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.
Ukrainian and EU flags are seen side by side at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels to mark the one-year anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion. (Photo: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
The European Commission and Poland on Feb. 27 announced a joint initiative to find Ukrainian children illegally taken by the Russian army from occupied territories.
"Since the start of the invasion, it is estimated that Russian forces have sent thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia. The abduction of Ukrainian children is a great social problem, a tragedy, and a crime," said Dana Spinant, deputy chief spokeswoman for the European Commission.
The initiative, which has the support of the United Nations, aims to collect evidence that will help them track down where in Russia these Ukrainian children were brought and to bring charges against those who abducted them.
On Feb. 22, Ukrainian children were forced to take part in Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's propaganda concert in Moscow.
Independent Russian media outlet Important Stories reported that two of the children were from Mariupol. Their mother was killed by Russian shelling at the start of the war.
Children of War, a website created by the Ukrainian government, estimates that 16,221 children have been abducted by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
