War briefing in Ukraine: US accuses Russia of conspiracy to destroy computer systems in Kyiv | Ukraine

A Russian man has been charged with conspiring to hack and destroy computer systems and data in Ukraine and allied countries, including the United States, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday, offering a $10 million reward for information. Before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, 22-year-old Amin Timovich Stigal, who is still at large, attacked Kyiv government systems and data without any military nature, the ministry claimed. Later, computer systems in the United States and other countries supporting Ukraine were attacked, it said.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was tried behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday, 15 months after his arrest in the Russian city. He faces espionage charges, which he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny. The 32-year-old was arrested in March 2023 during a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. Authorities claimed he had collected secret information for the United States without providing any evidence.

The EU is expected to sign a security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, committing to continue supplying Kyiv with weapons, military training and other assistance in the coming years.The agreement will set out the EU’s commitment to help Ukraine in nine areas of security and defence policy – including arms supplies, military training, defence industry cooperation and mine clearance, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

European Union countries agreed on a package of sanctions against Belarus on Wednesday, EU diplomats and Belgium said, in an effort to block a way for Russia to circumvent the restrictions.“This package will strengthen our actions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the fight against sanctions evasion,” Belgium, which holds the EU Council Presidency until the end of June, said at X.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid an unannounced visit to the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine to boost the morale of the troops amid the continued advance of Russian forces.. The Ukrainian president recorded a video address against the backdrop of Pokrovsk, a city with a pre-war population of about 61,000 that has seen some of the fiercest fighting during the 28-month-long large-scale invasion. Zelensky traveled with Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov, the newly appointed commander of the joint forces.

During his visit, Zelenskyy hinted that he would take tough action against officials who, in his opinion, are neglecting their duties. He said he would be in Kyiv talking to “officials who need to be here and in other areas near the front line – in difficult communities where people need immediate solutions.” He continued: “I was surprised to learn that some of the relevant officials have not been here for six months or more. There will be a serious conversation and I will draw appropriate conclusions from it.”

Five Lithuanians were injured when they came under fire in eastern Ukraine while delivering aid to troops, officials and team members said Wednesday. The volunteers were in a car that was fired upon in Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Monday, a colleague, Valdas Bartkevicius, told AFP. The region’s governor reported that five people were killed and dozens injured in Russian attacks on Pokrovsk on Monday.

Representatives of the human rights offices of Russia and Ukraine met for the first time on Tuesday as part of a prisoner exchange, Kiev said.The two countries have each released 90 captured soldiers under a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. It is the latest of more than 50 prisoner swaps that have taken place throughout the war. But it was the first time Russia had agreed to a direct meeting between human rights officials during the exchange, Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets told AFP.

The 32 NATO states on Wednesday appointed outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next chairman of the alliance. Rutte will succeed Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on October 1 after major powers, led by the United States, confirmed his nomination ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Washington next month.