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."
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called for "concrete proposals from both sides" in order for Washington to "move forward" in peace negotiations.
This photo shared online allegedly shows the site of the car explosion in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, in which Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin, known for his pro-war views, was reportedly injured and hospitalized on May 6, 2022. (Photo published by Russian media TV Rain)
Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin, known for his pro-war views, is hospitalized after his car exploded in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, in what appears to be an assassination attempt, Russian news agency RBC reported on May 6.
Prilepin, who co-chairs the Russian political party “A Just Russia,” received leg injuries, and the injury is serious, RBC reported, citing a source close to the Russian Interior Ministry. It added that Prilepin was still conscious after his Audi Q7 car exploded near the city of Nizhny Novgorod, about 400 kilometers east of Moscow, and he was taken to the nearest hospital. A Telegram channel said it occurred in the village of Pionerskoye.
Photos and videos shared on the internet show a light-colored car flipped around and destroyed.
Pictures are now surfacing from the scene of the car bomb attack on Zakhar Prilepin
The explosive device could have been attached under the hood of a car when Prilepin stopped at a cafe to eat on his way to Moscow, according to RBC. A source told RBC that Prilepin was in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine's Donbas recently and then spent a week in Nizhny Novgorod, where he lives with his family.
In late January, Prilepin's press service said that he signed a contract with the Russian National Guard and went to fight in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported that Prilepin's press service said following the explosion that the writer is "alright," and what happened in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast has not been established yet.
Some media reports alleged that the driver was killed.
Russia's Investigative Committee said investigators and criminologists drove to the scene to investigate what happened. The regional governor said law enforcement officers are now investigating the causes of the incident.
The Crimean Tatar partisan movement Atesh said it was behind the attack.
“The surprise worked. Zakhar is in the hospital," Atesh said on its Telegram channel.
No one has confirmed or denied Atesh's claim of responsibility yet.
There have been multiple attempts to assassinate pro-war Russians and Russia's proxies in occupied territories of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Some of them were successful. Many believe that partisan movements or Ukraine's Security Service could be behind such operations. Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility for any of them.
Back in April, an explosion in a cafe in central St. Petersburg killed Russian propagandist and war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky on April 2.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Anastasiia Lapatina
