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Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine When the President of Ukraine invited CBS News to visit the front line in his country's war against Russian-backed separatists, we expected a quick trip in an armored motorcade to the muddy trenches that cut a bloody scar through the wheat fields of eastern Ukraine. We did not anticipate an informal breakfast lard on rye bread, salmon sashimi, homemade cookies and shots of brandy with President Volodymyr Zelensky and his elderly parents in their tiny, Soviet-era kitchen.

The war in Ukraine has raged since 2014, when protests in the capital, Kyiv, toppled a government friendly to Moscow. Russia retaliated by sending troops across the border to seize control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, and by backing a separatist insurgency in the east. The United Nations puts the death toll after seven years of war at more than 13,000.

The U.S. has supported Zelenskyy's government with money, weapons and training. But the president told us what he really wants is America to back his country's bid to join NATO a move that the U.S. fears could exacerbate tensions with Moscow.

Just days before President Biden's summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, during which Ukraine will figure near the top of the agenda, we asked Zelensky why ordinary Americans should care about the conflict in his country, which is thousands of miles from their own.

"It can be tomorrow in their houses" he told us.

That may sound far-fetched, but experts say Russian hackers are using Ukraine as a testing ground including attacking its power grid before employing similar tactics in the U.S. When tens of thousands of Russian troops massed at Ukraine's border earlier this year, some saw it as a move intended not only to scare an American ally, but as a threat to the United States and its allies.

President Zelenskyy grew up in an era when Ukraine was part of the USSR, and he was raised in a Russian-speaking household. Part of his early years were spent in the Mongolian city of Erdenet which, at the time, was within the outer reaches of the Soviet empire. His father Oleksandr, a professor of computing, had been sent there to teach.

Like many Ukrainians, Zelenskyy believes that Vladimir Putin has neo-imperial ambitions for Russia, to control its neighbors once again.

"They don't want to make us free", he told CBS News.

Zelenskyy started down his surprising path to the presidency as a comedian with his own production company. He played a fictional President of Ukraine, contending with corrupt oligarchs, in the wildly popular television series "Servant of the People."

It served as a springboard for his own, very real political career. One of Zelenskyy's top priorities in office has been combating widespread corruption.

Over breakfast, Zelenskyy, an only child, told us that his parents were "always" worried about him since his election to Ukraine's top job.

In a country where corruption is endemic and Enemy No. 1 is the massive nuclear power next door, I asked the president's parents whether they preferred comedy or politics as a career path for their son.

"Maybe comedy is more to my liking," replied his father, with a wry smile.

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Ahead of Biden-Putin summit, Ukraine leader tells Americans war with Russia could "be tomorrow in their houses" - CBS News

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group C - Ukraine v North Macedonia - National Arena, Bucharest, Romania - June 17, 2021 Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko celebrates after the match Pool via REUTERS/Mihai Barbu

BUCHAREST, June 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine struggled to conquer their nerves against North Macedonia at the European Championship, coach Andriy Shevchenko said after his team's nail-biting 2-1 victory at the National Arena Bucharest on Thursday. read more

Shevchenko's team dominated the first half against the lowest-ranked side at the finals, going into the interval two goals ahead, but went off the boil in the second half, nearly conceding from North Macedonia's first attack. read more

Ukraine's Georgiy Bushchan denied midfielder Arijan Ademi in the 47th minute and that attempt set the tone for a much more competitive game in which North Macedonia pulled a goal back via Ezgjan Alioski, who followed up after his penalty was saved.

"First of all this part of the European Championship is a very different atmosphere. It's very emotional," Shevchenko told reporters. "It's a different kind of tournament. At any second, the balance of the team can change.

"We played a very good first half but they started the second half very well and our mistake caused a penalty that they scored (from).

"Some sort of anxiety, nervousness appeared. We got more chances and we should have scored for the third time... but we also need to praise North Macedonia's character."

Ukraine's Ruslan Malinovskiy missed a late penalty that would have extended their lead and Shevchenko defended his decision to substitute both scorers, Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk, in the 70th minute.

