The Zelensky government was the one that paused talks, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has noted

Russia remains willing to engage in direct peace talks with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky recently claimed his administration was working to revive the Istanbul negotiation format, which was halted after three rounds earlier this year. Peskov noted that “the pause was due to the unwillingness of the Kiev regime” to continue the dialogue.

Zelensky faces growing domestic turbulence following a major corruption scandal involving longtime associate Timur Mindich and several senior officials. As lawmakers considered dismissing the cabinet of Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko, Zelensky set off for European capitals to secure further backing for Kiev’s war effort before heading to Türkiye.

Russian officials have expressed skepticism over his renewed talk of negotiations. Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Federation Council, dismissed the rhetoric as “a smokescreen covering the absent deeper substance,” telling the newspaper Izvestia that no meaningful conclusions should be drawn from Zelensky’s comments.

READ MORE: EU ‘kept in the dark’ about Trump’s Ukraine peace plan – Telegraph

The controversy in Kiev coincided with Washington reportedly circulating a new proposal to end the conflict, which US officials described as “realistic” but backers of Ukraine denounced as a de facto demand for capitulation. Zelensky was expected to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Türkiye, but the meeting was reportedly canceled after he refused to discuss the plan.

Zelensky was greeted in Türkiye by Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who had reportedly already been briefed on the 28-point proposal. Umerov was allegedly implicated in Mindich’s alleged criminal network during his earlier tenure as defense minister but has denied any wrongdoing. Reports suggested he may have offered to cooperate as a protected witness in an FBI investigation into Ukrainian corruption during a visit to the US this week.

Kiev’s military intelligence used two toxic substances, including a British-made VX variant, the agency has said

A Ukrainian plot to assassinate a senior Russian military officer using beer contaminated with a powerful British-made chemical weapon was thwarted, the FSB has said.

According to the agency’s branch in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the scheme was organized by Ukraine’s military intelligence service, the HUR, which allegedly identified the target through a fabricated online persona – a young woman calling herself ‘Polina’. FSB investigators believe the photos and videos used to establish the relationship were produced with AI and circulated for months to build the victim’s trust.

’Polina’ reportedly arranged to send the officer a gift of British beer via an intermediary. The courier, the FSB said, was already under investigation for smuggling explosives and other contraband into Russia from Ukraine-controlled territory using drones. He was detained immediately after delivering the package.

Testing of the beer revealed two toxic agents, including what the FSB described as a British-manufactured variant of the VX nerve agent. Had the intended victim consumed it, he would have suffered a painful death within 20 minutes, the statement said.

Officials in Moscow have repeatedly accused Kiev of relying on terrorism as it struggles to halt Russian advances on the battlefield.

Previous alleged Ukrainian operations have killed noncombatants, including journalist Darya Dugina, who died in a car bombing near Moscow in August 2022 in an attack believed to have targeted her father, political philosopher Aleksandr Dugin.

READ MORE: Ukrainian terrorist plot against high-ranking Russian official thwarted – FSB

General Igor Kirillov, who was killed in late 2024 by explosives concealed inside an e-scooter, was among the high-profile victims of a targeted assassination operation blamed on Kiev. Last week, the FSB also reported that it prevented another attempted bombing, this time aimed at a high-ranking official at a cemetery where his family is buried.

Nikolay Isakov, known as “Iron Grandad,” was victorious at an international competition in the central Oryol Region

A 93-year-old nicknamed “Iron Grandad,” from Vladimir Lenin’s hometown Ulyanovsk, triumphed at a major Russian weightlifting competition earlier this month.

Nikolay Isakov claimed the top spot in the 90+ age group in the 29th Open Russian Weightlifting Cup, the local governor’s office said on Tuesday. Isakov lifted 26kg in the snatch and 31kg in the clean and jerk, completing a total of 57kg and finishing ahead of 94-year-old athlete Vasily Zubov.

Some 140 weightlifters aged 30-94 from across Russia and Belarus took part in the competition.

