"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.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
The Security Service of Ukraine detained the head of the military medical commission in one of the districts in Kyiv Oblast for helping men to evade the draft in exchange for bribes. Published Aug. 29, 2023. (Source: SBU)
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained a military medical commission official, who is suspected of allowing over 50 people to evade the draft in exchange for bribes, the SBU said on Aug. 29.
The head of the military medical commission in one of the districts in Kyiv Oblast reportedly acted together with at least four other people, including an official of a local enlistment office.
According to the SBU, the suspect provided potential conscripts with false documentation claiming they were unfit for service in exchange for bribes of up to $7,000. Based on the available data, she provided such certificates to more than 50 men who wanted to evade the draft and flee abroad.
On the basis of the fake documentation, the military enlistment office subsequently removed the men from the military register, the investigation said.
The head of the military medical commission and other suspects have been charged with illegally helping people to cross Ukraine's border. The medical officer has also been charged with forgery of official documents.
The alleged perpetrators face up to nine years in prison and confiscation of property.
Ukraine declared general mobilization and martial law after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Men aged 18 to 60 are not allowed to go abroad without a special permit.
According to Ukraine's State Border Guard, up to 20 men are detained every day attempting to illegally leave the country. Many of them provide falsified documents to gain passage, including fake medical documentation, falsely "proving" they are unfit for service.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Oleg Sukhov
