This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
The aftermath of Russia's air strike on Orikihiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on July 9, 2023. ( Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)
Russian attacks in three Ukrainian oblasts killed four civilians and wounded 20 more over the past 24 hours, according to the regional authorities.
In total, Russia targeted nine Ukrainian regions — Sumy, Kherson, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia.
Russian forces hit a residential area in the frontline town of Orikihiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, during the distribution of humanitarian aid, the regional administration wrote on July 10. Four people were killed, and 13 more people were injured, according to the latest update by the Prosecutor General’s Office.
In total, Russia launched 36 attacks on ten settlements in the region, wounding another person in Novodanylivka, the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration added.
Russian troops struck Kherson Oblast 51 times on July 9, firing 328 projectiles from various weapons, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. The attacks reportedly injured five people in the region, hitting residential infrastructure and a shopping mall in Beryslav.
In the past day, Russian attacks against eastern Donetsk Oblast injured a resident of Yampil, reported Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
An enterprise, 12 houses, and a boiler house were damaged in Russian attacks across the region, Kyrylenko said on Telegram.
Russia also hit private residences and apartment buildings in Kharkiv Oblast as well as an infrastructure facility in the southern city of Mykolaiv, according to the regional governors. No casualties were reported in these oblasts.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Daria Shulzhenko
