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.
A Russian soldier stands guard outside the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant's second reactor on May 1, 2022. The picture was taken during a media tour organized by the Russian army. (Andrey Borodulin / AFP via Getty Images)
Experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continue to be denied access to the reactor halls of units 1, 2, and 6 of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, hindering their ability to monitor nuclear safety, the IAEA said on Jan. 12.
“These restrictions on the experts’ timely access to the ZNPP are impeding the IAEA’s ability to assess the safety and security situation, including confirming the reported status of the reactor units, spent fuel ponds and associated safety equipment, independently and effectively,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement.
The team of experts have been denied access to the three reactor halls - where the reactor core and spent fuel are located - since Dec. 19, and not been able to visit the north-western part of any of the six turbine halls since mid-October. Occupying authorities informed the IAEA that entry may be granted in approximately one week.
When attempting to seek access on Jan. 12, the experts were told that the reactor halls were "sealed," the first time occupying authorities made such a reference to the status of containment.
Five of the plant's six reactors remain in cold shutdown, while unit 4 is in hot shutdown "to produce steam and heat, including for the nearby town of Enerhodar, where most plant staff live," according to the IAEA.
Ukraine's state nuclear energy company Energoatom has previously stated that keeping the fourth reactor in a hot state violates the way the reactor should be operated.
Having previously warned that active fighting near the occupied plant poses serious threats to the reactors, Director General Grossi reiterated his request for teams of experts to have unhindered access to the reactor halls "in order to prevent a nuclear accident and ensure the integrity of the plant.”
Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhzhia plant, located on the east bank of the Dnipro River in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, since March 2022.
IAEA teams have been based at the facility on rotation since September 2022.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
