U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
A captive named Umit allegedly agreed to serve in the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and a monetary reward of 2 million rubles ($25,000).
Russia's Buryatia Republic declared a state of emergency on May 13 over massive forest fires that have engulfed multiple regions in the Russian Far East.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's statement came as Strong Shield 5 exercises involving military personnel from other NATO countries began in Lithuania.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
Russian volunteer fighters from the Siberian Battalion claimed to have entered the Gorkovsky settlement on March 17, 2024 in Russia's Belgorod Oblast and taken control of the local administration building. (Siberian Battalion/Telegram)
Russian volunteer fighters from the Siberian Battalion claimed to have entered the Gorkovsky settlement in Russia's Belgorod Oblast and taken control of the local administration building, the militia said on March 17.
“Units of the Russian liberation forces, together with volunteers from the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, entered the settlement of Gorkovsky in the Russian Federation and captured the building of the local administration," the militia said on Telegram.
The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify the militia's claim.
Fiercely critical of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Freedom of Russia Legion, Siberian Battalion, and the Russian Volunteer Corps have been carrying out cross-border incursions into Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk oblasts since March 12.
The militias claimed to have captured 25 Russian soldiers following their incursions into the western Russian oblasts.
“The shelling of Ukraine from Belgorod Oblast must stop,” the battalion said as a rationale for its incursion into Russian territory.
They have repeatedly called for citizens to evacuate or take shelter, as they carry out limited operations targeting Russian military positions.
In response to the previous incursion by the anti-Kremlin militias, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that it “thwarted Kyiv’s attempt to make a breakthrough into the Russian border territory in the Belgorod and Kursk oblasts.”
Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, said on March 16 that Ukraine would help anti-Kremlin militias in their operations on Russian territory and support them “to the extent possible.”
Budanov noted that the militias have helped Ukraine from the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion and that they are no longer a “grouping”, but they are now “becoming a force.”
The Siberian Battalion was the third unit established by Ukraine for Russian nationals who want to join the fight against the Kremlin. The militia primarily consists of ethnic minorities from Siberia, including Buryats, Yakuts, Tuvans, and others.
Emmanuelle Chaze
