The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
Although Moscow declared on April 28 that it would halt all military actions from May 8 to midnight on May 11 to mark Victory Day, strikes on civilian areas have continued.
Under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's rule, millions of Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a man-made famine in 1932–1933. The dictator also oversaw mass deportations, purges of Ukrainian intellectuals and leaders, and the suppression of the Ukrainian language and culture.
A warning sign that says "Dangerous mines" placed near destroyed houses during a demining operation in the village of Hrakove, Kharkiv Oblast, on April 18, 2023. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)
Specialists from Ukraine's Armed Forces cleared 5,321 explosive devices from over 431 hectares of land and 71 roads in the past week, the Armed Forces Command said on Dec. 2.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, specialists have removed more than 150,000 explosive devices across Ukraine, including territories liberated from Russian occupation.
Around 6 million people are threatened by mines in Ukraine, and thousands may be killed or injured unless appropriate steps are taken, according to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Around 250 people have been killed by landmines in Ukraine, and over 500 have been wounded or maimed since the all-out war began, Shmyhal said on Oct. 9.
According to Ukrainian officials, nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory has been mined since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine has developed its own de-mining machines, and its allies have also donated their own equipment, such as the Revival P mechanized demining machine from Azerbaijan.
In addition, Western allies have pledged almost 500 million euros ($530 million) to Kyiv in demining assistance as of Oct. 11.
Rich Wordsworth
