"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.
Vehicles of the Finnish Defence Forces at the Vartius border station in Kuhmo, Finland, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Miska Puumala/Lehtikuva/ AFP via Getty Images)
The Finnish Defense Forces will assist the country's border guards in erecting fences near Kuhmo, a town near Finland's border with Russia, the Finnish Broadcasting Company reported on Nov. 19.
According to the Finnish outlet, the Finnish defense forces were sent to help with construction of temporary barriers at the Vartius crossing station.
The construction and materials needed have reportedly already arrived at the site.
When asked by the outlet why they are building the fences, the Finnish Border Guard cited ensuring "public order and safety in the prevailing disturbance situation and to guarantee that legal cross-border traffic runs safely."
The Finnish military are reportedly not providing the border guards with military assistance, as the "situation is under control."
Finland closed several border crossings in an attempt to stop the flow of migrants of various origins from Russia.
"Finland has chosen the path of confrontation with Russia. From the Kremlin’s point of view, this is a big mistake," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Finland closed four of its nine crossings along its eastern border from Nov. 17, 2023, to Feb. 18, 2024, to stop the flow of Middle Eastern and African migrants it says Moscow is purposefully ushering across the border, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters on Nov. 16.
The four crossings on the southern stretch of the over 1,000-kilometer-long border are the busiest entry points between the two countries.
Finland has accused Russia of encouraging or turning a blind eye to undocumented migrants in retaliation for Helsinki's accession to NATO in April.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, during a press conference on Nov. 15, said Finland should be prepared for a “certain malice” from Russia over the country's accession to the alliance.
“Yes, we are now constantly being reminded every day that Finland joined NATO. I think that this time, maybe it was the DCA (defense cooperation agreement) that triggered the situation,” he said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen supported Finland's move, saying it was helping to protect the European Union's border.
"Russia's instrumentalization of migrants is shameful. I fully support the measures taken by Finland," she said on X on Nov. 16.
Finnish authorities reported a spike in asylum seekers arriving at its eastern border on Nov. 12. These are foreigners who pass through Russia from third countries, such as Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Somalia.
Finnish media also reported in September that Russia has been building up its military bases along the border with Finland.
Finland's Borders Act allows the government to close a crossing point or restrict border traffic for a limited or indefinite period of time in order to prevent serious threats to national security or public health.
Finland shut its border to Russian tourists in September 2022.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Abbey Fenbert
