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.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin exits a voting booth during the March 2018 presidential election. (Photo by Kyodo News Stills via Getty Images)
Russian forces have established "schools for young voters" in occupied areas of Kherson Oblast, the National Resistance Center reported on Aug. 6.
The schools' stated purpose is to prepare high school students for the Russian presidential "elections."
According to the Center, the training program is set to begin in September and last until March 2024, when Russia will hold its next presidential election.
"It should be noted that in Russia there is no such thing as elections," the Center said.
International observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) described Russia's previous presidential election, held in 2018, as "overly controlled."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed this in a comment to the New York Times on Aug. 6.
"Our presidential elections are not exactly democracy, they are expensive bureaucracy," Peskov said. "Putin will be re-elected next year with over 90% of the vote."
Later, Peskov walked back his claim, telling the Russian state news outlet TASS that the Times journalist misinterpreted his words.
In July 2023, Russian occupation authorities in Kherson announced that the region would hold local "elections" in September. Ukrainian officials denounced these elections as illegal and "absurd theater."
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Asami Terajima
