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.
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.
An aerial view of the Pentagon, May 15, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (U.S. Department of Defense, Air Force Staff)
The United States is preparing to announce a new weapons contract worth around $6 billion in military aid to Ukraine, Politico reported on April 25, citing anonymous officials involved in the plans.
U.S. President Joe Biden on April 23 signed into law a long-delayed foreign aid bill that allocates close to $61 billion in assistance to Ukraine. The weapons package will draw from those funds.
The contract will include Patriot air defense systems, artillery, drones, counter-drone weapons, and air-to-air missiles, and may be finalized as soon as April 26, the officials said.
These weapons aren't expected to reach Ukraine for several years, since the funding is allocated under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). Instead of sending Ukraine weapons from current U.S. stocks, the USAI requires the Pentagon to send contracts to U.S. defense companies to produce new supplies.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to announce the new aid package at the upcoming meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on April 26, which will be held online. The group will convene exactly two years after the first such summit was held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
More immediate assistance will reach Kyiv in the form of a $1 billion package announced on April 24, almost immediately after Biden passed the foreign aid bill. The Pentagon said it was ready to move forward with sending $1 billion in weapons from U.S. stockpiles, including air defense missiles and fighting vehicles.
The New York Times reported on April 25 that the U.S. already shipped over 100 long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine in secret last week.
The delays in military aid have contributed to battlefield losses as Ukraine faces critical shortages in ammunition, air defense systems, and personnel.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Martin Fornusek
