President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
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.
Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine and awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the Istanbul coastline on Nov. 02, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
War risk insurance premiums for vessels traversing Ukraine’s shipping corridor in the Black Sea have increased by about 33 per cent following Russia's recent attacks on foreign ships, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 10, citing sources in the market.
According to the insurance market sources, coverage has jumped to above one per cent of the value of a ship, up from around 0.75 per cent last week.
The increase in rates follows Russian strikes on three foreign ships flying the flags of Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Panama within a four day stretch between Oct. 6-9.
The Saint Kitts and Nevis vessel attacked on Oct. 6 was loaded with about 6,000 tons of Ukrainian corn intended for export. While on Oct. 7, five foreign nationals were injured and one port employee was killed in the attack on the Palau-flagged boat. No details were provided as to what the second vessel was carrying.
A Russian missile strike on Odesa Oblast on Oct. 9 also hit a Panama-flagged civilian cargo ship containing 45 containers of packaged sunflower oil to be sent as humanitarian aid to Palestine, Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry said on Oct. 10.
Under the increased premiums, a ship valued at $50 million would see an increase of $125,000 per voyage.
Increased instability in the Black Sea has lead to wheat futures in Chicago rising 2.5 per cent thus far this week, Bloomberg reported.
Traveling along the route, Ukrainian ships are regularly at risk of being attacked by Russia. Since the beginning of the all-out war, mines have also been drifting along the trade route, which also poses a risk to maritime transport.
Kyiv was forced to set up a new export route in the Black Sea last year after Russia unilaterally terminated the Black Sea grain deal. Initially envisioned as a humanitarian corridor to allow the departure of ships stranded there since the start of the full-scale war, it has since grown into a full-blown trade route.
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.
Nate Ostiller
