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.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
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.
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.
Russian ships stationed in Sevastopol, Russian-occupied Crimea, during the celebration of the Black Sea Fleet Day on May 13, 2023. (Russian Defense Ministry's press service)
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed a Ukrainian naval drone had attempted to attack Russian ships in the Black Sea late on Aug. 17 but was allegedly destroyed.
The vessels were "carrying out navigation control tasks" in the Black Sea's southwestern part, 237 kilometers from Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea, the ministry said on Telegram.
Moscow claimed that two Russian patrol ships had destroyed the naval drone before it reached its destination. Kyiv hasn't commented on the incident.
Over the past weeks, a series of explosions took place in the Black Sea.
The Russian landing vessel Olenegorskiy Gornyak was reportedly hit by a naval surface drone on Aug. 4. CNN and several Ukrainian media outlets cited unnamed sources in Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), saying the operation was a joint endeavor between the SBU and the Ukrainian Navy.
In the early hours of Aug. 5, explosions were also heard near the Crimean Bridge. The Moscow Times reported that the naval drone attack on the Kerch Strait could have potentially damaged the Russian SIG chemical tanker.
Later in the day, the SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk made a statement on the recent surface drone attacks on Russian ships, effectively admitting that Ukraine was behind the attacks. He said such attacks are "absolutely logical" and "completely legal."
On Aug. 15, Ukraine's Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said that Ukrainian forces had already put out of action five large Russian military landing crafts since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in late July that Ukraine would continue to attack targets in Crimea to reduce Russia's fighting capacity and "help save the lives of Ukrainians."
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Elsa Court
