In the Ukrainian Carpathians the Provody – a communal commemoration of the dead – takes on a new dimension during the war to become a way of working through group mourning The afternoon sun falls on a small wooden hut in a green orchard They talk and move quietly; mourning is going on decorated coffin containing the body of an old woman The house is visited by anyone who knew Hanna Tomashchuk The presence of the dead body does not embarrass anyone Kryvoryvnia residents celebrate the holidays in traditional Hutsul costumes during the Easter blessing of food Verkhovyna is a small town in the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine at the foot of the Chornohora mountain range with roads winding along the Black Cheremosh riverbed This part of the country is inhabited by the Hutsuls who still preserve and constantly nurture their unique culture and Orthodox traditions Hutsuls meet at cemeteries to remember and pray for their lost loved ones the custom of holding ceremonial meals at graves on this occasion He was one of the first soldiers the region lost but she constantly uses pharmacological help Since the beginning of the Russian aggression the Verkhovyna region has lost 69 soldiers to the war She searched for him for a month with the help of draft committees Today she helps families whose loved ones were lost at the front co-founding the Association of Families of the Fallen of Verkhovyna It provides psychological assistance and a platform of mutual support for those affected Olha Rozvadovska (48) is doing better a year and a half after the death of her son Through the Association of Mothers of the Fallen she is in regular contact with other families affected by the war Praying together with people of similar experiences soothes her during difficult times Olha Rozvadovska took part in a pilgrimage to Medjugorje organised by the association Praying together with people who have had similar experiences soothes Olha during difficult times was killed in Donbas a month before his wedding A similar fate befell Dmytro Shvarhovsky – he served with his fiancée She left the service only three months before giving birth Today she is raising Dmytro Dmitrovich alone Mothers and partners of the lost soldiers agree: pain does not go away Vira Maryichuk (60) and her daughter Oksana (28) remember Mykhailo shortly after his death in the Battle of Bakhmut in early April 2023 This year is difficult and the next year will be difficult tooOksanaOksana Maryichuk lives in Vipche genuinely attached to the traditional life among the mountains Mykhailo was engaged in finding places for wells “This year is difficult and the next year will be difficult too,” Oksana says “In our family we have a hard time laughing,” she says the first thought is what Mykhailo’s reaction would be.” Her mother spends her days at work “I’ve done everything and now I can just die,” she says The wedding of Yurii Maryichuk (23) and Khrystyna Protsyuk (19) The couple became closer after the death of Mykhailo the time came for the wedding of Mykhailo’s younger brother Yurii and Khrystyna Protsyuk Yurii was relieved from service in the National Guard after his brother’s death He was a sniper and never talks about what he went through The newlyweds’ mothers cannot contain their emotions these are the first moments of happiness since last year’s funeral of her older son The wedding took place according to tradition although in memory of the fallen brother it was smaller than usual The young couple decided that instead of an orchestra The newlyweds decided to tie the knot a year after Mykhailo’s funeral huculkas and arcans were a remedy for her worries When local young people got together for discos folk dances were interspersed with chart-topping dance hits “These days there are no boys to dance with and nowhere to go,” she says The Maryichuk family waiting at hospital for the new baby to be taken home another joy befalls the family: Khrystyna gives birth to a son He is named Mykhailo after his fallen uncle His son represents the legacy that Mykhailo failed to leave behind he always convinced us that everything would be fine Father Ivan says a prayer at the grave of a recently killed soldier in Berezhnytsia On Sunday morning the gloomy interior of the 300-year-old richly decorated Orthodox church is gradually filling up The atmosphere of thoughtfulness and cordiality is noteworthy at the Provody in Kryvoryvnia Father Ivan Rybaruk addresses each person to whom he gives the host by name The faithful silently come and leave as they please Children play undisturbed next to the church Father Ivan does not shy away from current affairs; he lists the liberation of Ukraine among the intentions of the prayer he blesses the foods that will be taken to the graves: eggs A Good Friday screening of the film The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson in the Kryvoriv Orthodox church suffering and death should not be censored from children he discusses the film with the young people It is hard to say where Father Ivan’s energy comes from but he is always ready to support his parishioners He emphasises that the strength of local people is not having a Hutsul identity in particular The priest is an interesting mix of conservative and liberal “When I was 22 I would have told you that there is no God,” he says he came away with the conviction that tradition was important and must be kept alive: “That’s the difference between tradition and traditionalism but a corpse won’t be revived that way,” he says the driving force behind Hutsul culture are the young people They have a strong identity and bring the tradition into modernity The World Through the Eyes of the Hutsuls – Nazar Shatrukh’s Instagram profile – has 30,000 followers and a thriving business behind it and has launched an English-language YouTube channel ‘It spread that I was collecting carols and a man called me That’s when I thought it was worth publishing.’ The book is titled So That it is Not Lost and the entire print run went out in a few weeks He is now working on launching a workshop to make Hutsul hats because the masters in this field are now elderly and the technique is fading The entire print run of the book containing Hutsul carols went out in a few weeks Hats are an essential part of folk costume and the last local makers are no longer in business He wants to make traditional crafts his way of life “I try to surround myself with people who have some depth and I have them in abundance here,” he says on the occasion of his father’s 61st birthday Vasil has not played for more than two years Music has been a guest in the Tefyichuk family for three generations performs all over the world as Ukraine’s leading folk flutist He is serving in the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss” To get into the army he went through the conscription board six times Bringing the candle home follows the traditional ritual Above: Food is blessed in the Upper Jasyniv Orthodox church is staying at home after he was seriously injured in shelling in January He dragged two wounded colleagues into the trench before a landslide crushed his legs and a frozen lump of earth thrown back by the explosions damaged his steel bulletproof vest Right: Vasil prays during liturgy in Verhkny Jaseniv He went through the medical board six times where he was rejected because of an ankle disability for which he had had successful surgery in childhood He was accepted into the army only after formally challenging the verdict Vasil firmly asserts that his Hutsul background helps him a lot I didn’t.” He lost a lung and walks on a crutch He is happy to undergo his convalescence in the Carpathian mountains you are a burden to others.” Vasil shows a video he recorded while he had to endure three days 40 meters from the Russian positions all alone joking that on Sunday the Russians should be in the church instead of shooting at him At the sound of the shelling he slumps down and curses quietly Tafiychuk told his parents about joining the army only after he had signed the draft documents It was my decision and no one had any influence on it.” Once his injuries heal This article was amended on 14 June 2024 to correct the spelling of Amadeusz Świerk’s surname The Ukrainian World Congress congratulates the Ukrainian community and pays tribute to all who united Ukrainians in Bosnia and Herzegovina around our national values including UWC member organization Coordinating Council for Ukrainian Associations and Unions [email protected] [email protected] FB: @uwcongress Today's print edition Home Delivery President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine probably changed the fates of thousands of Ukrainian men when he signed a law lowering the draft age to 25 from 27 this month more than two years after Russia began its full-scale invasion Ukrainian forces are struggling to hold back the far larger Russian army and desperately need their ranks replenished Now many of the young men who remain in Ukraine — thousands of others have illegally fled the country — worry about their future.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Reporters from The New York Times spoke to Ukrainian men who could be affected by the change In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division. Chairman of the Verkhovyna District Council Ivan Shkindiuk posted a video on Facebook, showing roads covered with snow. As noted, a storm warning was announced in the Carpathians on May 7. Heavy rain and wind gusts of 15-20 m / s are expected in western regions of Ukraine, snow and rain mixed – in the Carpathians. Road visibility is limited. On the night of May 8-9, ground frosts of 0°C… -3°C are expected in western regions. On May 7-9, weather forecasters warn of air frost of 0°C… -3°C in the Carpathian mountains. Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421. © 2015-2025 Ukrinform. All rights reserved. Nowadays, virtually every bar in the East Village is precisely branded for age, income, sexual orientation, aesthetic. You’ll see nothing you haven’t seen, hear nothing you haven’t heard. It’s ahistorical, easily retrofitted to something new. Corton’s brother, Rich, found a partner to buy Sophie’s. “I got an offer I liked and he matched it,” Bob says. Rich himself had bartended there. And so, as the city teeters on the edge of recession, Sophie’s can continue sans “mixologists” or beer sommeliers. Rich promises only one change: “I’d like the bathrooms clean.” Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. All sessions run 7:00 – 8:30 pm except the last one which will run 7:00 – 9:00pm LOCATION: Dormition Parish, 15608 – 104 Ave, except April 11, which will be held at Verkhovyna Hall 9637-108 Ave in conjunction with a Home of Hope Fundraiser. Check the Edmonton Eparchy website for details. Livestreaming will be made available for those at a distance. Contact Bernadette at 780-424-5496 or email education@edmontoneparchy.com to make arrangements. [gview file=”https://eeparchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Prayer-Session-Poster.pdf”] the name of Ihor Hrynkevych did not mean much to the general public he turned from an ordinary Lviv businessman into a man discussed in hairdressing salons and kitchens in just a few weeks Over the past month, Hrynkevych was served with two charges at once: for attempting to give an SBI officer a $500,000 bribe and for machinations with procurement of clothing and underwear for the Armed Forces Ihor Hrynkevych was accused of serious abuses over ten years ago and his companies were regularly involved in scandals How did he manage to avoid responsibility for all these years and what we still don’t know about Ihor Hrynkevych NGL.media publishes new facts from the scandalous businessman’s life prior to his entering the construction business All we know for certain is that he was born in Lviv There are no pages on social media and no information which school he attended or where he received further education Hrynkevych started his career not as a builder and it seems that this job opened up almost limitless business opportunities for him Ihor Hrynkevych became a state tax inspector of the individual audit department of the State Tax Inspectorate in the Halytskyi district of Lviv and six months later he became a senior inspector His brother Viktor Medvedchuk was a very influential figure in those days in a few years Hrynkevych resigned from the tax police too In May 2003 he got a job at the Lviv company Modus 2000 His wife Svitlana Hrynkevych also worked there for a short time Ihor Hrynkevych after his detention for attempting to give a bribe of $500,000 in 2005 Ihor Hrynkevych became the director of the “Verkhovyna Construction Company” whom Horodechnyi calls “Hrynkevych’s associate” Now Anatolii Horodechnyi recalls that he met Ihor Hrynkevych when the latter summoned him to be questioned by the tax police “I was working at “Stalkonstruktsiya” і Subsidiary company “Lviv Specialized Department Stalkonstruktsiya No 137” of “Centrostalkonstruktsiya” Open Joint Stock Company back then But we haven’t been in touch for 15 years,” Horodechnyi tolds NGL.media His explanation suggests that Hrynkevych was involved in “Verkhovyna”’s business from the very beginning he officially became the company’s co-owner only in 2011 Ihor Hrynkevych and his son Roman pose with the Defense Ministry’s award (photo by Hope.ua) His wife Svitlana Hrynkevych started developing the business alongside her husband. Apart from her work as a teacher, first at the Lviv Commercial Academy and later at Lviv Polytechnic University, in 2014 she co-founded the “Lviv Prefabricated Structures Plant-1”. Her friend and neighbor Olena Sapiha, the daughter of General Pavlo Tkachuk the longtime head of the National Ground Forces Academy Two years later, Olena Sapiha and Svitlana Hrynkevych founded another joint company, “West Building Group” (“Dorbudmontazh-1” at the time). However, in three months Olena Sapiha officially stopped being a founder, and Natalia Tymruk Olena Sapiha stopped being a co-founder of “Lviv Prefabricated Structures Plant-1” in 2019 Ihor Hrynkevych is concerned about his reputation he has not personally been involved in criminal proceedings despite his associated companies being repeatedly mentioned in court rulings Searches happened in the offices of his companies but Ihor Hrynkevych himself wasn’t served with any charges often those who didn’t seem to understand much about what they were signing Or sometimes those who were officially incapacitated “Would you like to earn a bit of money?” Yevhen Mykhailiuk, 66, from Novyi Yarychiv in Lviv Oblast, who became both the founder and director of “Vizyn Rich” company in late 2018 While he was “in charge” for almost two and a half years the company received contracts worth more than UAH 150 million і according to YouControl in several oblasts of Ukraine this resulted in numerous interrogations and charges in court he calmly recalls Hrynkevych: “He’s a regular guy Yevhen Mykhailiuk from Novyi Yarychiv in Lviv Oblast who became both the founder and director of “Vizyn Rich” (photo by NGL.media) In the end, everything got “settled”. In 2021, Mykhailiuk admitted in court that he was a fictitious head of the company, receiving one thousand hryvnias a month for his services. He was found guilty of forgery and fined UAH 17 thousand. According to the court all he received during his “cooperation” with Hrynkevych was UAH 8 thousand Yevhen Mykhailiuk has been considered to have limited legal capacity і Yevhen Mykhailiuk suffers from mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol abuse and is enrolled in care Initially, his son was his official guardian, and in 2023, the court appointed his wife as his guardian. At the same time, he not only “managed” the construction business, but also entered into a surety agreement with Alliance Bank for UAH 1.3 million to secure the fulfillment of “Vizin Rich”’s obligations Thanks to Mykhailiuk’s explanations, NGL.media found out that