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."
A Kyiv resident detained by the SBU for allegedly spying for Russia. Photo published on Jan. 30, 2024. (SBU/Telegram)
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a Kyiv resident for allegedly spying on military facilities and critical infrastructure in the capital in cooperation with Russian intelligence services, the SBU’s press service reported on Jan. 30.
This information would help the Russian Armed Forces to plan further attacks on critical and military infrastructure in Kyiv, which has been targeted in several mass strikes over the past weeks.
The alleged spy, aged 52, was recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) agent in the fall of 2023 and was tasked with reconnaissance missions, the SBU said. The suspect faces life imprisonment.
According to the SBU, the Kyiv resident tried to gather information about the locations of the reserve command centers of the Third Assault Brigade and the Ukrainian Ground Forces’ headquarters.
He also provided Russia with coordinates of key energy enterprises that supply electricity and heating to most of the capital’s civilian infrastructure, the SBU said.
As SBU’s cyber specialists revealed, the agent provided Russian intelligence services with information on electrical substations, main power lines, and the boiler rooms of the municipal enterprise KyivTeploEnergo.
The defendant also reportedly wanted to get a job at the arms factory to gather data about Ukrainian military production. He had already sent an application to the recruitment department of the strategic enterprise before he was detained by SBU, the Security Service 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.
Andrii Kharuk
