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.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
The alleged aftermath of a drone crash in Voronezh, Russia on June 9. (Source: RBK/Telegram)
Voronezh Oblast Governor Alexander Gusyev claimed on June 9 that a drone had crashed in the center of Voronezh, Russia.
The governor reported that three people with light injuries had received medical treatment. Damage to a high-rise building and a private house was also reported.
The Russian news agency RBC published footage of the damage and geolocation of the crash, which appear to confirm the claim.
While the model or the origin of the drone is not clear, Russian officials have already called it a Ukrainian attack.
The Russian media cited by Ukrainska Pravda claim that the drone was meant to attack the Voronezh aircraft factory but was eliminated through electronic warfare.
This is not the first report of an air strike inside Russia.
On May 30, a number of drones damaged several high-rise buildings in Moscow, and officials in border oblasts like Belgorod often report drone attacks in their territory.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
