"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The new tranche brings total recent EU defense support for Ukraine to 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), marking a significant expansion of European efforts to boost Kyiv's defense industry.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a joint press conference with Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro following talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on Feb. 16, 2022. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Mikhail Klimentyev / Sputnik / AFP)
Brazil is obligated to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he attends the Group of 20 nations (G20) summit in Rio de Janeiro next month, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin told Reuters in an interview published Oct. 14.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in March 2023 issued a warrant for Putin's arrest due to his role in the deportation of Ukrainian children. Brazil is a party to the ICC's Rome Statute and therefore required to detain Putin if he enters the country.
Intelligence reports indicate that Putin may attend the upcoming summit, Kostin told Reuters.
"(I)t's important for the international community to stand united and hold Putin accountable," Kostin said.
Brazil issued a standard invitation to Putin for the summit, which will convene heads of state of G20 nations in Rio de Janeiro Nov. 18-19. There has been no indication that Putin plans to attend, two Brazilian government officials told Reuters.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Oct. 14 that no decision has been made as to Putin's attendance at the conference.
In light of "information that Putin may attend the G20 summit in Brazil, I would like to reiterate that it's an obligation for the Brazilian authorities as a state party of the Rome Statute to arrest him if he dares to visit," Kostin said.
"I truly hope that Brazil will arrest him, reaffirming its status as a democracy and a state governed by the rule of law."
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in September 2023 that the decision to detain Putin at the G20 would be left to his country's judiciary.
Putin visited Mongolia, an ICC member state, in September of this year, his first such visit since his arrest warrant was made public. Despite Mongolia's obligation under international law to arrest Putin, the Russian president received a warm welcome in Ulaanbaatar.
Ukrainian lawmakers described Putin's Mongolia visit as "a well-planned provocation" meant to show his indifference to the rule of law.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Alice Autin
