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.
"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."
The publications' latest report covers the period of February 24, 2022 to May 8, 2025. Since it was last updated at the end of April, 2,857 additional Russian military personnel have been confirmed killed.
Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
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.
Columns of smoke in Russia's Belgorod after what Russian authorities claim was a Ukrainian attack on Dec. 30, 2023. (ASTRA/Telegram)
Ukraine attacked Russia's Belgorod Oblast twice on Feb. 4, Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed.
According to Gladkov, the alleged attacks damaged the roof of a building and a gas pipe in the village of Demidovka, which sits at the border with Ukraine's eastern Sumy Oblast.
Gladkov also claimed that Ukraine had attacked another village in the region, Stary Khutor, which also sits near the Ukrainian border.
No casualties were reported.
Ukrainian authorities did not comment on Gladkov's claims.
Russia's Belgorod Oblast lies borders the Ukrainian oblasts of Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk, and is frequently used to launch attacks against Ukraine.
Russian officials have frequently claimed cross-border strikes by Ukraine. Russian authorities claimed that a Ukrainian strike on Belgorod on Dec. 30 killed 25 people and injured over 100.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims. Ukraine also did not claim responsibility for the attack, which came one day after Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Kyiv.
Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.
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