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.
Russia started bringing more heavy weapons to Ukraine’s borders on Dec. 7, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, as the security crisis on the border conitnues to escalate. (Russian Ministry of Defence)
Russia is bringing more tanks, infantry combat vehicles, and self-propelled artillery to the contact line in the Ukrainian Donbas, the Ministry of Defense announced on Dec. 7.
This violates the Minsk agreements that require both sides to move heavy weapons at least 50 kilometers from the line of contact.
It also escalates the threat of Russian invasion — the Kremlin has so far positioned at least 94,000 troops along the border and in occupied territories, in preparation for a possible large-scale assault in late January or early February, according to Western and Ukrainian intelligence.
"Russia continues to take all measures to prevent the situation from stabilizing,” the defense ministry said in the statement.
The artillery pieces Russia has recently deployed include 122-millimeter guns with a maximum range of 20 kilometers.
Such weapons are widely used by Russian-led militants in occupied Donbas. Ukrainian military intelligence has repeatedly recorded the artillery pieces close to the front-line city of Avdiivka, publication Depo.ua previously reported.
Russia has also increased the number of sniper teams near the frontline with Ukraine, according to the ministry.
“They are ready to attack soldiers of the Joint Forces, destroy video surveillance, and provoke retaliatory fire,” the ministry stated.
Snipers from the militants’ so-called 1st Army Corps in Donetsk and 2nd Army Corps in Luhansk are being trained by Russian officers.
Serious concerns over a possible invasion were first raised in late October. Satellite photos showed a massive buildup of Russian military units near the city of Yelnya in Smolensk Oblast, which borders Belarus, the Washington Post reported on Oct. 30.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, as of Nov. 20, Russia had deployed 40 battalion tactical groups, including 94,000 troops, 1,200 tanks, 2,900 armored fighting vehicles, 1,600 artillery pieces, 330 airplanes, 240 helicopters, 75 maritime vessels, and six submarines.
On Dec. 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded “legal guarantees” that Ukraine will not join NATO, which he said poses a threat to the Russian Federation.
On Dec. 7, U.S. President Joe Biden is set to talk via video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 7 in an attempt to de-escalate tensions.
Natalia Datskevych is a business reporter at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, she worked as business reporter for the Kyiv Post. She studied economic theory at Kyiv National Economic University and holds a Ph.D in economic science.
