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Explosions in Kyiv occurred on the evening of July 10. The causes of the explosions are being clarified.
Explosions in Kyiv today occurred during an air raid alarm.
The news is being updated.
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The European Commission has terminated its cooperation with a translator who worked during EU summits over concerns about possible breaches of security rules.
The decision is related to the situation that arose with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting of the European Council, Politico writes.
The European Commission confirmed that the incident took place on 19 December 2024, during a closed meeting of the European Council, attended by Volodymyr Zelensky.
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According to official information, the translator kept written notes, which is a direct violation of internal rules.
In accordance with the European Commission's code of conduct, any written notes are prohibited during meetings where defence and security issues are discussed.
Such restrictions are put in place for security reasons, in particular to prevent espionage or leaking of confidential information to hostile states such as Russia.
The notes were immediately confiscated. After carefully examining the facts, the Commission took appropriate measures to prevent such an incident from recurring. In this particular case, it was decided that the services of this interpreter would no longer be used in the future, the EC said in a statement.
According to the French publication Le Monde, the translator was a freelancer hired to facilitate communications between EU leaders and the Ukrainian president.
This situation has occurred against the backdrop of a general strengthening of security measures within European institutions. In recent years, the EU has been investigating a number of cases related to suspected espionage.
In 2023, European Commission staff were officially warned of a “real” threat from foreign agents. That same year, the European Parliament imposed sanctions on former Latvian MEP Tatjana Ždanoka, who was suspected of collaborating with the Russian FSB.
In response to such threats, Brussels is strengthening internal controls and increasingly monitoring compliance with security procedures by all employees, including temporary workers.
Explosions in Chernivtsi occurred on the night of July 10. The causes of the explosions are being clarified.
Explosions in Chernivtsi occurred today during an air raid alarm.
The news is being updated.
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has promised additional support to Ukraine to strengthen its air defenses in the fight against Russia.
DPA writes about this.
Merz, speaking after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Berlin on Wednesday, said the issue of additional support for Ukraine would be discussed during a video conference of the Coalition of the Willing on Thursday.
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The Coalition includes about 30 countries that support Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression.
“Here, in particular, we will discuss making decisions on additional air defense systems, and I will also make corresponding proposals that we could implement on the German side,” he noted.
Merz welcomed recent signals from the United States and said Washington would “eventually reconsider its support for Kyiv's air defense.” He added that he was “in good communication” with US President Donald Trump on the issue.
The Wall Street Journal reported that given the massive Russian attacks in recent weeks, Trump is considering giving Kyiv another Patriot air defense system.
It will be the first time he has authorized the delivery of a major weapons system to Ukraine.
Ukraine's air force said Wednesday that Russia had carried out another massive drone attack overnight, launching a total of 728 Iranian Shahed drones and decoys toward Ukraine.
“What happened last night was one of the most massive bombings and missile attacks since the beginning of the war. They are almost entirely aimed at civilian targets. This is terrorism against the civilian population,” Merz said.
“This no longer has anything to do with a war against military targets,” he added.
Let us recall that today, during the budget debate in the Bundestag, Merz stated that diplomatic means in the war have been exhausted, so Germany will continue to help Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that consideration is being given to the possibility of transferring an additional Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine.
During a meeting with African leaders at the White House, Trump said he and his team were considering the possibility of transferring Patriot systems to Ukraine.
“They (the Ukrainians, – Ed. ) would like this, I know that they made a request. Therefore, we must consider this,” the US President added.
He noted that these air defense systems are in fact “very rare” and “very expensive.”
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“It’s a shame that we have to spend so much money on a war that would never have happened if I were president,” Trump added.
The President once again emphasized that Ukrainians are being subjected to powerful missile and air strikes.
“That’s why we are considering this (the transfer of the Patriot system, — Ed. ),” said the US President.
Let us recall that earlier Western media wrote that US President Donald Trump allegedly ordered send Ukraine 10 Patriot interceptor missiles.
