"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."
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.
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.
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.
Members of Germany's Bundeswehr look at MIM-104 Patriot missile launching systems at the Luftwaffe Warbelow training center on Dec. 18, 2012, in Warbelow, Germany (Sean Gallup)
Spain has begun to provide technical maintenance training for the Patriot missile system to Ukrainian military personnel, Spanish media outlet Cope reported on Feb. 2.
Military personnel from Spain's Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command are currently leading the training near the city of Valencia, in support of Ukraine as part of the European Union Military Assistance Mission. The Patriot missile system training is one of the commitments made by the Spanish Armed Forces to enhance the training of Ukrainian military personnel in 2024, the country's General Staff said on Friday.
The Patriot system is recognized as one of the world's best air defense systems, enabling Ukraine to shoot down missiles and reduce the risk of infrastructure damage and civilian casualties during Russian attacks.
Ukraine received its first Patriot systems in April 2023 and soon after proved their effectiveness by downing at least 15 air-launched ballistic Kinzhal missiles, lauded by Moscow as "unstoppable hypersonic" weapons.
In recent months, NATO allies have moved to strengthen the alliance's air defense as Russian aggression in Europe continues. On Jan. 3, NATO's Support and Procurement Agency announced a deal for the purchase of 1,000 Patriot air defense missiles for coalition members, including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain
In December, Japan also announcedthat the country had changed the rules on weapons exports and would send Patriot missiles to the U.S., paving the way for the U.S. to replenish its stocks while potentially sending Ukraine some of its own current supply.
In addition to the Patriot missile training, the Spanish brigade continues to instruct selected Ukrainian soldiers to lead small combat units in Girona, with new training to commence in the coming month, Spain's General Staff said.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Spain has trained around 3,500 soldiers, making it the third-largest contributing European country in the training of Ukrainian personnel.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Nate Ostiller
