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."
A still from a video Ukraine's Military Intelligence produced about the operation to regain control of the 'Boyko Towers' oil drilling platforms, published online on Sept. 11, 2023. (Ukraine's Military Intelligence / Facebook)
Ukrainian control over a set of gas and oil drilling platforms in the Black Sea has serious consequences for Russia's ability to maneuver in the area, the Ukrainian Navy told Suspilne on Sept. 12.
The loss of control over the platforms "is a security issue" for Russia, according to Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy.
Ukraine's Military Intelligence announced on Sept. 11 that Ukraine had regained control over the platforms, informally known to Ukrainians as the Boyko Towers, named after pro-Russian politician Yuriy Boyko, as well as two mobile rigs.
The drilling platforms were procured by Ukraine when Boyko served as energy minister under then-President Viktor Yanukovych. Russia occupied the rigs following the 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces turned the platforms into a military site, adding equipment like radar and helipads, according to military intelligence.
During the operation to control the platforms, Ukrainian forces dismantled the radar system.
The Russian Navy is therefore now unable to effectively monitor the situation in the surrounding area of the Black Sea, Pletenchuk said.
Russian forces "will not be able to react in time or plan something" in Ukrainian territorial waters, Pletenchuk explained, adding that this was "great importance" for the security of the sea around Odesa.
Ukraine will be able to better defend its coast, but full control over its waters will only come when Ukraine has air superiority, according to Pletenchuk. He said he hopes this will be solved by the delivery of weapons like F-16 jets.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
