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."
Russian army conscripts attend a ceremony on May 23, 2023. (Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia will seek to recruit an additional 400,000 contract service personnel in 2024 to sustain its forces in Ukraine after severe losses in the all-out war, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry's intelligence report from April 10.
This step also aims to support Russia's plans to increase the size of its forces to 1.32 million personnel this year and 1.5 million subsequently, the report read.
Ukraine's military intelligence said earlier that Russia is likely to ramp up its mobilization efforts after Russian President Vladimir Putin secures his fifth term in office in March.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia was planning to mobilize an additional 300,000 soldiers by June 1, later clarifying that this number may not be the "final" draft.
As Russia continues its conscription campaign, around 150,000 soldiers aged 18-30 will be conscripted this spring, which is consistent with the numbers conscripted previously, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
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War Notes
Newly recruited soldiers will serve for 12 months in all branches of Russia's Armed Forces. The U.K. Defense Ministry said they are not currently appointed to conduct combat missions in Ukraine.
Conscripts are employed in garrisons across Russia, and they generally form battalions separate from the battalions staffed by contract soldiers. Some of the conscripts are likely to serve near Ukraine's state border in units providing border security, the report said.
According to the U.K. Defense Ministry's assessment, Russian troops in Ukraine are staffed with contract soldiers and some reservists mobilized in late 2022. The conscript soldiers commonly face pressure to sign contracts and become liable to serve in Ukraine, however.
"There is likely some reluctance among Russian authorities to risk combat casualties among conscript soldiers, which would likely be unpopular," the U.K. Defense Ministry's intelligence said.
"Casualties among volunteer soldiers are more tolerated by society."
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Kateryna Hodunova
