The agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
Ukraine is considering moving away from the U.S. dollar and closer to the euro as a benchmark for the hryvnia, National Bank Governor Andrii Pyshnyi told Reuters.
The Atesh partisan group claims it disabled communication at several Russian military facilities when it allegedly destroyed equipment at a transformer substation in the village of Mogiltsy in Russia's Moscow Oblast.
The symbol of the Azov Brigade on the uniform of a serviceman (Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Russia's proxies in Donetsk sentenced three Prisoners of War (POWs) who served with Azov to up to 24 years in prison on April 16.
Previously, a Russian military court sentenced 23 Ukrainians who served with Azov to prison on the charges of "seizure of power" and participating in a "terrorist organization." Ukraine has denounced such trials, saying that international law prohibits trials with war captives.
Vladislav Ruchka, Andriy Yaroshinsky, and Dmytro Ihnatenko have been sentenced to up to 24 years in prison. They have been imprisoned in sentences ranging from 23 years and nine months to 24 years in prison.
The three POWs were convicted of "cruel treatment of the civilian population and murder motivated by political and ideological hatred" as outlined by the Russian criminal code, the court claims.
Ruchka, Yaroshinsky, and Ihnatenko have been accused of firing a mortar at a grain silo in Mariupol in March 2022 in the early days of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
One person was killed in the silo, the Investigative Committee of Russia claims, an agency head by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Following illegal invasions in 2014 and 2022, the Russian Federation claims to have annexed these regions and subjects them to its repressive legislation, in contravention of international law," Freedom House says.
Russian propaganda regularly targets Azov fighters and POWs.
Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine's occupied territories, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on March 21.
"We emphasize that these systematic deportations and persecutions are part of Russia's genocide policy against the Ukrainian people," Tykhyi said.
According to a Russian decree, Ukrainian citizens residing in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories must leave by Sept. 10 or "regulate their legal status."
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Daria Shulzhenko
