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.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
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.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Servant of the People lawmaker Oleksiy Kovalev poses for a picture with Maksym Buzhanskiy, a fellow deputy, in parliament on Jan.16, 2021. (Oleksiy Kovalyov/Facebook)
Oleksiy Kovalov, a lawmaker with the ruling 242-member Servant of the People party, announced on Dec. 28 that he has bought the nationwide TV Channel 4.
Kovalov said that the broadcaster with its team of 200 people will preserve its “pro-Ukrainian vector” and independent editorial policy.
“Our family decided to buy a TV channel and make it even better, more powerful and more popular,” Kovalev wrote on Facebook.
He also claimed that Channel 4 is “the only one in the country equally distant from all political and oligarchic groups.”
However, some media experts believe that the purchase is meant to strengthen positive coverage of President Volodymyr Zelensky, who heads Kovalov's party.
Natalia Ligacheva, head of the watchdog Detector Media, called it a political purchase “to make the dream of Zelensky and his team to have their own media come true… they continue to build their media empire.”
In a comment to Ukrainska Pravda, Kovalov denied Zelensky's involvement in the purchase.
After the Channel 4 purchase, Kovalov’s parents presumably became its beneficiaries, according to open data sources published by Ukrainska Pravda. Kovalev himself is listed as the sole proprietor of a legal entity called Interradio with a registered capital of $160,000.
Prior to the sale, Channel 4 belonged to Dmytro Dobrodomov, a former lawmaker. He has said it took four years to turn a little-known channel with three cameras, a small studio room and several employees into a national broadcaster. But the channel needs more money.
“Ambitious plans require significant investments, which the new owner of Channel 4 is ready to provide,” said Dobrodomov.
The estimated amount of money to keep the channel afloat is around $220,000-300,000 per month, according to Ligacheva.
“Kovalov does not have this money. This purchase is clearly not pursuing business goals,” Ligacheva said.
She believes that the purchase is part of an attempt by the president’s faction to increase control over the media, along with the nationwide expansion of two other TV channels: state channel Dom, which is broadcast in occupied territories and Rada, the official channel of parliament.
She said both are being turned into Zelensky’s mouthpieces. Dom journalists had previously reportedly complained of editorial pressure and being told to praise Zelensky’s projects more frequently.
“The (Rada’s channel) leadership does not control the broadcast, it is controlled by people from the presidential administration circle,” said Ligacheva.
“Channel 4 fits perfectly into this scheme.”
Ekonomichna Pravda previously reported that Kovalov may have allegedly received a $30,000 bribe to boycott a vote in 2019.
A native of the southern Kherson Oblast, Kovalov is a member of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax and customs policy.
Natalia Datskevych is a business reporter at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, she worked as business reporter for the Kyiv Post. She studied economic theory at Kyiv National Economic University and holds a Ph.D in economic science.
