Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
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.
Russia Tu-22M and Tupolev Tu-160 take part in a rehearsal for 2020 Victory Day parade on Moscow's Tverskaya Street in Moscow, Russia, on June 20, 2020. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A Russian pilot passed on confidential information to Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) that helped identify 30 commanders of the Russian heavy bomber aviation division, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent on July 11.
The Russian pilot who served in the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division contacted the HUR on July 8 after the Russian attack on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital. The pilot provided personal information, including photos and other confidential documents, on 30 Russian commanders, the source added.
The pilot passed the information through the Ukrainian state chatbot, Diia, on Telegram, according to the source.
"He was shocked by the attack on the children's hospital, so he decided to hand over to the Ukrainian side documents related to the activities of his military unit, as well as private photos of the command staff," the source said.
The 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division is stationed at the Engels airfield in Russia's Saratov Oblast, hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine. This division regularly strikes Ukraine with Kh-101 cruise missiles using strategic bombers.
Russian forces launched a missile attack on Kyiv on July 8, killing 33 and injuring 121 others. One Russian missile directly struck the Okhmatdyt children's hospital.
The attack against the medical facility killed two people, including a doctor, and wounded 32 others. The strike also destroyed one building and damaged four others in the hospital.
The attack was carried out with the Kh-101 cruise missile in accordance with a programmed route. The strike was deliberate, a source in one of Ukraine's top security agencies said.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Chris York
