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.
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.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) host a joint news conference in Kyiv on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Photo by: Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Finland has announced 94 million euros ($101.5 million) in its 18th military aid package for Ukraine, the Finnish Defense Ministry announced on its website on Aug. 25.
For operational reasons and to ensure that the aid will safely arrive at its destination, specific details on the package's contents and on the manner of its delivery are not disclosed, the press release said.
The country's President Sauli Niinisto approved the tranche today on Aug. 25 based on the proposal by the government. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced that the 18th package was being prepared already during his visit to Kyiv on Aug. 23.
"The support of Finland and our allies to Ukraine remains unwavering," Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen commented on the latest aid.
"The core issue in terms of the future security order in Europe and in Finland is to be able to curb Russia's aggression against Ukraine."
The Finnish government pointed out that the total aid provided by Helsinki to Kyiv amounts to 1.8 billion euros ($1.9 billion), including 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in military assistance, including the latest package.
Finland announced its 17th tranche of military aid worth $114 million on July 6, containing anti-aircraft weapons and ammunition. Just like in the case of the most recent package, the specific details of the package remained undisclosed.
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.
Kris Parker
