Page 22 - UKRRptJul20

announced 13 more arrests of suspects involved in the May 29 shootout in suburban Kyiv between rival passenger bus transporters. The were named suspects in charges of attempted murder and banditry. About 20 suspects were arrested in the following days. About 40 MPs in Ukraine’s parliament signed a petition demanding Avakov’s dismissal, a campaign led by the neoliberal Voice faction.
McDonald’s Ukraine announced on June 2 that it is not altering its plan to open five new restaurants in Ukraine this year​, despite the coronavirus pandemic. “We have postponed the reconstruction of restaurants, but have directed our efforts towards opening more new restaurants. We didn’t reduce the amount of openings. We are changing the prioritizing based on the situation that is happening today,” the company general director Yulia Badritdinova told a press conference. “We have very ambitious plans for the next year to open certainly not less than in the previous year. In 2019, we invested in Ukraine more than UAH500mn and will continue to invest no less in the current year.”
Swedish furniture manufacturer IKEA announced in mid-May that it launched an online store in Ukraine, ​but suspended its operations 11 days later owing to its inability to fulfill home deliveries, limiting them to its two pick-up points in Kyiv. Then in a June 1 statement, it cited technical difficulties for inability to relaunch the website. “Making a purchase now isn’t possible, particularly in Kyiv too. We have technical problems, but we will resolve them. Everything will work in the nearest future, during the week,” the company said in a press release, as reported by the ​epravda.com.ua​ news site. Pick-up points have been set up at Auchan and Metro Cash & Carry, while a retail outlet is planned for opening in the coming weeks.
2.11 ​Polls & Sociology
About 63% of the Ukrainian public believes the country is going in the wrong direction​, compared to 22% who believe it’s going in the right direction, according to poll results released on July 2. That’s a reversal of when parliament convened in September, when 18% believed it was moving in the wrong direction, and 55% in the right direction. About 50% said the economic condition of their family has worsened in the last six months, while 64% said the country’s condition has declined. About 37% said economic conditions will worsen by the year end, while 18% said they will improve. About 53% said the government’s incompetence will be to blame for an economic crisis, while 32% said it would be the fault of the coronavirus. About 52% of the public is dissatisfied with the activity of President Zelensky, compared to 35% who are satisfied, the poll said. About 55% are dissatisfied with the activity of PM Shmyhal (71% with the cabinet), compared to 8% who are satisfied with him (8% with the cabinet), the poll said. About 51% are dissatisfied with the work of Parliamentary Speaker Dmytro Razumkov (75% with parliament’s work), compared to 21% who are satisfied (9% with parliament). The poll was conducted between June 24 and 28 among 2,000 respondents by the Rating Sociological Group.
Almost half of Ukrainians polled believe the economic situation in the country will be worsening​, that's according to a survey conducted by Rating Sociological Group on June 24-28. About 40% of respondents expect the country's economic situation to worsen within the next six months, 31% expect no change, while 17% hope for improvement. According to the survey, more than half of Ukrainians (53%) believe that the economic crisis this fall may occur due to the incompetence of the incumbent authorities, 32% are sure that
22​ UKRAINE Country Report​ July 2020 ​ ​www.intellinews.com