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.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
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.
The State Bureau of Investigation arrested the head of the Donetsk Oblast military enlistment office for illegal payments to his subordinates and helping criminals avoid justice, Aug. 4, 2023. (Source: State Bureau of Investigation/Prosecutor General's Office)
The State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) announced on Aug. 4 that the head of the Donetsk Oblast military enlistment office had been charged with illegal payments to his subordinates and helping criminals avoid justice.
The official, while in charge of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast military enlistment office between July and December 2022, oversaw a scheme where his subordinates to whom he was personally connected received an unjustified allowance for participating in combat.
The official's subordinates were sent to a brigade near the front line, but did not carry out any tasks nor were assigned to a combat unit. In spite of that, the enlistment office awarded them a total allowance of Hr 981,300 (over $26,600) for combat deployment, the DBR clarified.
One of the subordinates further received the support of Hr 700,000 (up to $19,000) for being allegedly unable to work due to the battlefield deployment, the investigators said.
As a second charge, the DBR accused the military official of employing local criminals at the enlistment office to help them avoid trial and responsibility for their crimes.
The DBR did not name the suspect, but the current head of the Donetsk Oblast military enlistment office is Colonel Hennadii Yaremenko.
Ukrainian authorities launched a country-wide inspection of military enlistment offices after an investigation by Ukrainska Pravda revealed that Yevhen Borysov, the former head of the Odesa Oblast military enlistment office, had acquired assets, including a villa and luxury cars, worth $4.5 million in Spain at the end of 2022 during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Borysov is under investigation for illicit enrichment and the violation of the order of military service.
On July 27, the DBR detained the head of the Rivne Oblast enlistment office and one of his subordinates for physically abusing soldiers. The subordinate was also charged with possession of illegal narcotic substances.
A military enlistment officer in Zakarpattia Oblast is under investigation for forcing soldiers to build his private house and acquiring Russian state symbols, the Interior Ministry reported on Aug. 2.
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.
