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.
The Slavyansk-on-Kuban oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. (Krasnodar Krai administration)
A Russian oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Krasnodar Krai partially suspended operations following a purported Ukrainian drone attack, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported on April 27.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched a drone strike against Krasnodar Krai overnight on April 27, targeting the Ilsky and Slavyansk oil refineries and a military airfield, a source in Ukraine's security and defense forces told the Kyiv Independent earlier today.
"The plant's work was partially suspended. Exactly 10 drones flew into the plant, causing a strong fire. There may be hidden damage," Eduard Trudnev, the security director of the Slavyansk ECO Group, told TASS regarding the Slavyansk refinery.
Relevant agencies are working on the scene of the incident, he added. Trudnev did not specify what exact operations have been suspended or for how long.
The security source told the Kyiv Independent that the drones hit "key technological objects" at the refinery, causing fire and evacuations of personnel.
Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on Telegram that Ukraine "attempted" to attack local oil refineries and infrastructure but claimed there were no serious damages.
According to Kondratyev, over 10 drones were intercepted over the Slavyansk, Kushchyovsky, and Seversky districts, where the said facilities are located.
Dinara Khalilova
