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.
Ukraine is considering moving away from the U.S. dollar and closer to the euro as a benchmark for the hryvnia, National Bank Governor Andrii Pyshnyi told Reuters.
The Atesh partisan group claims it disabled communication at several Russian military facilities when it allegedly destroyed equipment at a transformer substation in the village of Mogiltsy in Russia's Moscow Oblast.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin exits a voting booth during the March 2018 presidential election. (Photo by Kyodo News Stills via Getty Images)
Russian forces have established "schools for young voters" in occupied areas of Kherson Oblast, the National Resistance Center reported on Aug. 6.
The schools' stated purpose is to prepare high school students for the Russian presidential "elections."
According to the Center, the training program is set to begin in September and last until March 2024, when Russia will hold its next presidential election.
"It should be noted that in Russia there is no such thing as elections," the Center said.
International observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) described Russia's previous presidential election, held in 2018, as "overly controlled."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed this in a comment to the New York Times on Aug. 6.
"Our presidential elections are not exactly democracy, they are expensive bureaucracy," Peskov said. "Putin will be re-elected next year with over 90% of the vote."
Later, Peskov walked back his claim, telling the Russian state news outlet TASS that the Times journalist misinterpreted his words.
In July 2023, Russian occupation authorities in Kherson announced that the region would hold local "elections" in September. Ukrainian officials denounced these elections as illegal and "absurd theater."
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Asami Terajima
