"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes. A Russian Pantsir air defense system in the streets of Moscow during a rehearsal of a military parade on June 18, 2020. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Ukrainian military has allegedly hit a Pantsir S-1 anti-aircraft missile system in the village of Dubovoe in Belgorod Oblast, Pepel, a media outlet based in the region, claimed on June 22.
Air defense was operating at around 12:20 p.m. in the region, Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed. Several aerial targets were allegedly downed as they approached the city of Belgorod, he said.
As a result of the attack, grass was set on fire near the village of Dubovoe, according to Gladkov. The governor also claimed that the fire was promptly extinguished. The roofs of two houses and 17 cars were damaged in the village, he said.
No casualties were reported.
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WTF is wrong with Russia?
The Russian media outlet Pepel later claimed that a Pantsir surface-to-air missile system was hit. The system was struck by a cluster munition, while its crew survived, according to the outlet.
Black smoke was rising above the place where the Pantsir was located.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.
Ukrainian authorities have not commented on this attack at the moment of publication.
Belgorod Oblast borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts. Claims of missile and drone attacks against the region have recently become a common occurrence after anti-Kremlin Russian militias' incursions into Russian territory.
The U.S. gave Ukraine permission to use American weapons to strike targets in Russia across the border from both Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts, Michael Carpenter, senior director for Europe at the U.S. National Security Council, told the TSN news program on May 31.
Kateryna Denisova
