The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
Although Moscow declared on April 28 that it would halt all military actions from May 8 to midnight on May 11 to mark Victory Day, strikes on civilian areas have continued.
Illustrative purposes only: The Yandex logo is seen at the company headquarters in Moscow. (Vlad Karkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Yandex NV, the Dutch parent company of the Russian tech giant and search engine Yandex, will restructure and sell its Russian businesses in a deal worth $5.2 billion, the company announced in a press release on Feb. 5.
Western sanctions on Russian companies spurred Yandex founder Arkady Volozh to start to negotiate a withdrawal from the Russian market and focus on the Amsterdam-based company Yandex NV, which has been registered in the Netherlands since 2007.
"Since February 2022, the Yandex group and our team have faced exceptional challenges. We believe that we have found the best possible solution for our shareholders, our teams, and our users in these extraordinary circumstances," Yandex NV Chairman of the Board of Directors John Boynton said.
The move will effectively split the company into two Russian and Dutch firms. Yandex NV said that after "the successful completion of the transaction, in full compliance with international sanctions where applicable," the company will "hold no interest in its businesses in Russia."
Yandex NV's Russian assets will be sold to a consortium of Russian investors. "None of the members of the Purchaser Consortium is a target of, or owned or controlled by a target of, sanctions in the U.S., EU, U.K., or Switzerland," the press release said.
Yandex NV also said it will "seek shareholder approval" to change its name and "will retain a portfolio of international businesses and other non-Russian assets."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it was "important" that the "main owner will remain the Russian management of the company" during a press briefing on Feb. 5.
"Of course, it is important for us to continue the company’s work in our country. A company that employs many talented people. In this regard, the agreement of the shareholders can be welcomed," Peskov said.
The EU sanctioned Volozh in June 2022, arguing that his company serves the interests of the Russian government and promotes pro-Kremlin media and narratives, as well as censors content critical of the regime.
Volozh, who has lived in Israel since 2014, spoke out against the invasion in August 2023 and reportedly made a formal request for the EU to lift its sanctions against him. He currently remains under sanctions.
Nate Ostiller
