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.
A view of the Crimean Bridge, built following Russia's illegal occupation and annexation of Crimea. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine has said the Crimean Bridge "must come down" as it accused Russia of flouting maritime laws at the Permanent Court of Arbitration on Sept. 23.
Speaking at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Anton Korynevych, said Russia "wants to take the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait for itself."
"So it has built a great gate at their entrance, to keep international shipping out while allowing small Russian river vessels in," he said, adding: "The bridge is unlawful, and it must come down."
Ukraine began proceedings at the court in 2016 when Russia began construction of the Crimean Bridge to link the occupied peninsula with the Russian mainland.
Kyiv says it was built deliberately low to the water in order to keep out international shipping.
The structure became a critical supply route for Russian forces after the launch of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The bridge was heavily damaged by Ukrainian strikes in October 2022 and July 2023, prompting Russia to take steps to further defend the structure.
"Russia now views the Kerch Strait, the Sea of Azov, and perhaps even parts of the Black Sea, as its proprietary waters," Korynevych said.
"Russia wants these waters to be viewed as part of its 21st century empire. And while you will hear Russia’s experts say the Sea of Azov is similar to a lake or a river, Ukraine does not accept this, and neither should this Tribunal," he added.
Russia's representative at the court, Gennady Kuzmin, said the claims are "simply wrong."
International arbitration cases can take years to resolve, and a judgment in the case is not expected anytime soon.
Last month Kyiv's Military Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov said Ukraine is working on a "complex solution" that could destroy the bridge in the coming months.
Speaking to national TV, he said "work is ongoing" to take out the structure which connects the Russian mainland with the peninsula, and has been a crucial supply route for the Russian military in Ukraine.
"Everyone is working on long-range strikes and (the destruction of the Crimean bridge),"he said in comments reported by Ukrinform.
"All this requires, let's say, a complex solution."
Ukraine's Navy said in June that destroying the Kerch Bridge in occupied Crimea would not have the same effect now because Russia barely uses it for military purposes anymore.
Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), did not rule out that Russia may try to use the structure for weapons supplies again after it is fully restored.
Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Kateryna Hodunova
