🪖2026 conscripts: online platform now open for enlistment preferences
The Cyprus Ministry of Defence has launched the digital service "e-Enlistment" for conscripts of the 2026 ΕΣΣΟ intake. The platform will operate from April 17 to May 3, 2026 (until midnight).

💻 How to apply:
Through the government portal gov.cy → "Military Service" section → "e-Enlistment". Access requires creating and verifying a citizen profile on gov.cy.

📋 What conscripts can select:
Conscripts can indicate their preferences for placement within the National Guard structure, including allocation to Branches, Arms, and Corps, as well as unit placement. Applications can be submitted for:
— Reserve officer candidates (cadet positions)
— Special forces (commandos, military police, HUK)
— Units — KAAY — CE
— Technical specialties and advanced technology roles
— National Guard Military Band (SMEF)

📞 Support centre:
Call 1430 (daily during platform hours: weekdays 8:00–17:00, public holidays 8:00–13:00).
🔗More information:
On the websites www.gov.cy/mod and www.gov.cy/army under the "ENLISTMENT 2026 ΕΣΣΟ" category.
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

🐎Horse suddenly ran onto the road: Cyprus court finds driver not guilty
The Cyprus Court of Appeal has acquitted a driver who hit a horse on the Platraes – Erimi road. The court concluded that the accident occurred due to the sudden appearance of the animal, and the driver could not have prevented it.

⚖️ What the court ruled:
— The horse's presence on the road was deemed unforeseeable
— The driver acted as an "ordinary and attentive road user"
— A speed of around 50 km/h was not proven to be the cause of the crash
— Speeding alone does not constitute negligence without other contributing factors

🐴 Question of ownership:
The court could not determine who the horse belonged to — there was insufficient evidence.

💰 Regarding costs:
Part of the first-instance decision was overturned — the third party's court costs will now be paid by the defendants.
📌Conclusion:
If an animal suddenly darts onto the road and the driver has no time to react, it is not considered their fault.
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

🗳️Volt Cyprus denies removal of Makarios Drousiotis from election ballot
Volt Cyprus party categorically denies information that candidate Makarios Drousiotis was removed or struck from the electoral lists.

🗣️ Statement from co-chair Panos Parras:
"Any issue regarding the removal of a candidate from our ballots has never been raised, not even discussed."
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

✈️Developer Shimon Aykut leaves Cyprus to serve sentence in Israel
The 75-year-old Israeli developer, convicted in Cyprus for seizing Greek Cypriot property in the occupied territories, has been transferred to Israel under an international agreement.

⚖️ Ministry of Justice statement:
— Israel fully recognized the sentence and the gravity of the crimes
— Aykut will serve the remainder of his sentence in Israel
— Cyprus received written confirmation from the Israeli Ministry of Justice

🏗️ What he was convicted of:
In October 2025, Aykut pleaded guilty to 40 charges (fraud, possession of stolen land, money laundering). His company built 6 resort complexes covering nearly 395,000 sq. m on land belonging to displaced Greek Cypriots. The market value of the properties is €38.9 million. The sentence is 5 years in prison (taking into account time in custody since summer 2024).
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

🍔Burgers and chips "show up" in muscles: new study on osteoarthritis risk
A study published in the journal Radiology has shown that ultra-processed foods (chips, soda, sausages, burgers, pizza, ready meals) not only ruin your figure but literally infiltrate fat into your muscles.

🦵 What scientists found:
The more ultra-processed food a person eats, the higher the fat infiltration (myosteatosis) in their thigh muscles. This impairs muscle function, reduces mobility, and increases the risk of knee osteoarthritis — one of the leading causes of pain and limited movement in older adults.

🔬 Study details:
The study involved 615 adults (average age 59.5, average BMI 27 — in the overweight range). Ultra-processed foods made up an average of 41% of their daily diet. The link between such foods and intramuscular fat remained strong even after accounting for calorie intake, physical activity, and other factors.

🧠 What experts say:
Dietitian Panos Platritis: "The problem is not just the number of calories, but the quality of the food. This shifts the conversation from simple energy balance to the qualitative composition of the diet."
⚠️What to do:
Limit ultra-processed foods and switch to natural products — for example, a Mediterranean diet.
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

🚨Overnight police raids: arrests, domestic violence, thefts, and illegal residents
Police carried out another large-scale overnight operation across Cyprus. Four people were arrested on suspicion of burglary, theft, weapons possession, domestic violence, and illegal residence in the Republic.

🚗 Road checks:
— 492 vehicles stopped, 632 people checked
— 281 traffic fines issued, 137 of them for speeding
— 279 alcohol tests: 26 positive
— 8 drug tests: 4 positive
— 6 vehicles impounded

🏪 Establishment checks:
44 establishments checked, 6 complaints received (mainly related to minors)
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

💰New scam in Limassol: company loses €176,000 in cryptocurrency
Police are investigating another case of cyber fraud. On April 16, an employee of a company received an email asking them to click on a link. They followed the instructions — and cryptocurrency began being uncontrollably sent from the corporate wallet to unknown accounts.

📉 Loss:
176,580 units of cryptocurrency were transferred. In euros, that amounts to approximately €176,000.

