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 military personnel arrive to participate in the Victory Day parade held at Moscow's Red Square on May 9, 2023. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)
Poland's national security agency estimates that Russia could attack NATO in less than 36 months, the head of the country's National Security Bureau said in an interview with Polish media outlet Nasz Dziennik on Dec. 2.
The national security agency's prediction comes in response to a report published by German think tank DGAP, warning Western nations that Russia may launch a direct attack against NATO in "as little as six to 10 years" - an assessment Poland's National Security disagrees with.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has regularly threatened Poland and the Baltic states with military force, while sabre-rattling using nuclear weapons on multiple occasions.
"If we want to avoid war, NATO countries on the eastern flank should adopt a shorter, three-year time period to prepare for confrontation," said Jacek Siewiera who heads the National Security Bureau.
Siewiera suggested that Russia might target a NATO alliance member in Eastern Europe, including countries such as Poland, Estonia, Romania, and Lithuania. To strengthen the region's defense capabilities, he voiced his support for increasing the size of the Polish military.
Earlier this year, NATO's alliance was expanded with the addition of Finland to the alliance of nations. Neighboring Sweden is also on the cusp of joining NATO, and is expected to do so in the coming months.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Alexander Khrebet
