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.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
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."
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin meets with Volodymyr Saldo, Moscow's appointed head of occupied Kherson Oblast, in Moscow on Aug. 24, 2023. Saldo was convicted of treason by a Ukrainian court in absentia on Nov. 8, 2023. (Mikhail Klimentyev / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has opened investigations into about 8,000 cases of suspected high treason since the start of the full-scale war, Ukrainian media outlet New Voice reported on Nov. 13, citing sources in the SBU.
The SBU told New Voice that it had initiated over 7,000 investigations into criminal proceedings related to Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code and nearly 1,000 under Article 111-2.
Both subsections of Article 111 deal with high treason. Crimes under Article 111-1 include espionage, acts that deliberately undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, and willingly aiding a foreign state in "subversive activities against Ukraine." The crime carries a penalty of 10 to 15 years in prison.
"Almost 2,900 people are involved in these cases," representatives from the SBU told New Voice.
"More than 2,000 proceedings against almost 2,100 people have been sent to court. The courts have already passed sentences on 330 collaborators. One of the latest is a 15-year prison sentence for Volodymyr Saldo, the governor of Kherson Oblast, who heads the local occupation authorities."
Saldo, a Russian-installed proxy, was convicted in absentia by an Odesa court on Nov. 8.
Article 111-2 stipulates that a Ukrainian citizen can be released from criminal liability if they did not act in accordance with a direct request from a foreign state and voluntarily reported their ties to the government.
The SBU told New Voice that it has investigated over 300 people under Article 111-2, and that almost 200 of those cases have been sent to court.
Prominent figures outside the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine have also been accused of collaboration. Lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinskyi was charged with treason on Nov. 13.
On the same day, Lviv's Lychakivskyi District Court sentenced pro-Russian former MP Illia Kyva, a pro-Russian former MP, to 14 years in prison in absentia for crimes related to treason.
Alexander Khrebet
