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.
The Belarusian flag flies above tents at a newly-built camp on a site previously used by the Belarusian army that could potentially accommodate up to 5,000 Wagner troops, on July 07, 2023, 90 kilometers southeast of Minsk, near Tsel, Asipovichy District, Belarus. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)
About 5,000 Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard Service spokesman Andrii Demchenko.
He said that the border with Belarus is secure and is being monitored for additional risks. Their presence there does not present an immediate threat to Ukraine.
Demchenko said the number of Wagner men in Belarus was initially in the hundreds, but mercenaries kept arriving. Nine Wagner columns arrived to Belarus so far, after Yevgeniy Prigozhin's abortive mutiny against the Kremlin.
Prigozhin reportedly told his mercenaries that he will train the Belarusian army.
Prigozhin launched a "march for justice" against Russian military leaders on June 23 after the Russian army allegedly targeted Wagner troops in Ukraine. His mercenaries occupied Rostov and marched 200 kilometers to Moscow, only to abruptly end the rebellion less than 24 hours after its start.
As a result of an undisclosed agreement between Wagner's leader and the Kremlin, Prigozhin and his contractors were allowed to leave for Belarus to avoid persecution.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed on June 27 that Prigozhin had arrived in the country.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Francis Farrell