👮‍♂️ Investigation:
The case is being handled by the Economic Crimes Investigation Bureau (Limassol).
⚠️Police reminder:
Be cautious online. Do not click on suspicious or unknown links without verifying their source.
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

🥩Meat sales in Cyprus drop 20% during Easter season due to foot-and-mouth disease
Consumers in Cyprus have reduced meat purchases by approximately 20% compared to last year. The reason is the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, despite official assurances that the virus does not transmit to humans and that the meat is safe.

📉 What Butchers' Association chairman Kostas Levadiotis says:
— Sales of lamb and goat meat (traditional Easter meats) have been particularly hard hit
— Even with reduced slaughter, some product remained unsold
— Sales results on Holy Saturday were "disappointing"

🐷 The problem with pork:
There is a surplus of pork on the market. After foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed at a pig farm in Paliometocho (15,000 animals) and the expansion of surveillance zones, market participants expect further developments.
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

🏺Cyprus — the island that gave the world copper: from ancient mines to the Red Lake
Cyprus is not just sea and sun. The island gave its name to an entire metal. The Latin word "cuprum" comes from "Aes Cyprium" — "metal from Cyprus." Thus the island became a symbol of copper, a metal that shaped civilizations.

⚒️ How Cyprus entered history:
As early as the 4th millennium BC, ancient miners found deposits by looking for red, yellow, and orange stains on the ground — known as "gossans" or "red caps." High-quality copper was extracted and processed with remarkable skill.

🏛️ Golden age:
In antiquity, Cyprus became the main supplier of copper to the Mediterranean. The metal was transported in oxhide-shaped ingots — examples have been found across the region. Smelting required enormous quantities of wood, leading to deforestation in the Troodos mountains.

⛏️ The main mines:
— Skouriotissa — the only active mine, operating for about 4,500 years (with interruptions). Ancient traditions coexist here with modern technology.
— Mathiatis — an abandoned quarry with the famous Red Lake (color due to minerals).
— Kalavasos — an open-air museum: old rails, ore carts, and equipment from the mid-20th century.
— Mitsero — "colored" lakes ranging from red to emerald green at the site of old mines.
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

🚢Larnaca protests: mayor and committee demand unfreezing of port project, stalled for two years
The Larnaca Development Committee has unanimously voted for a protest action. The reason: the Ministry of Transport has removed the Cyprus Ports Authority (CPA) from working on the port and marina development project. The date of the protest will be announced later.

❓ Why the emergency meeting:
Instead of instructing the CPA to present a ready-made project, the authorities have decided to wait for a study by the Greek fund Growthfund (due at the end of April). The study will determine which land plots in the port area can be allocated for development. For Larnaca, this came as a surprise — the CPA had already informed the city about the preparation of a comprehensive project.

🗣️ What the Transport Minister said:
By the end of April or early May, he will present a proposal for the development fund. Then, within a month and a half, a full port, marina, and seafront project with specific timelines and costs will be ready.

😡 Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras:
"Two years were lost because nothing was happening. We have had enough. The protest will show that further delays are unacceptable."
➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

**🌫️ "Red" alert due to dust in Cyprus: air hazardous to health
**Concentrations of dust (PM10) in the atmosphere of Cyprus have reached critical levels. In Limassol — 828.4 µg/m³, nearly 17 times higher than the WHO safety limit. In Larnaca — 565.0, in Paphos — 496.8, in Nicosia — 230.1. The threshold for canceling outdoor activities is 100 µg/m³.

⚠️ Why the dust is dangerous:
PM10 and PM2.5 particles penetrate the respiratory tract and bloodstream. Short-term effects: coughing, shortness of breath, eye irritation. Long-term effects: increased risk of asthma, COPD, heart attack, and stroke. At-risk groups include children, the elderly, and people with chronic illnesses.
📉 What to do right now:
— Stay indoors with windows closed
— Avoid outdoor physical activity
— Use FFP2 masks when going outside
— Asthmatics and those with heart conditions — keep medication on hand**
**➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

🇸🇩**Cyprus to send €850,000 in humanitarian aid to Sudan and neighboring countries
**Through the CyprusAid mechanism, Cyprus has announced the allocation of at least €850,000 in 2026 for Sudan and neighboring countries. The funds will support vulnerable groups — children and women.

🌍 Who will receive aid:
In addition to Sudan, funds will be directed to South Sudan, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Eritrea, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Egypt. Implementation will be carried out through UNICEF, UNHCR, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

🗣️ Statement from the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
"Africa remains one of the main priorities of CyprusAid."**
**➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺

**🚗 Accident on Limassol highway: traffic jam before Polemidia interchange
**Today, April 18, around 1:45 PM, two cars collided on the Limassol highway before the Polemidia roundabout (near the Tsirio overpass area). A dark sedan was involved — its front end was seriously damaged.

🚨 Consequences:
— Debris scattered across the road
— Traffic jams formed
— An ambulance and police were on the scene

🩹 Injuries:
No serious injuries. Only material damage.**
**➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿➿**
🤩FOLLOW CYPRUS NEWS **🇨🇾🇬🇧**
**👉CYPRUS NEWS IN RUSSIA 🇷🇺