The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called for "concrete proposals from both sides" in order for Washington to "move forward" in peace negotiations.
"If they speak to each other in Russian, he doesn't know what they are saying," one Western official told NBC News. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, called Witkoff's approach "a very bad idea."
Tougher sanctions "should be applied to (Russia's) banking and energy sectors, targeting fossil fuels, oil, and the shadow fleet," the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland said in a joint statement.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power."
Speaking to CNN on May 10, Peskov commented on the latest ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and Europe, responding that Russia needs to "think about" it, but is "resistant" to pressure.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
Lawmaker Andrii Odarchenko, suspected of attempted bribery, and ex-head of the State Special Communications Service Yurii Shchyhol, suspected of public funds embezzlement, were released from custody on bail, the NGO Anti-Corruption Action Center reported on Nov. 24.
Odarchenko, elected for President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, was arrested on Nov. 22 on suspicions he attempted to bribe State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development's head Mustafa Nayyem with cryptocurrency.
A former journalist and EuroMaidan activist-turned-politician, Nayyem assisted anti-corruption agencies with the investigation of Odarchenko, which led to the latter's detention.
Odarchenko admitted talking to Nayyem but denied offering him a bribe. The lawmaker said he voluntarily handed over keys to his Kyiv apartment to authorities, claiming that "nothing was found."
Another suspect reportedly released was Shchyhol, a brigadier general who used to lead the state agency responsible for cyber defense and government communications.
Shchyhol and his former subordinates are suspected of embezzling Hr 62 million ($1.7 million) in state funds allocated for the purchase of equipment and software.
A third person released on bail was developer Serhii Kopistira, who was in custody only for a single day for attempting to bribe Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
The court set Odarchenko's bail at Hr 15 million ($416,000), Shchyhol's at Hr 25 million ($693,000), and Kopistira's at Hr 100 million ($2.7 million).
It is unclear whether the three suspects covered the bail themselves or whether it was done by third parties, the Anti-Corruption Action Center said. The NGO drew attention to the speed with which the multi-million sums were paid.
All suspects are mandated to wear tracking bracelets and are prohibited from traveling abroad or communicating with other suspects and witnesses during the ongoing investigations.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Oleg Sukhov
