Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reacts during the Summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Moscow, Russia on Oct. 8, 2024. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin approved on Nov. 13 a reduction in compensation for wounded soldiers participating in the war against Ukraine.
The current maximum amount of compensation is 3 million rubles (nearly $29,000), but the severity of the injury is not considered for its allocation. The change approved by Putin classifies injuries into three categories.
The payment for a "severe" injury is 3 million rubles (nearly $29,000), and for a "minor" injury, 1 million rubles (nearly $10,000). For "other minor injuries," soldiers will receive compensation of 100,000 rubles ($960), according to Russian state news agency TASS.
The decree signed by Putin does not specify how the severity of a given injury is classified.
Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivileva said at a meeting with the ministry's head, Andrei Belousov, on Nov. 13 that the current rules on payments for injuries create a "sense of distortion" among the soldiers.
In October, Russian forces in Ukraine suffered their deadliest month since the start of the full-scale invasion. U.K. Defense Minister John Healey said that Moscow's troops suffered 41,980 killed and wounded during October, according to British defense intelligence figures.
While Russian forces are suffering record losses, they're also making increasingly swift gains in the east of Ukraine.
According to a Bloomberg analysis published on Nov. 1, Ukraine has lost 1,146 square kilometers of its own territory since the launch of the Kursk Oblast incursion in early August, with the week up until Nov. 1 reported as the worst in terms of lost territory in all of 2024.
Meanwhile, Russia encourages its citizens to sign contracts with the army, offering financial benefits.
Instead of ordering a new wave of conscription, Putin ordered an increase in the sign-on bonus for new military recruits to serve in Ukraine to 400,000 rubles (over $4,600), effectively doubling the lump-sum payment of 195,000 ($2,260) rubles initially promised to recruits in September 2022.
Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced on Oct. 7 that residents in the region will be paid a nationwide record 3 million rubles (about $31,200) through a one-time signing bonus for joining the military.
The additional payments are in line with efforts by Russian officials to entice more citizens to join the military as the country seeks to replenish its military, decimated by high losses in Ukraine.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Kateryna Hodunova
