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.
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.
UN General Assembly delegates wait for the election results of new members to the Human Rights Council on Oct. 10, 2023. (Bryan R. Smith / AFP via Getty Images)
Russia failed to gain enough votes in the United Nations General Assembly on Oct. 10 to win back its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Russia attempted to compete with Albania and Bulgaria for the council's two open eastern European seats. Bulgaria won 160 votes and a seat on the council, while Albania took 123 and the second open slot.
With only 83 votes, Russia's bid was unsuccessful.
Russia was kicked out of the U.N.'s human rights body during a special session on April 7, 2022, shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The motion passed with 93 votes cast in favor, 25 against, and 58 abstentions.
Officials backing the motion said it signaled the "international community's strong censure of Moscow's aggressive actions toward a neighboring state."
In the days leading up to the Oct. 10 vote, officials raised concerns that Russia would leverage its control over wartime grain shipments and arms and energy sales to gain support.
In addition, diplomats cited growing fatigue of the war among African and Asian countries as a factor Russia could exploit in order to secure votes for the council.
Despite these concerns, Russia did not manage to win enough support to sway the election in its favor.
Russia has committed a number of human rights violations during its all-out war against Ukraine.
These include deliberate murder of civilians, shelling of civilian areas, torture, sexual violence, and abduction of children. Several countries have recognized Russia's crimes against Ukraine as genocide.
A report by the U.N. Watch, the Human Rights Foundation, and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights published in September concluded that Russia is "unqualified" for membership in the Human Rights Council.
Anna Romandash
