Forbes Ukraine first reported on June 8 that Schmidt and his wife, Wendy Schmidt, had acquired a combined 36% stake in seven companies under the Dragon Capital group, a major Kyiv-based investment firm.
A fire broke out at the Afipsky Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on June 11, amid a massive Ukrainian attack, eyewitnesses claimed.
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The European Commission announced on June 9 that a visa ban targeting current and former Russian soldiers should be part of the EU's next sanctions package, sparking a debate on social media about why the measure targets only military personnel. The Kyiv Independent explains why the proposal is limited to Russian combatants and whether more sweeping restrictions could follow. Nordic and Baltic countries proposed already in February and March that the EU should ban entry for ex-Russian soldiers
Ukrainian forces carried out at least 31 strikes against Russian refineries, oil export terminals, and pipeline infrastructure in May, the highest monthly total since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The comments come as Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russian logistics routes and military infrastructure connecting occupied Crimea to Russian-controlled territory.
"We are all here together, we are defending the state, we are the same and we have absolutely the same rights, regardless of any prejudices held by people from the 15th century," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, in a rare public reference to the topic.
The Kyiv Independent’s Business Desk covers the biggest news in business, economics, and tech from Ukraine, as well as global developments that shape the economy of the region.
The attack on Cheboksary was part of a broader Ukrainian assault that also struck the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Russia's Samara Oblast, as well as two oil infrastructure facilities in Russia's Vladimir Oblast.
