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.
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.
A Ukrainian Grad multiple rocket launcher shells Russian troops near Luhansk on April 10, 2022. (Getty Images)
Russian forces are ramping up their offensive in southern Ukraine in an attempt to breach the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces spokesperson, Vladyslav Voloshyn, said on May 13.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a major industrial and logistical hub, remains untouched by ground incursions but is under growing threat.
Voloshyn said Russian troops continue to use artillery, kamikaze drones, guided aerial bombs, and unguided missiles to attack Ukrainian positions.
"The number of these assault operations is quite high," he said, citing 24 combat engagements in the Novopavlivka direction alone.
Novopavlivka lies in central-eastern Ukraine, roughly 130 kilometers (about 80 miles) southeast of Dnipro, near the tri-border area of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
The estimated Russian advance in the Novopavlivka sector in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine, as of May 13, 2025. A black symbol marks Novopavlivka. (DeepState / OpenStreetMaps)
Voloshyn described it as the "most mobile area" on the southern front, where four Russian regiments have concentrated assault units.
"They are trying to break through toward the administrative border of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts," he said, adding that fighting involves small assault groups and constant shelling.
The Russian assaults prompted local authorities on April 28 to begin mandatory evacuations of families with children from four frontline villages: Kolona Mezhova, Novopidhorodne, Raipole, and Sukhareva Balka.
These settlements lie just 5–15 kilometers from Russian positions.
Although Russian troops have not yet entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the region has suffered regular missile, drone, and airstrike attacks that have killed and wounded civilians and damaged critical infrastructure.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Chris York,
