The sanctions appear to be in response to Russia's rejection of a 30-day ceasefire that the U.K., alongside Ukraine, France, Germany, and Poland, demanded during a visit to Kyiv on May 10.
"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.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (L), President Volodymyr Zelensky (C), and Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Makarova (R) at a ceremony to restore stolen Ukrainian antiques. (Photo via President's Office)
Cultural artifacts stolen from Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion were restored to President Volodymyr Zelensky at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., the president's office reported on Sept. 21.
"After all, every time something returns to Ukraine, something stolen by Russians, it means the return of life and justice, which is very important," Zelensky said.
The ceremony took place during Zelensky's working visit to the United States and was attended by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova.
The items were antiques confiscated by U.S. law enforcement agencies after being illegally exported from Ukraine.
In June 2022, U.S. customs officials confiscated a number of illegally-exported cultural objects, including 17th-century iron axes, two Scythian iron daggers from the sixth century B.C.E., and one iron spearhead dated approximately 500-1200 B.C.E.
Markarova said that Russian forces deliberately targeted Ukrainian history, national identity, and artifacts in the war against Ukraine.
In August 2023, Ukraine's Culture Ministry reported that at least 763 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine had been damaged by Russian forces. Other ancient items were allegedly looted from occupied Crimea in May 2023.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