several other residents of Novyi Yarychiv, who were engaged by a certain Oleh, are also fictitious directors. It turned out to be Oleh Tomashevskyi, who is still the founder of “Bud Imperial Group” and was its head in 2016-2017. It is known that Tomashevskyi used to work as an ordinary foreman at “Megabudmax” which was once (in 2012-2013) headed by Ihor Hrynkevych NGL.media managed to talk to another “director” of Hrynkevych’s companies “director” of Hrynkevych’s companies, Ihor Savchyn, 65, who is Mykhailiuk’s neighbor, He was the formal head of “West Building Group” for a whole year although he doesn’t remember much: “Oleh [Tomashevsky] came to me and said: “Ihor You won’t have to do anything.” I said But he sent me a thousand hryvnias once or twice former head of “West Building Group” (photo by NGL.media) Two other “directors” from Novyi Yarychiv are Roman Nikhtii and Volodymyr Strykovskyi. Nikhtii died too, but according to YouControl, he is still a director of the “Lviv Construction Holding” a company also co-founded by Ihor Hrynkevych As for Strykovsky, he has been listed as the official director of “West Building Group LLC” since 2019 were very surprised that he was the director of a construction company – they knew nothing about it This company was also headed by Yurii Rohachov (in 2017-2018) who had previously been a freelance engineer і this is exactly what the documents submitted by the company for one of the ” Lviv Construction Holding” tenders say he also confirmed that he was a director only “on paper.” According to him, he did not receive any money in this position, and someone simply “took advantage of his decency.” He did not sign any documents, as he testified in court He does not remember who involved him in this Rohachov confirms that he knows Hrynkevych but when asked whether he personally offered him to become a nominal director but I don’t remember anymore.” these explanations don’t look too convincing According to those who were summoned for interrogation they were directly asked about Ihor Hrynkevych who had no official involvement with the construction companies investigated by law enforcement There were numerous investigations of that kind. One of the most resounding ones was the investigation into Ihor Hrynkevych’s cooperation with “Ukrenergo” in 2019-2020. Back then, law enforcement claimed that “Ukrenergo” employees had colluded with the “actual owners of “Vizyn Rich LLC” to misappropriate budget funds” However, that case came to nothing. At least in the court register, there is no verdict, only rulings on the course of the investigation until April 2021. That’s when the accounts of the Hrynkevych family group companies were released there was a significant change in Ihor Hrynkevych’s behavior but since then he has become particularly difficult to deal with his frequently changing subordinates the number of fake directors has significantly decreased – Hrynkevych himself became the founder of his companies either Ihor Hrynkevych’s wife Svitlana or his mother-in-law Iryna Fedak hardly ever appeared at the company’s office is the owner or co-owner of four heat supply companies (“Boryslavteplo” “Energo Development” and “Vetteplo”) and “MG Budindustriya” After her husband’s arrest in January 2024 Hrynkevych’s wife re-registered the “Kateryna” company In January of this year, Svitlana Hrynkevych also withdrew from the founders of “Maoris LLC”. This company planned to build a large-scale recreation complex on the territory of the Yasnyka quarry such as design and estimate documentation for construction In April 2023, Lviv-based “I.T. United LLC” bought the property complex of the “Western Expert and Technical Center of the State Labor Service” for UAH 45 million The company is officially owned by Ihor Lapka and Ruslan Doktorovych lawyers who earlier represented Hrynkevych’s business in courts Ihor Hrynkevych personally met with the staff of the expert center and introduced himself as the new owner Lapka and Doktorevych said that they did indeed plan to resell the company to Hrynkevych Ihor Lapka also said that they even planned to renovate the building they ordered construction materials from Hrynkevych’s companies and partially paid for them from the accounts of the “Western Expert and Technical Center of the State Labor Service” in the amount of more than UAH 2 million the case was postponed until “after the holidays” It was then that Hrynkevych started having big problems with the law the contract for the purchase of building materials was terminated and the money paid will be reimbursed soon they have no effective contracts with Hrynkevych or his affiliated companies that the cost of some construction materials was overestimated by fifty percent Unlike other family members, Ihor Hrynkevych’s son, Roman, directly ran the business, one of his employees told NGL.media і The employee of Roman Hrynkevych agreed to speak to NGL.media on condition of anonymity. . The main company run by Hrynkevych Jr. was “Construction Alliance Montazhproekt” In 2021, this company caused a new wave of interest in the Hrynkevych family among journalists. We are talking about a tender for the construction of a military camp at the Shyrokyi Lan training ground in Mykolaiv region. As Nikcenter journalists found out the management of the “Construction Alliance Montazhproekt” overestimated