U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
A captive named Umit allegedly agreed to serve in the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and a monetary reward of 2 million rubles ($25,000).
Russia's Buryatia Republic declared a state of emergency on May 13 over massive forest fires that have engulfed multiple regions in the Russian Far East.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's statement came as Strong Shield 5 exercises involving military personnel from other NATO countries began in Lithuania.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
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)
The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant had to rely on backup electricity after losing its connection to its main off-site power line, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in its Nov. 26 report.
IAEA monitors also reported hearing rocket fire close to the nuclear plant.
“Today’s events once again clearly demonstrate the extremely fragile nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant," IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant relies on electricity to cool its reactors. According to workers at the Russian-occupied plant, a short circuit 100 kilometers north of the site caused the plant to lose connection to its 750 kilovolt (kV) power line at around 10:30 a.m. local time.
That 750 kV line is the only one that remains out of four such lines that existed before Russia's full-scale invasion.
Plant workers said they are repairing the line, but it is not clear when it will be reconnected.
The plant is able to receive external power from its only available 330 kV backup power line.
“I remain deeply concerned about nuclear safety and security at the plant, both when it comes to its vulnerable off-site power supplies – which can be affected by attacks far away from the site – and the more direct military risks it is facing," Grossi said.
He added that "the apparent firing of rockets from near the plant is a special source of concern."
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is Europe's largest nuclear plant. It has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Its front-line position means areas near the plant are frequently targeted by heavy shelling.
IAEA teams have been based at the facility on rotation since September 2022. Russian authorities still deny IAEA inspectors full access to the plant's units.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
