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.
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.
Sportyvna station of the Kharkiv Metro. (Kharkiv Metro)
Kharkiv Metro briefly suspended operations on all 30 stations on the morning of April 5.
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, has been at the forefront of Russian attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion and saw an escalation in strikes in recent weeks.
The subway consists of three lines operating 38.7 kilometers (24 miles) of the route. Kharkiv Metro's press service did not specify the reason.
Later the same day, Kharkiv Metro's press service reported resuming operations.
A Russian attack on Kharkiv in the late evening of April 4 damaged a car repair show and windows of a nearby five-story residential building, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on the morning of April 5.
Recent Russian attacks destroyed "almost all" of the energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in an interview with Liga media outlet published on April 1.
The attacks destroyed a thermal power plant and all the electrical substations in the city that sits just 40 kilometers (almost 25 miles) from the Russian border.
The proximity to the border often prevents air defense monitor systems from detecting launches of Russian missiles toward Kharkiv in time, with some missiles hitting Kharkiv at least 40 seconds after the launch.
In March, Russian attacks damaged or completely destroyed 80% of the thermal generating capacity of Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, the company's Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk said on March 30.
The mayor also said on April 1 that more than $10 billion is needed to rebuild everything that Russian forces have damaged or destroyed in Kharkiv.
Terekhov said the city officials have been trying to involve international partners to cover the costs because "no city budget in the world can withstand such a burden."
The current situation for the energy industry in the city is "very difficult," according to the mayor. The humanitarian assistance centers, also known as "Points of Invincibility," work in Kharkiv around the clock.
"We have been through more rough times, and we will survive these times too," Terekhov said.
Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.
Kateryna Hodunova
