Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
The sanctions appear to be in response to Russia's rejection of a 30-day ceasefire that the U.K., alongside Ukraine, France, Germany, and Poland, demanded during a visit to Kyiv on May 10.
"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."
The publications' latest report covers the period of February 24, 2022 to May 8, 2025. Since it was last updated at the end of April, 2,857 additional Russian military personnel have been confirmed killed.
Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
An uninhabited residential building on fire in Kivsharivka, Kharkiv Oblast, after a Russian drone attack on April 21, 2025. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)
Editor's note: The article was updated with a statement by the Air Force.
Russian attacks across Ukrainian regions killed at least three civilians and injured at least seven over the past day, regional authorities reported on April 21.
Some of the strikes were reported to take place on April 20, a date supposedly covered by Russia's Easter ceasefire, which was said to come into effect at 6 p.m. on April 19 and last until midnight on April 21.
Ukraine reported nearly 3,000 violations on Russia's side, including 96 ground assaults on Ukrainian positions, 1,882 instances of shelling, and 950 drone attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
At 2 a.m., Russian forces attacked Ukraine wth an Onyx anti-ship cruise missile from occupied Crimea against Kherson Oblast and two Kh-31P anti-radar missiles against Mykolaiv Oblast, as well as 96 attack and decoy drones, the Air Force said.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 42 drones, while 47 decoys disappeared from radars without causing damage, the Air Force reported.
Russia also reportedly launched an Onyx anti-ship cruise missile from occupied Crimea against Kherson Oblast and two Kh-31P anti-radar missiles against Mykolaiv Oblast.
Four people were injured in Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast on April 20, including two in Zoria, one in Pryshyne, and one in Novoekonomichne, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
In Kherson Oblast, three people were killed and three injured in Russian attacks over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
A drone attack against the Kivsharivka village near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast hit a residential building and caused fire, burning down 36 apartments, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. No casualties were reported, as the building was reportedly uninhabited.
On the morning of April 21, explosions were also heard following a Russian missile attack against Mykolaiv and drone attacks on Cherkasy Oblast. No casualties were reported.
Kyiv and Washington urged Moscow to extend the ceasefire beyond Easter, a proposition that the Kremlin has rejected.
Ukraine and the U.S. previously agreed on a full 30-day truce during talks in Jeddah on March 11, but Russia continues to refuse a ceasefire unless it includes a halt on military aid to Ukraine.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Kate Tsurkan
