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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky photographed at a press conference in Kyiv on July 11. (Photo by Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on July 21 that Ukraine would respond to Russia's deadly attacks against Donetsk, Chernihiv, and Odesa oblasts.
On July 21, Russian shelling killed two children in Donetsk Oblast, while a Russian missile hit a community center in Chernihiv Oblast, killing two women. Russian missiles and drones also hit Odesa and southern Ukrainian regions, Zelensky said.
"Only absolute evil can inflict such attacks. We will respond," Zelensky said.
"In addition, there will be even more consolidation of the world for defense and for joint action, even more energy for victory, even more desire for justice, and just punishment of Russia for all the crimes of this war. And there will be punishment," he said.
Zelensky also said that more than 20 people, including two children, were wounded by Russian attacks on Odesa Oblast over the past week.
Russia launched four consecutive strikes against Odesa Oblast over the course of the past four days: In the early hours of July 21, a Russian missile strike targeted grain warehouses at an agricultural company in Odesa Oblast, injuring two people.
The three previous attacks targeted mainly the city of Odesa. According to Ukrainian officials, Russia is targeting port infrastructure and grain supplies, previously destroying around 60,000 tonnes of grain.
The strikes come shortly after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17, sparking fears of food insecurity worldwide. The deal, brokered in July 2022 by Turkey and the U.N., allowed Ukraine to export its agricultural products even amid the full-scale invasion.
On July 20, Russian forces attacked 10 Ukrainian oblasts, killing at least seven people and injuring at least nine.
Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, and Sumy oblasts all came under attack.
Daria Shulzhenko is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She has been a lifestyle reporter at the Kyiv Post until November 2021. She graduated from Kyiv International University with a bachelor’s in linguistics, specializing in translation from English and German languages. She has previously worked as a freelance writer and researcher.
Anastasiia Lapatina
