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.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 22, 2024. (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukrainian law enforcement has seized over 260 properties in Ukraine directly and indirectly linked to Russians since the start of the full-scale invasion, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said at a press conference on Jan. 22.
Among the seized properties are enterprises, factories, ports, offices, and residential buildings, according to Kostin. They were transferred to Ukraine's Agency for Investigation and Management of Assets, known by its Ukrainian acronym ARMA.
ARMA is responsible for managing assets seized from indicted individuals, usually those accused of corruption, pending a court decision of their guilt or innocence. ARMA is a controversial agency involved in numerous scandals that led to a member of parliament calling for its dissolution in February 2023.
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have been investigating a total of 180 criminal cases involving assets directly or indirectly owned by Russian citizens since February last year, as reported by Kostin.
As part of the investigations, corporate rights of 91 Ukrainian business entities beneficially owned by Russian nationals or Russian state companies have been seized and handed over to ARMA, the prosecutor general said. They are worth over Hr 22 billion (around $587 million).
Ukraine's National Police has reportedly seized Russian and Belarusian assets worth almost Hr 6 billion (around $160 million).
According to an investigation by Ukrainian media outlet Bihus.Info published on Dec. 11 last year, a businessman and former advisor to the head of ARMA appears to still have a top role in the agency unofficially, possibly serving as a behind-the-scenes "puppetmaster" overseeing the agency for senior Ukrainian politicians.
In December 2022, Andrii Dovbenko, a Ukrainian lawyer and owner of several law firms, was accused of organizing a fraudulent scheme to sell the property previously seized by the state and transferred to ARMA.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Daniil Ukhorskiy
