
Ukraine says it killed Russian agents linked to murder of official in Kyiv
Ukrainian authorities had been investigating the murder, which took place on Thursday in the capital Kyiv. The official belonged to the Security Services' section involved in drone assaults and sabotage operations against Russia.
The head of the service, Vasyl Maliuk, issued a statement on Sunday revealing that his organization had eliminated agents of Russia's Federal Security Service who it believes were behind the murder.
The statement said the investigators tried to detain the agents at their hideout, but killed them in a shootout when they resisted arrest.
The security service said two agents, a man and a woman, were thought to be involved in the killing of the Ukrainian officer. But they did not say how many agents were killed during the operation.
Multiple media reports say that the department of the Ukrainian security service to which the murdered officer belonged played a main role in a cross-border attack by Ukrainian forces into Russia's western Kursk region last summer.
In April, Russian security authorities announced the detention of a Ukrainian agent on suspicion of involvement in the car explosion in a Moscow suburb that killed a senior Russian military officer.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Japan Times
8 hours ago
- Japan Times
U.K. urges ‘50-day drive' to arm Ukraine and raise pressure on Putin
Britain and Germany are set to pledge new air defense systems for Ukraine as the U.K. government pushes for a "50-day drive' to arm Kyiv and bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. Defense Secretary John Healey will make the announcement on Monday when he chairs a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group along with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius, according to a statement released by the U.K. Ministry of Defense. The ministry confirmed the U.K. had sent £150 million ($201 million) of air defense and artillery to Ukraine in the past two months, and said further commitments will be announced during the contact group meeting. They include an agreement between Britain and Germany to procure more air defense ammunition, using €170 million ($198 million) of funding from Berlin.


NHK
10 hours ago
- NHK
Russia gives positive response to Ukrainian proposal for new round of talks
Russia has shown a positive reaction to Ukraine's proposal to hold a new round of direct talks on a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that his country had proposed a new meeting with Russia to be held this week. Russia's state-run media have quoted informed sources as saying that the Kremlin will likely announce a date for the meeting soon, and that the Turkish city of Istanbul will likely remain the host city. The last two rounds of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine were held in Istanbul. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview broadcast by state television on Sunday that President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian issue to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. He also stressed that the main thing for Russia is to achieve its goals. Russia has been demanding Ukraine's neutrality and restrictions on its military forces in exchange for a ceasefire.


NHK
12 hours ago
- NHK
Russian residents on Japan-claimed island clean Japanese graves
Residents on one of the four islands that Japan calls the Northern Territories have cleaned the graves of the ancestors of former Japanese residents. Programs to allow them to visit the site remain halted over the past years. Russia controls the four islands. Japan claims them. The Japanese government maintains that the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says the islands were illegally occupied after World War Two. The grave visits and a visa-free exchange program involving former islanders came to a halt due to factors including the coronavirus pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. There is no prospect for a resumption at this time. A memorial service is due to start at sea on Sunday, in which former residents offer their prayers on board a ship near the island. In mid-June, Russian islanders conducted the grave cleaning for the sake of former residents at a graveyard on the western coast of Kunashiri Island. After mowing the grass, they restored fading Japanese letters on a sign pillar by referring to information provided from the Japanese side. One islander told NHK that he understands the situation of the neighboring Japanese who are unable to visit the graves. He said that so he has been doing what he can to help them. The Japanese government plans to work on the resumption of the exchange program while continuing to uphold its policy of resolving the territorial issue and signing a peace treaty with Russia. But Russia unilaterally suspended peace treaty negotiations after its invasion of Ukraine and says the lifting of sanctions should precede such talks.