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."
The body of an 11-year-old boy killed in a Russian MLRS attack lies in a black bag in a residential area of Bahatyr, Donetsk Oblast, on Oct. 14, 2023. (National Police/Screenshot)
Russian forces launched a rocket attack against the village of Bahatyr, Donetsk Oblast, killing a boy aged 11 and wounding his six-year-old brother, Ukraine’s National Police reported on Oct. 14.
Their 31-year-old mother also sustained injuries when the Russian military hit the village using the Smerch multiple rocket launcher, reads the report.
The attack damaged 20 houses, a church, a school, civilian cars, and a power grid, the National Police wrote on Telegram.
“Some people managed to hide in basements at the time while others miraculously survived under the ruins of their own homes.”
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has killed over 500 children and wounded more than 1,100 since Feb. 24, 2022.
However, the actual numbers regarding child casualties are likely much higher since they do not fully account for territories still under Russian occupation, recently liberated by Ukrainian forces, or experiencing heavy fighting.
Alexander Khrebet
