Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
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.
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.
Illustrative purposes only: Ukrainian soldiers take part in a military exercise at a military training camp in Yorkshire during a visit by defense ministers from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations to see soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the U.K.-led basic training program on Feb. 16, 2023. (Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)
British soldiers have been warned Russia may be using spies and drones to obtain information about Ukrainian service members trained in the U.K., The Times reported on Aug. 5, citing a military handbook circulated among the troops.
This mirrors similar warnings elsewhere in Europe of Moscow spying on Western efforts to train Ukrainian soldiers.
According to the British military handbook, Russian intelligence has shown particular interest in Operation Interflex, the U.K.-led program providing training to some 34,000 Ukrainian recruits.
The methods of espionage may have included flying drones over military bases and Russian operatives approaching British trainers in person or online.
"Vulnerable locations include training areas, Aerial Port of Debarkation, Seaport Port of Debarkation and key accommodation and logistical sites," the handbook read.
Undisclosed defense sources told The Times that there is "little evidence" Russia has actually used drones to spy on British military facilities. The handbook is more likely aimed at warning U.K. personnel of possible risks, given recent instances of suspected spy drones watching the training of Ukrainian conscripts in Germany.
Back in January, German authorities admitted that unidentified drones sighted over military training grounds are a recurring problem, and none of them have been successfully intercepted so far.
A coalition of 34 countries helps to train Ukrainian troops abroad as one way to support Kyiv against Russian aggression. British-led multinational Operation Interflex is one of the leading projects, mainly designed to provide basic military training to new recruits at various training facilities.
Separately, the EU's EUMAM mission aims to train 60,000 Ukrainian troops by the end of the summer.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Dinara Khalilova
