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.
The aftermath of Russian strikes against Donetsk Oblast on Sept. 21, 2023. (Source: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office)
Russian forces carried out attacks against Toretsk, Petropavlivka, and Molodenke in Donetsk Oblast on Sept. 21, injuring three men and two women, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported.
Russia targeted the town of Toretsk with artillery, hitting a house and injuring a 52-year-old man who suffered head wounds as a result, the prosecutors said.
According to the report, Russian forces also targeted the village of Petropavlivka in the Volnovakha district with rockets. A 36-year-old woman and a 56-year-old man reportedly suffered shrapnel injuries in the attack.
In the Molodenke village of the Pokrovsk district, Russian attacks injured a 79-year-old man and his 81-year-old wife who were in their garden at the time of the attack.
Donetsk Oblast has been partially occupied by Russia since 2014 and suffers regular strikes by the invading forces. On Sept. 20, Russian troops attacked Toretsk and its outskirts Pivnichne, injuring four people.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Elsa Court
