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.
More than 200,000 people have reported for service under partial mobilization in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 04, 2022. (Sefa Karacan / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian companies ended 2024 short of 2.6 million employees, a record high, the pro-state publication Izvestia reported on May 12, citing an analysis by Russia's Higher School of Economics.
The deepening labor shortage reflects growing strain on Russia's workforce as the Kremlin aggressively recruits men for its war against Ukraine.
The shortages are sharpest in manufacturing (391,000), trade (347,000), and transportation (219,000). Employers in these sectors now offer salaries exceeding 100,000 rubles ($1,200) monthly — 1.5 times higher than Russia's national average.
The average monthly gross salary in Russia rose 20% to 88,000 rubles (around $1,000) in 2024, marking the fastest annual wage growth on record against official inflation of 9.5%. Workforce participation also hit a historic high, with 61% of Russians over 15 engaged in the labor market.
Inflation in the country reached its highest level in 2024, driven by war spending and rising food prices. To curb inflation, Russia's Central Bank raised its interest rate from 7.5% in July 2023 to the current 21%.
Researchers linked the rise in vacancies to a collapse in labor migration, a weakening ruble, and multiple economic shocks. Engineers, scientists, teachers, and doctors were the most in-demand skilled workers.
The shortage has sharply worsened since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. To bolster its military ranks, the Kremlin has relied on lucrative contracts and aggressive recruitment campaigns rather than formal conscription.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 15 that 600,000 Russian troops are deployed in Ukraine. Russia plans to increase its forces there by 150,000 in 2025, according to Ukrainian President's Office Deputy Head Pavlo Palisa.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on May 12 that Russia has lost 967,060 troops in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Chris York,
