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.
U.K. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps speaks during a joint press conference with Norway's Defense Minister and Ukraine's Vice Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa in central London on Dec. 11, 2023. (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)
U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps was forced to cancel a planned trip to Odesa during his recent visit to Ukraine after Russia learned of his travel plans, the Sunday Times reported on March 15, citing sources close to Shapps.
Shapps visited Kyiv on March 7 to announce a new military assistance package for Ukraine allocating 325 million pounds ($416 million) for the purchase of drones. The day before his arrival, a Russian missile struck Odesa during a joint visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The attack killed five people.
Shapps' scheduled visit to Odesa was canceled after U.K. intelligence officials told the defense secretary that Moscow was aware of his travel plans. Shapps instead returned to the U.K. via Poland. During his return flight, Russia reportedly jammed the satellite signal of Shapps' aircraft when it flew near the Russian exclave Kaliningrad.
"Putin has shown himself to be reckless, ruthless, and careless," Shapps told the Sunday Times.
"The fact that he came perilously close to essentially assassinating two Western leaders, it doesn't matter whether that is deliberate or accidental. What the hell is he doing, and why the heck would the West allow him to do that kind of thing?"
The report of Shapps' cancellation comes as Odesa observes a day of mourning for the victims of a devastating March 15 missile attack. Russian forces launched two Iskander-M missiles at the city, killing 21 people and injuring at least 73 others.
Victims of the attack included first responders and city officials.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