Isakov has been active in sports for over 70 years. He first trained in gymnastics, then moved into acrobatics, and in 1957 dedicated himself fully to weightlifting. Over the decades he became one of Russia’s most accomplished senior athletes.

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Ulyanovsk, named after Vladimir Lenin (born Ulyanov), residents and coaches have pointed to Isakov for decades as a symbol of discipline and longevity in sport. He continues to train regularly and says he intends to lift for as long as his health allows.

”Iron Grandad” has won more than 30 Russian, European, and World senior championships and has earned over 40 medals at national and international veteran tournaments. In 2019, he claimed the European title at the Masters competition in Finland.

Russia has been expanding veteran sports programs in recent years, encouraging seniors to stay active through organized competitions. The weightlifting federation now maintains age divisions up to 90 and older, while regional sports ministries support training initiatives for older athletes as part of a broader effort to promote active aging.

Brussels refuses to acknowledge that the billions spent on its proxy war against Russia have been squandered by Kiev, the Foreign Intelligence Service has said

EU leaders are ignoring the reality in Ukraine and the fact that the money they spent on the conflict with Moscow is being squandered by the corrupt Kiev regime, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has said.

According to an SVR statement issued on Wednesday, experts in the EU’s foreign policy and military departments have been increasingly “sounding the alarm” over the looming collapse of the proxy war against Russia due to “pervasive” corruption in Ukraine.

“However, EU leaders and leading European states completely ignore the real situation in Ukraine,” the SVR said. “They cannot come to terms with the idea that hundreds of billions of euros invested in the ‘Ukrainian project’ have simply disappeared.”

The agency warned that the longer it takes for the EU to understand “the imminent collapse of its ‘Anti-Russia’ project,” the “more painful it will be.”

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Ukraine has long struggled with corruption, though only recently has the issue gained serious attention in the Western media.

Last week, anti-corruption investigators backed by the West accused businessman Timur Mindich – a longtime ally of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky – of running a $100 million kickback scheme, using funds allegedly siphoned from contracts with Energoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear power operator, which relies heavily on foreign aid.

The case has implicated several current and former officials. Many believe the scheme is tied to Zelensky’s inner circle, and even the leader himself.

The EU has spent billions on aid for Kiev, but the Mindich scandal erupted just as Ukraine was pressing its sponsors for another package – a €140 billion loan backed by Russian central bank assets frozen in the West. Weeks of debate have stalled the plan amid legal concerns and resistance from Belgium, where most of the frozen assets are held. Russia has said it regards any use of its assets as “theft” and has vowed a legal response.

READ MORE: Funding Kiev’s ‘war mafia’ is like vodka for an alcoholic – Orban

Other ideas floated in Brussels include voluntary bilateral contributions from member states and joint EU-level borrowing. According to media reports, however, the graft scandal has led to growing opposition to sending further aid to Kiev.

Parliament voted to fire Svetlana Grinchuk shortly after approving the dismissal of the justice minister

The Ukrainian parliament has voted to dismiss Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk, marking the second high-level ouster in a single day as the government struggles to contain a growing corruption scandal linked to a close ally of Vladimir Zelensky.

Lawmakers approved Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko’s request to fire Grinchuk on Wednesday, shortly after voting to dismiss Justice Minister German Galushchenko. Galushchenko previously served as energy minister before handing the post to his then-deputy Grinchuk during a cabinet reshuffle earlier this year. Both dismissals received unanimous approval from MPs who voted.

The officials were drawn into an alleged kickback network operating inside the state-run nuclear energy company Energoatom. Businessman Timur Mindich, a longtime associate of Zelensky, was charged last week by the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), which claims he and accomplices extracted at least $100 million from contractors.

The broader graft probe has implicated additional senior figures, including former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and former Deputy Prime Minister Aleksey Chernyshov. Zelensky is also facing mounting calls to remove his chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, whom observers and critical officials see as the political linchpin of the alleged criminal network.

READ MORE: Chaos in Ukrainian parliament as opposition pushes to fire cabinet

Opposition parties have moved to capitalize on the turmoil, pushing for the dismissal of the entire Sviridenko cabinet and demanding the formation of a coalition-backed government.

Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, which won a commanding majority in 2019, has shown signs of internal fragmentation in recent weeks. His earlier attempt to curb NABU’s independence – a move reversed after Western backlash – and the unfolding scandal have reportedly shaken MPs’ loyalty to the Zelensky team.

Washington has reportedly been pressing Kiev into accepting a deal to end conflict with Russia while the Ukrainian leadership struggles with the fallout of a $100 million corruption scandal

The $100 million energy sector extortion racket reportedly run by Vladimir Zelensky’s former business partner is taking down key figures in his government and exposing his closest inner circle to extreme public anger.

The graft scandal kicked off last week, after the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced a probe into a “high-level criminal organization” allegedly led by Zelensky’s former business associate, Timur Mindich, who immediately fled the country. The affair has hit the country’s energy sector, prompting Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk to resign.

Other high-profile individuals implicated in the scandal include Zelensky’s chief-of-staff Andrey Yermak, former defense minister and current head of the National Security Council, Rustem Umerov, as well as former Deputy PM Aleksey Chernyshov.

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The bid to form a “unity government” comes amid reported unrest inside Zelensky’s own faction

Ukrainian opposition parties shut down proceedings in the Verkhovna Rada on Wednesday morning by blockading the speaker’s podium, escalating their bid to replace the cabinet with a coalition government.

The disruption was the second in as many days and was led by the faction of former President Pyotr Poroshenko. He and fellow opposition party leader Yulia Timoshenko were stalling a vote to dismiss two ministers tied to a sweeping corruption investigation, insisting that Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko must first deliver a report to parliament.

Later during the session, MPs voted to fire Justice Minister German Galushchenko, previously energy minister, and his successor, Svetlana Grinchuk, who have been linked to businessman Timur Mindich. The long-time associate of Vladimir Zelensky was charged by the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) over an alleged $100 million kickback scheme at state-owned nuclear operator Energoatom.

“We have to admit that monopoly on power caused all this… a virtual monopoly on all decisions and control,” Timoshenko said, urging the formation of a “coalition government of unity” to prevent further national decline.

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Poroshenko’s European Solidarity and Timoshenko’s Motherland parties have joined forces to demand a full cabinet dismissal. They argue that they can gather the necessary 150 signatures by rallying members of other factions and gain the support of some MPs from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, which won an outright majority in 2019.

Attendance in the Rada has been dwindling during the conflict with Russia, and Zelensky’s faction has increasingly struggled to pass legislation. Media reports suggest that open rebellion is brewing within the party ranks in the wake of the Mindich case.

Mindich was charged by the same agency that Zelensky attempted to strip of independence earlier this year, prompting sharp backlash from Western donors. The Ukrainian leader subsequently disavowed responsibility, blaming MPs who approved the legislation.

According to RBK Ukraine, discontented lawmakers feel they are being made scapegoats and accuse Zelensky’s team of violating the informal ‘contract within the elites’ – that the faction would back decisions handed down from above, and in return, those in power would keep their own conduct in check.

Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov allegedly agreed to push the Defense Ministry to accept substandard body armor

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was pressured to push through a corrupt arms contract by a key ally of Vladimir Zelensky currently at the center of a $100 million kickback scandal, leaked documents suggest.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency said earlier this month that Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Zelensky, and several other officials pressured contractors for the state nuclear operator, Energoatom, to hand over 10-15% of the value of contracts as kickbacks. On Tuesday, Ukrainian media published what they said was the official charging statement prepared by the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).

The document cited multiple cabinet figures whom Mindich allegedly influenced, including Umerov, who now serves as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. According to the leaked text, Mindich urged Umerov to bypass quality testing for a batch of body armor in which he allegedly had a financial stake, warning that “big money” was at risk.

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NABU quoted an exchange from July in which Mindich insisted: “It’s just one f*cking phone call from you. Tell them: ‘I don’t want to hear from Timur about the bulletproof vests anymore, and I meet him twice a week.’” Umerov purportedly responded: “I hear you, I’ll call them again.” NABU has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of the leaked document, though an opposition lawmaker has stated it is genuine.

