Coronavirus in Ukraine: LIVE Updates (March-April 2020)

March 4, 2020
The Ukrainian government faces a challenge to prevent the virus from spreading and not letting panic take over.
article-photo

Check out recent updates here

30 April, 18:00


30 April, 18:00 - President Zelensky asked the Cabinet of Ministers to develop the quarantine exit plan for Ukraine to properly return to normal life. PM Senys Shmyhal said the government will soon introduce mechanisms to ease the restrictions.

30 April, 9:23 - 10 406 cases of coronavirus are registered in Ukraine (+540 new cases on 29 April). 1238 recovered (+135 on 29 April), 261 died (+11 on 29 April).


29 April, 14:28 - Cabinet of Ministers allowed food markets to be reopened. 280 markets will be opened; all of them will have to undergo strict sanitary observation. The first sign of the eventual loosening of quarantine measures?

29 April, 10:15 - 9866 Ukrainian cases of coronavirus disease registered in Ukraine (+ 456 on 28 April). 250 people died in total (*+11 on 28 April), 1103 recovered* (+11** on 28 April).


28 April, 18:00 - Kyiv city mayor Vitalii Klychko came up with the plan aimed at easing gradually quarantine measures in the Ukrainian capital beginning from 12 May. As he stressed, the measures are not meant to be lifted, but rather relaxed. If there is no positive dynamics or situation worsens after the relaxation, the urgent decision to return to quarantine measures will be made, Klychko emphasized.

28 April, 10:30 - Within the last 24 hours, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ukraine has exceeded 400, with 128 patients recovered and 19 died. The total number of infected persons climbs to 9410, Ministry of Health reports.


27 April, 11:36 - Ukraine plans to increase the number of COVID-19 RT-PCR tests up to 8-10 thousand per day, the Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov announced. As of today, around 5.5 thousand Ukrainian citizens are tested for coronavirus daily.

27 April, 09:28 - Ukraine confirms 9009 cases of coronavirus (+ 392 cases in a day). 220 people died, 864 recovered.


26 April, 09:40 - 8617 Ukrainian citizens are infected with coronavirus (+ 492 on 25 April). 209 people died in total (*+8 on 25 April), 840 recovered* (+58** on 25 April).


25 April, 12:20 - Ukrainian government published a detailed plan of easening quarantine restrictions. It has 5 stages.

Stage 1: if dynamics of coronavirus cases is stable during 10 consecutive days: opening of parks and recreation zones; cafes ("to-go" service only); notaries' and lawyers' services, etc

Stage 2: if the number of cases is decreasing: partial re-opening of schools (graduation classes); opening of restaurants ("to-go" service only); sports and fitness facilities, etc

Stage 3: if the number of people who recovered is at least twice as big as the number of cases (for 10 consecutive days): partial opening of metro (only for specific categories); opening of kids playgrounds; of commercial centres, theatres and cinemas, of restaurants, etc

Stage 4: if the number of cases is less than 5 per Oblast: opening of metro and other public transport; opening of education institutions, etc

Stage 5: if the virus transmission inside the country is stopped, and new cases are only "imported": lifting of restrictions, with limited exemptions of risky regions.


25 April, 11:40 - 8125 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ukraine: +478 during the previous day. 201 people died (+8), 782 recovered (+181).


24 April, 12:10 - The number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases registered in the Armed Forces of Ukraine grew to 51.

24 April, 12:08 - 7647 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ukraine. 601 patient recovered. The death toll stands at 193. However, Ukraine does much fewer tests per 1 million of the population daily than other countries. Thus, the total number of Ukrainians who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be higher than the official number of confirmed cases.


23 April, 15:16 - according to the Public Health Center at Ukraine's Ministry of Healthcare, 93% of Ukrainians with confirmed cases of COVID-19 got infected abroad

23 April, 11:37 - 7170 Ukrainian citizens are infected with coronavirus (+578 on 22 April). 187 people died in total (+13 on 22 April), 505 recovered (+81 on 22 April).


22 April, 16:20 - Ukraine confirmed 6592 cases of coronavirus today. 174 people died, 424 recovered. According to the Academy of Sciences, peak of the epidemic in Ukraine is expected between 3 and 8 May. Thus, the Cabinet of the Ministry announced a range of plans:

  • the quarantine is extended until May 11, with all the restrictions in place;
  • mitigation of restrictions is possible on 12 May. It might include the opening of parks, non-grocery stores, some of the services);
  • by 11 May, the government plans to increase the number of tests done, to improve facilities in hospitals, to introduce "new social standards", etc.

21 April, 10:00 - Quarantine might be prolonged until 12 May in Ukraine, the Minister of Health, Maksym Stepanov said at the briefing today. He also announced the plan to ease some of the restrictions, in particular, on walks in parks and visits to museums.

21 April, 09:40 - 6125 cases of coronavirus (+415) confirmed in Ukraine. 161 people died (+10), 367 recovered.


20 April, 11:30 - 5710 Ukrainian citizens are infected with coronavirus (+261 on April 19th). 151 people died in total (+10 on April 19th), 352 recovered (+12).

20 April, 10:30 - About 130 thousand people came to churches on Easter yesterday, reports Ukrainian police. Although the figure is huge, it is modest compared to usual Easter church attendance (7.5 million last year). Earlier Russian church in Ukraine ("Ukrainian Orthodox Church" of Moscow Patriarchy) invited believers to attend churches.


19 April, 10:30 - 5449 Ukrainian citizens are infected with coronavirus (+343 on April 18th). 141 people died in total (+8 on April 18th), 347 recovered.


