Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during an interview in Bratislava, Slovakia, on April 25, 2023. (Michaela Nagyidaiova/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico underwent a second surgery and is in stable but serious condition following an assassination attempt, Slovak media reported on May 17.
Fico was shot on May 15 in the town of Handlova. A 71-year-old man, identified as Juraj C. was arrested at the scene.
Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok described it as a "politically motivated" assassination attempt.
Authorities said on May 17 that Fico has had two surgeries and his condition has stabilized. At the same time, the Dennik N media outlet reported that none of the doctors personally attending to Fico have spoken publicly.
The funds will support protection assistance, shelter, food, cash aid, psychosocial services, and access to water and healthcare for Ukrainians affected by the attacks.
"We have close to 1 million combatants in Russia. They're mainly criminals; they are very dangerous people," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. "We have information that most of them will come to Europe after the war."
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) voted on Jan. 29 to cut its benchmark interest rate to 15%, the first change since March last year, as inflation cools and a new aid package from Europe eased pressure on the country's finances.
Russia confirmed that it had handed over 1,000 bodies to Ukraine under the Istanbul agreement in exchange for 38 bodies of fallen Russian soldiers, Kremlin-controlled news agency TASS reported on Jan. 29.
The Carlyle deal does not include Lukoil's assets in Kazakhstan and is still subject to approval by the U.S. Treasury Department, the Russian energy giant said.
Russian forces launched missile and drone attacks on several Ukrainian regions, including Kyiv and surrounding areas, overnight on Jan. 28, local authorities reported.
Colombians, many shaped by decades of armed conflict at home, have become one of the largest groups of foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The Kyiv Independent's Jared Goyette speaks with a Colombian volunteer who spent two years fighting in Ukraine.
