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.
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.
A Ukrainian artilleryman covers his ears while firing a “Grad” multiple rocket launcher near Orikhiv on June 27, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine. (Photo by Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine's forces on the southern Zaporizhzhia front have breached Russian lines in Verbove, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of Ukraine's military fighting in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, announced in an interview with CNN on Sept. 23.
Verbove, located a little less than 20 kilometers southeast of Robotyne, which was liberated on Aug. 28, is on the path toward the strategic hub of Tokmak.
Tarnavskyi lauded the success at Verbove but also noted that the true breakthrough on the southern front would be the liberation of Tokmak, which he stated was "the minimum goal" of the counteroffensive.
While acknowledging that the pace of the counteroffensive was slower than expected, Tarnavskyi was also careful to reiterate that it was unlikely to be "like in the movies about the Second World War," and that it was crucial for Ukraine not to "lose this initiative" built up by previous successes.
The ultimate goal of the counteroffensive remains the breaking of Russia's 'land-bridge' to occupied Crimea and in the long-term, the liberation of all territories currently occupied by Russian forces.
Fighting has been varied and intense, Tarnavskyi said, and Ukrainian forces have been hampered both by the so-called "Surovikin line," built under the command of Russian General Sergey Surovokin, of layered defense that includes significant minefields, but also by small groups of well-placed Russian soldiers.
Although many expected the counteroffensive to primarily take place during the summer before the weather became cold, Tarnavskyi said that he did not expect the coming rainy season and ensuing winter to "heavily influence the counteroffensive."
Skepticism from the West about the ultimate success of the counteroffensive was understandable, said Tarnavskyi, but he stressed that Ukrainian offensive tactics have had to adapt to conditions on the ground, especially that Russian forces have learned from some of their previous mistakes.
Nevertheless, Tarnavskyi still expressed optimism about the counteroffensive's success. "I believe, yes (there will be a big breakthrough)," he said, and "I think it will happen after (the liberation of) Tokmak."
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Igor Kossov
