Ukraine could fill its ranks with as many as 20,000 convicts in a move that would also help ease overcrowding in Ukrainian prisons, Justice Minister Denys Maliuska told BBC Ukraine in an interview published on May 10. Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed a bill on May 8 that permits those convicted of certain offenses to serve in the military, paving the way for the voluntary mobilization of prisoners. The proposal was first submitted to the parliament in March as part of Ukraine's efforts to replenish the ranks of the Armed Forces amid the ongoing war with Russia. Deputy Justice M...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
A 45-year-old man from Kharkiv was arrested by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) on May 9 for allegedly tracking Ukrainian firing position, and providing coordinates to Russian intelligence officers. According to a statement released by the SBU, the unnamed man was arrested at his home in the Vovchansk district of Kharkiv. The man is accused of surveying and tracking Ukrainian positions, having recorded coordinates on Google Maps to provide to Russian intelligence officers. During the SBU's investigation, the suspect's cell phone, with alleged correspondence to Russian intelligence officials, w...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
Some Russian billionaires have given up trying to keep their money in the West and are now resigned to bringing it back to Russia where it faces the ever-present risk of being seized by the Kremlin, Bloomberg reported on May 8. Increasingly cut off from Western banking and financial services, Russia's wealthiest individuals are facing a dilemma when it comes to handing their fortunes to the next generation, according to Bloomberg. Most of the billionaires who were sanctioned have opted to move assets home, the news agency reported. "The fate of this vast wealth has major implications for Russi...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
The U.S. Pentagon is preventing the Russian military from using Starlink internet terminals operated on the battlefield in Ukraine, John Plumb, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy at the U.S. Department of Defense, said in an interview with Bloomberg on May 9. Starlink, recognized for its superior security compared to cellular or radio signals, is deemed crucial for Ukrainian operations. Last year, the Pentagon reached an agreement with SpaceX to financially support access for the Ukrainian military. Earlier this year, Ukraine's military intelligence chief told the Wall Street Jour...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the head of Ukraine's State Security Administration (UDO), Serhii Rud, according to a presidential decree published on May 9. The UDO's main tasks include ensuring the security of the President of Ukraine and high-ranking officials of the state, as well as the protection of administrative buildings and objects of state authorities of Ukraine. Rud's dismissal comes shortly after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed to have uncovered a network of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) agents who were plotting to assassinate President Zel...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
A long-range drone operated by Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) attacked an oil refinery, Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat, in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan on May 9, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent. For the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine attacked facilities in Bashkortostan, some 1,500 kilometers from the country's border, according to the source. In April, Ukraine hit production facilities in Russia's Tatarstan Republic, 1,300 kilometers away from the state border. Gazprom Naftokhim Salavat is one of the largest oil refining and petrochemical produ...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
A Russian attack on the Nikopol district in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast killed two people and injured eight others, Governor Serhii Lysak reported on May 9. The district saw more than two dozen attacks over the course of the day, from the early morning hours until nightfall, according to Lysak. Russian forces used artillery, multiple rocket launchers, and kamikaze drones to target the region. Nikopol, the administrative center of the district, suffered the worst. Two people, a 62-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, were killed inside the city. Among the injured are two girls, aged 15 and 16, as we...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
Sweden will allocate 28 million euros to several funds to support Ukraine's defense capabilities, the country's Defense Ministry announced on May 9. According to a statement on the ministry's website, 18 million euros will be given to three coalitions within the framework of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and 10 million euros will go to NATO's fund for Ukraine. "The Swedish support will gradually develop towards buying new equipment from the industry for donation to Ukraine," Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said. "Through these payments to funds, we can strengthen Ukraine's defense in ...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
2030 is a very real date for Ukraine to join the European Union, Katarina Mathernova, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, said in an interview on May 9. In November 2023, the European Commission — the Union's executive arm — recommended the launch of accession talks with Kyiv but said four additional reforms must be implemented. The European Council then agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine the following month. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal later said that European Council President Charles Michel had named 2030 as a possible target year for further EU enlargement but added that the ...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
The legacy of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany feeds pro-war aggression in Putin’s Russia — and is celebrated with a religious fervor. When Russian President Vladimir Putin swept into power in 2000, he faced a divided land. The disintegration of the Soviet Union and the economic downturn that followed left deep scars on Russian society. Many felt that Russia had suffered a national humiliation. Putin needed a common cause that would unite the masses. The revival of the Russian Orthodox Church, backed at the highest levels of government, was one such step. Yet Russia, with its patchwork of peop...
Kyiv Independent (CA)
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