"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
"I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people," Zelensky said.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
The sanctions appear to be in response to Russia's rejection of a 30-day ceasefire that the U.K., alongside Ukraine, France, Germany, and Poland, demanded during a visit to Kyiv on May 10.
The Russian military launched a mass drone attack on southern Odesa Oblast on Nov. 8, 2024. (Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper / Telegram)
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed 14 and injured 88 people over the past day, regional authorities reported on Nov. 8.
Russian forces attacked Zaporizhzhia, killing ten people, including a 1-year-old child, and injuring 41 others.
Russia struck the city five times using guided aerial bombs. The attack partially destroyed an apartment building, houses, and damaged a cancer hospital, according to the statement
In the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk Oblast, Russian forces killed two people and injured six others. The attacks damaged five high-rise buildings, nine houses, and two administrative buildings, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
The Russian military launched a mass drone attack on southern Odesa Oblast, killing one person and injuring eight. A 91-woman also suffered an acute reaction to stress, Governor Oleh Kiper said.
The attack damaged multiple residential buildings. The blast wave shattered windows in one of the Odesa city schools, while shrapnel damage led to the depressurization and ignition of two gas pipes in another district of Odesa.
In Kherson Oblast, Russia attacked 16 settlements, including the regional center of Kherson. The attacks killed one person and injured three others, according to the local military administration.
Russia attacked Kharkiv in the early hours of Nov. 8, hitting a residential building and injuring 25 people. A KAB guided aerial bomb hit a 12-story apartment building in the city's Saltivskyi district, causing a fire and destroying multiple floors, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
In Kharkiv Oblast, a 19-year-old man suffered injuries in the village of Kozacha Lopan. Russian forces damaged a residential building as a result of shelling from multiple rocket launchers, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Russian forces attacked Kyiv and the surrounding Oblast with drones and a missile overnight.
In Kyiv Oblast, four men suffered injuries of varying severity due to the fall of debris. All of them were hospitalized, regional police reported.
As of the morning of Nov. 8, local authorities in Kyiv itself had not reported any damage or casualties, and air defense was not operating in the city.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
