"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.
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.
Rustem Umerov stands in the Ukrainian parliament during voting on his nomination as the Ukrainian defense minister in Kyiv on Sept. 6, 2023. (Andrii Nesterenko/AFP via Getty Images)
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov signed a submission to Ukraine's government on the dismissal of three of his deputies and the state secretary, he announced on Oct. 1.
Umerov called the system of the Defense Ministry, including the Armed Forces, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), and State Transport Special Service "a closed perimeter" during martial law.
"This means that all processes inside must be clear and controlled. Any attempt to influence them, whether external or internal, is unacceptable. In this context, personnel changes are taking place," Umerov said in a post on Facebook, without elaborating on the reason for the reshuffle.
Umerov's deputies Oleksandr Serhii, Yurii Dzhygyr as well as Defense Ministry's State Secretary Liudmyla Darahan were requested to be dismissed. Another Deputy Defense Minister Stanislav Haider is going to be transferred to the position of the head of the Minister's Office.
It is now up to Ukraine's Cabinet to approve the dismissals. It was not announced who would replace them, if approved.
Umerov is also planning to reform Ukraine's defense acquisition system, he said.
Supervisory boards are to be set up for the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) and the State Rear Operator (DOT) "in the near future," the minister said.
The defense procurement sector was reshaped in December 2023, aiming to meet NATO standards. The DPA, first established in August 2022, was to focus solely on lethal aid. Meanwhile, the DOT was formed to purchase non-lethal aid like food and clothing.
In addition, "Spetstechnoexport" (STE), Ukrainian state foreign trade enterprise, is being transferred from HUR to the Defense Ministry.
The STE specializes in the export and import of military equipment and services, development of innovations, and establishment of defense-technical cooperation with Western countries and foreign companies.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Kateryna Hodunova
