"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.
A Ukrainian policeman walks in front of a destroyed school in the frontline town of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, on April 25, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov / AFP)
Russian forces attempted offensives in five directions in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported in its evening update on July 8.
The military reported that Russian forces conducted airstrikes and shelled multiple settlements in the area.
The directions include the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and Shakhtarske sectors.
Donetsk Oblast Pavlo Kyrylenko reported that Russian shelling on July 8 of a residential part of Lyman killed eight civilians, and injured 13.
Russian forces are reportedly focusing on Donetsk Oblast, where 25 skirmishes were reported over the past day, according to the report.
In the southern sectors, Russian forces are attempting to hinder Ukraine’s advance by launching air strikes and shelling over 20 settlements in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, the military said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are continuing offensive operations toward Melitopol and Berdiansk, targeting Russian positions with airstrikes and artillery.
Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.
