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The fourth since the Revolution of Dignity, the third after the election of Petro Poroshenko Ukrainian President, and the first without legal education and experience in the required field – the new Prosecutor General, Yuriy Lutsenko.

Yet another meeting in the Normandy format has brought no positive changes to the process of Donbas settlement. It’s not only Ukraine but also the European Parliament which is concerned with the crackdown against the Crimean Tatars in the Russian-occupied Crimea. Joe Biden confirmed the high degree of his involvement in Ukrainian affairs.

Today, 11 May, a regular meeting of foreign ministers of a Normandy Quartet is held in Berlin. But judging by the rhetoric of the parties on the eve of the meeting, all sides will retain their own positions in the talks.

The Government of Ukraine on May 1 increased the price of gas to market levels. Following this innovation, the prices for central heating hot water jumped almost twofold. UNIAN tried to find out whether this step of the Ukrainian authorities will lead to a global increase in the cost of goods and products.

The previous two weeks in the calendar of the Ukrainian Parliament were marked as "work in the committees' and 'work with voters." Traditionally, the efficiency of the parliamentary activity remained very low during this period. Should we expect a qualitative change in the plenary week?

Early May was tense enough for the Ukrainian authorities, despite the abundance of holidays and weekends. Head of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration tried to resign via Facebook, but eventually had to continue his work. Verkhovna Rada Speaker announced major changes in Parliament’s work.

Ukraine ranks fifth in crony-capitalism index by The Economist; 91% of Ukrainians aged 18-39 are active Internet users; 800,000 Ukrainians will receive a UAH 400-500 annual lump sum on the occasion of May 9 celebrations.

Donbas factor is becoming increasingly prominent in Ukrainian politics. Statements by U.S. officials and top military officers instill hope in the hearts of average Ukrainians. Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev has vowed to his people not to allow the ‘Ukrainian scenario’ in Kazakhstan.

Tariffs for central heating and hot water will rise almost twofold, the IMF and the reformers believe in the growth of the Ukrainian economy, while Prime Minister Groysman promises to repair all Ukrainian roads for UAH 18-19 billion - these are the main economic news of the past week.

It is difficult to argue that the issue of possible local elections in Donbas should only be discussed in close conjunction with the restoration of full control over the situation in the east of Ukraine. UNIAN has asked the experts who and how can secure such control.

While Ukraine’s newly-appointed Cabinet hasn’t gained its momentum yet, the candidates for a number of posts in various state structures have made their best to get their appointments secured, at any cost, before May 1, 2016. On this day, a new law on public service entered into force, radically changing the Ukrainian state apparatus.

The memory of the Chornobyl disaster requires continued efforts to eliminate its consequences. A suspension of a TV host Savik Shuster’s permission to work in Ukraine has grown from a routine bureaucratic act into a large-scale scandal with an international trail. Unification of the gas price for all categories of consumers has made the “old political guard” speak up.

The European Parliament needs three months to complete all the necessary procedures for granting Ukraine a visa-free regime; 115 Ukrainians remain hostage to militants in Donbas; UAH 6,879 per 1,000 cubic meters is a new single price for gas for Ukraine's households.

The Ukrainian Cabinet introduced a market price for gas, G7 and EBRD allocated funds for the Chornobyl Confinement project for the storage of spent nuclear fuel, while the National Bank started following its promises to soften foreign exchange restrictions and liquidate the banks with opaque ownership structure – these are the main economic news of the past week.

Ukraine and the world community celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. The Russian occupation authorities in Crimea banned the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people. The leading Western powers are seeking to fine-tune their attitude toward the Donbas conflict, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is trying to save a good face.

Ukraine’s Antonov design bureau intends, in cooperation with Ukroboropromom, to launch a joint venture with their Indian partners for manufacturing An-148/158 civil aircraft a civil aircraft Antonov An-148/158 and the newest An-178 cargo plane – bypassing competitors from Russia and Brazil.

Last week Ukraine, through its President, voiced its readiness to join the Black Sea fleet under NATO leadership and to set up a joint brigade the Alliance’s member states – Romania and Bulgaria. UNIAN tried to figure out the prospects for the implementation of these ideas.

Former prisoner in a so-called "Bolotnaya case" Vladimir Akimenkov has told an UNIAN correspondent in Moscow how people get persecuted in Russia for dissent, as the expression of points of view may equal extremism.

On the 30th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, the most devastating in human history, an UNIAN correspondent visited the “Zone” along with his Ukrainian and foreign colleagues and saw the new confinement being built, which for the next century will conceal the remnants of the reactor destroyed on April 26, 1986.

The return of Nadia Savchenko to Ukraine is becoming more real. Parliamentarians will not only get a salary increase, they will also have to increase the intensity of their work. The government’s back office is joined by influential foreigners with a reformist image.