"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The new tranche brings total recent EU defense support for Ukraine to 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), marking a significant expansion of European efforts to boost Kyiv's defense industry.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
Thousands of protesters, some waving flags, take part in one of the largest anti-corruption demonstrations since the anti-graft movement on March 15, 2025, in Belgrade, Serbia. (Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on March 16 drew comparisons between the ongoing anti-government protests in Serbia and Ukraine's 2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, vowing to "protect and defend" the country from such an event.
His comments followed a massive rally in Belgrade on March 15, culminating months of near-daily protests against corruption and misgovernance, posing the most significant challenge to Vucic's 13-year rule.
Vucic accused protest organizers of spreading misinformation, including claims that authorities had shut down the internet and used sonic cannons against demonstrators.
"Then they came up with a story about a sonic cannon... but the army does not have such weapons," Vucic said in a video address published on social media, insisting that what was shown was an anti-drone rifle, not a crowd-control device.
Vucic compared the accusations to those made against ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych during the EuroMaidan protests, which saw over 100 demonstrators killed before Yanukovych fled to Russia in 2014.
"That's how they started talking here: 'Vucic, you shot at your own people,'" the Serbian president said. "There were no wounded; nothing happened to anyone, but they have to come up with something."
The protests erupted in November following the deadly collapse of a newly reconstructed train station roof in Novi Sad, which killed 15 people.
The reconstruction, financed with Chinese and state funds, was widely viewed as corrupt.
Student-led demonstrations quickly grew into broader anti-government protests, demanding accountability and an end to corruption.
Vucic, who maintains close ties with Moscow, has frequently used Kremlin-style rhetoric to discredit protests.
The Serbian opposition, along with student activists, has accused authorities of deploying a sound cannon against demonstrators during a silent vigil for the Novi Sad victims, with footage of people fleeing after a loud blast circulating on social media.
The Serbian president vowed an investigation into what he called "brutal fabrications and lies" and warned that those responsible would be prosecuted.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Andrea Januta
