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.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles in Lviv on April 27, 2024. (Denys Shmyhal / Telegram)
The Australian government announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth 100 million Australian dollars ($65 million) on April 27, following a meeting between Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles in Lviv.
According to the Australian government, this package takes Australia's military support to Ukraine to 880 million Australian dollars ($575 million).
Shmyhal said that half of the latest package will be allocated to Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS).
More than 30 million Australian dollars ($19.6 million) will be allocated to the international drone coalition for Ukraine, which aims to bolster Ukraine's arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Shmyhal said.
Marles said he was pleased to announce the new batch of military assistance, which includes "world-leading drone technology, with the support of the local Australian defense industry."
"Australia is also providing critical air-to-ground precision munitions and short-range air defense systems," Marles added.
"We highly appreciate the solidarity of the Australian people with Ukraine," Shmyhal said, and thanked Marles for "his deep involvement in Ukrainian affairs, for effective solidarity, for concrete things that Australia does for Ukraine."
Kateryna Hodunova
