Society & Culture

Russian intelligence services are developing a system of covert influence on Russian-speaking residents of foreign nations, which will be integrated into the service platform. That’s according to Guildhall citing sources in the Ukrainian intelligence community, Ukrinform reports. The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR), acting under the cover of Rossotrudnichestvo, is developing a digital platform and mobile application, Sootechestvenniki (Compatriots), whose main goal is to boost Russian influence on policies of foreign governments, as well as to recruit Russians living abroad and foreign citizens. Read also: Russia retrieves bodies, classified documents from sunken Moskva cruiser - intelligence The…

Russia has already deported more than 238,000 Ukrainian children to its territory. That's according to the Office of the Ombudsperson, Ukrinform reports. "As of May 26, the aggressor power continues to expatriate Ukrainian citizens to Russia and the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. Today it is confirmed that 238,329 children have already crossed out into Russia,” the statement reads. The Office of the Ombudswoman stated that Article 49 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War prohibits forced (individual or mass) resettlement or deportation. However, Russia is resorting to illegal actions, ignoring the…

Ukraine and the Netherlands have agreed to deepen cooperation in the protection of cultural heritage and museums. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine reported this after a virtual meeting between Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko and State Secretary for Culture and Media of the Netherlands Gunay Uslu and her team. "For us, the Netherlands is one of the examples in the field of protection of cultural, including architectural, heritage and museum standards. We agreed on in-depth cooperation in these areas," Tkachenko said. The minister thanked his colleagues for supporting Ukraine in its…

Some 82% of Ukrainian citizens see any territorial concessions to Russia as unacceptable. According to Ukrinform, this is evidenced by the national public opinion poll "Omnibus," run on May 13-18 by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. According to KIIS, an editorial was recently published in the New York Times, which suggested the need for some territorial concessions on the part of Ukraine for the sake of achieving peace in the ongoing war with Russia. A few months before the full-scale invasion, the Institute had been in contact with Western media, noting an often deep misunderstanding of the realities of Ukraine…

Russian invaders are planning to Russify the educational process in Mariupol in the new school year, introducing their own standards. According to Ukrinform, Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denisova said this on Telegram. "As part of 'adaptation' to the transition to Russian programs, only three subjects will be taught in schools: Russian language and literature, history of Russia and mathematics. The invaders also organized an 'organizational and methodological' meeting of teachers who are being forced to cooperate in the educational process," Denisova wrote. According to her, dissenters are threatened with "negative" consequences - from "filtration camps" to the restriction…

Russia continues the process of illegal naturalization of residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, having accelerated the procedure. This was stated by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. "From now on, occupied Donbas residents can apply for Russian citizenship without having the so-called passport of illegitimate pseudo-state entities. Mandatory conditions include holding a valid Ukrainian passport (paperback or plastic), as well as a certificate of residence in the temporarily occupied territory," said Denisova. Also, according to the Ukrainian ombudsperson, the invaders are simplifying the process of applying for…

Over 50,000 refugees from Ukraine have already started work in the Czech Republic, says the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. That’s according to Radio Prague International, Ukrinform reports. The publication says the humanitarian visas, valid for 24 months, guarantee refugees the same status on the labor market as Czech citizens or permanent residents. Read also: Over 1.3M Ukrainians already deported to Russia - Ombudsperson “Most of them have reportedly filled long-term vacancies,” the report notes. According to the Interior Ministry, some 345,200 refugees have so far been granted special visas in the Czech Republic. Nearly two-fifths of that…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival. According to Ukrinform, the Ukrainian State Film Agency said this in a Facebook post. In his virtual address, Zelensky quoted Charlie Chaplin's 'The Great Dictator': " The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish," he said. The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival is held this year from May 17 to May 28.

Ukroboronprom State Concern will put the personal pen of U.S. President Joseph Biden up for charity auction. That’s according to Ukroboronprom’s Telegram channel, Ukrinform reports. "Ukroboronprom and Prozorro.Sales announce a charity auction to sell a personal pen of U.S. President Joe Biden," the statement said. On May 9, Mr. Biden signed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 with a similar pen. The pen was put up for auction by General Director of Ukroboronprom State Concern Yuriy Husyev. He received it as a gift from then-U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, who was on a visit to Ukraine in 2017.…

In the Netherlands, during today's court hearing, presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis noted that the judgment in the MH17 downing case may be issued on November 17 or December 15, 2022. According to an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague, the court cannot name a specific date at the moment and does not know how long it will take for the verdict to be handed down. However, the judge noted that previously there were three possible dates. Read also: MH17 trial: Hearing on claims for compensation starts in Netherlands The first was announced earlier - September 22, 2022 - is no longer on…