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.
Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov poses with a Tesla Cybertruck, mounted with a machine gun, in a video posted on Aug. 17, 2024. (Ramzan Kadyrov/Telegram)
Editor's note: This article was updated to include a rebuttal from Elon Musk.
Soldiers in Chechnya have outfitted a Tesla Cybertruck with a machine gun and plan to send the vehicle to fight on the front lines in Ukraine, Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov claimed in a video published Aug. 17.
Tesla's 'Cyberbeast,' a tri-motor all-wheel drive electric truck, is priced at $119,990.
Kadyrov thanked Elon Musk for sending the Cybertruck and praised him as "the strongest genius of our time."
"We received a Tesla Cybertruck from the esteemed Elon Musk," Kadyrov wrote on Telegram.
"I had the pleasure of testing the new technology and saw for myself that it is not by chance that it is called 'Cyberbeast.' ... I am sure this 'beast' will be of great use to our fighters."
Kadyrov said he planned to send the vehicle to Ukraine to fight on the front lines of Russia's full-scale war. Kadyrov is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has previously sent Chechen troops – the notoriously ruthless kadyrovtsy – to wage war in Ukraine.
Kadyrov went on to invite Musk to visit him and expressed anticipation for future military-grade innovations from the Tesla CEO.
"Come to Grozny, I'll receive you as my dearest guest! ... And, of course, we are waiting for your new developments that will contribute to the completion of (the war in Ukraine)," he said.
Musk, who currently ranks among the richest individuals in the world, has come under scrutiny for the use of his company's technologies in the war. His company SpaceX was investigated by Congress over to allegations that Russian forces were using thousands of Starlink terminals in Ukraine.
Following reports that Russia was increasingly disrupting Ukraine's own Starlink service, Musk said that SpaceX is spending "significant resources combating Russian jamming efforts." Starlink terminals are considered crucial to Ukrainian military operations.
The U.S. and other Western allies have imposed sanctions against Kadyrov and his family over human rights abuses in Chechnya, which Kadyrov has ruled since 2007. Under his leadership, the Chechen Republic has become known as one of the most dangerous parts of the world, infamous for forced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
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.
Yaroslav Azhnyuk
