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The Moscow Patriarchate is gradually losing Ukraine. Among other things, this is evidenced by a rather inert reaction to statements of the opponents of the "new unified church" idea – namely the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in the traditionally more pro-Russian regions - Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, and Odesa. At the same time, pro-Russian priests are taking a far more aggressive stance.

After a sleepless night, on Friday morning, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the 2019 State Budget, paving the way for the new IMF program; the management of two major European low-cost air carriers announced their active business development in our country, while President Petro Poroshenko ignored the requirements of protesting drivers, having signed laws on new rules for customs clearance of imported vehicles.

Georgia's ex-Ambassador to Russia, former GUAM Secretary General Valery Chechelashvili spoke about how ten years ago the West had high hopes in relation to Russia, thus driving the world into a current dead end, about the philosophy of the Kremlin regime, and on why for Russia, the rapprochement of Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries with the EU (not with NATO) has become a problem.

Crimean political analyst Yevgenia Goryunova sat down with UNIAN to tell us about the mass resettlement of Russians to Crimea, social discrimination of Crimeans in favor of newcomers, and catastrophic militarization of people's consciousness. Also, she explained with examples that the love of the local residents across the annexed peninsula to Russia is now fading away.

President Petro Poroshenko had to personally intervene to ensure a belated start of the heating season in the town of Smila, which is evidence of acute problems in the country's energy sector; U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry during his Kyiv visit promised support in the energy field; while GDP growth rates declined – these are the key economic news of the outgoing week.

The Verkhovna Rada, under the pressure of protesting drivers of vehicles with EU registration plates cut the customs clearance fees for such cars but sharply increased fines for those who fail to legalize their vehicles in Ukraine on time. MPs also discussed tax innovations, while President Poroshenko announced that Ukraine would shortly receive the first tranche of the EU aid in the amount of EUR 500 million. Meanwhile, the start of the heating season brought the first "surprise" as coal reserves at Luhansk TPP, owned by DTEK, have exhausted.

On Sunday, November 4, Kherson city council official, activist and anti-corruption whistleblower Kateryna Handziuk, who had been doused with acid near her house four months ago, died. Despite all the assurances of high-ranking officials about their “personal control” of the case, law enforcers have not even transferred the case file to court. Should we hope for a fair investigation and voicing the names of not only the executioners of, but also the masterminds behind Keteryna's murder after her death?

Ukraine has risen five positions in the Doing Business ranking, Russia imposed sanctions on Ukrainian politicians and a number of companies, while Germany's Angela Merkel during her Kyiv visit promised more economic assistance and wider bilateral trade.

Ukraine has attracted $2 billion, placing eurobonds with a 5- and 10-years' maturity period and a yield of 9% and 9.75%. The Russian leadership, besides shelling and shooting in Donbas, is now rattling other types of sabers – personal sanctions against Ukrainian politicians. Meanwhile, the decrease in temperature forced the authorities to greenlight the start of the heating season against the background of the gas price hike and new tariffs for heat and hot water.

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree with a very colorful title “On the application of special economic measures in connection with the unfriendly actions of Ukraine in relation to citizens and legal entities of the Russian Federation.” UNIAN figured out who could be hit by sanctions and whether the restrictions would have an impact on the Ukrainian economy.

The more time passes since the start of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the more our international partners, demonstrating in words their support for Kyiv, are trying to flirt with Moscow. Each EU country has its own reasons. But these “personal ambitions” can play a cruel joke on them, and on us.

The Verkhovna Rada made the first step toward adopting the Budget 2019 and considered amendments to the Tax Code, which imply an increase in a number of excises and fees. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman keeps scolding his predecessors for the accumulation of “major debts,” while he himself follows the vicious practice of living beyond means. But perhaps the most important news of the outgoing week is the increase in gas prices for the households, followed by a new agreement with the IMF.

The collapse in global stock markets pulled down oil prices, which heralds a reduction in the cost of fuel in Ukraine. At the same time, the IMF has worsened the economic outlook for Ukraine in 2019, not ruling out unemployment growth. At the same time, the hryvnia seems to have stopped its plunge.

The government reported its readiness for the heating season and approved the starting price and terms of privatization of Centrenergo, while the sale of other state assets was once again postponed to the next year; the World Bank announced its outlook for Ukrainian economic growth and reiterated its call on the country's leadership to continue implementing reforms – these are the main economic developments of the outgoing week.

Special Representative of the U.S. Department of State for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker in an exclusive interview with UNIAN explained why Ukraine needed to retain the special status of Donbas, told about the progress in negotiations with Russia on the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission, and revealed why he had met with Ukraine's opposition leaders during his latest September visit.

Negotiations with the International Monetary Fund on the next bailout tranche are being delayed due to disagreements over the gas price for the population; the Cabinet declared war on corruption in the construction industry; while agrarians continue to increase trade with the EU, which calls into question the allocation of financial assistance to Ukraine because of the existing tax evasion schemes.

Volodymyr Groysman's Cabinet approved the draft budget for 2019, the year to become one of the most difficult ones for the national economy, while negotiations with the IMF are underway on the price of gas for the population; the court in London forwarded the case of "Yanukovych debt" for full-fledged consideration; experts argue about the benefits of IKEA entering the country's market and the purchase by the Saudi company of a Ukrainian agricultural holding Mriya. In the meantime, the public eye was focused on the NABU detectives' hunt for infrastructure minister Volodymyr Omelyan - these are the main economic news of the outgoing week.

Deputy Minister for the temporarily occupied territories, Yuriy Hrymchak, sat down with UNIAN to speak about what happened in northern Crimea's Armyansk at "Crimean Titan" plant, as well as about other more potentially dangerous enterprises located in the occupied peninsula and parts of Donbas.

After a long summer vacation, legislators returned to work and adopted a number of important laws; representatives of the IMF, the country's key creditor, flew to Kyiv to negotiate a new bailout tranche; while the State Fiscal Service saw its chief being replaced – these are the main economic news of the outgoing week.

Exactly one year ago, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy called the fall session of the parliament "autumn of reform." The current session, according to him, is the "autumn of chances." But it is unlikely that people's deputies will be able to resist populism on the eve of two election campaigns. UNIAN learned which bills would become a litmus test this political season.