In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
The Severomuysky Tunnel in Buryatia on Nov. 1, 2012. (Morovictor / Wikimapia)
An explosion on a key railway line in Russia's far eastern republic of Buryatia was the result of an operation of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Ukrainska Pravda reported on Nov. 30, citing an unnamed source in the security service.
The explosion reportedly occurred on the night of Nov. 29-30 in the Severomuysky Tunnel, nearly 5,000 kilometers from Ukraine.
"Four explosive devices went off during the movement of the freight train," the source told Ukrainska Pravda.
"Now the FSB is working on the spot, and railway workers are unsuccessfully trying to minimize the consequences of the SBU's special operation," the source said.
The SBU has not officially claimed responsibility for the explosion.
The tunnel is part of the Baikal-Amur Mainline, a key railway route that runs north of the Trans-Siberian railway and is part of a network of tracks connecting Russia with China.
At 15 kilometers long, the Severomuysky Tunnel is the longest railway tunnel in Russia. Construction took 27 years, and it was opened in 2003.
While the SBU has not officially commented on the reports, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) announced on Nov. 30 that it had conducted a joint operation with local resistance to sabotage railway infrastructure in Moscow Oblast.
In a video the HUR posted to social media, a person in a snowy environment appears to set fire to two railway relay boxes, which control signals for train operators. The person appears to be acting alone.
"Disruptions in the work of the railway are becoming more frequent" in Russia, the HUR captioned the video.
"Fire, chaos, and paralysis on the Russian railway is another consequence of the Russian criminal war against Ukraine," the HUR said.
The Kyiv Independent has not independently confirmed the reports.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Elsa Court
