Zelensky calls RNBO meeting after high-speed BMW crash in Kyiv, vows tougher penalties for repeat traffic offenders

Zelensky calls RNBO meeting after high-speed BMW crash in Kyiv, vows tougher penalties for repeat traffic offenders AI

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced an upcoming National Security and Defense Council (RNBO) meeting on road safety after a high-speed collision in central Kyiv on 17 August. Zelensky told Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko that drivers who repeatedly break the rules need stronger, enforceable penalties rather than cosmetic legal tweaks. Kyiv residents should expect national-level action after a BMW crashed onto a café terrace in the city centre; changes could include stricter sanctions on repeat offenders.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said an RNBO session will be held soon to address road safety following a high-speed crash in central Kyiv on 17 August. He spoke with Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko about the incident, in which two BMWs collided and one vehicle mounted a café’s summer terrace; a 36-year-old driver was injured, while patrons and passersby were unharmed.

Zelensky said the driver in the crash “should long ago have lost the right to drive” and called for real, not merely cosmetic, changes to punish systematic traffic violators. He referenced petitions on road safety, including one from Oleksiy Hlushich, and asked that parliamentarians, civic groups and state bodies help draft measures. The president expects the RNBO secretary to coordinate preparation of the proposed changes.

Local reporting named the drivers involved as Kyrylo Ostrovskyi and Bohdan Horodniuk. Kyiv residents should watch for RNBO announcements and any subsequent legislative or enforcement changes affecting road rules and penalties.

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