Latest news with #Hr
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine offers $4,800 bonus to new doctors in rural, combat zones
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has approved a one-time payment of Hr 200,000 ($4,800) for medical school graduates who accept positions at health care facilities in rural areas or active combat zones, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on May 30, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. The new measure, set to take effect in 2025, is aimed at addressing critical staffing shortages in front-line and underserved regions from which many residents — and professionals — have fled due to ongoing Russian attacks. "Along with security and defense, investment in human capital is a cross-cutting policy of the government and the state," Shmyhal said. "This is effective support for young specialists and a means of overcoming the shortage of medical personnel in the regions." Ukraine has faced growing difficulties maintaining access to essential services in embattled territories, with hospitals and clinics particularly affected by Russia's war. Taras Melnychuk, the Cabinet's representative in parliament, said the bonus will be available to interns beginning in 2025. To qualify, candidates must complete training in a medical specialty and sign a contract for at least three years with a state or municipal health care facility located either in a rural area or in an active combat zone. They must also apply for a vacancy listed at the time of submission via the Unified Job Portal and be employed at a facility where staffing in medical positions does not exceed 75%. The initiative is part of Ukraine's broader effort to stabilize front-line communities, which continue to face mounting pressure under Russian fire. Read also: Ukraine attacks elite Russian unit base nearly 7,000km away in Vladivostok, source claims We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's fugitive ex-security council deputy secretary detained in Spain
A former first deputy secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, wanted for abuse of office, was detained in Spain, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced on May 14. The statement did not name the ex-official, but details of the case indicate it relates to Oleh Hladkovsky, a former first deputy secretary of Ukraine's top security body who has been wanted since mid-April. Hladkovsky was dismissed and charged in 2019 with purchasing military vehicles at artificially inflated prices, allegedly costing the state more than Hr 17 million (now $410,000). Spanish law enforcement agencies detained the fugitive on May 14. Efforts to extradite him to Ukraine are underway, NABU said. The ex-official, who was a long-time business partner and associate of former President Petro Poroshenko, was detained in October 2019, but the court released Hladkovsky from detention in March 2022 while the investigation was still ongoing. NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) said that after his release, Hladkovsky, aged 55, stopped appearing in court and went abroad. Men aged 18-60 are prohibited from leaving the country under martial law, save for some exceptions. In 2022, pictures of Hladkovsky in Warsaw surfaced, with Ukraine's Border Guard saying he left abroad for humanitarian work. The High Anti-Corruption Court ordered Hladkovsky's arrest on May 13, this time in absentia. Hladkovsky was charged with abuse of official position and providing false information on income. According to the investigation, Hladkovsky, along with an ex-deputy defense minister and a director of the ministry's military-technical policy department, purchased MAZ 6317 trucks at inflated prices in 2017. The car manufacturer was a subsidiary of the Auto Assembly Plant No. 2, which was a part of Hladkovsky's Bohdan Corporation. In February 2019, an investigation by connected Hladkovsky's son, Ihor, to an extensive corruption scheme in Ukraine's defense industry. Read also: EU agrees on 17th package of Russia sanctions targeting 'shadow fleet' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-deputy head of President's Office released on over $430,000 bail amid corruption probe
Andrii Smyrnov, the former deputy head of the President's Office, was released from custody on bail of Hr 18 million ($433,000), Suspilne news outlet reported on May 6, citing the High Anti-Corruption Court. A day earlier, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on Smyrnov in the form of detention with the right to post bail of Hr 18 million ($435,000) until May 22. Speaking to Suspilne following the ruling, Smyrnov said he would fight the charges and prove his innocence. "I consider this decision unfair," he said, adding: "I will fight and prove that I am right." Smyrnov is under investigation for allegedly legalizing illicit assets and accepting a bribe worth $100,000. Smyrnov held the position of the President's Office deputy head from September 2019 until March 2024, when President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him without naming a reason. His lawyer argued that the prosecution failed to present new evidence or justify the need for detention, calling the request "unsubstantiated." The defense maintains that the case has not progressed in over six months and lacks grounds for such a restrictive measure. According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), Smyrnov acquired assets worth more than Hr 17 million ($408,000) between 2020-2022, although he officially reported his salary and savings for the time period as Hr 1.3 million ($31,200). Smyrnov reportedly purchased two luxury cars, two motorcycles, several parking spaces, an apartment in Lviv, and a land plot in Zakarpattia Oblast. In an effort to cover up his ownership of the assets, NABU said that he transferred the majority of the property assets to his brother, but secretly retained access. On April 16, Smyrnov was charged with new offenses. Between 2019 and 2021, Smyrnov allegedly laundered nearly Hr 6.5 million ($156,000) by funding the construction of seaside homes in Odesa Oblast registered under another company, according to NABU. After his indictment in May 2024, the properties were re-registered under a trustee's name. Investigators say Smyrnov also accepted $100,000 worth of construction services in 2022 in exchange for using his influence to sway a tender decision by Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee. Read also: Who are Russia's allies, and can Kremlin's war machine survive without them? We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainian court orders detention of ex-deputy head of President's Office during corruption probe