18 April, 14:25 - Numerous Ukrainian media report that the Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Onufriy was hospitalised with coronavirus disease. The Moscow Patriarchate denies these reports and still aims to hold Easter ceremonies for those who choose to come despite restrictive measures.

Read more about how the Russian church in Ukraine is putting the health of believers at risk in our recent article:

With Easter Approaching, Russian Church Risks Jeopardizing Believers’ Health

18 April, 09:50 - The number of coronavirus cases climbs to 5106 in Ukraine. 407 new cases were registered in the past day. The death toll stands at 133 (+8 in the past day), while 275 (+29 in the last day) patients recovered.


17 April, 17:28 - According to the National Bank of Ukraine, the number of vacancies on the country's job market decreased by two times since the beginning of the quarantine.

17 April, 17:08 - 879 cases of COVID-19 have been registered among Ukrainian medical workers so far. Ukraine's healthcare ministry plans to introduce regular (at least once in five days) COVID-19 tests for medical workers who treat patients with coronavirus disease.

17 April, 10:05 - 4662 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ukraine. 246 patients recovered. The death toll stands at 125. However, Ukraine does much fewer tests per 1 million of the population daily than other countries. Thus, the total number of Ukrainians who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be higher than the official number of confirmed cases.


16 April, 17:50 - The unemployment rate has reached 2.5-2.8 million people in Ukraine. The number of unemployed Ukrainians increased by 1-1.3 million people in 4 weeks of the quarantine. Since the beginning of the quarantine, over 89 thousand people have registered as unemployed in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the National Bank reported that almost no new vacancies are appearing on the labor market due to the lockdowm.

16 April, 11:30 - The International Monetary Fund says it is ready to increase its credit support to Ukraine to help deal with the economic crisis and the pandemic. Discussions with the Ukrainian government are ongoing. "There is a number of issues outstanding and I am confident that they will be overcome soon," Director of the European Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Poul M. Thomsen said on Wednesday.

16 April, 09:41 - 4161 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ukraine. 186 patients recovered. The death toll stands at 116.However, Ukraine does much fewer tests per 1 million of the population daily than other countries. Thus, the total number of Ukrainians who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be higher than the official number of confirmed cases.


15 April, 13:05 - In his video address, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Onufriy said that churches will hold Easter services on 19 April adding that religious persons willing to take part in liturgies may do this on the streets near the churches in line with “all necessary sanitary regulations”. This comes despite the ongoing quarantine measures and agreement reached between the government and Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, which presupposes there will be no massive gatherings near the churches during Easter celebrations. At the same time, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Epiphanius and the Head of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav called on all believers to stay home on Easter Sunday in order to stay safe.

15 April, 10:15 - The number of coronavirus cases climbs to 3764 in Ukraine. 392 new cases were registered in the past day. The death toll stands at 108, while 143 patients recovered.


14 April, 18:30 - According to the express survey conducted by the European Business Association, 50% of business representatives support the easing of restrictive measures in the country. At the same time, 23% believe that the existing restrictions should remain in place.

14 April, 10:30 - 270 new COVID-cases have been registered in Ukraine per day, which increases the total number of infected people up to 3372. At the same time, 98 persons died, 119 recovered.


13 April, 19:45 - Ukraine's parliament updated the national budget for 2020 in regards to the spread of COVID-19 disease:

  • budget expenditures will be increased by 7% or by 82.39 billion hryvnias, of which 64.67 billion will make up a special coronavirus fund;
  • state budget revenues were reduced by 119.7 billion hryvnias that is by 11% of all the revenue previously expected to be received in taxes and from the state-owned companies;
  • state budget deficit is raised from 2.1% to 7.5% of GDP.

13 April, 19:30 - Ukraine adopted the bill "On protection of the population from infectious diseases" to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

13 April, 11:45 - In Ukraine, 11 136 people have been tested for SARS-CoV-2, the Minister of Health Maksym Stepanov reported. Among them, 530 health care workers and 201 children were tested positive.

13 April, 9:50 - The official number of coronavirus cases climbs to 3 102 in Ukraine. 93 people died from COVID-19 disease, 97 patients recovered.


11 April, 18:57 - Ukrainian plane An-225 "Mriya," the biggest plane in the world, departed to China after 18 months of modernization to bring back medical equipment for the fight against coronavirus.

11 April, 13:52 - Denys Shmygal, Ukraine's prime minister, presented a strategy for Ukraine to gradually loosen quarantine measures:

  • an emergency situation will be in place until the beginning of May;
  • since May "Ukraine goes to work" — 500 thousand jobs will be created; loan support for small and medium businesses; a partial lift of public transportation ban;
  • June-July — "New social life standards" — 2019-2020 academic year ends; public transportation reinstated "with new rules"; areas of recreation open for visitors, but with safety measures; self-isolation for elderly people loosened.

11 April, 10:09 - The number of coronavirus cases increases to 2511 in Ukraine. 308 positive cases were registered on April 10, 4 people died. In total, 73 patients died, 79 recovered.


10 April, 16:30 - Three Ukrainian regions — Chernivtsi, Volyn and Zakarpattya — will limit the movement of people this weekend. People in these regions were urged by the local governments not to leave their homes from 13:00 of Saturday, 11 April until 6:00 of Monday, 13 April. Furthermore, all shops except for apothecaries will be closed. A similar measure will be taken in the Kyiv region, although shops won't be closed there.

10 April, 13:45 - World Bank will provide Ukraine with USD 50 million for pensions and other social payments during the quarantine, Ukraine's government says.

10 April, 10:00 - The number of coronavirus cases increases to 2203 in Ukraine. 311 positive cases were registered on April 9, 12 people died. In total, 69 patients died, 61 recovered.


