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.
Operatives from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), on March 24, 2017. Illustrative purposes only. (Presidential Office)
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained five individuals accused of spreading pro-Russian propaganda and publicly justifying war crimes committed by Russian forces, the agency reported on April 21.
Among those detained is a former member of the banned Nashi party, linked to former Ukrainian pro-Russian lawmaker Yevhen Murayev, who fled Ukraine in May 2022.
According to the SBU, the suspect administered a Facebook group promoting the party and used it to circulate disinformation about Ukraine's army, glorify Russian President Vladimir Putin, and undermine Ukrainian defense efforts.
Murayev was previously accused by the U.K. Foreign Office of being Moscow's choice to lead a possible puppet regime in Kyiv. One day after Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Murayev publicly called on Ukraine to surrender.
He was charged with high state treason by the SBU in the summer of 2023.
Another suspect, employed at a factory in Kyiv Oblast, reportedly praised the Russian military in conversations with coworkers. In Kyiv, the SBU detained a Russian national who used the banned Russian social media platform Vkontakte to voice support for the Russian army.
In western Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, a resident of Bohorodchany village was exposed for glorifying Russian troops and justifying the occupation of eastern Ukraine.
The fifth suspect, a driver for a local trading company, allegedly engaged in pro-Kremlin rhetoric and attempted to justify Russian war crimes during work-related travel with colleagues.
Forensic linguistic examinations confirmed the individuals' involvement in spreading subversive content, the SBU said. All five suspects have been charged with justifying, recognizing as lawful, or denying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.
They are currently in custody and face up to eight years in prison with the possibility of property confiscation.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Asami Terajima
