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.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
The aftermath of a Russian attack on Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Nov. 22, 2023. (Oleh Syniehubov/Telegram)
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed three people and injured four more in the past day, regional authorities reported on Nov 23.
Russia targeted a total of eight Ukrainian oblasts over this period.
Russian troops struck Antonivka in Kherson Oblast on the morning of Nov. 23, wounding a 51-year-old woman, the regional administration reported.
In the previous 24 hours, Russan forces attacked the southern region with a variety of different weapons, including mortars, artillery, tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems, drones, and aircraft, killing one person and injuring another, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
The attacks were directed at civilian targets in the oblast, including factories, educational and medical institutions, and shops, Prokudin said on Telegram. Russian forces reportedly fired 29 shells at the city of Kherson.
In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces attacked at least 18 different settlements, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram. A 61-year-old man was wounded in Shyikivky, Izium district, and hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, Syniehubov added.
The attacks on Kharkiv Oblast also reportedly damaged a number of buildings in Kupiansk, Kupiansk-Vozlovyi, and Vovchansk.
Two people were killed in Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast, and another was wounded, acting Governor Ihor Moroz said.
One person was killed in Pivnichne near Toretsk, and another was killed in the Chasiv Yar community near Bakhmut, according to Moroz. One person was reportedly injured in Avdiivka.
Russian attacks were also reported in Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, and Mykolaiv oblasts, causing damage but no casualties.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Alexander Khrebet
