The statement did not name the ex-official by name, but details of the case indicate it relates to Oleh Hladkovsky, a former deputy secretary of Ukraine's top security body who has been wanted since mid-April.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
The measures target almost 200 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet," 30 companies involved in sanctions evasion, 75 sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
"Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv. "And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process."
The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The blockade ended at 10:30 p.m. local time. Truck traffic in both directions is now moving as usual, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard's statement.
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Photo for illustrative purposes. Ukrainian soldiers adjust a Ukrainian flag atop a personnel armored carrier on a road near Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, on Oct. 4, 2022 (Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian forces struck a Ukrainian military training ground in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on March 1 during a formation exercise, Mykhailo Drapatyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of Ukraine, said on March 3.
A day earlier, reports of a Russian attack with an Iskander-M ballistic missile on a training ground in the village of Cherkaske near the regional center of Dnipro began circulated on social media. The strike was allegedly carried out after an Orlan drone spotted a formation of soldiers about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the front line.
Drapatyi did not disclose the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed and injured. He added that the truth about the attack could be hidden "in the fog of bureaucracy" but promised to prevent this.
"A tragedy at a training ground is a terrible consequence of an enemy strike. The war requires quick decisions, responsibility, and new safety standards; otherwise, we will lose more than we have," Drapatyi said.
Drapatyi added he had launched an investigation into the circumstances of the strike and appointed an independent review with the participation of military counterintelligence.
"Everyone who made decisions that day, and everyone who did not make them on time, will be held accountable. No one will hide behind explanations or formal reports," he said.
Later on March 3, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said the head of the unit training center that was hit and the commander of the military unit had been suspended from duty.
"In the middle of the day, on March 1, the enemy attacked one of the military units on the territory of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region," he said.
"As a result of the hit of the Iskander-M ballistic missile equipped with cluster munitions, there are dead and wounded," he added.
Also on March 3, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation announced it was opening criminal proceedings into the "death and injury of Ukrainian servicemen as a result of a Russian missile strike on a training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region."
This is not the first time Russia has attacked Ukrainian troops while they are lining up in the rear.
On November 3, 2023, in a village near the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces attacked a group of soldiers. As a result of the Russian missile strike, 19 soldiers of the 128th Brigade and two civilians were killed.
According to an investigation by Ukraine's Defense Ministry, the soldiers were gathered in the courtyard of a house during an awards ceremony while all camouflage rules were ignored.
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.
Chris York
