Lawmakers urged the EU and its member states to step up efforts to hold Moscow accountable through international courts and support for Ukraine’s campaign to bring its children home.
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
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.
Two Marder infantry fighting vehicles of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, on March 16, 2023, in Mahlwinkel, Germany. (Alexander Koerner/Getty Images)
German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall sent 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine at the end of the third quarter of 2024, the company announced on Oct. 25.
Rheinmetall has so far transferred about 200 combat vehicles, including over a hundred Marder 1A3 models, to Ukraine directly or indirectly through the so-called circular exchange program. The German manufacturer first received an order for the Marder infantry fighting vehicles in March 2023.
The recent batch of 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles provided to Ukraine was ordered by the German government and financed in the "mid-double-digit million euros," according to the statement.
Rheinmetall's Marder 1A3, which Ukraine is receiving, is equipped with additional laser rangefinders for efficient and precise target engagement.
The agreement also provides for the delivery of a double-digit number of other pieces of equipment, including Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Leopard tanks, Rheinmetall said.
In late July, Rheinmetall announced that it had received an order from the Ukrainian government to begin the construction of an ammunition factory in Ukraine. The company previously said it planned to open at least four production plants in the country.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
James Beardsworth
