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.
Ukrainian forces successfully down a Shahed-type drone over the skies of Sumy Oblast on Jan. 9, 2024. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Sumy Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)
Ukraine shot down 12 Shahed drones out of the 15 launched by Russia overnight, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on March 9.
Ukrainian air defensedowned the drones over Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Poltava Oblasts.
Explosions were heard in the suburbs of Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, according to Ukrainian media Suspilne.
Air alerts sounded across eastern, southern, and central Ukraine at 9.18 p.m., includuing Kyiv shortly before 10 p.m.
A Russian strike earlier on March 8 injured a seven-year-old boy in Kherson. An aerial bomb landed on his home causing "an explosion injury and contusion."
Four people were also injured in Donetsk Oblast on March 8, according to the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office. Russian shelling on the village of Pivdenne injured a 23-year-old man, while two people were injured in the city of Siversk after a drone hit a civilian car.
A 68-year-old woman was also injured in the village of Berdychi after a Russian attack.
During the early hours of March 9, Russia claimed that Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian regions of Kursk and Rostov, allegedly injuring one person and damaging the roof of a medical clinic.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
In recent months, Russian authorities began reporting an increasing number of drone strikes targeting Belgorod, Bryansk, Oryol, and Leningrad oblasts, as well as other regions.
Dominic is the business reporter for the Kyiv Independent. He has written for a number of publications including the Financial Times, bne IntelliNews, Radio Free Europe/Liberty, Euronews and New Eastern Europe. Previously, Dominic worked with StopFake as a disinformation expert, debunking Russian fake news in Europe.
Dominic Culverwell
