Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
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.
Illustrated map of Ukraine, with Sumy Oblast noted in red. (Ruslan Maiborodin)
Russian forces attacked 12 communities along the Sumy Oblast border on March 30, causing 254 explosions in the area, the regional military administration reported.
The Russian military assailed the border throughout the day with artillery, mortar, grenade launchers, drones, mines, and unguided aerial missiles. The community of Velyka Pysarivka suffered the most intense bombardments, recording 75 explosions in 24 hours.
The communities of Krasnopillia, Shalyhyne, Nova Sloboda, Znob-Novhorodske, Khotin, Esman, Seredyna-Buda, Yunakivka, Myropillia, Bilopillia, and Hlukhiv also came under fire.
No casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure were reported.
Residents of the vulnerable communities along Sumy Oblast's northeastern border experience daily attacks from nearby Russian forces. Russia has intensified assaults in recent weeks, promoting large-scale evacuations from the region.
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.
Chris York
