and nationalize it. This was requested by the National Bank of Ukraine the day before.

Thus, the state will buy the bank's shares in full for one hryvnia. From now on, the Ministry of Finance will be the management body of the state-owned Sense Bank. The rights to its shares will be transferred to a securities account at Ukreximbank.

Dismissal of Ambassador to UK

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Vadym Prystaiko from the post of Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom and from the post of Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization.

The reasons for Prystaiko's dismissal are unknown. Last week, Vadym Prystaiko called President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's words that he could thank British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace for military assistance every morning "unhealthy sarcasm."

New attacks

Russian occupation forces attacked Chernihiv Oblast with missiles. In one of the settlements of the region, they hit the building of a local cultural center. The bodies of two women were recovered from the rubble.

The occupiers shelled the village of Druzhba in Donetsk Oblast with artillery. One of the shells hit a yard where children were playing - a 10-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. They were killed. In the evening, the occupiers carried out air strikes on the village of New York, wounding four people.

The occupiers also attacked Odesa Oblast with Kalibr cruise missiles. They hit the grounds of an agricultural enterprise, injuring two employees.

Former Health Minister charged with corruption

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office have uncovered a large-scale scheme to misappropriate funds of the state-owned enterprise Printing Plant Ukraine worth more than UAH 450 million ($12.24 million).

Five defendants in the case were charged, including the former director of the plant. It is known from open registers that at the time of the crime, this position was held by Maksym Stepanov, the former head of the Odesa Oblast State Administration (from January 2017 to April 2019) and former Minister of Health of Ukraine (from March 2020 to May 2021).

Other news:

* Germany has handed over a new batch of aid to Ukraine. It includes the first 10 Leopard 1 tanks.

* Intelligence has data on the preparation of a new mutiny in Russia, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence representative says.

* Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls on the West to fulfill Putin's demands for the continuation of the "grain deal".

* The White House says Ukraine may receive F-16 fighter jets by the end of this year.

* Law enforcement officers searched the state road agency Kyivavtodor over embezzlement of budget funds - prosecutor's office.