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.
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.
A shopper pushes a trolley with his purchases in front of the Auchan store outside of Moscow, Russia, on March, 27, 2022. (Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images)
Auchan, one of the few French chains still operating in Russia, is in final negotiations to sell its Russian subsidiary to a local buyer, French media La Lettre reported on Oct. 24.
In March 2022, Auchan CEO Yves Claude told the outlet Journal du Dimanche that the company would not leave Russia despite accusations of financing the war, citing the need to keep employees and continue "feeding the populations of both Ukraine and Russia."
At the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia reportedly accounted for 10% of Auchan's global sales. Claude also noted that 30,000 people, including 40% of employees and shareholders, could lose their jobs if the company exited the market.
The holding company Mulliez, which owns Auchan, is expected to finalize the sale in the coming weeks. The buyer has not been named. Auchan will also need approval from Russian commissions.
Auchan is reportedly eager to sell as Russia's "exit tax" has increased from 10% to 15%, with the potential to reach 35%, according to La Lettre, citing RBC Russian.
Selling just the assets would bring less than 200 million euro ($216 million), but the sale of 94 hypermarkets and 138 supermarkets, including the buildings, could increase the value significantly.
Auchan, which has 43 stores in Ukraine, also remains active in the country.
Sales in Russia and Ukraine, which fell 4.2% last year, dragged down Auchan Retail’s overall performance by 2%. Without these countries, growth would have been 4%. The company posted a net loss of 378 million euro ($408 million) for the year.
French media Le Figaro reported that Auchan has struggled over the past 2.5 years due to tough competition from Russian oligarch-owned distributors.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
