"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.
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.
Ukrainian soldiers from the 60th Battalion of Territorial Defense are shooting rounds into Russian positions with an S60 anti-aircraft canon outside Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast on June 19. (Photo Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The battlefield situation has "escalated again" in the Bakhmut area, with two sides trying to gain the initiative, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on July 3.
Ukrainian forces are advancing on the city's southern flank, near the village of Klishchiivka, said Maliar.
"However, the situation is changing very rapidly. Control over the same positions can be lost and regained twice a day," the official added.
According to Maliar, Russian forces quickly react to Ukraine's actions, setting up "three lines of defense in threatening directions."
Ukrainian troops started offensive operations in the Bakhmut direction around June 24, gradually advancing on the southern and northern flanks.
As Maliar said earlier, Bakhmut has a developed system of engineering fortifications and strongholds, but it's currently occupied by the Russian army, which complicates the city's liberation.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Ukraine's offensive operations near Bakhmut may pressure Russia into making a difficult decision to redeploy its forces from other Ukrainian territories.
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.
Asami Terajima