the cost of works at the training area part of the work was actually performed by another company Roman Hrynkevych was the head of the company back then, and he signed the documents. The company’s founder was Artem Hamotskyi from Zhytomyr, who had previous criminal convictions. In fact, even today Hamotskyi remains a defendant in two criminal cases – robbery and theft he was mobilized to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the consideration of these cases was suspended Roman Hrynkevych is the sole owner of the company high-profile scandal involving the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine procurements But in fact, the first time the Hrynkevychs’ military contracts came to attention was not at the end of 2023, when the case gained national publicity, but a year and a half ago. In August 2022, investigators from the Main Investigation Department of the National Police obtained court warrants to search the companies associated with the family and the Hrynkevychs’ private residences investigators suspected that “a group of people had created a scheme to fraudulently seize budget funds on a particularly large scale during the supply of goods for the military needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” According to the investigation, the companies involved in this scheme were “Perspektyva Misto Bud”, “Construction Alliance Montazhproekt”, “Trade Lines Retail”, and “Construction Company Sitigrad” The money received from the Ministry of Defense was immediately transferred to the accounts of other companies or to the personal accounts of individuals “for the purpose of their further legalization and cashing out” in 2022 “Perspektyva Misto Bud” entered into contracts with the Ministry of Defense for the supply of body armor and disposable tableware totaling over UAH 500 million the Ministry of Defense transferred UAH 17.96 million for disposable tableware as an advance payment under the contracts another UAH 490.17 million for body armor and bulletproof helmets The very next day after the principal amount was received the money was transferred in two tranches (UAH 220 million and UAH 150 million) to other accounts to “avoid control over the budget funds received,” according to investigators Investigators also found that in just two months, “Perspektyva Misto Bud” transferred UAH 63.8 million to “Construction Company Sitigrad LLC” and UAH 78.88 million to “Construction Alliance Montazhproekt LLC”. In addition, the company provided “financial assistance” to several personal accounts, including the personal account of Roman Hrynkevych, director of “Construction Alliance Montazhproekt LLC” “Perspektyva Misto Bud” paid another UAH 35.1 million to “Swiss Crono LLC” for a land plot To trace the money, investigators seized the companies’ property and accounts, but in late September, judge Serhii Vovk from Kyiv Pechersk District Court canceled the asset freeze Regulatory and law enforcement agencies developed new interest in Hrynkevych’s companies in the fall of 2023 In October, the Accounting Chamber published a report stating that “Trade Lines Retail” had failed to supply і until 31 May 2023 inclusive military uniforms and gear worth UAH 585.4 million under seven contracts concluded in February 2023 Similarly, “Construction Company Sitigrad” failed to deliver clothing worth UAH 493.5 million, and “Construction Alliance Montazhproekt” failed the UAH 425.1 million delivery Both companies had five contracts each with the Ministry of Defense summer T-shirts and other items were seized at the Chaika customs post of the Kyiv Customs They were transported by three MAN trucks pursuant to previously concluded contracts with the Ministry of Defense The suppliers were the abovementioned “Trade Lines Retail” allowing him to be released on bail of more than UAH 429 million the State Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal investigation into fraudulent procurement of clothing and underwear for the Armed Forces The Lviv businessman’s companies won 23 tenders of the Ministry of Defense for the supply of clothing to the military for a total of more than UAH 1.5 billion In January of this year, Hrynkevych was served with a second charge. This this time it was not about unfulfilled contracts, but about low-quality goods – allegedly, the supply of low-quality clothing caused damage exceeding UAH 934 million Not only Ihor Hrynkevych, but also his son and three other people were served with charges. For example, Volodymyr Tymkiv, director and owner of “Trade Lines Retail”, and Viktor Kuzminsky, director of the “Citigrad Construction Company”. However, when a preventive measure was being chosen for Roman Hrynkevych he claimed that it wasn’t him who signed the documents but the official representative of the “Construction Alliance Montazhproekt” How many orders did the Hrynkevychs’ companies receive from the Defense Ministry Only some of them are published on Prozorro only five agreements with “Trade Lines Retail” totaling UAH 1.9 billion are available of which only UAH 57 million is for footwear All food contracts were signed by Maksym Hrytsenko acting director of the Defense Ministry’s resource support department Earlier, the media reported that in 2023 Hrynkevych’s companies received contracts worth UAH 1.5 billion from the Defense Ministry for