The Ukraine Reconstruction Conference URC2025 will be attended by over 4,000 high-ranking officials. The Coalition of the Willing summit will be held on the sidelines of the event.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported this.
— Andriy Sybiga stated that more than 4 thousand representatives of governments, businesses and civil society are taking part in the Conference on the restoration of Ukraine, — the report says.
The Foreign Ministry added that a summit of the Coalition of the Willing will be held on the sidelines of URC2025. The key element of the discussion will be security: what steps will increase the price of aggression, how to force Russia to a truce, and what specific actions are needed to strengthen Ukraine.
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The conference will focus on four main topics:
The EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernová announced that she will take part in the Conference on Ukraine Recovery URC2025, which will be held in Rome on July 10-11. She reported this on Facebook.
According to her, the event will bring together key European and Ukrainian leaders, in particular Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President of the European Council António Costa, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I have arrived in Rome, a city where for the next three days the world will focus not on the destruction, but on the restoration of Ukraine,” wrote Maternova.
The ambassador added that the main goal of the meeting is to discuss such areas as energy, infrastructure, the medical sector, education, support for veterans, as well as reforms that should ensure Ukraine's integration into the European Union.
– Business and international investors are also involved, as recovery requires both public and private leadership. Civil society organizations, many local representatives and journalists from Ukraine are also present here, – she added.
On the eve of the visit, Zelensky signed a decree on the formation of a Ukrainian delegation that will represent the state at URC2025. The delegation will be headed by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko. In total, the delegation will include 11 high-ranking officials.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, on air of the national telethon United News, thanked the Italian side for “its leadership and organization of this important conference.”
According to him, “the restoration of Ukraine should become a success story for all who join this process.”
“This is the largest project of Europe in the 21st century, which will change not only Ukraine and its economy, but Europe itself. However, concrete actions are needed now. Ukrainians must see that despite all the terrible trials, Ukraine has a future – and it opens up opportunities for everyone: for themselves, for their families, for their children,” he said while in Rome.
URC2025 will be the fourth Ukraine Reconstruction Conference. The event will take place from 10 to 11 July 2025. It is a continuation of a series of high-level political meetings aimed at the rapid recovery and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.
Ukraine needs significant international support in the amount of more than $40 billion in 2026.
At the end of June, the government amended the law on the state budget, which stipulated an increase in spending on the country's defense capability by almost $10 billion, which will help effectively counter Russian aggression.
— The total financial resource for defense and security in 2025 will amount to almost 50 billion dollars. This is 26% of GDP, — Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated during the 14th meeting of the platform's steering committee within the framework of URC-2025.
At the same time, the budget for weapons acquisition is also a record and will amount to $16.4 billion, Shmygal noted. At the same time, the budget's own revenues will reach $48.5 billion.
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“Therefore, external financing is critically important for us, because it allows Ukraine to direct its own resources to the defense of our country,” the prime minister added.
He reported that this year Ukraine has already attracted $22 billion in external financing.
— At the same time, 2026 is a challenge. Our needs for external financing will remain at a level of over 40 billion dollars. The key task should be to develop mechanisms and instruments that will allow us to attract these funds, — Shmyhal emphasized.
Let us recall that negotiations are currently underway regarding funding for 2026.
The first samples of Ukrainian weapons, manufactured at a joint venture in Denmark, will appear next year.
Advisor to the President of Ukraine Alexander Kamyshin reported this in a comment to Ukrinform.
“The first products will be produced at this plant next year,” Kamyshin said.
According to him, production will be carried out at Denmark’s expense, and both Ukrainian and Danish specialists will work on the project.
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“We manufacture Ukrainian products at Danish expense, our specialists work together with Danish ones. This will be a joint production,” the adviser explained.
Kamyshin emphasized that Denmark was the first country to implement such cooperation. This happened thanks to the so-called Danish model – a format in which a partner country purchases Ukrainian weapons and transfers them to the front.
