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law enforcement employees.
Putin forces Russian passports on Ukrainians. Previously, the simplified procedure was used to hand out Russian passports in Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Russia has distributed almost a million passports in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts since 2019. Forcing Russian citizenship on Ukrainian citizens was later used by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin as a justification to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.
US Congresswoman Spartz calls for Yermak’s resignation, better support for army from Kyiv. U.S. Representative Victoria Spartz said that President Volodymyr Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak launched a “smear campaign” against her after she voiced concerns over his integrity. In a press release published on July 11, congresswoman responded to the criticism about raising this issue for political benefit. “After trying to resolve this issue internally for some time, I am raising it publicly out of major concern,” Spartz wrote. She also criticized aid allocation, claiming that Kyiv prioritizes reconstruction of the “nonessential infrastructure” over support for soldiers. Earlier today Vitaliy Shabunin, head of the Anti-Corruption Action Center’s executive board, said that the best way to stop attacks undermining the trust in Ukrainian government is to address the key issues, namely to remove Yermak's deputy Oleh Tatarov, who is responsible for anti-corruption efforts at the Office of the President. Tatarov has been holding up key leadership appointments across several anti-corruption agencies.
G7 ambassadors urge Ukraine to appoint head of Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office vacant since August 2020. According to the G7 Ambassadors’ Support Group, currently led by Germany, the appointment of the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) "is critically important for strengthening Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions."
2.7 Polls & Sociology
In early June, a Rating Group poll found that more than 90% of Ukrainians have a positive opinion of Boris Johnson. Only Polish President Andrzej Duda matches the score of his British counterpart, followed closely by American President Joe Biden (89%). The survey also showed that Ukrainians have significantly lower opinions of Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz (only 41% positive) and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (53% negative).
The index of enterprises’ business expectations fell by 35.6 percent. The index of business expectations of enterprises in the second quarter of 2022 decreased by 35.6% and is 72.6% against 108.2% in the first quarter. These figures are contained in the results of a survey of company managers conducted by the national bank in the second quarter of 2022. It is noted that business expects a reduction in the production volume of goods and services in Ukraine because of the war and is pessimistic about the level of their enterprises’ business activity. In addition, in the next 12 months, respondents predict an increase in inflation and a devaluation of the national currency. The index’s decrease occurred due to the deterioration of assessments for all
23 UKRAINE Country Report XXXX 2018 www.intellinews.com