European Commission's decision, evacuation of Ukrainians from Gaza and Russian attack on Liberian ship: highlights

The European Commission recommends starting negotiations

The European Commission has officially recommended starting the process of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

According to the European Commission report, Ukraine has implemented 90% of the reforms expected by the EU. At the same time, the condition is that the unfinished reforms continue to be implemented.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the decision of the European Commission, adding that in December Ukraine will expect a political decision from the European Council regarding the start of membership negotiations.

Evacuation of Ukrainians from the Gaza Strip

Ukraine evacuated the first group of 43 Ukrainians from the Gaza Strip. They are safe on Egyptian territory in the care of Ukrainian diplomats.

Ukraine also helped evacuate 36 Moldovan citizens.

“The evacuation continues. Our embassies in Israel and Egypt, as well as other relevant agencies, are working hard to get more of our citizens out of Gaza,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Russians fired a missile at a foreign ship

The Russians hit the superstructure of a civilian ship flying the flag of Liberia with an anti-radar missile Kh-31P, which was entering the port in the Odesa region. The pilot was killed, and three other crew members, who are citizens of the Philippines, were injured. A port worker was also injured.

The ship was supposed to transport iron ore to China.

Thousands of trucks are stuck on the border with Poland

As of the morning of November 8, about a thousand trucks were waiting to cross the border from Poland to Ukraine. Traffic at the border is complicated due to a strike by Polish carriers.

Press Secretary of the State Border Service Andrii Demchenko predicts the situation will become more complicated: “After all, as the Polish carriers themselves noted, they are planning a long-term action. We hope that they will stop such actions as soon as possible."

The Ministry of Defense lost almost 2 billion hryvnias on scandalous contracts

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine spent two billion hryvnias on three contracts to purchase ammunition.

At the time of receiving the advance payment, it turned out that the participating companies did not have all the licenses and permits confirming their ability to supply ammunition to Ukraine.

Where did the money go, who stood behind the parties to the agreement, and what did the Public Anti-Corruption Council under the Ministry think about this contract — find out in the investigation “No Touching Money: Scandalous Contracts of the Ministry of Defense”.

$550 million to restore agriculture

Ukraine and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development signed a grant and loan agreement as part of the World Bank's agricultural rehabilitation project.

The goal of the $550 million project is to support agricultural producers' access to financing through concessional loans and grants.

New strain of coronavirus

In the Rivne region, the first case in Ukraine of a new subvariant of the coronavirus variant “Omicron” called “Pirola” was confirmed in the laboratory — a 20-year-old man fell ill.

Symptoms of the Pirola subvariant are the same as other COVID-19 variants: runny nose, fever, cough, headache, fatigue, loss of smell or taste, possible eye irritation, and rash.

The Ministry of Health convinces that vaccination remains the only way to gain immunity and, in case of illness, it is easier to bear and reduce the level of complications during illness.

The Ukrzaliznytsia application has been integrated into Diia

After integration with Diia, Ukrzaliznytsia is again launching online refunds of tickets to international destinations. In the summer, this service was stopped due to outbids. Therefore, to return international tickets, you had to go to the station, stand in line, write an application, and wait up to six months for a refund.

However, now account verification through Diia will confirm that you are a real person. However, if the account is used to buy and return tickets in bulk, it will be blocked after verification.

Other important news of the day

• The investigation does not rule out that Zaluzhnyi’s assistant could have been killed by order of the Russian special services.
• Three businessmen tried to take equipment for MiG-29 fighters out of Ukraine.
• Collaborator Saldo was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison.
• The Ministry of Defense created the Department of Health. It was headed by former volunteer Oksana Sukhorukova.
• A Hare Krishna volunteer was sent to a pre-trial detention center for not reporting for duty. The man had no strength because he was starving, the Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported.
• Israel does not plan a prolonged occupation of the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu's adviser said.