In his evening address on August 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to a recent, widely reported traffic accident in Kyiv and said the National Security and Defense Council (RNBO) will meet in the near future to discuss road safety. Zelensky said repeat offenders who “neglect life” must face strengthened responsibility and called for measures that go beyond “cosmetic” changes. He asked the RNBO secretary to involve parliamentarians, civil society and all relevant state institutions in preparing proposals.
The crash on Velyka Vasylkivska involved two BMWs; one vehicle struck a summer terrace at a city café and overturned, injuring the driver. Ukrainian media later reported that the drivers included Bohdan Horodniuk, director of the UAF department for football development, and Kyrylo Ostrovskyi, a former supervisory officer at Lukyanivska pre-trial detention centre. Kyiv residents should expect an RNBO session and subsequent draft measures aimed at tougher traffic enforcement and penalties.