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.
"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.
A mobilization poster for the Ukraine Armed Forces 3rd Assault Brigade, which reads 'Fight' in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 30, 2024. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Julia Kochetova/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Roman Kostenko, secretary of the parliamentary defense committee, stated on Nov. 2 that in his view it is necessary to mobilize 500,000 citizens, given current battlefield conditions.
Speaking on the "Pryamiy" TV channel, he noted that mobilization rates dropped in September after an initially steady pace following the mobilization strengthening law in April.
While the goal had been to draft 200,000, Kostenko believes this falls short, aligning with former Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny’s earlier recommendation for 500,000 recruits.
In December 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the military's proposal for large-scale mobilization, estimating it would cost Ukraine 500 billion hryvnias.
Currently, plans are set to mobilize an additional 160,000 men, adding to the 1.05 million already serving.
Ukraine has been struggling to mobilize enough soldiers for the front line to compensate for troop casualties and the need to rotate soldiers who have been fighting since the onset of the full-scale war.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Olena Goncharova
