"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.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller speaks to reporters during the daily press briefing at the State Department in Washington, United States, May 22, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The U.S. State Department released a statement expressing concern about Hungary's adoption of a "Sovereign Defense Authority" law that contains "draconian" provisions that could be used to degrade civil liberties, spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Dec. 20.
The law, which was passed by Hungary's parliament on Dec. 12, establishes an independent authority to prevent perceived political interference and issue punishments for alleged foreign financing of Hungarian political campaigns.
Some critics of the law have compared it to the so-called "foreign agents" law passed by Russia that requires organizations that receive funding from abroad or are perceived by the Kremlin to have been influenced by foreign entities to register.
Georgia attempted to pass a similar law earlier in 2023, but massive street protests and international condemnation led to the government dropping the law.
David Pressman, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary, said that the sovereignty law goes beyond the foreign agents legislation.
"It subjects Hungarian citizens, businesses, and organizations with views not shared by the ruling party to investigations with no judicial oversight, irrespective of any contact with or support from a foreign government or foreign entity."
Miller echoed the sentiment, saying that the law "is inconsistent with our shared values of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law."
Hungary has maintained a favorable stance toward Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has repeatedly obstructed sanctions against Russia or blocked aid for Ukraine within the EU to leverage economic concessions.
Under the rule of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the Hungarian government has been widely criticized for backsliding on democratic principles and the rule of law.
The EU has blocked billions of euros in funding for Hungary due to its shift in what Orban himself characterizes as an "illiberal democracy."
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
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