9 April, 16:50 - 20,603 tests on coronavirus have been made in Ukraine in total, Ukraine's health ministry reports. 2,396 tests were studied during the last day, on April 8th.

9 April, 15:10 - According to Ukrainian health ministry, the biggest number of coronavirus cases is registered in Kyiv (300), Bukovyna (Chernivtsi oblast - 302), Ivano-Frankivska oblast (218) and Ternopilska oblast (169). All top oblasts are close to Ukraine's Western borders and usually have the big number of people going to seasoned work in Europe.

9 April, 10:10 - The number of coronavirus cases increases to 1892 in Ukraine. 224 positive cases were registered on April 8, 5 people died. In total, 57 patients died, 45 recovered.


8 April, 21:50 - In Chernivtsi Region, 51 healthcare workers contracted coronavirus. 40 of them have no symptoms of the disease.

8 April, 19:20 - Ukrainians can apply for marriage and file for divorce online for the period of quarantine. Since the beginning of quarantine, 5 138 couples have got married, 1 753 have divorced.

8 April, 14:40 - Ukraine might extend the quarantine measures until May, says PM Denys Shmyhal. He adds that the ease of restrictions will be possible if the dynamics of the spread of COVID-19 disease declines.

8 April, 12:20 - 15 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Kyiv in the past day. The official number of infected persons reached 294.

8 April, 9:45 - The number of coronavirus cases climbs to 1668 in Ukraine. 206 positive cases were registered in the previous day. In total, 52 patients died, 35 recovered.


7 April, 17:02 - Ukrainian Armed Forces report 1st death because of coronavirus. The victim was a woman working at a military base in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. As of the morning of 7 April, Armed Forces had 4 confirmed coronavirus cases.

7 April, 13:37 - According to the express survey conducted by the European Business Association 18% of the representatives of small business may shutdown because of quarantine. The survey also shows that 78% of respondents among small business representatives report losses of income up to 75% and only 4% stand out with increased profits for the company.

7 April, 10:45 - As of 7 April, 143 new cases of COVID-19 were registered in Ukraine, which brings the total number of confirmed cases up to 1462. 45 people died, while 28 recovered.


6 April, 18:56 - President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed the idea of launching the programs aimed at supporting small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine amid COVID-19 outbreak. “To save business now means to allow country breathing and living in the future", Zelensky emphasized.

6 April, 16:45 - In Ternopil Region, 44 health workers contracted the virus. In total, there are 160 cases registered in the region.

6 April, 16:20 - Ukrainian businessmen launched a platform helpdoctors.com.ua where anyone can donate money to help Ukrainian healthcare workers who had contracted the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus while performing their duties. This initiative is part of a social campaign of the Ministry of Health #ISupportDoctors. In 5 days, businessmen raised 5 million hryvnias (~183 700 dollars) to help.


6 April, 15:30 - 8 Ukrainian parliamentarians have been tested positive for coronavirus. 7 more have come in contact with Hanna Skorokhod who had reported to be infected in late March.

6 April, 14:25 - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says quarantine helped Ukraine reduce the number of new COVID-19 cases per day. "Out of 1319 recorded cases of coronavirus, 68 were detected in the last day. This is significantly less than in the previous days," he added.

6 April, 13:15 - As of tomorrow, 7 April, only 19 crossing points at Ukrainian border will be operating for entering the country by car, State Border Guard Service reports. There will be no possibility to cross the border by foot.

6 April, 11:10 - As of 6 April, 3 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Ukrainian Armed Forces. 99 persons are being self-isolated.

6 April, 9:52 - 15 Ukrainians abroad were cured of coronavirus, foreign ministry reports. At the same time, 167 Ukrainian citizens are still undergoing treatment outside the country.

6 April, 9:00 - As of today, quarantine measures thorough Ukraine are stepped up to prevent the spread of COVID-19 outbreak. It is forbidden:

  • to gather in groups of more than two, except for people who accompany their children;
  • to visit playgrounds, parks, squares, recreation areas, forest parks or coastal areas (except for one person to walk the pets and in case of emergency);
  • to be outside without documents;
  • for children under 14 years, to be in public places without parents.

Also, all people, arriving in Ukraine, will undergo a mandatory 14-days observation.


5 April, 17:41 - Some expert doctors argue that the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in Ukraine is going to happen in early May, rather than in mid-April as previously suggested.

5 April, 14:38 - Viktor Lyashko, Ukraine's deputy healthcare minister says that coronavirus is spreading more slowly in Ukraine than in other countries. According to him, Ukraine went from 100 to 1200 cases in 9 days, whereas Italy had done so in 6 days, Spain - in 7 days and the US - in 8 days.

5 April, 12:38 - 114 Ukrainian military people are in isolation due to possible coronavirus infection, Ukraine's defence ministry reports. Three have confirmed COVID-19 decease.

5 April, 12:02 - Vitaliy Klychko, Kyiv's mayor, assumed that even private cars might be prohibited in Kyiv if the pandemic situation worsened.

5 April, 09:00 - UPD (10:06) - As of the morning of 5 April, Ukraine reports 1251 total coronavirus cases in the country; 32 people died from the disease in total, while 25 recovered.


4 April, 15:33 - In a few days, Ukraine will send humanitarian assistance and reanimation helicopter to Italy, Ukraine's interior minister Arsen Avakov stressed.

4 April, 14:52 - Approximately 500 thousand people in Kyiv had to take unpaid vacations due to quarantine, Kyiv's mayor Vitaliy Klychko said. Klychko argued that most of these people will run out of money in a few weeks.

