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.
U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov moderates Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual special televised question-and-answer session in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 19, 2024. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 18 that there had been progress in peace talks but added that the one-month period for a ban on energy infrastructure strikes had expired.
He did not elaborate on whether Russia is planning to resume attacks on energy facilities or extend the ban.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the U.S. would cease its attempts to broker a deal if no breakthrough were achieved soon. Speaking after the Paris meetings, he said U.S. President Donald Trump remains interested in a resolution but has "other priorities" if the Kremlin refuses to engage.
"We believe that certain progress can, in fact, already be acknowledged," Peskov said. "There are already some developments, but, of course, there are still many complicated discussions ahead," Peskov said.
He cited a partial ceasefire on strikes against energy facilities as a sign of progress, falsely claiming that Russia had complied with it and accusing Ukraine of violating the agreement.
Russia first mentioned that it was ready to stop strikes on infrastructure facilities for one month on Feb. 18. Ukraine agreed to the proposal following talks with the U.S. in Riyadh on March 25.
Since then, Moscow has violated the ceasefire more than 30 times, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on April 16.
Peskov added, however, that the one-month period for the energy infrastructure ceasefire had expired.
"The one-month period has indeed expired," he said. "At the moment, there have been no other instructions from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of Russia Vladimir Putin."
The White House has grown increasingly frustrated with the delayed peace process, as Trump has chastised both Ukraine and Russia for failing to reach a deal.
Trump has also repeatedly laid the blame for the war on President Volodymyr Zelensky and former U.S. President Joe Biden, calling Russia's invasion "Biden's war," parroting Russian propaganda narratives.
Kyiv supported an unconditional ceasefire during talks with the U.S. in Jeddah on March 11 but also stressed that a comprehensive peace deal must include security guarantees — a commitment that Trump has been reluctant to make.
Moscow has rejected the ceasefire proposal, demanding conditions that undermine Ukraine's defense capabilities, including a full halt on Western military aid.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Kateryna Denisova
