The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
"This is a historic decision, as weapons for Ukraine will be purchased at the expense of the proceeds from frozen Russian assets through the European Peace Fund," Denys Shmyhal said.
Kurt Volker said that now "there is more alignment" between Ukraine and the U.S. under the Trump Administration than at the beginning of 2025.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
Although Moscow declared on April 28 that it would halt all military actions from May 8 to midnight on May 11 to mark Victory Day, strikes on civilian areas have continued.
Under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's rule, millions of Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a man-made famine in 1932–1933. The dictator also oversaw mass deportations, purges of Ukrainian intellectuals and leaders, and the suppression of the Ukrainian language and culture.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), this marks the first time Ukrainian authorities have exposed a Hungarian military intelligence network conducting activities harmful to Ukraine.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv as EU officials prepare to approve both new defense aid and steps toward establishing a tribunal for Russian leadership.
The ruling marks a significant victory for RFE/RL amid growing concerns about U.S. funding cuts to independent media countering Russian disinformation.
Ukraine urges international support in landmine clearance efforts at Swiss conference
At the annual Ukraine Mine Action Conference, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal urged the international community to increase support for demining efforts, during his address in Lausanne, Switzerland on Oct. 17.
The conference, which is taking place from Oct. 17-18, aims to receive financial backing for demining projects from officials of over 50 countries in attendance.
The estimated cost for demining is $34.6 billion, according to a World Bank study, and clearing these areas is crucial for restoring agricultural production and enabling millions of displaced Ukrainians to return.
"The scale of this challenge is truly massive," Shmyhal said, and highlighted the need for training 10,000 deminers and developing machines that can speed up the process.
Mock-up scenarios are being shown to attendees to illustrate the risks posed by mines, and new demining technologies, such as AI-powered drones and remote-controlled machines, are being showcased.
Ukraine also remains the world’s most mined country. The country's Defense Ministry specialists have cleared 30,000 square kilometers of mines over the past two years - an area comparable to the size of Belgium or Moldova.
399 civilians have been killed and 915 have been injured by mines since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to U.N. monitors.
Since 2022, approximately 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land have been contaminated with explosives, making 144,000 square kilometers still potentially dangerous.
Martin Fornusek
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