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.
An aerial view of the city center of Sumy, Ukraine. (RoNeDya / Getty Images)
Russian forces struck the regional center of Sumy in Sumy Oblast on Aug. 24, injuring seven people, the local military administration reported.
Two people are currently in a serious condition, according to the report.
The explosions in Sumy were heard around 9 p.m. local time. Russian troops twice hit the civilian infrastructure of the city with missiles.
The aftermath of the attack is still being clarified as of 11:30 p.m. local time. Medical services also continue to provide medical assistance to the victims of the attack, as local authorities reported.
Residents in Sumy Oblast are subjected to daily attacks on the region. The security situation in Sumy Oblast became more tense with the start of Ukraine's cross-border incursion into neighboring Kursk Oblast in Russia, which began on Aug. 6.
Sumy Oblast borders Russia's Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts. Civilians in Sumy Oblast within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the border with Kursk Oblast are now subject to restrictions on movement due to increasing Russian attacks, according to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
On Aug. 20, amid ongoing attacks on the region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told reporters that authorities are planning to evacuate a total of 45,000 residents from Sumy Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent
