Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
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.
Police officers patrol around the residential buildings after shellings in the frontline city of Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast as the Russia war continues in Ukraine, on Oct. 17, 2023. (Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The situation around Avdiivka, a besieged front-line town in Donetsk Oblast, is becoming "very difficult," even critical in some areas, said Vitalii Barabash, the head of the city's military administration, on Feb. 6.
Russia intensified its attacks against Avdiivka in October 2023, reportedly suffering heavy losses in an attempt to encircle the city mere kilometers from occupied Donetsk. In spite of the casualties, reports began emerging recently that Russian forces are making steady advances.
"The situation is very difficult, very tense. We could say that a few weeks ago, the situation was difficult but (still) under control," Barabash said on air.
The official added that this does not mean "that everything is lost" but stressed that Russia continues throwing large forces against Avdiivka.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its Feb. 6 morning report that over the past day, Ukrainian defenders repelled 29 attacks near Avdiivka and near Novobakhmutivka, a village roughly 14 kilometers to the northwest.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said on Jan. 27 that despite Russian advances, the city is unlikely to fall in the coming weeks as Ukraine maintains its key supply route.
In its Feb. 4 assessment, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Moscow's troops recently advanced east of Avdiivka, moving up along the H-20 highway.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Vitalii Poberezhnyi