4 April, 13:45 - Ministry of health warns that the peak of morbidity in Ukraine related to coronavirus may happen in 10 days, as of 14 April.

4 April, 11:38 - In Kyiv, 214 coronavirus cases have been confirmed, Vitaliy Klychko, city's mayor, said. As he explained, 10 patients have been hospitalized, while 15 self-isolated under the control of doctors.

4 April, 9:54 - Foreign ministry reports 5 deaths of Ukrainian citizens from coronavirus abroad. At the same time, 11 Ukrainians abroad recovered, while 166 are receiving treatment for COVID-19.


3 April, 22:10 - Over 1,000: Ukraine reports 1072 total coronavirus cases in the country; 27 people died from the disease in total.

3 April, 18:50 - How Ukrainian volunteers and businesses help the country to combat COVID-19. Read in our article


3 April, 18:03 - Ukraine sends doctors to Italy to combat coronavirus. Ukraine's president Zelenskyi signed a decree "On humanitarian assistance to the Italian Republic"; according to the president's press service, Ukraine will send doctors and medical ethanol to Italy. The teams of the doctors will be put together by the health ministry and the ministry of home affairs.

3 April, 16:30 - Ukrainian government demands from businesses (pharmacies, banks, trade, telecoms shops etc) to ensure that their workers have face and eye protection, and that customers are equipped with these protection tools too. There should be no more than 1 customer per 10m2 in a shop, pharmacy or bank office, according to government's requirements.

3 April, 16:10 - 400 people in Kyiv have been diagnosed with pneumonia and are in Kyiv hospitals, said the city's mayor Vitaliy Klychko. All of them were tested for coronavirus, he adds.

3 April, 15:40 - An innovative startup school in Lviv launched 3D-printing of medical equipment needed to fight coronavirus. It will produce plastic safety screens and adapters for artificial ventilation equipment.

3 April, 13:50 - Ukraine steps up quarantine measures to prevent the coronavirus outbreak, PM Denys Shmyhal announced. From 6 April, it is forbidden

  • to gather in groups of more than two, except for people who accompany their children;
  • to visit playgrounds, parks, squares, recreation areas, forest parks or coastal areas (except for one person to walk the pets and in case of emergency);
  • to be outside without documents;
  • for children under 14 years, to be in public places without parents.

Also, all people, arriving in Ukraine, will undergo a mandatory 14-days observation.

3 April, 12:55 - Quarantine restrictive measures might be weakened in the end of April if the dynamic of the spread of COVID-19 goes down, Ukraine's PM Denys Shmyhal says. This will help launch a "restart" of the economy, he adds.

3 April, 12:20 - Strict quarantine measures are imposed by the occupant government in Crimea, Hromadske reports. The restriction bans people from going outside further than 100 meters away from their houses. Those who breach the new regulations will face penalties from 30 to 40 thousand rubles (~400-500 USD), according to the decree issued by Russia's President Putin.

3 April, 11:40 - More than 8 500 Ukrainians, who are currently abroad, have asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to evacuate them to Ukraine due to the pandemic. Around 13 800 citizens of Ukraine requested help from foreign diplomatic institutions.

3 April, 10:25 - Ukraine will tighten quarantine measures by imposing restrictions on the mobility of people "to avoid the Italian or Spanish scenario".

3 April, 10:00 - The official number of coronavirus cases climbs to 942 in Ukraine. 23 people died, 19 recovered, as of Friday morning.


2 April, 22:05 - The total number of coronavirus cases in Ukraine rises up to 897 on April 2nd; 22 people died of coronavirus disease.

2 April, 21:05 - Ukraine decided to close its region Bukovyna (Chernivtsi oblast) from April 3rd, fearing spread of coronavirus. 143 COVID-19 cases are registered in Bukovyna, out of 804 cases in Ukraine in total.

2 April, 20:17 - Coronavirus enters Ukrainian army: 2 soldiers are diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 2nd.

2 April, 14:50 - NV.ua published an article on how Ukrainian "elites" - MPs, judges, etc - got COVID infection in rich French resort Courchevel. Ukrainian business and political "beaumonde" has a "tradition" of spending holidays around 8 March (International Women's Day) on rich resorts like Courchevel visiting expensive restaurants, hotels and night clubs, NV.ua says.

2 April, 14:20 - Ukrainians are divided in their opinions whether the government should strengthen the quarantine against coronavirus. 43% believe that it should; 40% believe that measures currently applied are sufficient. 9% of citizens believe that the measures are too harsh and a lot of restrictions are not necessary. Source: opinion survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

2 April, 13:30 - 51% of business enterprises are capable to hold out for only 1 month, according to the survey. Almost 60% of business owners (mostly large and medium-sized businesses) continue their activity during the quarantine restrictions, 29% quit (mostly microbusiness).

2 April, 12:30 - 29 new cases of coronavirus and 1 fatal case confirmed in Kyiv, the city mayor Vitaliy Klychko announced. The number of cases has climbed to 161 in Ukraine's capital.

2 April, 11:50 - 20 victims of COVID-19 in Ukraine are people over the age of 50. The Chief Sanitary Doctor Viktor Liashko concludes that 88% of patients who died had serious cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neoplasms, kidney and lung diseases.

