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.
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.
Bulgarian Defense Minister Todor Tagarev at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting on June 15, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo credit: Omar Havana/Getty Images)
Bulgaria has already begun preparing the new package of military aid for Ukraine, Defense Minister Todor Tagarev told Glavcom on July 4.
Just like with Sofia's previous military aid packages, the minister did not reveal its exact content.
He has however noted that the previous two shipments were "quite serious." Bulgaria is providing "material means" that do not disrupt the capabilities of the Bulgarian military, Tagarev said in the interview.
According to Tagarev, there are certain weapons that Sofia is unlikely to provide, not only because of Bulgaria's own needs but also due to "already formed negative public sentiments regarding the transfer of specific combat platforms."
Apart from the material aid, the minister also mentioned Bulgaria's willingness to train 60 Ukrainian combat medics every year.
Referencing the previous delays with the Bulgarian aid, the minister said that future supplies should be processed considerably faster than previously, as they will not require consideration by the parliament.
Tagarev mentioned that his positive actions toward Ukraine made him a target of "pro-Russian forces" at home. Russia supposedly activated all its assets in the country, the minister said, specifically naming the far-right Revival Party in connection to the issue.
Bulgaria approved its second package for Ukraine on June 27 without specifying its content. On June 15, Tagarev told Politico that Sofia wishes to join the EU's initiative to supply $2.2 billion worth of artillery shells 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.
Martin Fornusek
