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.
Russian An-72 military transport plane damaged in blast near Moscow, Ukraine's intel claims
A power unit of a Russian An-72 military transport plane blew up at the Ostafyevo airfield in Moscow Oblast last week, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Dec. 20.
The Russian Navy plane's main power unit exploded on Dec. 12, the military intelligence agency said without providing details on the cause or circumstances of the explosion. The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
The An-72 is a Soviet transport aircraft, developed by Antonov, Ukraine's largest aircraft manufacturing company. The plane is used mainly by the military and has an estimated price tag of around $4.5 million.
HUR shared footage of the explosion without explicitly claiming responsibility for the incident. The Ostafyevo airfield is located over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Ukraine's border.
"There will be just retribution for every war crime committed against the people of Ukraine," the agency said.
Previously, Ukraine claimed responsibility for several aircraft sabotage operations inside Russia.
In July, a HUR-coordinated operation resulted in damage to three Mi-28 and Ka-226 helicopters on the territory of the Moscow-based National Center of Helicopter Construction of Mil and Kamov, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent at the time.
Another operation the same month reportedly led to the destruction of a Mi-8 helicopter at the Samara Kryazh military airfield in Samara Oblast, roughly 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Khrystyna Zhevlakova
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