The publications' latest report covers the period of February 24, 2022 to May 8, 2025. Since it was last updated at the end of April, 2,857 additional Russian military personnel have been confirmed killed.
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Monday, May 12
Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
(Updated: )
"There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will wait for Putin on Thursday in Turkey," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"We cannot allow NATO's military infrastructure to get that close to our borders," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
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.
Preliminary findings suggest that one of the men killed the other before taking his own life.
Western leaders dismissed the Kremlin's proposal for talks in Istanbul on May 15 as insufficient.
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 pope said he was praying to God to grant the world the "miracle of peace."
The Russian Volunteer Corps, one of the Russian anti-government groups who have declared themselves to be fighting on Ukraine's side, said its members had once again entered Russia's territory on May 25.
The anti-Kremlin fighters recorded a video saying they "are back in the Motherland" with what appears to be a Russian Post brunch in the background.
The building seen in the video has a sign saying Glotovo, the name of a village in Russia's Belgorod region. Glotovo is located some five kilometers from the Russo-Ukrainian border.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the group's claim or the footage published on its Telegram channel.
"Once again, we enter the territory of Russia with battles or quietly — it doesn't matter anymore," the armed men in the video said. "The flame of struggle is burning all over the country. Wait for us in your town."
NYT: Anti-Kremlin fighters appear to use U.S.-made armored vehicles
Armed Russian anti-government groups appear to have used at least three American-made armored vehicles in the Belgorod Oblast incursion, according to the pictures and videos verified by The New York Times.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
On May 22, a group of armed men calling themselves the Free Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps claimed they had crossed into Russia's Belgorod region and taken hold of bordering villages.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia's Belgorod Oblast, announced a "counter-terrorism operation," which was called off on May 23 after Russian officials declared victory against the groups.
The Russian Defense Ministry said they had defeated what they called "Ukrainian formations," claiming to have "killed 70 combatants" and destroyed four armored combat vehicles and five trucks while "driving the remaining formations from Belgorod Oblast back into Ukrainian territory."
However, the Russian Volunteer Corps denied these claims. The Ukrainian official, who spoke anonymously, told the New York Times that the armed groups had suffered losses, but not enough to affect their fighting capacity.
The Russian Volunteer Corps previously claimed to have conducted attacks on Bryansk Oblast on March 4, claiming the Ukrainian military's support. Kyiv has denied any connection to the group's operations.
Ukraine war latest: Russia says fighting ongoing within its borders
Key developments on May 22: * Attacks involving anti-Kremlin fighters reported in Russia’s Belgorad Oblast * Russia announces ‘counter-terrorist operation’ in Belgorad Oblast * Ukrainian military reports small advance on Bakhmut flanks Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, a…
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