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.
"(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.
Military personnel stay in a dugout as the artillery unit of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade serves in the Zaporizhzhia direction, southeastern Ukraine. Aug. 11, 2023 (Photo by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ukraine has launched an investigation into the deaths of soldiers in the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade and changes will be made in the military to address negligence, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on Nov. 5.
A Russian attack during a military award ceremony in Zaporizhzhia Oblast allegedly killed over 20 soldiers on Nov. 3, although the exact number is currently not confirmed.
Zelensky passed on his condolences to the relatives of those killed but mentioned that the tragedy “could have been avoided.”
“Defense Minister (Rustem) Umerov reported to me about the measures taken to find out all the circumstances of what happened, who specifically gave what orders. Criminal proceedings were also registered as a result of the tragedy,” the president said.
“The main thing is to establish the full truth about what happened, and to prevent this from happening again.”
The president promised to implement changes in the armed forces to address negligence, Soviet-era practices, and bureaucracy.
Zelensky also emphasized the importance of maintaining national unity in order to achieve victory over Russia's invasion.
The soldiers of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade attended a ceremony on Nov. 3 to receive honors on Ukraine's Missile Forces and Artillery Day.
Viktor Mykyta, governor of Zakarpattia Oblast where the brigade is traditionally based, wrote on Nov. 4 that "after official information and with the permission of the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade, there will be an order to honor the fallen soldiers."
Dominic is the business reporter for the Kyiv Independent. He has written for a number of publications including the Financial Times, bne IntelliNews, Radio Free Europe/Liberty, Euronews and New Eastern Europe. Previously, Dominic worked with StopFake as a disinformation expert, debunking Russian fake news in Europe.
Rachel Amran