2 April, 10:20 - Ukraine confrms 804 cases of coronavirus infectious disease, the Ministry of Health reports. 20 patients died, 13 recovered. The first case of coronavirus is registered in


1 April, 18:02 - Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers plans to introduce new restrictions to combat COVID-19 outbreak. The following is now forbidden all over Ukraine:

  • to stay in public places without wearing face masks or respirators;
  • to move in groups of more than two people except it is operationally necessary or people accompany children;stay in public places for persons under 16 years of age without the accompaniment of adults;
  • to visit parks, squares, recreation areas, forests, and coastal areas except to walk a pet (by one person only) or it is operationally necessary;
  • to visit sports grounds and playgrounds;
  • to carry out all types of mass events (cultural, entertaining, sports, social, religious, advertising and other) involving more than 10 people except the measures necessary to ensure the work of public and local self-government bodies, etc.

1 April, 16:36 - Some 56% of citizens as "effective" President Zelensky's response to coronavirus threat, poll by Rating sociological group shows. As for the health ministry, 38% of respondents consider their efforts effective, while 46% say they are ineffective. Regarding the interior ministry, 37% consider their actions effective, 33% think they are ineffective, while 30% were not able to assess their efforts.

1 April, 15:58 - Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) uncovered a group of people who used fake accounts in social networks to spread disinfo about COVID-19 to destabilize the Ukrainian society. They were communicating with their handlers from Russia via the closed group in VK, Russian social network.

1 April, 14:50 - according to the poll by Rating sociological group, 56% of Ukrainians limited their movements and stay at home. 35% limited movements partially, while 9% introduced no limits. At the same time, 31% of respondents said they left home every day. Furthermore, 52% of respondents said they were ready to stay at home for five and more days without leaving if such limitations were introduced.

1 April, 14:05 - Ukrainian authorities are considerting imposition of tighter qaurantine measures. Wearing a mask may be obligatory from 6 to 24 April, and being outside may be restricted.

1 April, 13:15 - Ukrainian pharmacological company "Mikrohim" is reported to have begun development of drugs against coronavirus. However, the drug in question is meant to be a generic, based on another drug, previously created in Japan and used both in China and Italy.

1 April, 11:25 - According to the latest updates, Ukraine has 669 cases of COVID-19, 120 among which were registered in the last 24 hours. 10 people have recovered, 17 died.

1 April, 10:00 - Boryspil airport received another plane carrying medical aid from China. Among other things, it included 100 000 test systems, 40 000 medical glasses, as well as masks and ventilators.


31 March, 18:00 - Ukraine's healthcare ministry allowed local governments to open food markets. However, the respective decisions will be taken by local authorities.

31 March, 15:44 - Ukrainian School Online project will be launched on 6 April. Lessons for pupils in 5-11 grades will be aired at 11 national TV channels.

31 March, 14:58 - Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada will work in committees until the very end of the quarantine, press service of the Ukrainian parliament says.

31 March, 13:40 - The US has provided Ukraine with health and humanitarian assistance worth USD 1,2 million to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 outbreak. “With the newly announced funding, USAID will help Ukraine strengthen its clinical care to minimize the risk of onward transmission of the virus; prevent and control infections in health-care facilities; prepare laboratory systems for large-scale testing of COVID-19; educate Ukraine's population (through media campaigns) on how it can prevent the spread of the virus; and train rapid-response teams to investigate cases and conduct contact tracing,” the message reads.

31 March, 12:03 - Tomorrow, on 1 April, the humanitarian aid from China, including vital medical supplies, is expected to be delivered to Ukraine, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said. Ukraine and China had agreed to continue partnership in this context.

31 March, 10:30 - 30 Ukrainian citizens are receiving treatment for coronavirus abroad, Ukraine’s foreign ministry reports. Also, according to the data revealed by the ministry, 8 Ukrainians outside the country recovered, while 4 died.

31 March, 9:07 - The number of COVID-19 cases in Ukraine has risen up to 549 in total, with 13 people died and 8 recovered.

30 March, 20:01 - "Coronavirus must not distract the world from Russia’s war in Ukraine," states Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chairperson of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Committee on integration into the EU, in her column for the Atlantic Council. "Denying Russia’s hostile intentions might seem like the easier option, but as the coronavirus emergency has shown, politically convenient denials do not change reality and have a habit of proving costly." Read more here.

30 March, 19:01 - Checkpoints in Ukrainian cities have been launched to resist the spread of COVID-19. The representatives of national police, national guard forces, state emergency service and medical staff will keep the watch at these checkpoints to monitor the health conditions of people.

30 March, 17:40 - The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reports to have found 79 individuals who were spreading fake news about coronavirus. It also blocked more than 1 000 online-communities that were, reportedly, working for Russia.

30 March, 17:20 - Ukraine's Parliament voted in favor of the so-called “Anti-Kolomoisky” bill which is one of the conditions of the new loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund. This brings Ukraine closer to receiving 10 billion dollars of IMF's assistance, including 4.5 billion dollars to combat the spread of COVID-19 disease. The law aims at protection of the rights of owners and ex-owners of banks, affected by the withdrawal of their financial institutions from the market.

30 March, 16:55 - Maksym Stepanov has been appointed as Ukraine's new Minister of Health. Serhiy Marchenko is the new Minister of Finance.

30 March, 16:40 - Ukraine's PM Denys Shmygal says the EU has allocated a 80 million euro aid package to support the country's health-care system, small and medium enterprises "that are most affected by the crisis".

30 March, 16:20 - Downward foresacts for Ukraine's economic and social development in 2020 by the Cabinet of Ministers predict the unemployment rate to make up 9.4% against the projected 8.1%, and the fall of wages to reach 0.3%, UNIAN reports. "GDP is expected to fall by 3.9% compared to a 3.7% increase projected previously, before the global crisis," according to the Cabinet's press service.

