A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on a state visit to Bern, Switzerland, on Jan. 15, 2024. (Presidential Office)
Switzerland plans to allocate 1.5 billion Swiss francs ($1.75 billion) for Ukraine's recovery efforts between 2025 and 2028 under an international cooperation strategy, ArmyInform reported on Jan. 15, citing Swiss President Viola Amherd.
Switzerland's head of state announced this on the occasion of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Bern, the country's capital.
While refusing to supply Kyiv with military aid on account of its long-term neutrality policy, Switzerland has nevertheless provided economic, humanitarian, and political support to the besieged country.
Switzerland also hosted the 2022 Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, which laid down principles for the reconstruction and recovery process in Ukraine.
"The Lugano principles laid down at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in July 2022 serve as a political compass for reconstruction," Amherd said.
"In support of Ukraine, Switzerland has planned to allocate 1.5 billion francs under the next international cooperation strategy for the period of 2025-2028."
According to Amherd, a key issue of recovery efforts is humanitarian demining, a topic which she had discussed with Zelensky.
Reconstruction aid was not the only new assistance presented by Switzerland. Zelensky said earlier on Jan. 15 that Amherd agreed to start preparations for the Global Peace Summit and host the event.
The two leaders also discussed a "new long-term support program" for Ukraine, Zelensky said.
Prior to his talks with Amherd, Zelensky also met with Eric Nussbaumer, the head of the Swiss parliament's lower house, and with Eva Herzog, the head of the upper house, as well as leaders of parliamentary parties and groups.
Zelensky is then scheduled to visit Davos to attend the World Economic Forum, an annual event gathering world's political, business, and civil society leaders.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
