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.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh is presented with the Women’s Athlete of The Year award by Dobromir Karamarinov during the 2024 Golden Tracks Award Ceremony on Oct. 26, 2024 in Skopje, North Macedonia. (Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images for European Athletics)
Olympic gold medalist Yaroslava Muhuchikh took home the title of Europe’s women's Athlete of the Year at the 2024 European Athletics Golden Tracks Awards ceremony on Oct. 26.
The 23-year-old high jumper won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in the women's high jump event following a jump of 2.00 meters on Aug. 4.
Mahuchikh, originally from Dnipro, currently holds the world record for women's high jump at 2.10 meters and was named world champion in the event in August 2023.
The award marks the first time Mahuchikh wins the title of top women's athlete after finishing as the runner-up for two consecutive years. With the award, Mahuchikh becomes the first Ukrainian senior women's athlete to win receive the honor.
"It's a completely special moment for me especially for the challenging time for Ukraine," Mahuchikh said while accepting her award. "But, you know, I am happy to be here... for all my people in Ukraine, and I hope that it brings some happiness during this time."
Following her victory at the Paris Olympics, Mahuchikh said that her medal was "for the whole country."
Dutch track and field sprinter Femke Bol and Britain's 800-meter star Keely Hodgkinson finished as runners-up in this year's award ceremony.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Abbey Fenbert