30 March, 15:30 - The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted for ammendments to the legislation that would provide additional social and economic guarantees in view of the spread of coronavirus disease. It inclcudes, inter alia, individual income tax exemptions, partial unemployment benefits, VAT exemption for the turnover of specialized drugs and medicines aimed at combating COVID-19, and automatic continuation of social payments for the quarantine period. The parliament also voted in first reading for a law that establishes criminal liability for the export of medical masks and other anti-epidemic items.

30 March, 14:35 - Ukraine's parliament dismisses The Minister of Health Ilya Yemets and the Minister of Finance Ihor Umansky, who had held their positions for 26 days after the government reshuffle. New ministers have not been appointed yet.

30 March, 14:20 - The head of Zaporizhia Regional Council Hrihoriy Samardak tested positive for COVID-19 coronavirus disease. He is currently home under a supervision of doctors. In total, there are 13 cases of coronavirus in Zaporizhia Region.

20 March, 10:10 - Ukrainian National Guard forces are engaged into fight against coronavirus spread in the country, National Guard press service reports. Among the tasks assigned, the forces raise people’s awareness about the current developments, control transport operators not allowing them to breach quarantine restrictions.

20 March, 8:59 - 5 new cases of coronavirus were identified in Chernivtsi, Ukraine’s healthcare ministry says. This brings the total number of cases identified in Ukraine to 26.

19 March, 21:00 - Diagnosis to the 3rd victim of coronavirus was posthumous: the woman addressed the hospital too late, says Ukraine's health ministry. Her husband recently returned from a trip abroad, but is not ill with coronavirus.

19 March, 20:45 - Ukraine reports 3rd death from coronavirus. A woman died from COVID-19 in Ivano-Frankivsk.

19 March, 20:15 - Ukraine reports 21 cases of coronavirus infection in total.

19 March, 15:53 - A case of coronavirus is identified in Zhytomyr. The virus was found in 56-year-old dweller of Zhytomyr who recently came back from Austria. Earlier a woman died of coronavirus in Zhytomyr oblast. The number of infected people in Ukraine reached 17.

19 March, 15:10 - "We stay here for you, please stay home for us": Ukrainian doctors addressed citizens with a call to stay home during the quarantine

19 March, 14:30* - Ukrainian railway prolongs the period of ticket refund to 90 days for intra-Ukrainian travel, and 180 days for international travel, because of Coronavirus. Ukraine suspended** international railway travel on 17 March, and internal railway travel on 18 March.

19 March, 14:01 - Ukraine will soon receive 1 million of accurate tests on Coronavirus, says Ukraine's chief sanitary doctor Viktor Liashko. He adds that these tests are already available in 11 Ukrainian laboratories. They are more precise than "fast tests". He also added that soon Ukraine will have fast tests too, which will help doctors take quick decisions.

19 March, 13:01 - Pro-Russian militants of the so-called "DPR" have decided to close all the checkpoints on the contact line on midnight, 21 March, «to prevent coronavirus from getting into the republic». As reported earlier, in the «republics» no one tests people for coronavirus, 51 suspected cases of pneumonia in the "DPR" and 40 suspected cases in the "LPR" were recorded from 9 to 16 March.

19 March, 10:23 - Meanwhile, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate urges believers to ignore the quarantine measures. «Epidemic is nothing to be afraid of, but a sin which kills a soul is,» metropolitan archbishop Pavel argued. He urged «everyone young and old to hurry to the church and hug one another».

19 March, 10:13 - The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ukraine has grown to 16. 2 new cases have been registered—one in Donetsk region, another one in Kyiv region. The online tracker shows 199 suspected cases around the country.

18 March, 18:20 - Ukrainians who breach the restrictive measures imposed during the quarantine will face fine from 17 000 up to 51 000 hryvnias, arest up to six months, or up to 3 years of prison. Actions that lead to grave consequences or fatalities will be punished with 5 to 8 years in prison, according to the National Police of Ukraine.

18 March, 17:20 - The so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republic's totally ignore quarantine and conduct public events, - Eastern Human Rights Group reports. According to the monitors, educational institutions have held a range of events, including those dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory of the USSR. In the occupied territory, bars and restaurants are open. Despite no one tests people for coronavirus, 51 suspected cases of pneumonia in the "DPR" and 40 suspected cases in the "LPR" were recorded from 9 to 16 March.

18 March, 16:42 - Ukrainian Armed Forces suspend the spring call-up due to the quarantine measures in the country until April 3.

18 March, 15:10 - President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed head of the Ternopil Regional State Administration, Ihor Sopel, who did not prevent protests against evacuees from China.

18 March, 14:57 - Ukrainian MPs who have come into contact with the infected lawmaker Serhiy Shakhov will be tested for coronavirus.

18 March, 14:20 - In Kyiv, drivers of the public transport will be deprived bonuses and even fired for taking more than 10 passangers simultaneously. Kyiv police warns that if caught, drivers of the public transport might be fined up to 32 000 hryvnias (~1 170 dollars) for breaching the new rule.

18 March, 13:40 - Ukrainian lawmaker Serhiy Shakhov tested positive for the coronavirus. Press service of the Verkhovna Rada reports he was absent at the meeting of the conciliation council of MPs, as well as at the parliament's the extra plenary session that took place on 16 and 17 March accordingly. The infected politician is self-isolating.

18 March, 12:54 - In Lviv, 24 people have been sent to hospital with suspected COVID-19, Lviv City Council reports. All the persons hospitalized came back to Ukraine from abroad recently.

