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.
Orlando Bloom at the UNICEF-supported Spilno Children's Center in Kyiv on March 25. (Orlando Bloom/Instagram)
Actor Orlando Bloom, known for his roles in "The Lord of the Rings" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," visited Ukraine on March 25 as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
Bloom spent time at the UNICEF-supported Spilno Children's Center in Kyiv. It was Bloom's second visit to the country since 2016 when he traveled to eastern Ukraine, visiting Sviatohirsk, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Mariupol.
“I would have never expected the war to have escalated throughout the country since I was there,” he wrote on Instagram.“But today, I was fortunate to hear children's laughter at a UNICEF-supported Spilno center, a safe, warm, and nurturing space for children to play, learn and receive psychosocial support.”
The Spilno project operates over 180 centers across Ukraine, offering support to internally displaced children and families, low-income families, families with children with disabilities, and those affected by domestic violence, among other vulnerable groups.
Among the centers' goals is to provide a sense of normalcy for children, allowing them to play, learn, and express themselves creatively.
“For a few hours every day, parents can drop off their young children and give them a sense of normalcy to play games and just be kids,” the actor wrote.“Children in Ukraine need their childhoods back,” Bloom said.
Russia’s ongoing in Ukraine has had a significant impact on the country's children. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office reported that since February 24, 2022, at least 465 children have been killed and 942 wounded due to Russia's attacks as of March 26. Additionally, thousands of children from Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine are believed to have been forcibly deported to Russia.
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.
