Exclusion of MPs from National Olympic Committee after recent election, first train to Kherson: highlights of the day

Vicissitudes within the National Olympic Committee

MPs from the former Opposition Platform, Nestor Shufrych and Hryhoriy Surkis, after criticism, resigned from the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine the day after their election. Andriy Kozhemiakin from Batkivshchyna followed suit. The Executive Committee approved their resignation.

Before that, the former coach of the Ukrainian national football team Andriy Shevchenko, who was also elected to the committee, said that he would not be a member of the committee, because he did not agree with the new composition of the NOC. He did not specify who exactly he was dissatisfied with, but Shufrych and Surkis were the most criticized online.

The newly elected head of the NOC Vadym Gutzeit told us in a comment that Shevchenko has not yet left officially, and they have to discuss the issue of his further work in the committee next week.

10 visas for Russians

During the four months of the visa regime with Russia, 10 Russians received the right to enter Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported in response to a request from hromadske. Visas for Russians were issued by foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine.

Ukraine will produce equipment together with NATO countries

The state defense concern Ukroboronprom will produce and develop heavy weapons and military equipment with at least six NATO member states. These are such NATO countries as Poland, Czech Republic, France, Denmark and several others, the agreements with which do not provide for the disclosure of any data.

The enterprise also reported that they have launched the production of ammunition of 122 and 152 millimeters caliber, as well as 120 mm mines. The munitions have been successfully tested and have been manufactured using NATO technology for several months.

The first train to Kherson

The state rail company Ukrzaliznytsia has launched the first train to Kherson since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. It is to depart at 10:14 p.m. from Kyiv and will arrive in Kherson on November 19 at approximately 9 a.m. The first haul will be available to about 200 passengers who have purchased a "ticket to victory". It will travel together with the train № 122/121 Kyiv – Mykolaiv.

In the future, trains to Kherson will run from Kyiv on even days of the month, and from Kherson – on odd days.

Netherlands summons Russian ambassador over reaction to MH17 case verdict

The Dutch government summoned the Russian ambassador to Amsterdam because Moscow rejected and called "political order" the court verdict in the case of the crash of Malaysian Boeing 777 flight MH17. Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra called Russia's statements "absolutely disgusting".

Former President of Moldova released from house arrest

Former pro-Russian President of Moldova Igor Dodon was transferred from house arrest to judicial control. According to the court decision, Dodon is banned from leaving Moldova for 60 days. He was detained in May in Chisinau and accused of corruption and treason.

Situation at the frontline

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that some units of the Russian occupation troops moved from Kherson axis to the temporarily occupied Novoaydar in Luhansk Oblast. The occupiers also want to increase the engineering equipment of the defensive borders near Mykhailivka in Zaporizhzhya Oblast.

Kyiv Christmas tree: to be or no to be?

The decision to install the main Christmas tree will be made after consultations with the defense forces. And if it is installed, it will be done exclusively at the expense of patrons, the Kyiv City State Administration reported.

Patrons have already appealed to the city authorities with a proposal to help in the installation and decoration of the Christmas tree: they are ready to provide the Christmas tree itself, decorations, as well as a generator for lighting the tree.

At the same time, under martial law, the city, as planned, will cancel the festive fair and concerts near the main Christmas tree.

Other news:

• The Cabinet of Ministers appointed former Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andrij Melnyk as Deputy Foreign Minister.
• The Ministry of Defense stated that the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already received enough winter uniforms to meet their needs. In some cases, there are still logistical nuances to resolve.
• One more person was reported killed in Vilnyansk in Zaporizhzhya Oblast as a result of Russian strike on November 17. Currently, 10 dead people, three of them children, have been pulled out from under the rubble of the building, which was hit by a missile the day before.
• The highlands of the Carpathians are covered with meter-high snowdrifts. Deterioration of weather conditions is expected throughout the country.
• Next year, there are plans to allocate about $17 billion to Ukraine to rebuild destroyed infrastructure, including roads, bridges and energy facilities, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
• More than 228,000 Ukrainians from the de-occupied territories received more than 9,000 tons of humanitarian aid. Also, over 48,000 residents got financial assistance from international donors in the amount of over $1.76 million.