"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.
A Ukrainian produced self-propelled 155mm howitzer 2S22 Bohdana (Ukrainian Ministry of Defense)
The Defense Ministry will implement changes to the testing process required for domestically produced weapons, allowing them to reach the front faster, the ministry announced on Nov. 3.
There are currently a number of testing requirements unrelated to the combat ability of weapons produced in Ukraine, such as a six-month minimum climatization test to ensure that a weapons system can remain operational for 10 years.
In times of war, the ministry explained, there is no need for such a lengthy test, especially considering that weapons will likely go straight into combat.
Instead of determining the long-term capabilities of new weapons produced, the ministry and army will focus on three primary factors when assessing weapons from Ukraine's domestic defense industry: "effectiveness of the equipment, its safety for personnel, and (its) reliability in operation."
The Ukrainian domestic defense industry has significantly expanded and modernized since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 12 that Ukraine was prioritizing domestic arms manufacturing, and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Oct. 7 that more than 200 Ukrainian companies have begun developing drones, fueling a massive increase in production as well as technical innovation.
In addition, Ukraine has also aimed to increase its domestic production of shells.
The European Union promised to deliver one million rounds of artillery shells by March 2024, but unnamed sources told Bloomberg on Oct. 26 that production was falling short of its goal.
Francis Farrell
