Ukraine's constitutional ruling and Belarus's border closures, as of 2 November 2020
A look back at what Kyiv was confronting in the days before 2 November 2020, from anti-corruption rules to a shut frontier.
What was weighing on Ukraine's public life on 2 November 2020? Two developments from the preceding days framed the moment: a ruling at home and a closed frontier to the north.
On 28 October 2020, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine issued a decision that, as reported at the time, meant the end of electronic declarations of assets. It also meant the National Agency on Corruption Prevention would lose its powers to carry out full checks and to monitor officials' lifestyles. The same decision was described as abolishing liability for illicit enrichment, the confiscation of assets acquired through corruption, and liability for false declarations.
On 29 October 2020, Belarus abruptly closed its borders with Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, while leaving its border with Russia open. This came amid continuing protests against Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. He said the step was meant to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Together, the two events left Ukraine facing questions over its anti-corruption framework and a newly closed border with a neighbour, as the days of early November began.
