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.
Nepalese people along with National Flag stage a demonstration in Kathmandu, Nepal on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019 (Narayan Maharjan/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Nepal has urged the Russian government to stop recruiting Nepalese citizens into its army, amid growing reports of Nepalese mercenaries being killed while fighting in Ukraine, the Kathmandu Post reported on Dec. 5.
The Nepal government has so far confirmed the deaths of at least six Nepali nationals who were serving in the Russian army in Ukraine, the Kathmandu Post said.
The government lacks accurate data on how many of its citizens are currently fighting for Russia, but Milan Raj Tuladhar, the Nepalese ambassador to Moscow, told the newspaper that up to 200 have served in the Russian army.
"We have urged the Russian government to discourage entry and recruitment of Nepali nationals," Tuladhar said.
Tuladhar has also asked the Nepal government "to take stringent measures to curb smuggling of Nepali citizens to Russia."
Many Nepali citizens arrive in Russia on student and tourist visas, and then join the Russian army, the Kathmandu Post reported.
The case mirrors that of Cuba, which in September uncovered a human trafficking ring aimed at recruiting people to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
The Nepalese Foreign Ministry released a statement in August, urging its citizens not to travel abroad to fight in "war-torn countries."
Nepalese law permits its citizens to serve in the Indian and British armies. The British Brigade of Gurkhas, which has existed for over 200 years, is solely made up of Nepalese fighters.
The U.K.'s Defense Ministry reported in September that Russia was trying to recruit foreigners to avoid announcing a new mobilization before the presidential elections, which are to be held in 2024.
Alexander Khrebet
