"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.
An explosion allegedly caused by Russian drones falling in Romania during Russia's overnight attack on Odesa Oblast on Sept. 4, 2023. (Oleh Nikolenko/Facebook)
Romania's Defense Ministry "firmly denied" that drones had fallen on Romanian territory during Russia's overnight attack against Odesa Oblast, saying it did not pose any direct military threats to the country.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson earlier said on Sept. 4, citing the State Border Guard Service, that an unspecified number of drones had fallen and detonated in Romania during the attack.
The Romanian ministry also said in its statement that it has "taken enhanced vigilance measures in the ground, maritime, and air space and contributes to the consolidation of the defense and deterrence posture on the eastern flank in accordance with the national and Allied plans."
Russian forces reportedly launched 32 kamikaze drones at Ukraine overnight, 17 of which were shot down over Odesa Oblast.
According to the Foreign Ministry's spokesman Oleh Nikolenko, the attack targeted the area of the Izmail port across the Danube River from Romania. Bucharest, however, said that Russia hit the port of Reni, around 60 kilometers to the west.
Nikolenko called the alleged crash of Russian drones in Romania "another confirmation that Russian missile terror poses a huge threat not only to Ukraine's security but also to the security of neighboring countries, including NATO member states."
"We call on our partners to accelerate the provision of Ukraine with additional modern anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense systems, as well as combat aviation, which will strengthen the protection of the infrastructure of Ukraine, as well as neighboring states," the spokesman added.
This is not the first report on Russian drones or their debris crashing on the territory of Romania, a NATO member state. On Aug. 3, a local official said that Russian drones had crossed into the Ceatalchioi commune near the Romanian-Ukrainian border during a Russian attack on Izmail.
The Romanian Defense Ministry then said it didn't find any "concrete elements" to prove the allegations, adding it had stepped up security measures and was constantly monitoring the situation and cooperating with NATO to strengthen the defense on the entire eastern flank.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Daria Shulzhenko
