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 recruited agents were two teenagers aged 15 and 17 who sought quick money on Telegram channels, the Security Service of Ukraine said.
Russia's intelligence service blew up two teenagers it had recruited to carry out a terrorist attack in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk on the evening of March 11, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on March 12.
Explosions were reported near the railway station and in a high-rise building in Ivano-Frankivsk. One person was killed and three other injured, authorities said.
The remote detonation of self-made devices used in Russian intelligence planned attacks is a new tactic of Moscow's in its covert operations against Ukraine, allowing it to carry out attacks while getting rid of perpetrators, Serhii Andrushchenko, SBU's deputy head, previously told the Kyiv Independent.
According to law enforcement, the recruited agents weretwo teenagers aged 15 and 17 who sought quick money on Telegram channels. Russian intelligence services allegedly recruited them online and offered payment for carrying out a series of terror attacks in the city.
A Russian handler rented an apartment for the teenagers in a high-rise building near the local railway station, the SBU said.
Following Russia's instructions, the two made explosives and two devices disguised as thermoses. They equipped both explosives with remote detonators, according to the SBU.
The teenagers were allegedly heading to a designated location to place one of the explosive devices when the Russian intelligence service activated the explosives in their package. Another explosive was detonated in the rented apartment.
The 17-year-old boy was killed, and the 15-year-old was hospitalized with serious injuries. Two passers-by — a 20-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman — also suffered injuries.
If charged, the 15-year-old could face life imprisonment.
In February, the SBU reported that Russia recruited the attacker responsible for a deadly explosion at a military enlistment office in Rivne.
Russia also recruited minors via social media to set fire to military cars parked in Ukrainian cities, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said. Last year, cases of setting fire to military vehicles were recorded in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro.
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.
Kateryna Hodunova
