"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.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference at NATO headquarters on Feb. 14, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. (Omar Havana / Getty Images)
NATO members are discussing sending some of their air defense systems to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a press conference after the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting in Capri on April 18.
The event was held amid the upcoming NATO-Ukraine Council meeting on April 19. President Volodymyr Zelensky requested the gathering as Russia intensified its aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities, and the air defense shortage became tangible.
Stoltenbergsaid that NATO is currently working on providing air defense systems, including Patriot, SAMP/T, NASAMS, AMRAAM, RST systems.
"The Patriot batteries are critical because they are the most advanced," Stoltenberg stressed, adding that NATO is currently discussing with "some specific countries" the potential supply of this equipment.
He added that allies that do not provide Ukraine with air defense systems will be asked to provide financial support.
"Ninety-nine percent of the NATO support has come from NATO allies, but there is a need to do more," Stoltenberg said.
NATO also needs a "more institutionalized and stable" framework for assistance to Ukraine to make it more organized and coordinated, he said.
"In the long run, of course, we cannot continue to be in a situation where Russia is outgunning Ukraine in the way they do now. The Russians are shooting and shooting, and Ukrainians have limited resources to shoot back," Stoltenberg said.
"So, Ukrainians need more."
According to Zelensky, Ukraine needs 25 Patriots to protect the entire country from Russian attacks.
As Kyiv ramped up the calls on allies to receive more air defense systems, Germany announced on April 13 that it would provide Ukraine with an additional Patriot system.
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.
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