The measures target almost 200 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet," 30 companies involved in sanctions evasion, 75 sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The blockade ended at 10:30 p.m. local time. Truck traffic in both directions is now moving as usual, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard's statement.
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
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.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
Screenshot of a video that purports to show a drone shot down over Tatarstan, Russia, on April 23, 2025. (Astra/Telegram)
Russian air defenses on April 23 opened fire against drones in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia's Tatarstan, the site of a Shahed-type drone factory, independent news channel Astra reported.
Astra and other Telegram channels shared purported footage of a drone being shot down. Shot channel identified the drones as Aeroprakt A-22 and UJ-22 Airborne unmanned aircraft.
Russian air defenses shot down one Ukrainian airplane-type drone in Tatarstan at about 12:20 p.m. local time, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed, without providing further details or mentioning Alabuga.
The Ukrainian military has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
Alabuga lies more than 1,000 kilometers (over 600 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border. Ukrainian long-range drones struck the facility last April, aiming to disrupt Russian production of Shaheds and their Russian-made variants, Gerans, which are widely used in aerial attacks against Ukraine.
Over 6,000 Shahed-type drones were produced in Alabuga last year, as well as thousands of decoy drones used to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, said Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
"This year, Russia aims to produce 8,000-10,000 Shaheds/Gerans and 15,000 decoys in Alabuga," Kovalenko said.
Throughout the full-scale war, Ukrainian long-range drones have targeted Russia's industrial and military facilities deep in the rear to undermine its ability to wage its all-out war.
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.
Kate Tsurkan
