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.
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.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's statement came as Strong Shield 5 exercises involving military personnel from other NATO countries began in Lithuania.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
Ukraine's Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman points out his adopted son Matityahu (Anton) Samborskyi, who was killed in combat, during the memorial service in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
On September 12, a memorial service was held in Kyiv for Anton Samborskyi, the adopted son of Ukraine's Chief Rabbi Moshe Azman, who was killed in combat.
Samborskyi, 32, had been missing since late July, with his death confirmed weeks later.
Rabbi Azman, who adopted Samborskyi when he was 10, expressed his sorrow, recalling their last conversation and noting that Samborskyi had recently become a father before being drafted into the army.
The service at the Central Synagogue of Kyiv was attended by servicemen, veterans, and others, and Samborskyi was buried in the city’s Jewish cemetery afterward.
Rabbi Azman expressed his gratitude for the overwhelming support he received after the passing of his son on X.
“Friends, I am grateful to each of you,” he wrote on X. “Your warm words, coming from the heart, fill me with confidence in our victory over evil.”
He also announced a fundraising campaign in memory of his son, to support those affected by the war, including refugees, the elderly, widows, and orphans.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
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