Seventeen members of a far-right group have been detained for attacking the headquarters of Ukraine’s largest pro-Russia political party in Kyiv. 

Detainees at Kyiv's notoriously overcrowded Lukyanivska prison, parts of which are 160 years old, have been offered a way out of overcrowded cells with up to a dozen inmates and poor sanitation. But there's a catch. More spacious, refurbished cells, with fewer prisoners and modern bathrooms, come at a price.

A Ukrainian lawmaker was found dead in his office with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

The head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), Ivan Bakanov, holds a top position in a private company registered in Spain, in violation of the anti-corruption law, according to Skhemy (Schemes), a joint project by RFE/RL and UA:Pershy television.

Ukraine and Bulgaria have clashed over Kyiv’s plans to change administrative divisions within a district in the southern Odesa region with a sizeable ethnic-Bulgarian minority.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ukrainian officials reached a staff-level agreement on a new $5 billion stand-by arrangement to help Kyiv cope with economic shock caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The UN children’s agency is calling for all parties to the deadly conflict in eastern Ukraine to commit to a cease-fire and end more than six years of fighting, as an increase in shelling has resulted in numerous child casualties and damaged schools since the beginning of the year.

Ukrainian medical staff working during the COVID-19 pandemic say they lack the medicines needed to treat patients and the basic equipment to protect themselves.

Recordings containing edited conversations between the two while in office published by Ukrainian associate of Rudy Giuliani

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said that leaked recordings of phone calls allegedly between Joe Biden and former president Petro Poroshenko would be investigated by the country’s law enforcement agencies, adding that their contents might be “perceived, qualified as treason”.

The remarks prompted an angry rebuttal from Poroshenko, who said that the Zelenskiy administration may have played a role in their release and should be investigated.

Related:Unravelling Rudolph Giuliani’s labyrinthine ties to Ukraine

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As tensions rise over failure to repatriate workers, plight of crews highlighted by the apparent suicide of a Ukrainian woman in Rotterdam

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Several deaths, a hunger strike and disturbances on board cruise ships have raised fresh concern about what crew members say is the deteriorating mental health of staff stranded aboard cruise ships still floating at sea.

A worldwide standoff between cruise companies and health authorities has left approximately 100,000 crew stranded at sea. Many have spent more than a month self-isolating in cabins, unable to leave, and have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org

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Kremlin distances itself from artwork of Putin and other officials after leaked photographs prompt ridicule

A mosaic depicting Vladimir Putin and other top Russian officials will not be mounted in the Russian military’s new megachurch, a senior church official has said, after leaked photos of the artwork prompted public ridicule and received little Kremlin support.

Photographs of the mosaic, leaked by the MBKh News website last week, showed Putin, his defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and other politicians and top brass in a crowd of people rallying in support of the 2014 annexation of Crimea. A missing panel, photographed separately, shows several women in front of a sign that reads “Crimea is ours”.

Стены главного храма вооруженных сил России, строительство которого заканчивается в подмосковном парке «Патриот», украсят мозаикой с изображениями Владимира Путина, Сергея Шойгу и Иосифа Сталина. Фото: МБХ медиаhttps://t.co/O5AlRk3Pbl pic.twitter.com/TUxHW8LxXO

Related:Giant new Russian cathedral glorifies Putin and Stalin in mosaics

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