Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
A captive named Umit allegedly agreed to serve in the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and a monetary reward of 2 million rubles ($25,000).
Russia's Buryatia Republic declared a state of emergency on May 13 over massive forest fires that have engulfed multiple regions in the Russian Far East.
Ukrainian military vehicles driving past the border crossing point into Russia's Kursk Oblast from neighboring Sumy Oblast on August 13, 2024. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces hit the third bridge over the Seim River in Russia's Kursk Oblast, an official of the Russian Investigative Committee claimed in a video published on Aug. 19.
If confirmed, this would be a successful strike against the last stationary bridge over the river in the Glushkovsky district, which lies at the border of Ukraine's Sumy Oblast.
Similar statements were made by Russian milbloggers Vladimir Romanov and Yuri Podolyaka. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims, and no evidence was provided at the time of publication.
The Air Force declined to comment on the reports. Previously, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschchuk said that two bridges in Kursk Oblast were destroyed by Ukraine, hindering Russia's ability to supply troops fighting off the cross-border incursion. The other two bridges were located near the village of Zvannoye and the town of Glushkovo.
The Investigative Committee official, whose video statement was shared on the Telegram channel of Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, claimed that Ukraine struck the bridge with rocket fire and artillery in the village of Karyzh on Aug. 18.
Karyzh lies roughly 8 kilometers (5 miles) east of the Ukrainian border and 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Sudzha, a Kursk Oblast town under Kyiv's control.
The full extent of the damage following the alleged attack remains unclear.
The three reportedly damaged bridges on the Seim River in relation to the Ukrainian-held territories in Russia's Kursk Oblast as of Aug. 19, 2024. Source: Institute for the Study of War. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)
Russian milbloggers believe that the destruction of the bridge will not have a significant impact as Russian forces are already being supplied via a pontoon crossing.
Some analystspoint out that the destruction of the third bridge would complicate the logistics for Russian troops lodged between the river in the north and Ukrainian-held territories of Kursk Oblast in the east.
The unprecedented cross-border incursion has been ongoing since Aug. 6. Ukraine's forces managed to advance quickly and reportedly capture some 1,150 square kilometers and over 80 settlements, including Sudzha.
More recent reports indicate that the situation grows increasingly tense as Russia is pulling in reinforcements from Ukraine.
The Seim River is roughly 748 kilometers (465 miles) long and flows from Russia to Ukraine via Kursk Oblast, dividing the Russian region into two parts. (Wikimedia Commons)
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.
Chris York
