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.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
A view shows the aftermath of an alleged Ukrainian strike in the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka, near the border with Ukraine in the Belgorod region, on July 4, 2023. (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
The Russian Ministry of Defense has reported that two Ukrainian drones were shot down on Aug. 28 over Belgorod Oblast. The incident could not be independently verified.
The spring and summer months have seen an increase in cross-border attacks by Ukrainian forces.
After a July 30 drone attack on Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky explained in an address that hostilities will increase within Russia. "Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia - to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process," he said.
Roughly 40 kilometers from the border of Ukraine, Belgorod has already experienced some consequences of the war. In May, the Ukrainian-allied Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion launched incursions into the Belgorod region, advancing to Gayvoron before withdrawing back to Ukraine. Further raids occurred in June, and in July a video allegedly showing Chechen paramilitaries attacking a Russian military vehicle near Belgorod emerged online.
The BBC has recorded at least 160 Russian media reports of suspected Ukrainian drone attacks within Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea this year so far.
In one high-profile incident, a drone detonated near the Kremlin on May 3, though Kyiv has denied responsibility for the attack. Moscow has also claimed a drone was shot down near the capital, in addition to the two near Belgorod.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not commented on today's alleged attack.
Alexander Khrebet
