Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for Saturday's grand final.
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.
The Kamov Ka-32A helicopter registered RA-31065 in the air. (Aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A Russian multirole helicopter Ka-32 was destroyed at the Ostafyevo airfield in Moscow overnight on April 26, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) reported.
An intelligence source confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that the helicopter was destroyed as a result of a HUR operation.
Ukrainian forces regularly conduct drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, targeting military assets, oil refineries, and industrial facilities. Kyiv usually doesn’t officially comment on attacks inside Russia.
Russia's Kamov Ka-32 helicopter can be used as passenger and cargo transport, to aid search and rescue operations, building construction, loading and unloading ships, and emergency evacuations.
"The destroyed unit of aviation equipment was used by the aggressor state in the interests of the Moscow aviation center, in particular, to support the operations of the Russian invading army," HUR said on Telegram.
The Ostafyevo airfield, located in Moscow's southern suburbs, is owned by Russia's Defense Ministry and operated jointly with Gazpromavia, which is part of the country's state-run energy giant Gazprom, according to HUR.
HUR said that the helicopter was burnt down and shared video showing a fire that purportedly engulfed the aircraft.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify these claims.
Ukraine has intensified strikes against military and industrial targets in Russia in recent weeks. A joint operation of military intelligence and the Armed Forces reportedly hit the Yeysk, Engels-2, and Kursk airfields on April 5.
Russia allegedly lost seven military aircraft during the drone attack on the Yeysk airbase in Krasnodar Krai in Russia, a source at Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine's military allegedly carried out an attack against the Russian Morozovsk airbase overnight on April 5, sources familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. Su-34 fighter-bombers and Su-27 fighters were reportedly based at the airfield.
At least six military aircraft were destroyed, and another eight were damaged, according to the source. Furthermore, about 20 Russian soldiers were reportedly killed or wounded.
Kateryna Denisova
