The sanctions appear to be in response to Russia's rejection of a 30-day ceasefire that the U.K., alongside Ukraine, France, Germany, and Poland, demanded during a visit to Kyiv on May 10.
"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.
Oleksandr Porkhun, newly appointed acting veterans affairs minister of Ukraine. (Government portal)
The Ukrainian government has appointed Oleksandr Porkhun, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war and a Hero of Ukraine, as the acting veterans affairs minister after the resignation of Yuliia Laputina, the ministry reported on Feb. 9.
Porkhun previously served as the first deputy of the veterans affairs minister. He is a retired Armed Forces major and former commander of the 13th Separate Airmobile Battalion of the 95th Air Assault Brigade.
Porkhun fought against Russian-backed forces during the first invasion of the Donbas in 2014, including in the legendary Battle of Donetsk Airport. He received the title of Hero of Ukraine in 2015 and retired from military service in 2017.
Laputina submitted her resignation as the veterans affairs minister on Feb. 5, which was then supported by the parliament.
President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on her resignation, saying that Ukraine needs "fresh energy." He discussed "strengthening the state policy on veterans" with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Feb. 5.
Members of a public council under the Veterans Affairs Ministry called for Laputina's resignation in December last year.
She was criticized for poor communication with veterans, delaying the creation of a national military memorial cemetery, and the low quality of her experimental Veteran's Helper program.
The Veterans Affairs Ministry was created in 2018, four years after Russia first invaded Donbas and illegally annexed Crimea, in order to implement state policy on social protections for war veterans.
Former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in August 2023 that around a million Ukrainians had become combat veterans since the Russian invasion of Donbas in 2014.
Dinara Khalilova
