YULIA TYMOSHENKO

Ukraine is setting records almost every day for coronavirus infections and deaths.

The country designated 14,000 doses of its first vaccine shipment for the military, especially those fighting Russia-backed separatists in the east. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)KYIV – After receiving its first shipment of coronavirus vaccine, Ukraine found itself in a new struggle against the pandemic — persuading its widely reluctant people to get the shot. The resistance appears to be rooted in longstanding suspicion of vaccines dating back to the Soviet era, amplified by politicians' allegations about low-quality vaccines, corruption scandals and misinformation spread through social media. Those declining included Olena Obyedko, a 26-year-old nurse who works in the hospital's intensive care ward for COVID-19 patients, where people die every week. The country designated 14,000 doses of its first vaccine shipment for the military, especially those fighting Russia-backed separatists in the east.

The full scope of the investigation is unclear, but it at least partly involves Giuliani's Ukraine dealings, the officials said. AdThe Foreign Agents Registration Act requires people who lobby on behalf of a foreign government or entity to register with the Justice Department. AdThe Justice Department requires that applications for search warrants served on lawyers be approved by senior department officials. Giuliani's attorney Robert J. Costello told The Associated Press he has “heard nothing” from federal prosecutors concerning Giuliani. Giuliani has said he had no knowledge of illegal donations and hadn’t seen any evidence that Parnas and Fruman did anything wrong.

FILE In this file photo taken on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks to the media during a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukrainians are heading to the polls on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 to cast ballots in local elections seen as a key test for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. During Ukraine's July 2019 parliamentary election, the party came out on top with 43% support. “The local elections will set the stage for an attack on Zelenskiy from all sides,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, the director of Penta Center, an independent think tank. Karasev observed that recent decentralization efforts that gave broad authority to local mayors and councils would make the outcome of Sunday's local elections particularly significant.

In 2018, Volker met with Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister who ran for president against Volodymir Zelensky. In July, Zelensky and Trump spoke about an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Volker was mentioned in a whistleblower complaint as an official who met with Zelensky a day after the phone call. The firm represents Aveiro, a foreign principal organization that, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, has ties to Tymoshenko. A schedule through a separate lobbying report shows that Aveiro's representatives met with Volker for "Ukraine negotiations" on the same day as Livingston's get-together with the Trump official.