the supply of summer clothing and underwear alone including officials of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in the commission of the identified criminal offenses.” Ihor and Roman Hrynkevych are currently being held in custody so we couldn’t find out their point of view on the charges NGL.media sent questions to them through one of their lawyers but in more than two weeks we received no response Bidenko’s Case. How the outside consultant of The Gaze and his near and dear received more than UAH 70 million from the Ministry of Culture A millionaire on two stools. Ukrainian deputy Mykola Koretsky still owns a business in Russia This material was prepared with the financial support from National Endowment for Democracy The publication contents is a sole responsibility of the editorial team and does not reflect the views of National Endowment for Democracy NGL.media is an independent anticorruption center founded by a group of journalists in 2013 under the name of «Nashi Groshi.Lviv» NGL.media is working owing to support from international donors and readers; NGO «Lviv Group» is a website publisher All NGL.media materials can be freely distributed provided the hyperlink to the original publication is included Lost your password? Щоб приєднатися до нашої спільноти, оберіть один із рівнів підтримки за цим посиланням Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal met with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico at the second intergovernmental consultations The talks focused on infrastructure projects RBC-Ukraine summarized the main points of the meeting This intergovernmental meeting between Slovakia and Ukraine took place almost six months after the previous one in April which took place in the Slovak town of Michalovce Slovak officials are visiting the Verkhovyna Resort hotel complex Shmyhal said that the parties would focus on discussing the roadmap a plan of joint activities that was signed during the first meeting It concerns cooperation in infrastructure projects “A significant portion of Ukraine's electricity imports come from Slovakia which has never refused to help,” Shmyhal said The topics included President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace plan to end the war “We continue to cooperate closely in defense procurement,” the Ukrainian prime minister said He raised the issue of Ukraine's membership in the EU He says that Bratislava is ready to share its experience and provide expert assistance for Ukraine's EU integration “We have also agreed to finalize eight bilateral documents including one on joint control at border crossing points We hope to sign them by the end of this year,” Shmyhal added the Ukrainian prime minister said that Ukraine would not extend the transit agreement with Russia after its expiration The media reported recently that Bratislava would persuade Kyiv to extend the transit “The strategic goal of Ukraine is to impose sanctions on the Russian gas molecule to deprive the Kremlin of profits from the sale of hydrocarbons which the aggressor uses to finance the war We call on all European countries to completely abandon oil and gas from Russia,” Shmyhal said Ukraine understands “the acute dependence of some countries on this resource.” But it expects a gradual diversification of the supplies said during the meeting that he was “not against” Ukraine's accession to the EU but was “cold” about its membership in NATO He said that “the Slovak government supports President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his peace formula.” But “Bratislava will participate in all peace conferences that should end the war “We know how useful it will be not only for us but also for you if we have another neighbor because sometimes countries with a different history a different language have to unite in the EU to create a counterweight to proposals that are not always beneficial for the whole union,” Fico said He promised that Slovakia would not impede Ukraine's accession to the EU and offered to share its experience in the EU integration process The prime minister also promised that his country would provide Ukraine with emergency electricity supplies so that “Ukraine could survive the winter with dignity.” He also supported the idea of Ukraine joining the EU's unified energy system promising that his Slovak government was preparing a new support package that would include assistance for Ukraine's energy system We understand that most of your energy system has been destroyed but we want to be sure that this will be made up for and we need it to apply to you as well,” Fico said The visit of Slovak PM Robert Fico to Zakarpattia takes place after his rather harsh statements against Ukraine. He particularly promised to block Ukraine's accession to NATO as long as he is in office. Fico also recently said that he would like to “restore normal relations with Russia” after the end of the full-scale war against Ukrainians The rhetoric of the Slovak PM is accompanied by pro-Russian narratives. He advocates “peace” negotiations with Russia opposes the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine through Slovakia and claims that sending more and more weapons to Kyiv allegedly “only encourages more killings and endless war.” Sources: Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal's Telegram channel