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.
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.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in July 2023. (Photo by Russian Defense Minister/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered for an increase in weapons production, with the goal of delivering weaponry to Ukraine's easter front quicker, Russia's Defense Ministry shared on May 1.
"To maintain the required pace of the offensive ... it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, primarily weapons," Shoigu said in a statement released by Russia's Defense Ministry.
In addition to the newly ordered production, Shoigu, during a meeting with Russia’s top military leaders, directed the repair of units on the front lines in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions to improve their efficiency.
No details were provided regarding Russia's plan to increase production or the timeframe for when Russia may begin to observe faster deliveries to Ukraine's eastern front.
Russia's plan to increase arms production comes amid an anticipated Russian offensive campaign, which Kyiv expects will begin at end of May or the beginning of June.
Ukrainian officials have warned that the country faces a "difficult" but "not catastrophic" situation on the front in the near future, amid delays in delivering U.S. aid.
After months long delays, the U.S. finally signed off to a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine, with weapons expected to flow into Ukraine over the upcoming weeks and months. Some potential items of military aid will also need to be purchased or even manufactured, which will take even longer.
Ukraine has struggled to maintain its positioning along the country's eastern front amid significant ammunition and air defense shortages. In recent months, Russian has been intensifying assaults near the Russian-occupied cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivkain Donetsk Oblast in attempts to advance in this front-line sector.
Chasiv Yar, which lies 10 kilometers west of Bakhmut, remains one of Russia's main targets - with Russia allegedly setting a goal to capture the town by Russia's Victory Day on May 9.
Meanwhile, 50 kilometers south of Bakhmut, near Avdiivka, Ukrainian troops have continued to make marginal retreats. On April 28, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Ukraine's Armed Forces retreated west from the villages of Berdychi, Semenivka, and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Kateryna Denisova