18 March, 12:16 - According to the information revealed by Ukraine’s foreign ministry, 12 Ukrainians are undergoing medical treatment to combat COVID-19 abroad: 5 in Germany, 2 in Italy, 2 in Poland, as well as 1 in Moldova, 1 in UAE and 1 in Dominican Republic. 744 Ukrainians abroad are in quarantine.

18 March, 10:53 - As of today, all public transport in Chernivtsi, the city where the first COVID-19 positive patient has been registered, suspends its work, Chernivtsi city mayor Oleksiy Kaspruk said.

18 March, 09:12 - Several restrictions in Ukrainian Armed Forces will be imposed to fight the spread of COVID-19, General Staff’s press service reports. Meetings, business trips will be limited or prohibited, while work at home will be allowed.

17 March, 20:30 - 7 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Ukraine, the Ministry of Health reports. As for today, Ukraine registered 14 cases of COVID-19: 10 in Chernivtsi oblast, one in Zhytomyr oblast, one in Kyiv oblast and 2 in the city of Kyiv.

17 March, 16:30 - Only people with masks will be allowed to enter public transport in Kyiv from 18 March. The number of passangers should not exceed 10 persons in a bus, a trolleybus or a tram.

17 March, 15:02 - Ukraine's healthcare ministry does not rule out the prolongation of quarantine measures beyond 3 April, deputy healthcare minister Viktor Liashko said. The respective decision will be made at the end of the current quarantine period taking into consideration the epidemic situation in Ukraine and the neighbouring countries.

17 March, 11:57 - 42 Ukrainians are currently being checked for COVID-19, Ukraine's healthcare ministry reports.

17 March, 10:29 - Ukraine's State Border Service limited access to annexed Crimea until 3 April. Only those Ukrainians registered in Crimea will be able to move back and forth. People who are «important for Ukraine's national interests» and employees of diplomatic institutions and humanitarian missions will also be allowed to move back to mainland Ukraine.

17 March, 10:12 - Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada adopted a law №3219 «On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine aimed to prevent the occurrence and spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)». Here are the main points of the law:

  1. Administrative fines on individuals who violate quarantine and criminal responsibility for those who spread the coronavirus on purpose.
  2. Duties and VAT on medicaments aimed at combating COVID-19 cancelled.
  3. Cabinet of Ministers controls prices on medicaments and «socially important goods».
  4. Ukrainians can officially work on remote.
  5. 200% salary bonus for medical workers who treat patients with COVID-19.

17 March, 08:30 - The government ordered to shut down subways, as well as bus, rail and air transportation between cities and regions amid the coronavirus spread in Ukraine. City buses, trams and trolleybuses are allowed to carry no more than 10 passangers simultaneously.

16 March, 23:50 - Ukraine expects to receive 1 mln rapid response tests from China on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced. He also said the state of emergency will be introduced "if necessary".Today, 15 Ukrainian regions have tests for coronavirus, according to the the Ministry of Health.

16 March, 22:00 - First 2 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Kyiv. An infected man returned from France during the incubation period, the Ministry of Health reports.

16 March, 18:16 - President Zelensky also authorized Ukraine's finance ministry to negotiate with the IMF and other international partners to seek financial assistance to tackle the economic crisis caused by coronavirus.

16 March, 17:39 - BREAKING: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky asked the Ukrainian government to close the railway, bus and airplane connection between the Ukrainian cities, as well as shut down metro in the Ukrainian cities to limit the spread of coronavirus. It is highly likely that the government will support this suggestion.

16 March, 16:08 - local elections in Ukraine will take place on 25 October 2020. Ukrayinska Pravda studied how SARS-CoV-2 virus might influence these elections:

  1. Servant of the People rating might sink.
  2. Political consultants might use people's fear of the virus in pre-election campaigns.
  3. These elections might be the most digitalised ones in Ukraine ever including agitation via SMS and social networks
  4. After all, the local elections might be postponed.

16 March, 15:03 - due to the quarantine introduced on 12 March, the air quality in Kyiv improved significantly. If compared to the end of January, the level of air pollution decreased by 3-4 times.

16 March, 14:33 - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky created a coordination group aimed at combating the spread of coronavirus in Ukraine. This group will advise the President on all matters related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The group consists of Ukraine's healthcare minister Ilya Yemets, deputy healthcare minister Viktor Liashko, interior minister Arsen Avakov, NSDC secretary Oleksiy Danilov, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and many others. The full list is here.

16 March, 14:00 - Illegal smuggling of medical masks has beaten the scheme with cigarette export, says head of the State Customs Service Maxym Nefyodov. He says Ukraine prevented around 130 000 masks to be smuggled from the country in just a weekend.

16 March, 13:50 - Ukraine will shut down Verkhovna Rada till 3 April. The parliament will suspend its work after tomorrow's morning sessiion where it plans to take urgent legal measures to combat the spread of coronavirus in the country.

16 March, 13:20 - More Ukrainian cities such as Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhia, Uzhhorod and Mykolaiv enforce quarantine measures by closing all food service establishments. Pharmavies, shops and gas stations will be open. Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa have announced similar restrictive measures earlier today.

16 March, 13:00 - The Chernivtsi resident, who was the first COVID-19 patient in Ukraine, was tested negative for coronavirus. The patient will be tested again in 2 days. If the next test will prove to be negative, the officials say, he will be considered recovered.

16 March, 12:45 - Police drew up an administrative report on a man from Chernivtsi Region who had spread false rumors about the number of infected and killed by COVID-19 in Ukraine. Previously, a woman had been fined for spreading fake news about the new virus.

16 March, 11:45 - Kyiv orders all bars, restaurants, clubs and shopping malls to be closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, - mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko announced. Sports complexes and other public service establishments will be temporarily suspended as well. Public travels between the city of Kyiv and other settlements of Ukraine will be restricted. ATMS, banks and gas stations will be open.

