Home › Politics › Tymoshenko's COVID-19 diagnosis and a region on alert
Tymoshenko's COVID-19 diagnosis and a region on alert
Summary
A look back at reports from around 24 August 2020, when Ukraine's political and scientific news mixed illness, loss and tighter regional borders.
What was the mood in Ukraine and its neighbourhood on 24 August 2020? The reports available at that point pointed to illness at the top of Ukrainian politics, mourning in its scientific community and growing caution across borders.
A party leader falls ill
On 23 August 2020, it was reported that former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko was in serious condition after testing positive for COVID-19. The information came from one of her party's spokespeople. The news was still fresh on 24 August 2020.
Mourning for Borys Paton
On 19 August 2020, Borys Paton died at the age of 101. He was a prominent Ukrainian scientist and had served as President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine from 1962 to 2020.
Neighbours tighten up
The pandemic was also shaping decisions elsewhere in the region. On 21 August 2020, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on state radio that Hungary would tighten border crossing rules on 1 September. He said the aim was to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as new infections rose in neighbouring countries.
Pressure on Minsk
Politics in the region was not only about the virus. On 18 August 2020, Lithuanian MPs approved economic sanctions against Belarus over its contested presidential elections. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius said Lithuania refused to recognise Alexander Lukashenko as President.
