Latest news with #Kostenko
Russia Today
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainian MP issues post-war terror threat
Ukrainian intelligence services plan to continue to assassinate Russian officials and public figures for decades to come, MP Roman Kostenko, the secretary of the Verkhovna Rada's Defense Committee, has said. Speaking to the newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda on Sunday, the senior lawmaker welcomed the assassination last week of the deputy chief of operations of Russia's General Staff, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, and said that Kiev was behind it. Prior to pursuing a political career, Kostenko served with the Ukrainian military and the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), taking part in the early stages of the conflict in Donbass. 'I am pleased. This is good work by our special services,' Kostenko stated when asked about his take on the assassination of the Russian general. The MP also threatened a continuous campaign of killings inside Russia for decades to come. 'Even if we manage to get to the point when the war is put on hold, the work of the special services will only just begin,' he said, adding that attacks on Russian officials and public figures will remain a priority 'for the next 10, 20, and possibly even 30 years.' The remarks were swiftly condemned by Moscow, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova charging that Ukraine has already turned into a full-fledged terrorist state. 'The Kiev regime has become a true terrorist cell that receives international support with weapons and money,' she stated. Moskalik was killed by a car bomb outside his residence in the suburban Moscow town of Balashikha early on Friday. Shortly after the explosion, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained a suspect, identified as 42-year-old Ignat Kuzin. The suspect has confessed to acting under orders from Ukrainian security services and was allegedly promised a payment of $18,000 for the attack. According to Russian investigators, Kuzin was originally recruited by the SBU in 2023, later moving to Russia to await 'specific instructions from a Ukrainian handler.' Last December, a bomb that Russian authorities similarly linked to Ukrainian special services killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who served as the commander of the Russian Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces. He was assassinated alongside an aide as they were exiting a building in Moscow, using an explosive device concealed inside an electric scooter. The scene was monitored by the perpetrators through a camera placed inside a parked car, and the bomb was detonated remotely.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kyiv can end martial law if war ends by August, official says
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, could legally suspend martial law if the war with Russia ends by August 2025, Defense Committee Secretary Roman Kostenko said in an interview with New Voice (NV). President Volodymyr Zelensky first declared martial law and general mobilization on Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The measure has been repeatedly extended since then. "Regarding martial law, from a legal point of view. The Verkhovna Rada, as it adopted it, can cancel it, even if there are some decisions that require it," Kostenko said. "I'm not saying that it will. But if we look at it from a legal point of view, if (martial law) is in place by August, it does not mean that it will be in place by August, if the war ends. It can always be canceled — also by a decision of the president and approval of the Verkhovna Rada." Kostenko's comments come as the United States escalates pressure on Russia and Ukraine to agree on a ceasefire, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to on further peace negotiations if either side continues to resist a deal. Kostenko said that despite Washington's efforts to broker a ceasefire, he does not expect the Trump administration to successfully negotiate a resolution. "It certainly does not look like the end of the war," he said. The Verkhovna Rada on April 16 approved the extension of martial law and mobilization for another 90 days, until August 6. Under martial law, Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60, with some exceptions, are not allowed to leave the country as they may be called up for military service. Martial law also prevents Ukraine from holding regular parliamentary and presidential elections. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to leverage Kyiv's delayed elections to portray Zelensky as "illegitimate" — a claim that has found traction with members of the Trump administration. Trump in February denounced Zelensky as a "dictator without elections," echoing the Kremlin's propaganda narrative. Several weeks later he walked back on the statement, criticizing Putin for continuing to attack Zelensky's credibility. Read also: Putin announces Easter ceasefire, Zelensky reacts with skepticism We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Russia Today
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
US has ‘frozen' weapons sales to Ukraine
The US has halted weapons sales to Ukraine, senior MP Roman Kostenko, who serves as secretary of the Verkhovnaya Rada's Defense Committee, claimed on Thursday. Washington has been the biggest source of military aid to Ukraine since the escalation of its conflict with Russia in early 2022, including through weapons and equipment shipments and financial support. Part of the financial aid has been used to pay US arms makers to procure new weapons for Ukraine's army or replace old ones previously provided. In an interview with journalist Natalia Moseychuk, Kostenko stated that 'according to my information, the weapons that were going up for sale have stopped. Those companies that were ready to transfer these weapons are now waiting because there is no decision [from Washington].' He claimed that the suspensions were linked to the budding rapprochement between Washington and Moscow, who held their first direct negotiations at senior level in three years in Saudi Arabia this week. According to Kostenko, the fact that Ukraine was not invited to the talks has prompted uncertainty among US arms manufacturers about deliveries to Kiev. Kostenko said Ukraine is attempting to resolve the issue and has offered to pay for the weapons directly instead of counting on their delivery as part of US aid. His remarks were confirmed by fellow MP Aleksey Goncharenko in a Telegram post on Friday. 'The US has frozen arms sales to Ukraine. Roman Kostenko's statement yesterday is absolutely true,' Goncharenko wrote, adding that 'American companies confirmed this to me.' Neither Washington nor US arms makers have commented on the reported pause in shipments. Ukrainian MP Alexandra Ustinova, who serves as an adviser to the defense minister, refuted the claims in a post on Facebook, stating that 'the US has NOT stopped selling weapons to Ukraine' and advising fellow MPs not to 'add fuel to the fire' by voicing unconfirmed information. The remarks come amid a growing spat between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, the US leader accused Zelensky of mismanaging the conflict with Russia and misusing American financial aid. Trump earlier threatened to cut aid for Ukraine, and has insisted that Kiev must repay Washington for the funding it has received, which the US leader claimed was 'more than $300 billion.' He demanded the 'equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths' from Ukraine in return. Zelensky has accused the US leader of 'living in a disinformation space' supposedly created by Russia. He rejected the proposal for Ukraine's rare earths, saying last week that it was not 'in the interests of sovereign Ukraine.' Zelensky previously refuted Trump's estimates of the aid provided by Washington, insisting Ukraine had not received even half of that sum.
