U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
A captive named Umit allegedly agreed to serve in the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and a monetary reward of 2 million rubles ($25,000).
Russia's Buryatia Republic declared a state of emergency on May 13 over massive forest fires that have engulfed multiple regions in the Russian Far East.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's statement came as Strong Shield 5 exercises involving military personnel from other NATO countries began in Lithuania.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Jan. 17, 2025. (Kremlin Press Office / Handout /Anadolu via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law ratifying a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Iran, Russian state-controlled media reported on April 21.
The agreement was initially signed during a summit between Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Russia on Jan. 17, where the leaders pledged closer cooperation in trade, defense, energy, and regional infrastructure projects.
The law on the treaty was approved by the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, on April 8 and passed the Federation Council on April 16, with the presidential signature remaining as the final step.
According to the Kremlin, the agreement aims to bolster bilateral relations across key sectors, including investment, transport, logistics, and humanitarian efforts, while also addressing pressing regional and global issues.
Both countries have also pledged not to provide assistance to any third party involved in military conflict with the other.
Russian and Iranian officials have framed the deal as a response to increasing geopolitical pressure from the West.
Iran and Russia have seen their ties strengthen significantly since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Tehran has supplied Moscow with thousands of Shahed drones used in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, as well as short-range ballistic missiles. With Iranian assistance, Russia has begun producing its own variants, known as Geran-2.
This ratification follows a similar move by Putin in June 2024, when he signed a defense-oriented partnership agreement with North Korea.
That pact included mutual military support clauses and has since seen Pyongyang reportedly dispatch up to 12,000 troops to Russian territory to help defend against Ukrainian cross-border operations in Kursk Oblast.
Mohammad Eslami