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court on May 5 ordered former deputy head of the President's Office Andrii Smyrnov into pretrial detention until May 22 as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged large-scale corruption, according to a Suspilne correspondent present in the courtroom. The court granted prosecutors' request in part, setting bail at Hr 18 million (approximately $430,000). Prosecutors had sought to keep Smyrnov in custody with a higher bail amount of over Hr 20 million (approximately $477,000). Smyrnov is under investigation for allegedly legalizing illicit assets and accepting a bribe worth $100,000. Smirnov held the position of president's office deputy head from September 2019 until , when President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him without naming a reason. His lawyer argued that the prosecution failed to present new evidence or justify the need for detention, calling the request "unsubstantiated." The defense maintains that the case has not progressed in over six months and lacks grounds for such a restrictive measure. Speaking to Suspilne following the ruling, Smyrnov said he would fight the charges and prove his innocence. "I consider this decision unfair," he said, adding: "I will fight and prove that I am right." According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the suspect acquired assets worth more than Hr 17 million ($426,000) between 2020-2022, although he officially reported his salary and savings for the time period as Hr 1.3 million ($32,500). Smyrnov reportedly purchased two luxury cars, two motorcycles, several parking spaces, an apartment in Lviv, and a land plot in Zakarpattia Oblast. In an effort to cover up his ownership of the assets, NABU said that he transferred the majority of the property assets to his brother, but secretly retained access. On April 16, Smyrnov was charged with new offenses. Between 2019 and 2021, Smyrnov allegedly laundered nearly Hr 6.5 million ($157,000) by funding the construction of seaside homes in Odesa Oblast registered under another company, according to NABU. After his indictment in May 2024, the properties were re-registered under a trustee's name. Investigators say Smyrnov also accepted $100,000 worth of construction services in 2022 in exchange for using his influence to sway a tender decision by Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee. Read also: 8 Ukrainian officials, entrepreneurs charged with embezzling $2.1 million in firewood purchases for Armed Forces We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Supreme Court rules religious belief does not exempt citizens from military service during wartime
Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled that citizens cannot refuse military service during wartime based on religious beliefs, emphasizing that the obligation to defend the nation applies to all Ukrainians during Russia's full-scale invasion, the court's press office said on May 1. The ruling comes from a case involving a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses, a religious group whose doctrine forbids any form of military service. Lower courts had convicted a man for failing to report to a military recruitment office after receiving a summons. He was sentenced to three years in prison under Article 336 of Ukraine's Criminal Code for evading conscription during mobilization. The man's defense argued that his refusal was grounded in deeply held religious convictions and that criminal prosecution should not apply in such a case. However, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction, citing the state of martial law and the urgent need for national defense. 'Ukraine has introduced alternatives to (mandatory) military service in peacetime, and Ukrainian citizens can freely use them,' the court said in a statement. 'However, in wartime, during mobilization and defensive war, the duty to defend Ukraine, which has been aggressively attacked by the Russian Federation, is imposed on all citizens of Ukraine, regardless of their religion.' The court added that Ukraine's current state of defensive war against a far larger and more heavily resourced Russia constitutes an 'exceptional public need,' which justifies limitations on certain freedoms, including religious exemptions from military service. Citing previous European Court of Human Rights rulings, the Supreme Court acknowledged the importance of balancing freedom of religion with state obligations. It noted that no ECHR decision has addressed a comparable case involving such a large-scale war and national threat. The ruling comes amid Ukraine's broader struggle to address personnel shortages on the front lines. On Feb. 11, the government introduced a one-year voluntary service contract for citizens aged 18–24, offering Hr 1 million ($24,000) in one-time aid and monthly payments of up to Hr 120,000 ($3,000). Volunteers also receive housing and travel benefits upon completion of service. The initiative aims to attract younger recruits without lowering the draft age from 25 to 18, a move urged by the U.S. but resisted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who argued it could harm Ukraine's long-term future. Still, the plan has drawn criticism from current service members, who say they receive fewer benefits than new volunteers. 'Why are those who enlisted earlier in a worse position?' asked Alina Mykhailova, a Ukrainian paramedic and soldier in a Facebook post in February. Read also: Ukraine is failing the mobilization test We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
