During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Odesa-based businessman Vadym Alperin, who was added to a new sanctions list, in a photo posted on Facebook on Nov. 27, 2019. (Vadym Alperin/Facebook)
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an order on April 4 to sanction several Ukrainian businessmen and dozens of companies.
One of the sanctioned individuals was Vadym Alperin, an Odesa native known as the "king of smuggling."
Sanctions entail blocking of assets, restrictions on trade operations, preventing the withdrawal of capital from Ukraine, a ban on acquiring land plots, and other restrictions.
A total of 86 companies were on the sanctions list, most of which were Ukrainian. Some Russian and Chinese companies were listed as well.
Alperin has had a long history of being suspected of various crimes related to corruption and smuggling. He escaped from a law enforcement operation in 2019, after which Zelensky publicly offered a reward to anyone who assisted in locating him.
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) closed criminal proceedings against Alperin in October 2023 after his lawyers argued that the investigation was "allegedly extended by an unauthorized entity."
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.
Glib Kanievskyi
