Suspicion against Smirnov, new laws and Chinese weapons for Russia: highlights for May 22

Smirnov, former deputy to Yermak, is served with a notice of suspicion

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has served a notice of suspicion to Andrii Smirnov, former deputy head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, from 2020 to 2022, he illegally acquired UAH 15.7 million. In particular, he acquired two Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen cars, two Honda and BMW motorcycles, three parking spaces in Kyiv, an apartment in Lviv, and a land plot in the Zakarpattia region.

Temporary investigative commission to oversee construction of fortifications

The Verkhovna Rada has voted to establish a provisional investigative commission into the use of budget funds for the construction of fortifications and the manufacture of drones.

MP from the Servant of the People party Mykola Zadorozhnyi was appointed chairman of the commission. In addition, the commission includes eight other representatives of the Servant of the People party and one representative from all factions and groups of the Verkhovna Rada.

The tasks of the new temporary investigative commission are to study the need for drones and the formation of a state order for their production and purchase, as well as to analyze the supply of drones to the army. In addition, the commission is to examine the arrangement of fortifications on the contact line and the targeted use of funds allocated for their construction.

No fines for curfew violations

The Verkhovna Rada failed to vote in the second reading on the draft law on fines for curfew violations.

Only 190 MPs voted in favor of draft law No. 10195, which proposed to introduce administrative liability for curfew violations for citizens and businesses. There were also not enough votes to send the draft law for a second reading — only 216 MPs voted for it. So now the draft law is considered rejected in its entirety.

At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a bill to improve the system of initial general military training, supported a bill on subsidies to bookstores and the issuance of book certificates to citizens, and approved in the first reading bill No. 10420 on public prosecution of domestic and sexual violence, which integrates the Istanbul Convention into Ukrainian law. The Rada also supported a single roaming zone with the EU.

New blackouts

On May 23, blackout schedules will be in effect for industrial and residential consumers across the country throughout the day, Ukrenergo reported.

The blackout schedules have been extended due to the forecasted dense cloud cover in most regions of Ukraine, which will lead to a decrease in electricity production at solar power plants.

Military assistance from Sweden

The Swedish government has approved a SEK 75 billion (EUR 6.4 billion) military aid plan for Ukraine. It is designed for three years, from 2024 to 2026.

These funds will be spent on long-term donations of additional military equipment and the purchase of new equipment for direct delivery to Ukraine.

Chinese weapons for the Russian Federation

British Minister Grant Shapps said that the country's intelligence service has received information that China has either transferred or is preparing to transfer lethal weapons to Russia to use in the war against Ukraine.

Shapps said that American intelligence also has evidence of the transfer of such weapons. In the opinion of the British Defense Minister, this is a “significant development”.

“We should be concerned about that because in the earlier days of this war China would like to present itself as a moderating influence on Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the official added.

Other important news:

• Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson said that the United States should allow Ukraine to fight the war “as it sees fit”.
• Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that the transfer of the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine must be approved by the country's Supreme National Defense Council. At the same time, Bucharest should receive "something else" if it does transfer the system to Kyiv.
• The Khmelnytskyi City District Court makes the first decisions on the conditional release of convicts from serving their sentences to serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says that King Charles III has given him permission to dissolve Parliament and hold early parliamentary elections on July 4.
• Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Har Støre announced that his country would recognize the Palestinian state. According to him, this is necessary to establish peace in the Middle East.