"We changed it completely because we had to protect our goal and we had to press a little bit in front to prevent long passes," the coach added. "We got two fresh players who were pressing quite a lot.

"I think during the game we had enough chances to score more... The main point is that we got the victory."

Ukraine have three points after two games and play Austria on Monday. Netherlands face Austria later on Thursday with both sides on three points after opening victories.

Yarmolenko, who scored Ukraine's first and assisted their second, said their coaches had warned them at halftime that North Macedonia would come out fighting.

"They told us North Macedonia will start attacking because they have nothing to lose," the Ukraine captain said. "They made us nervous. When the score was 2-1 we panicked a little bit.

"We didn't want to lose and it was obvious that everyone was nervous, but it's very good we managed to hold on for victory."

North Macedonia, who lost to Austria in their first game, need the Austrians to beat the Dutch if they are to have any hope of extending their stay at their first major tournament.

Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The rest is here:
Ukraine affected by nerves in win over North Macedonia - Shevchenko - Reuters

The Ukrainian parliament has released an updated version of the draft law On Virtual Assets. The revised bill requires exchanges to obtain government authorization, disclose their ownership and implement mandatory KYC procedures. The document has been criticized by regulators in Kyiv but the government wants the legislation passed before the parliaments summer break.

Ukrainian lawmakers have revised the draft law designed to regulate the countrys expanding crypto space. The deputies have introduced a number of amendments since December when it was voted on first reading in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraines parliament. The latest version of the document was released this week by the parliamentary Digital Transformation Committee which recommended its adoption.

The bill recognizes a virtual asset as an intangible good that has value and is an object of civil circulation, Forklog reported. Virtual assets can certify property or non-property rights, including rights to claim other objects of civil rights, the publication detailed. The draft also distinguishes between financial instruments and virtual assets backed by currencies.

One of the key regulations concerns cryptocurrency exchanges and exchangers. To operate legally, they will have to be authorized by the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Crypto service providers will be obliged to reveal their ownership structure and monitor financial transactions to prevent money laundering. The permits will be valid for a period of one year. Russian platforms will not be allowed to do business in Ukraine.

Another important aspect is the introduction of mandatory identification and verification procedures. As part of the know-your-customer (KYC) process, individuals will be required to provide IDs, bank accounts and information about their electronic wallets. Companies will also have to share their business registration numbers. Trading platforms that do not currently carry out client verifications will have to update their onboarding procedures to comply with the law.

The authors of the new legislation have tasked the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), and the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) with oversight of the laws implementation. NSSMC and NBU representatives have criticized the draft and called for further revisions in correspondence with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Dmytro Razumkov.

The central bank has pointed out that the bill On Virtual Assets is riddled with significant gaps and conceptual errors that could create legal uncertainty. At the same time, the securities commission has complained that the law does not clearly define the responsibilities of each regulator and has no mechanisms in place to coordinate regulatory activities in the market.

The NSSMC also insisted that the adopted virtual assets classification and regulatory approach do not correspond to the best international practices and the EU legislation. The agency is concerned about the absence of texts dealing with investor protection and crime prevention. The NBU added that while virtual assets are not recognized as legal tender in Ukraine, the law does not explicitly prohibit their exchange for goods and services and does not limit trading with other virtual assets or the national fiat currency in any way. The bank fears this could lead to the emergence of a parallel settlement system outside its control. The Radas legal department called for more amendments to the draft.

The Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation, Alexander Bornyakov, acknowledged that the ministry faces criticism from various government agencies that consider the bill insufficiently perfect. However, he noted that the need to protect the interests of the state is often understood as a need to establish additional restrictions and to unreasonably complicate the business environment. Bornyakov stressed that the interests of the crypto market participants would be his departments main priority and promised his team would do their best to ensure the bill hits the floor of the Rada during its last plenary week ending on July 13.

In the past few years, Ukraine has emerged as a generally crypto-friendly destination. The country was ranked first among over 150 nations in last years edition of the Global Crypto Adoption Index by blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis.

