"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.
Doctors attend to COVID-19 patients in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 18, 2021. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine is likely contributing to a shortage of doctors in Russia, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Feb. 11.
Up to 3,000 Russian medical staff have likely been mobilized to "assist in combat medical care," while up to 2% of healthcare professionals left Russia following the September 2022 mobilization.
It indicates that the war in Ukraine is "contributing to a shortage of healthcare professionals across Russia," according to the ministry.
The ministry said there is a shortage of doctors in 22 Russian regions, "and in another seven, it is assessed as severe."
Also, last November, the Russian Health Ministry reported that the medical sector lacked 26,500 doctors and 58,200 nurses. The January 2024 estimate shows that the number of doctors in Russia fell by 7,500 in the previous 15 months, with many blaming long working hours and low salaries, reads the report.
In its report on the 2024 budget, the Russian State Duma Committee on Regional Policy said that the "poorest regions of Russia would have problems financing medical salaries," according to the report.
"The heavy resource and financial burden of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine is negatively affecting a range of civilian sectors that serve the Russian population," the ministry said.
"There are no signs that the trend of reducing numbers of healthcare professionals in Russia will change during 2024."
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Oleg Sukhov