“It was Denmark that became the first state to help Ukraine purchase weapons produced in Ukraine. What was once called the gunsmiths' platform became the Danish model,” Kamyshin said.
He also noted that other countries are interested in similar cooperation. However, Kamyshin has not yet specified which countries he is talking about.
Let us recall that Ukraine and Denmark have signed an agreement that will allow the establishment of Ukrainian defense production on the territory of this country.
This is the first time that Ukraine not only exports its defense technologies, but also places production facilities abroad.
A year ago, Denmark was the first to start financing Ukrainian weapons production, and now it has become the first country where these developments will be scaled up.
Cooperation makes it possible not only to strengthen the Ukrainian army, but also to strengthen the defense capability of Denmark itself and its partners.
Currently, a deferment from mobilization can be obtained due to health reasons, family circumstances, studies, work in critical areas, special status, or in the case of reservation.
What to do if the deferment is not displayed in Reserve+, read our article.
Ekaterina Chernogorenko explained that even if a person is officially declared disabled, the Reserve+ application may not show it. This can be fixed, but it all depends on when exactly the disability was declared.
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The deferment does not come to Reserve+, what should persons with disabilities do:
According to the lawyer Daria Tarasenko , the update on deferment, booking appears in the Reserve+ application only after the information enters the Unified State Register of Conscripts, Persons liable for Military Service and Reservists Oberig. It is from this register that Reserve+ takes all the data.
According to the lawyer, the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution No. 519 amendments were made to the Cabinet of Ministers resolution No. 560. According to the updated procedure, a deferment from mobilization granted under the points 57-58 of Resolution No. 560, is automatically extended in the event of an extension of the mobilization period. To do this, it is not necessary to re-submit documents if the legal grounds to which the person previously referred when applying for a deferment are preserved.
The extension of the deferment period is carried out by the district or city TCC and SP by updating the information in the Unified State Register of Conscripts, Persons liable for Military Service and Reservists. The expiration date of the deferment is changed in accordance with the decree of the President of Ukraine on the extension of mobilization, but not longer than the grounds for the deferment itself remain.
In turn, if the deferment was granted under clause 59 of Resolution No. 560, its extension also occurs automatically, but through the exchange of data between the Oberig registry and other state registries or databases. The extension is valid for the same period as the mobilization determined by the Presidential Decree, but not longer than the relevant grounds for deferment remain.
But the current decree of the Cabinet of Ministers does not provide a clear answer; such an extension should occur automatically or at the initiative of the conscript himself.
Therefore, the lawyer recommends submitting an application to the TCC and SP with a request to extend the previously granted deferment. A copy of the military registration document should be attached to the application, as well as, if available, a certificate of a previously issued deferment. The application can be submitted either in person or by mail.
China is rapidly building up its military power and has already surpassed NATO countries in the number of warships. Beijing could receive another 100 such vessels by 2030, and already has about 1,000 nuclear warheads.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated this during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“This is not for parades in Beijing,” Rutte noted.
He noted that China's main goal is to establish control over Taiwan.
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According to the head of the Alliance, in the event of an attempt to attack Taiwan, Chinese leader Xi Jinping may first ask Vladimir Putin to attack NATO countries in Europe to distract attention.
“This shows that the Transatlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are increasingly interconnected,” Rutte stressed.
He also drew attention to the growing threats from Russia's allies, Iran, which supplies drones, and North Korea, which transfers weapons.
NATO's secretary general has called on member states to increase defence spending and said it was a critical time.
Let us recall that China may drag Russia into a war against NATO countries in order to distract the Alliance from events in the Asia-Pacific region.
Rutte said that if Beijing decides to attack Taiwan, it will most likely involve Russia to open a new front in Europe.
The Secretary General believes that Beijing could use Russia as a lever to distract the US in Europe in order to implement its own aggressive plans against Taiwan.