Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
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.
Men walk in front of the headquarters of Russia's Federal Security Services (FSB) in central Moscow on Aug. 28, 2023. (Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) is likely supporting a proposed law expanding digital surveillance of Russian internet, banking, and telecom users, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Sept. 29 report.
Amendments to a proposed bill in the Russian State Duma would allow law enforcement agencies direct access to personal data from Russian companies, including internet giant Yandex and telecommunications businesses.
The bill would give law enforcement the power to remotely access these databases, and edit or delete information therein.
According to Russian media, the amendments aim "to protect the personal data of Russian judges, FSB employees, and police from data leaks."
Russia's Big Data Association, which includes Yandex, Russian banks, and other companies, opposes the measure and said the move would increase the risk of data leaks.
"The FSB’s efforts to gain control over large companies’ databases are likely part of an attempt to strengthen surveillance measures over the Russian populace and populations in occupied Ukraine," the ISW said.
The ISW also said that the FSB would likely use the heightened access to "mask its operations more easily."
Countries outside Russia that relied on services from Russia's Big Data Association could also face security risks, the ISW said.
In July, the Kremlin reportedly granted the FSB advanced surveillance technologies to monitor activity in encrypted applications, such as Signal and Telegram.
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.
