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.
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.
The aftermath of a Russian attack on Bilopillia in Sumy Oblast on April 8. The attack killed one person and injured three others. (Sumy Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)
Russian forces attacked 10 communities along the Sumy Oblast border 21 times on April 13, causing 118 explosions, the regional military administration said.
Residents who live along Sumy Oblast's northeastern border with Russia experience daily attacks from nearby Russian troops.
The communities of Myropillia, Khotin, Svesa, Esman, Shalyhyne, Bilopillia, Putyvl, Seredyna-Buda, Velyka Pysarivka, and Krasnopillia were targeted with Russian artillery, mortars, missiles, first-person-view (FPV) drones, grenade launchers and KAB guided bombs.
The Bilopillia and Seredyna-Buda communities suffered the heaviest attacks with mortars, artillery and missiles, resulting in 26 explosions in each area throughout the day.
The Sver community suffered two KAB guided bomb attacks.
No casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure along the border were reported.
The day before, a Russian airstrike against the regional capital, the city of Sumy, injured three people and damaged residential and administrative buildings.
Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.
Chris York
