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.
"(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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky during a joint press conference with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola (not pictured) on May 9, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces have managed to stabilize the situation in Kharkiv Oblast over the past day amid Russia's attempts to break through, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 15 in his evening address.
Russia launched anew offensive with a reported 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated near the countries' shared border in northeastern Ukraine.
Zelensky has received reports on the situation on the front line from soldiers and the Defense Ministry throughout the day, he said. The president added that authorities constantly monitor the combat activities in all front-line areas.
Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces continued defensive actions in Kharkiv Oblast, destroying Russian troops with "with all means."
"Artillery, drones, our infantry are working accurately," the head of state added.
The president also mentioned the situation in the Pokrovsk direction in Donetsk Oblast and Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, which both remain two of the hottest areas of the front line.
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War Notes
Zelensky said that Russian troops had attempted to disperse Ukrainian units and push them back.
"We react to it exactly as necessary – in every direction, we must have something to respond with to the enemy," Zelensky said.
Earlier in the day, Zelensky said that more Ukrainian forces were deployed to Kharkiv Oblast to defend against Russian assaults in the region.
Ukraine repelled Russian attacks in the Vovchansk direction in Kharkiv Oblast and "partially pushed out enemy forces from the town," according to the General Staff.
Russian troops are continuing to attack Lyptsi, a village 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the Russian border and around 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Vovchansk.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Chris York
