The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
The agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
Snow-covered land mines are seen in a trench at the position of the Ukrainian military near the city of Horlivka, occupied since 2014 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Dec. 16, 2023. (Oleh Arkhanhorodsky/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The Seimas, Lithuania's parliament, has approved the denouncement of the Ottawa Convention prohibiting the use of anti-personnel mines, Lithuanian media outlet LRT reported on May 8.
One hundred and seven MPs voted to withdraw from the convention, with three abstentions and no votes against. Lithuania's withdrawal from the agreement required the support of at least 85 members of parliament.
The denunciation of the convention will take effect six months after the decision is made.
In March, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland announced their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, as the security situation in the region has "fundamentally deteriorated" and military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have "significantly increased."
The statement added that despite their withdrawal, the countries would remain committed to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians during armed conflicts.
Lithuania ratified the convention aimed at the complete elimination of anti-personnel mines in 2003. The agreement obliged not to use, produce, stockpile, or transfer anti-personnel mines.
Thirty-two countries are not members of the Ottawa Convention, including Russia, the U.S., and China.
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.
Asami Terajima
