Explosion in a village council, €50bn EU fund for Ukraine, and children not being allowed into a shelter: highlights

Explosion in the village council in Zakarpattia

During a meeting of the Keretsky village council of the Mukachevo district, a deputy detonated grenades in the building. According to the police, 26 people were injured, six of them and the bomber himself are in serious condition.

According to media reports, the grenades were blown up by Servant of the People deputy Serhii Batryn. The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that a note with a confession about preparations for an explosion was found at his home.

Law enforcement officers are investigating the case under articles on illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives (Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), as well as a terrorist act (Part 1 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Ukrainian fund for €50 billion

Hungary blocked a package of macro-financial assistance from the European Union for Ukraine for 50 billion euros. However, this did not prevent the European Council from announcing the creation of a Ukrainian fund of the same amount.

European Council President Charles Michel said that negotiations on assistance to Ukraine will continue next year. One of the contingency plans involves member countries sending money to Ukraine outside the EU budget process.

As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said, the funds will be used, in particular, to support macroeconomic stability, the restoration and modernization of the Ukrainian state, as well as to accelerate integration into the EU.

New help

The budget committee of the German Bundestag approved a framework deal worth 278 million euros for the production of artillery shells. According to it, Germany agreed with the French company on the supply of additional ammunition for Ukraine.

Lithuania donated several million rounds of ammunition and several thousand ammunition for short-range man-portable anti-tank grenade launchers. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will also receive about a thousand folding beds.

In addition, the Ministry of Defense and the Lithuanian Armed Forces, in cooperation with the German defense industry, are repairing Leopard 2 tanks brought from the battlefield in Ukraine in Lithuania.

At the same time, South Korea transferred 10 mine clearance vehicles to Ukraine.

Children were not allowed into the school shelter

Yesterday, December 14, during an air raid, a brother and sister, born in 2011 and 2012, wanted to hide in the shelter of their school.

However, the guard did not allow them into the bomb shelter because the children were with a Maltipoo dog.

The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office has already begun a pre-trial investigation into the fact of deliberately leaving without help children who were in a life-threatening condition and deprived of the opportunity to take measures for self-preservation (Part 1 of Article 135 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). If the school security guard is found guilty, he faces up to 2 years in prison.

Veterans Courts

Lawyers are exploring the possibility of introducing veterans' courts in Ukraine or another separate procedure within existing courts to improve the handling of cases of veterans who have committed offenses due to traumatic experiences in war. In particular, they evaluate the experience of the United States, where a similar system works successfully.

The approach is to find the root cause of the veteran's offending behavior and help him cope with the preconditions for committing the crime. To do this, a person must undergo a set of measures, in particular psychological rehabilitation, mentoring, social and legal support, and medical assistance.

The program may take several months, or maybe more than a year, depending on the specific case. If the veteran successfully passes it, he is released from criminal liability, or his prison term is significantly reduced. If not, the veteran's case is returned to the regular courts.

Other important news of the day

• Ukraine will receive more than $1.3 billion from the World Bank.
• In Kyiv, an unknown person cut down a tree in honor of Roman Ratushnyi. Activists and utility workers contacted the police.
• Finland will begin an investigation into the leader of the Rusich group, who was not handed over to Ukraine.
• A man who ran over Ukrainian drivers near the border with Poland was detained.
• Ministry of Internal Affairs: in Volyn, smugglers produced drones to smuggle cigarettes to Poland.