16 March, 11:20 - Ukrzaliznytsia [Ukrainian Railways -ed.] will refund the full cost of tickets for cancelled international travels. Passangers can get a refund in the railway ticket office or online.

16 March, 10:55 - Ukraine suspends the issuance of all entry visas due to quarantine measures introduced by the government. Directorate General for Consular Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is closed to applicants from 14 March.

16 March, 10:40 - More than 50 foreign citizens have been denied entry to Ukraine since midnight when the restriction on entering the country took effect in Ukraine.

16 March, 10:00 - 2 more cases of the coronavirus confirmed in Ukraine, the Ministry of Health reports. The infected persons are women in Chernivtsi Region where the first person was tested positive on 3 March. As for today, Ukraine registered 5 cases of COVID-19.

16 March, 09:50 - The Ukrainian-born actress and former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko was tested positive for the coronavirus. The Hollywood star revealed that she was locked at home to her fans on Instagram saying she "had been ill for almost a week".

16 March, 09:30 - 123 Ukrainians, who could not return from Italy,arrived to Boryspil Airport. They were evacuated after the borders had been closed due to the quarantine. All passangers were checked for coronavirus symptoms prior to boarding.

16 March, 09:00 - In Lviv and Odesa, all food service establishments and venues that might gather more than 10 people are closed from today. Grocery stores and pharmacies will be open.

15 March, 17:00 - As of March 15th, Ukraine has 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection; 12 cases are being checked.

15 March, 15:00 - Ukraine's health minister Illia Yemets suggests closing restaurants and cafes, saying Ukraine should "act proactively" and ahead of the challenge. This is, however, only an opinion of the minister, no decision is yet taken.

15 March, 12:10 - Coronavirus and global financial crisis hits Ukrainian economy. Ukraine's currency hryvnia (UAH) lost 5% in 5 days: it fell from 24.92 UAH for 1 USD to 26.09 UAH for 1 USD between 10 and 15 March.

15 March, 12:00 - Ukraine to cut all railway travel with other countries from March 17th. Restriction will apply until the end of quarantine period in Ukraine (April 3rd). Railway travel with Slovakia was stopped on March 13th, with Poland on March 15th

15 March, 10:30 - Many Ukrainian public administration bodies, companies, NGOs are turning to "work from home" model.

14 March, 12:00 - Ukraine launched an online service that helps track the spread of coronavirus around the country. Confirmed cases of infection are marked red, while suspicions of the coronavirus are pointed with orange on the map. Green marks medical institutions that are ready to take the infected persons.

13 March, 22:40 - Ukraine will shut down its borders for foreigners from 16 March. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said foreigners without temporary or permanent residency status "will not be able to enter by plane, nor by car, nor by train". He urged Ukrainian tourists to return home prior to 17 March.

13 March, 21:06 - Ukraine will fully restrict air travel from March 17th, said Dmytro Razumkov, head of Ukrainian parliament.

13 March, 16:06 - Cases of coronavirus are registered in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk Regions,- Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov reported at the briefing in Kyiv. He says the spread of the virus started from an infected woman who сame to Horlivka (Donetsk Region) through Moscow from China. The official did not mention the exact number of cases.

13 March, 15:36 - The first death from coronavirus was confirmed in Ukraine, - Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Health, Viktor Liashko reports at the briefing. A woman from Radomyshl (Zhytomyr Region), aged 71, who was tested positive for coronavirus, died from pneumonia. She had previously travelled to Poland.

13 March, 15:20 - Ukraine will close entry for foreign citizens in 48 hours to prevent the spread of COVID-19,- National Security and Defense Council announced at the briefing. The restriction will be in place for two weeks. Ukrainians abroad will be allowed to return home. Oleksiy Danilov from NSDC says there are no reasons for panic in the country, all the checkpoints at the border will be provided with tests and everything necessary to diagnose the new coronavirus and protect medical workers.

13 March, 14:00 - A city of Radomyshl (Zhytomyr Region)declared a state of emergency to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Public transport is suspended and markets are closed after an infected woman had not reported her symptoms for more than a week,- Kyiv Post reports.

13 March, 11:01 - Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) is set to meet at 12:30 Kyiv time to discuss all possible measures to prevent COVID-19 outbreak in the country, as confirmed by President's office. Sources of Ukrayinska Pravda say that the closure of borders might be discussed among other measures.

12 March, 19:30 - The Ministry of Health has reported about two new cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine. An elderly woman from Zhytomyr Oblast and a man from Chernivtsi Oblast whose wife has been in Italy for the last 14 days are infected with the virus. The country now has three confirmed cases, still one of the lowest numbers in Europe.

12 March, 16:00 - The number of people infected with COVID-19 stays unchanged in Ukraine: only one person officially declared infected as of now.

12 March, 14:00 - In Kyiv, 3-week quarantine is applied: kindergartens, theatres, cinemas, museums, entertainment centres and entertainment zones in the shopping malls should suspend their work.

12 March, 13:00 - Ukraine restricts the number of border crossing points to 49 out of 219. 170 crossing points are closed on 12 March. It also suspends aviation connections with Italy.

11 March, 13:50 - Ukraine enforced quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. All educational institutions, including nurseries, schools and universities, are closed. Mass gatherings and public events with more than 200 persons should be cancelled. The restrictions will be in place till 3 April.

3 March - The first case of coronavirus in Ukraine was confirmed in Chernivtsi. A Ukrainian man who came from Italy by car, was tested positive several days after the first symptoms appeared.