German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
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.
A house damaged by one of Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 17, 2023. (Pavlo Kyrylenko/Telegram)
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed two civilians and wounded four over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry's Military Media Center reported on Aug. 18.
A total of nine Ukrainian oblasts were targeted during this period — Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Donetsk. Casualties were reported only in the last three regions.
Russia hit 127 Ukrainian settlements and 89 infrastructure facilities, according to the media center.
Russian troops reportedly used mortars, grenade launchers, tanks, artillery, multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), and tactical aviation.
The Russian military struck two districts in Kharkiv Oblast, killing a 61-year-old woman and wounding another in the city of Kupiansk, according to the oblast governor.
Local authorities recently began a mandatory evacuation of civilians from the Kupiansk district due to increased Russian attacks.
The Aug. 17 attacks against Kharkiv Oblast damaged private residences and outbuildings, Oleh Synehuibov reported on Telegram.
In Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed a civilian in Bohdanivka near Chasiv Yar, said Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. Two more people were injured in Katerynivka, some 15 kilometers southwest of Marinka, according to the official.
Russia targeted nine settlements and one community in the region, damaging 20 houses, an administration building, an outbuilding, and power lines, added Kyrylenko.
Overnight on Aug. 18, Russian forces attacked Kherson Oblast's settlements of Bilozerka and Dniprovske, wounding a woman, the regional prosecutor's office wrote. Houses, farm buildings, gas pipelines, and a local church were damaged, reads the report.
The day before, Russia launched 48 attacks against the region, firing 207 projectiles from various weapons, said Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Andreas Umland
