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.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
Reservists drafted during Russia's "partial" mobilization for its full-scale war against Ukraine attend a departure ceremony in Sevastopol, Russian-occupied Crimea, on Sept. 27, 2022. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)
The doubling of arson attacks on Russian enlistment offices in the past six months is likely attributed to a "greater sense of disaffection" among Russians as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues and a potential second wave of mobilization looms, the U.K. Defense Ministry's assessed in its intelligence report on Jan. 28.
Citing Russian government reports, the U.K. Defense Ministry notes that there have been 220 attacks on Russian military enlistment offices since the start of Russia's full-scale of Ukraine in February 2022. That number has effectively doubled in the last six month with 107 confirmed arson attacks since July 26, 2023.
Independent Russian media outlet Mediazona previously reported 113 arson attacks between February 2022 and July 2023.
During his annual news conference on Dec. 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin assertedthere was no need for a second wave of Russian mobilization, a statement the U.K. Defense Ministry suggests reflects "a lack of confidence in (Putin's) promise" among the Russian population.
In recent months, the Kremlin has sought to suppress a growing anti-mobilization movement stemming from the wives of deployed Russian soldiers, amid waves of women-led protests that have emerged throughout Russia.
Analysts have also predicted that Putin has sough to minimize decisions that irritate Russia's electorate ahead of the upcoming Russian presidential election, including the issue of mass mobilization.
Some of those accused of perpetrating attack on enlistment offices have been charged with terrorism, an act for which there is a life sentence.
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.
Dmytro Basmat
