• Crimea tragedy. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the deadly shooting and bomb attack by a teenager in Crimea a “result of globalization” and says that adults are failing to offer young people an alternative to an outburst of violence.
• Holy row. Several Orthodox churches in former Soviet republics have followed the steps of the Russian Orthodox Church and cut their ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
• Arms business. Ukraine’s giant state-owned defense conglomerate, UkrOboronProm, came to the United States earlier this month seeking investors, aiming to convince potential partners that it was ending Soviet-era bureaucracy and privileges, combating corruption, and was now equipped for survival in the free market.
• Business bonanza. From Oct. 13 through Oct. 19, Kyiv Investment Week organizers held a series of events that aimed to bring entrepreneurs, investors and other business executives together in the Ukrainian capital. More than 3,000 people attended nine different events in Kyiv through the week.
• Tax tweaks. Ukraine is trying to reassure the International Monetary Fund that it can keep its budget deficit in check despite planning a change to how companies are taxed that may cause a $1.5 billion revenue shortfall, the head of a parliament tax committee said.
• Church transfer. Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has approved a bill on the use of St. Andrew’s Church of the Sophia of Kyiv National Conservation Area, which was submitted by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople will be allowed to use the building on a permanent basis. The move comes as Ukraine is attempting to establish its own independent Orthodox Church, which requires Constantinople’s approval.
• Victim named. The 144th Fighter Wing, a unit of the California Air National Guard, has named on its Facebook page the U.S. pilot killed in the crash of a Su-27 fighter aircraft in Ukraine as U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Seth “Jethro” Nehring. The U.S. serviceman and a Ukrainian pilot were killed when the fighter crashed in Vinnytsia region during the Clear Sky 2018 joint military exercise.
