"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.
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.
The aftermath of Russia's attack on the village of Rih in Donetsk Oblast on May 21, 2024. (Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office)
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed three people and injured at least 19 over the past day, regional authorities said on May 22.
Russia targeted a total of 10 Ukrainian oblasts — Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Luhansk, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Kherson. Casualties were reported in the latter four regions.
A Russian missile strike on the village of Rih in the Pokrovsk district in Donetsk Oblast killed a 52-year-old man and his 46-year-old wife, the Prosecutor General's Office said. The couple's 10-year-old son reportedly sustained a blast injury.
The explosion also injured a 24-year-old man who lived in a neighboring house, the prosecutors said. Three households and a gas pipeline were reportedly damaged.
Russian troops also attacked the town of Toretsk in the morning, killing a 26-year-old man, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
The aftermath of Russia's attack on the village of Rih in Donetsk Oblast on May 21, 2024. (Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office)
In Kharkiv Oblast, at least seven people – a 28-year-old man and women aged 22, 41, 42, 55, 65, and 77 – suffered injuries after Russian forces attacked downtown Chuhuiv, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. A kindergarten was reportedly damaged.
Russian shelling of the village of Hoptivka injured a woman on May 21, the governor said.
One person was injured in Sumy Oblast after Moscow's forces struck the production infrastructure in the town of Konotop, the local authorities said.
Russian forces reportedly fired at the border settlements in the region over 30 times, and at least 201 explosions were recorded over the past day.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian attacks damaged six high-rise buildings, seven houses, cars, a cell tower, an agricultural enterprise, and a gas pipeline, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
A total of eight people, including a child, were injured over the past day, he added.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Francis Farrell
