Trending on X (2 p.m.): Garage tax, a khuushuur meetup, Kh.Nyambaatar’s statement, Katie Zacharia, Ukraine

Here are the 8 topics Mongolian users discussed most on X between 10:13 and 14:13 (Ulaanbaatar time) on October 18, ranked by the likes, reposts and views of their leading posts. Activity was relatively light on Sunday. The topics were the petition to scrap the garage tax, a “Khuushuur” meetup held amid the press-contract dispute, a statement by former mayor Kh.Nyambaatar, the departure of White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, smoke in the capital, Ukraine peace talks, snow in the western provinces and next month’s K-pop concert. Only 8 real, verified topics emerged in this window, so the list was not padded to 10. Posts about the French protests were also common, but there was no development beyond what the previous roundup reported, so they are left out this time. Figures as of 14:35.

1. Garage tax: petition passes 38,000 supporters as an explainer on future increases spreads (update)

As of 14:25 today, 38,526 citizens had backed the “Scrap the garage tax” proposal on e-zasag.mn, started by lawyer O.Batkhuu. That is 39% of its goal of 100,000 supporters, up from 34,407 at the time of yesterday’s 2 p.m. roundup. The proposal is open from October 6 to November 5 and seeks to abolish the immovable property tax charged on household garages.

The most widely shared post in this window came from O.Batkhuu (@Batkhuu_lw). He wrote that the tax is paid every year, not once, that it is now levied at 1% but can be raised to 2% under the law, and that it rises along with prices because it is calculated from market value. @dbtseegii argued that taxing household parking spaces in apartment basements is wrong and urged people to sign the petition.

Related:

2. Press-contract dispute: a “Khuushuur” meetup and journalists respond (update)

The dispute over contracts between state bodies and media outlets stayed among the most discussed topics. The post with the most engagement on this topic came from @Uyanga_ts. She wrote that about 200 people came to a Saturday gathering of X users called “Khuushuurdalt” and suggested holding more of them. Some participants wrote that they had shown support for citizen activist G.Uyanga.

Journalist @Enebish_ wrote that she had personally experienced people being condemned en masse and “hung out” on social media. In her view, criticising outlets for directly relaying G.Uyanga’s statements amounts to trying to restrict the work of the press. In a follow-up post she answered claims that she is “fed by the state”, saying she has a mortgage and lives an ordinary life. Posts that accused or insulted named journalists and outlets without evidence also drew heavy engagement in this window. They could not be verified and are not included.

Related:

3. Kh.Nyambaatar: “I will say next week when I am coming to Mongolia” (update)

Former Ulaanbaatar governor Kh.Nyambaatar has been charged on suspicion of abuse of power. A statement he posted on his social media page today was among the most shared news items of the window. According to UBN.mn, he said: “I will come. Next week I will state clearly when I will go to Mongolia.” @Elch_mn quoted him as saying he is being “falsely charged” and that he “did not run away with the 500 billion of the Tuul expressway.”

Anti-Corruption Agency commissioner B.Bilegt told iSee.mn that Kh.Nyambaatar was charged on September 25, 2026 under Article 22.1.3 of the Criminal Code, which covers abuse of power. More details are in a separate article. No court has found him guilty.

Related:

4. Katie Zacharia’s exit as White House press secretary draws attention (new)

A post by @SolongooBayars1 about White House press secretary Katie Zacharia leaving the job shortly after taking it drew wide attention. NBC and NPR reported that on October 16 a White House official said Zacharia was “transitioning out” of the role. She left less than a week after taking the post, following questions about her legal credentials and criticism of her first press briefing. AFP reported that after Zacharia said China lacked “proper toilets”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning invited her to visit China “more often.”

5. Residents complain of rising smoke in the capital (update)

With the heating season under way and temperatures falling, air pollution in Ulaanbaatar is back in focus. @ADelgersaikhan shared a photo of heavy smoke from something being burned about 300 metres south of the Khailaast intersection and called on the authorities to act. @nganbaa urged the city to declare a “chimney-free zone” urgently. These are residents’ complaints and suggestions, and the relevant authorities have not yet commented. Ulaanbaatar banned the use of raw coal in May 2019.

6. Ukraine: Zelensky says talks with the US may happen next week; Rubio comments on Starlink (new)

@BatchukaO shared news about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks on talks with the United States and about Starlink. Ukrinform and LIGA.net reported that Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, spoke with US envoy Jared Kushner on October 16 and the two agreed to meet. Zelensky said the negotiating teams may meet next week and that the format is still being discussed.

CBS reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that “nobody ordered that Starlink speed to be slowed down” and that he understood service had been restored. He added that Ukraine has not been given access to the military Starshield system. Denys Sienik, Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Washington, said Ukraine could not confirm that Starlink’s capabilities had been fully restored.

7. Snow in the west: Zagastai pass icy, more snow on the way (update)

@miigaasbntv shared footage of snow falling in Zavkhan province, and @Elch_mn relayed a warning from the Zavkhan provincial police. The police said visibility on the Zagastai pass is limited and the road is snow-covered and slippery, and they urged drivers to take care.

A forecast published by UBN.mn calls for sleet, snow and drifting snow on October 18–19 in parts of Govi-Altai, Bayankhongor, Övörkhangai, Töv, northern Khentii, Uvs, Khovd, Zavkhan, Khövsgöl, Bulgan and Selenge. More snow is expected in many provinces over the following days. Night temperatures will drop to minus 20–25°C in the Darkhad depression and at the sources of the Zavkhan, Zag and Baidrag rivers, and to minus 7–12°C elsewhere. Winds may reach 15–17 metres per second in some areas from the 19th to the 22nd.

8. Hwasa and Crush to perform in Ulaanbaatar on November 7 (new)

@livetvmn reported on “K-Pop Masterz 2026”, featuring South Korean singers Hwasa and Crush. According to Urlag.mn and iSee.mn, the concert, billed as “HOT STAGE × K-POP MASTERZ”, will take place on November 7 at the Buyant-Ukhaa Sports Palace. EXA Entertainment and Paradise E&A are organising it, and tickets are sold through ticket.mn. iSee.mn reported that this will be Hwasa’s third visit to Mongolia. She first performed here with her group MAMAMOO in 2015.

Methodology: We ranked posts from about 200 major news and influential accounts found through X search, plus more than 50 keyword searches, by an engagement score (likes + 2× reposts + views/100), and checked the facts against news sites. Posts that could not be verified or that carried a risk of defamation were left out. Views expressed by individuals on X do not represent the position of egov.mn.