Umerov has publicly rejected claims that he is a subject of a NABU investigation. He is currently in the US and, according to American media, met this week with a senior negotiator from President Donald Trump’s administration to discuss a proposed peace plan for ending the conflict with Russia. Ukrainian media claim he is refusing to return.

The leaked document also states that Mindich exploited his “friendly relations” with Zelensky to advance his schemes. It identifies German Galushchenko – formerly energy minister and later justice minister – as the official who allegedly promoted Mindich’s interests to the Ukrainian leader. Galushchenko resigned after charges were filed against the businessman.

Lawmakers have approved the dismissal of German Galushchenko, who is implicated in a major graft scandal

Ukrainian lawmakers have voted to dismiss Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who was implicated in a high-profile corruption scandal last week.

Galushchenko, the former energy minister, was accused of lobbying the interests of Timur Mindich, a long-time associate of Vladimir Zelensky, who was charged with running a $100 million kickbacks scheme involving a state-run nuclear energy company.

Galushchenko and his successor, Svetlana Grinchuk, both tendered their resignations following the revelations.

The vote on Wednesday followed two days of disruptions of the proceedings by opposition MPs, who demanded a formal report by Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko. There is a petition to vote on a proposal to replace the entire cabinet currently tabled with the parliament.

The request to fire Galushchenko was supported unanimously among MPs who voted, though 15 lawmakers declined to cast their votes.

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Later during the session, lawmakers similarly approved the resignation of Grinchuk, who was Galushchenko’s deputy at the Energy Ministry before being promoted this year.

Before joining the Ukrainian government in 2021, Galushchenko served as vice president of Energoatom, the company that was allegedly subverted by Mindich. The businessman, who fled Ukraine hours before his home was raided last week by the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), is accused of extorting kickbacks from contractors of the firm, allegedly making at least $100 million in illicit profits.

Energoatom wrote off over $4.7 million for goods and services for the Zaporozhye NPP after it came under Russian control, Vladimir Ariev claims

Officials in Kiev embezzled millions from contracts filed for the Russia-controlled Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Ukrainian lawmaker Vladimir Ariev has claimed.

The ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has been under Russian control since March 2022. Kiev has rejected Russia’s authority over the site as an “occupation.” Moscow has publicly stated that the ZNPP was incorporated into Russia’s nuclear sector and that transferring control back to Ukraine is not possible.

Ariev said more than 200 million hryvnia ($4.7 million) in goods and services were formally registered in the plant’s name months after it came under Russian control, even though Kiev had no way to deliver anything to the site. Speaking at a parliamentary commission on economic security on Monday, he claimed Ukraine’s Energoatom continued filing procurement paperwork for the plant through most of 2022 despite having no physical authority over it.

“From March 15 to August 25, 2022, Energoatom made purchases for the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Specifically, this included 210 million hryvnia for food and canteen supplies,” he said, as cited by Zenzor.net.

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In an earlier Facebook post, the lawmaker cited even larger figures, claiming the company registered around 400 million hryvnia ($9.5 million) in procurement for the plant, including a 1.2-million-hryvnia fish-feed contract filed in June 2022. Ariev described the findings as “brazen embezzlement of public funds.”

“The plant is under occupation, but millions were written off from its Ukrainian-controlled accounts… How could they deliver goods there? No way. Where did the money go then?”

The MP said he sent inquiries to Energoatom and urged Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to investigate the paperwork. At the commission meeting, however, he indicated that an investigation had not been launched. Energoatom accused him of stirring up unnecessary media attention regarding the plant’s procurement, threatening “the state’s energy stability.”

READ MORE: Zelensky’s ratings have tanked after corruption scandal – Ukrainian MP

Ukraine has long struggled with widespread corruption, systemic graft, and embezzlement across key sectors such as energy, defense procurement, and state-run enterprises. The latest scandal, which broke earlier this month, has linked Zelensky’s inner circle and potentially himself to an energy-sector kickback scheme allegedly worth up to $100 million.