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.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
The aftermath of Russian attack on the city of Dnipro on April 19, 2024. (Serhii Lysak/Telegram)
Search and rescue operations at the sites of a Russian missile attack on Dnipro concluded on April 20, the State Emergency Service said.
The attack reportedly killed three people, including two women and a man, and wounded 24 others.
Russian troops struck downtown Dnipro on the morning of April 19, partially destroying a five-story building and damaging the railway station, authorities reported. First responders rescued 12 people, according to the report.
Houses and infrastructure were also hit in the Synelnykove district and the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
A total of eight people, including an eight-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, were killed, and 34 others were injured in Russian attacks on the region on April 19, the State Emergency Service reported.
Escalating Russian strikes and resulting civilian casualties underscore Ukraine's dire need for additional air defense systems.
Speaking after the strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv needs concrete decisions from its partners on air defense, not only discussions.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Rachel Amran