Whats your opinion about the proposed crypto legislation in Ukraine? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

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Revised Bill 'On Virtual Assets' Aims to Regulate Ukraine's Crypto Space This Summer Regulation Bitcoin News - Bitcoin News

I have followed this international soccer star since many clubs ago, when he was an up and coming Ajax star in the Netherlands. Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch during a Euro Cup match this last weekend and his heart stopped. He was being administered CPR on the field in attempts to revive him. Immediately, on Twitter and other social media outlets, there was a huge and positive outpouring of love and well wishes. I have been heavily involved in the soccer community here, but in moments like this it was about all the emotions that can be brought out by just caring for another human being you've never met without realizing the wonderful impact you have on others. Seemingly, Christian Eriksen should be OK, following surgery and rehab, but his career is likely over at the age of 29. In the moment of his collapse, it did seem like the entire world had one purpose, one direction, and that was to heal one man. It may have worked.

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Weekend Round-Up: Cool Cribs, Closed Theaters, And Ukraine. - HODINKEE

KIEV: When Ukraine face North Macedonia at Euro 2020 on Thursday (Jun 16), foreign-based Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ruslan Malinovskyi will be the star names but Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk will form the core of the team.

Manchester City defender Zinchenko and Malinovskyi, a midfielder who plays for Italian side Atalanta, are supported by ten players from Dynamo, the reigning Ukrainian champions.

Head coach Andriy Shevchenko also selected seven players from the domestic league runners-up Shakhtar.

Goalkeeper Georgiy Bushchan, one of five Dynamo players in the starting line-up against the Netherlands on Sunday, made several impressive saves in the first half but could not stop the Dutch taking a 3-2 victory in a thrilling match thanks to Denzel Dumfries' winner in the 85th minute.

Ukraine must now take points in the remaining Group C matches against North Macedonia and Austria if they are to make it beyond the group stage of a European Championship for the first time ever.

Ukraine's preparations for the tournament were overshadowed by a row about their shirt -- they angered Russia after unveiling kits featuring patriotic slogans and showing the outline of Ukraine including Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.

Another problem was the injury of Dynamo Kiev right winger and rising star Viktor Tsygankov, who has made 26 international appearances and scored six goals for Ukraine.

His position on the pitch in the Netherlands encounter was taken by former Dynamo player Andriy Yarmolenko. The midfielder now with West Ham curled in a brilliant goal in the 75th minute to bring Ukraine back into the game in Amsterdam.

- Rivals and teammates -

Players like Dynamo forward Artem Besedin and Shakhtar centre-back Sergiy Kryvtsov are fierce rivals when playing for their clubs but they put that rivalry aside when playing for their country.

In April, Mircea Lucescu, the Romanian former coach of Shakhtar, guided Dynamo to the Ukrainian league title in his first season as coach of the club from the capital.

It was Dynamo's first title for five years and 16th overall.

However, Dynamo's decision last summer to hire the 75-year-old Romanian sparked uproar from fans because of his lengthy tenure in Donetsk where he won a host of domestic honours and the 2009 UEFA Cup, now known as the Europa League.

Lucescu was unsettled by the reaction and even announced his intention to walk away just two days after signing his contract, but stayed in the end.

In another incident illustrating the confrontation between domestic opponents who then put that animosity aside for the sake of the national side, in 2016 Yarmolenko, then with Dynamo, was involved in a mass brawl against Shakhtar which soured relations with Ukraine teammate Taras Stepanenko.

As fists flew, Yarmolenko kicked Stepanenko after the Shakhtar midfielder celebrated a goal during his team's 3-0 win against Dynamo.

Yarmolenko was suspended for three matches and fined 50,000-hryvnia ($2,000) over the incident.

Stepanenko told Ukrainian television afterwards that his friendship with Yarmolenko was "over" -- but he said he would put the incident aside for the sake of the national team.

Both players are in the squad again and with no conflicts on the horizon now, Shevchenko said before the tournament that be believed club rivalries would be safely left behind.

"Players should understand that being in such a tournament is a huge experience," he said.

"Small details that many do not pay attention to can play a very large role."

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Football: Ukraine's Euro 2020 challenge built on twin pillars of Dynamo and Shakhtar - CNA