Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
According to the Verkhovna Rada's website, Ukraine completed the ratification of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement on May 12. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the deal.
"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.
Russian servicemen stand with the Kremlin's Spasskaya tower and Saint Basil's cathedral before the Victory Day military parade rehearsal in central Moscow, on April 27, 2023. (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian monthly inflation in November hit a record high, rising over 1.5 times compared to October, the Moscow Times reported on Nov. 27.
According to the Federal State Statistics Service (RosStat), during the week of Nov. 19-25, the consumer price index increased by 0.36%, up 1.15% from the beginning of the month, and over 8% from the beginning of the year.
The Russian economy is facing a challenge in light of poor harvest, as well as Western sanctions that have been tightening over the past three years due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Further constraints are caused by the substantial costs of supporting the war in Ukraine, including an increased military budget and domestic military production.
Inflation's biggest impact was on groceries, where prices have risen by a double-digit percentage and continue to rise, according to the RosStat.
Since the beginning of the year, the price for potatoes increased by 78.4%, cabbage — by 30.7%, and beetroot — by 27%. Butter costs 31.6% more, despite the government's attempts to increase imports from Turkey and Iran.
Overall food inflation exceeded 10% for the first time since January 2023, the Moscow Times reported.
Meanwhile, the currency value has continued to drop compared to the U.S. dollar, the euro, and the Chinese yuan.
The ruble exchange rate fell to 15.16 per yuan, 114.50 rubles per dollar and 120.83 rubles per euro, according to the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).
Russian Central Bank has decided not to conduct foreign currency purchases from Nov. 28 until the end of 2024.
Russia's ruble suffered a blow following the news that the U.S. had imposed sanctions on 50 Russian banks, including Gazprombank.
Until now, the U.S. had avoided targeting Gazprombank to enable European countries to continue paying for Russian gas supplies, as the bank serves as the main channel for energy-related payments, the Financial Times reported.
With this channel closed, international payments for Russian oil and gas will be harder, drying up a part of the Kremlin’s foreign currency revenue.
The ruble is expected to weaken further with the beginning of the winter holiday season, as companies have to import more goods from abroad to satisfy increased consumer demand.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Alexander Mertens
