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.
The aftermath of Russian strikes against Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office)
Russian strikes against the town of Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 10 injured at least six people, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported.
"On Aug. 10, the occupants struck the town of Toretsk, possibly with mortars and three aerial bombs," the prosecutors wrote on Telegram.
"At 10:40 a.m., a 47-year-old man who was riding a bicycle on the street was injured as a result of the explosion."
The city came under another attack an hour later. This time, a 59-year-old man was injured on the street by projectile fragments, the report said.
Yet another strike at 2:15 injured four women aged 53 to 73. Two of them suffered injuries at home, and two others were wounded while in the town's center, according to the prosecutors.
Russian attacks against Toretsk damaged two administrative buildings, several residential and commercial buildings, as well as two cars, the report said.
Over the course of Aug. 9, Russian forces killed three civilians and injured 10 more in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported.
The aftermath of Russian strikes against Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office)
The aftermath of Russian strikes against Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office)
The aftermath of Russian strikes against Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office)
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.
