Top 5 News Stories 18 June

1. COVID-19 Update – Another record day Ukraine is discovering just how tricky eradicating COVID-19 will be. With another 758 people diagnosed – and 31 dead – over the past 24 hours, the country just set grim new marks for most cases diagnosed and most deaths in a single day. There has now been 33 234 people diagnosed with the disease, with more than half (17 763) currently being afflicted. Believing that the current spike is due to people’s “neglect of the rules of personal protection and social distance”, the government has introduced measures to encourage people to pay more attention, including increased administrative fines and extension of the quarantine period. The numbers are also a reminder to take this disease seriously. Stay safe! Link

2. Quarantine extended until 31 July With COVID-19 rates spiking and several oblasts experiencing their worst numbers yet, the Ukrainian government yesterday decided to formally extend quarantine until 31 July. “Over the last week, the number of coronavirus patients in Ukraine has been steadily increasing. The weakening of quarantine measures was perceived by many as the abolition of quarantine,” explained Prime Minister Denis Shmygal. “However, the threats from the virus have not diminished.” The PM announced under what circumstances quarantine could be further extended and what measures could be pursued, including forbidding people from certain public buildings, structures, and transport without wearing personal protective equipment and strictly limiting the number of seats available on public transport. Link

3. Ukraine Receives American Javelin Missiles Ukraine has received a shipment of American-made Javelin anti-tank missiles, along with other assistance like radios and ammunition, said the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Defence Cooperation. In total, more than $60 million USD worth of equipment was transferred to Ukraine, announced the group on Facebook yesterday. The javelin missiles are considered crucial support granted by the Trump administration. The supports show that “the United States stands strongly with Ukraine in support of its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression”, said the embassy. Link

4. Another Russian Disinformation Network Discovered Researchers have discovered a pro-Russian propaganda campaign that has been distributing disinformation in seven languages on 300 social networks for the last six years. Dubbed “Operation Secondary Infection”, the campaign attempted to interfered in both the 2016 and 2020 American Presidential elections. “From the general tone and context”, says Ben Nimmo, the director of investigations at the research firm Graphika, “it is clear that this was an operation that tried to support the Russian government by attacking and discrediting its critics.” Link

5. Kyiv Metro’s Green Line Goes Down Temporarily While ridership on the Kyiv Metro is down significantly, riders on Kyiv’s green line were inconvenienced yesterday when parts of the line were closed due to “technical reasons”. It was explained that “technical reasons” means “the failure of train mechanisms” and that the stoppage meant that only parts of the green line were operational yesterday, including the Syrets to Zoloti Vorota and the Chervonyi Khutire to Klovska sections. Full service was restored last yesterday evening. Link