Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Russia (Contributor/Getty Images)Key developments on May 5: Four drones were intercepted overnight as they approached Moscow just days before Russia's annual Victory Day parade Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on May 5 Sobyanin said the drones were shot down near the town of Podolsk reportedly disrupted operations at Moscow's airports Videos shared on Russian social media appeared to capture the sound of air defense systems in the area Russia's Defense Ministry claimed the downing of four drones over the Moscow Oblast It also reported intercepting 17 drones over Bryansk Oblast and five more over Kaluga Oblast The Ukrainian government has not commented on the reported attack The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims The attack comes ahead of Russia's May 9 Victory Day celebrations, which mark the Soviet Union's role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on May 3 that Russia could stage provocations, such as "arsons, explosions, or other actions," around the event and attempt to blame Ukraine Victory Day, one of Russia's most symbolic holidays is expected to feature a military parade in Moscow's Red Square The Kremlin has invited foreign guests to attend Ukraine, along with most European nations, observes Victory in Europe Day on May 8 and has invited senior EU officials to Kyiv that day in a symbolic counter to Moscow's display Ukrainian Air Force struck the control center of Russia's drone units near the village of Tetkino in Russia's Kursk Oblast on May 4 Ukraine's General Staff reported on the following day.‌‌‌‌ The crews of unmanned reconnaissance and attack drones were based at this location. As a result of the strike, up to 20 Russian soldiers were killed and their equipment destroyed, according to the statement.‌‌‌‌ The village of Tetkino in Kursk Oblast is less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Ukrainian border the settlement was home to up to 4,000 people.‌‌‌‌ Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted Russian military and industrial facilities in the rear to undermine Moscow's ability to wage its all-out war In the meantime, Russia continues regularly targeting Ukrainian cities and villages with drones, missiles, glide bombs, and artillery, resulting in heavy civilian casualties Ukrainian air defense shot down 42 of the 116 attack and decoy drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported Twenty-one decoy drones disappeared from radars without causing damage The special tribunal on the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine is expected to start in 2026 Deputy Head of Ukrainian President's Office Iryna Mudra told Ukrinform on May 5 The tribunal, set to operate within the Council of Europe, will focus on Russia's political and military leaders "The special tribunal may start operating as early as next year. This year, we are finalizing the legal framework and forming the special tribunal: recruiting judges and the secretariat, implementing rules, regulations, and procedures," Mudra said A draft charter for the special tribunal that fully regulates its work has already been created "A special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine has been created in basically two years given the very complex and sensitive issues on which we had to seek a compromise," she said President Volodymyr Zelensky has been a strong advocate for the tribunal, seeking to hold Putin accountable for launching the full-scale invasion nearly three years ago The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official overseeing the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia In March 2024, the ICC also issued warrants for two Russian military commanders for strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the winter of 2022-2023 Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide — charges that apply to individuals at all levels of a military conflict — the crime of aggression is a charge that can be brought exclusively against the top leadership of an aggressor state The Czech Republic is ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters and L-39 training aircraft in cooperation with its partners from "the coalition of the willing," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on May 5 during a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky "We are ready to deepen our contribution to the training of the Ukrainian military. We have agreed that together with our partners from the 'coalition of the willing' we will train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and L-39s," Fiala said Fiala said that Ukrainian pilots will be trained at bases in the Czech Republic The Czech prime minister added that Ukrainian pilots are already training on Czech models supplied to Ukraine He did not specify which aircraft models he was talking about Zelensky said that Ukraine is working with the Czech Republic to launch a Ukrainian-Czech school to train pilots on F-16 fighter jets we are working with partners so that such schools can open outside of Ukraine Ukraine and its allies created an aviation coalition to provide Ukraine with F-16 combat aircraft The first batch of F-16s was delivered to Ukraine by the Netherlands, which was announced in October 2024. Denmark sent the second batch of aircraft and Norway — agreed to provide F-16s to Kyiv Ukraine expects 3 million artillery shells from its allies President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 4 "If Ukraine is strong, the war will end," Zelensky told journalists in Prague alongside Czech President Petr Pavel Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived in the Czech Republic on May 4 for an official visit A Czech ammunition initiative will deliver up to 1.8 million artillery shells to Ukraine by the end of 2025 "Russia should know that we are expecting three million artillery shells from our allies. Not only North Korea is capable of helping in the war, we have allies who are helping Ukraine," Zelensky said Russia has turned to North Korea for support as it wages its war against Ukraine and faces isolation from the West. North Korea has confirmed that it has sent troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Kursk Oblast Zelensky warned Moscow that there are other streams of military aid in addition to the Czech ammunition initiative to help Ukraine fend off Russia's war The Czech initiative was launched last year to combat Ukrainian shell shortages amid delays in U.S "Forcing Russia to go for a full, unconditional ceasefire, especially since it was a proposal from the United States and we supported it is also a priority task," Zelensky said The Kremlin has shown no signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine. Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations brokered by the U.S Ukraine has already agreed to a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to the terms Zelensky has repeatedly called for a 30-day ceasefire Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent We are here to make sure our readers get quick essential updates about the events in Ukraine Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts The classified "homeland defense plan" outlines how the government would respond in the immediate aftermath of a strike on British territory by a hostile foreign nation This marks the fifth known prisoner of war (POWs) swap of 2025 and the 64th since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022 The suspension reportedly affected 11 shipments of artillery shells and weapons from Dover Air Force Base and a U.S Trump said that Russia has grown more willing to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine following a sharp decline in oil prices Poland will hold presidential elections on May 18 as the country faces key debates over social policy and national security that could shape its political trajectory The annual report said Russia is using aggressive tactics such as unauthorized airspace incursions and close encounters with NATO ships and aircraft including Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones located about 70 kilometers northwest of Donetsk remains one of the most fiercely contested sectors of the front where Russia has concentrated its main offensive efforts since March  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 11:41 am)Ukraine's drones target Moscow second night in a row, Russian official claims, ahead of Victory Day parade. Debris from one of the drones reportedly fell on the Kashirskoye Highway The reported attack comes just days before Russia's Victory Day parade and three-day "truce." Vice President Mike Pence said Putin "only understands power." About 800 million euros ($905 million) will be allocated for the acquisition and installation of anti-tank mines to deter potential aggression by Dmytro BasmatRussian President Vladimir Putin greets Chinese President Xi Jinping during an official welcoming ceremony for delegations' heads at the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 23 2024 (Maxim Shemetov / POOL / AFP) Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during Moscow's Victory Day celebrations between May 7-10 and "sign a number of bilateral inter-governmental and inter-departmental documents" to strengthen Chinese-Russian relations "The bilateral talks to be held during the visit will focus on the core aspects of further advancement of Russia-China relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation, as well as pressing matters on the international and regional agendas," a statement from the Kremlin read Pro-Kremlin media Interfax reported on Feb China has strengthened ties with Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, becoming Moscow's leading supplier of dual-use goods that bolster Russia's defense industry Despite the criticism, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on April 17 that China is supplying weapons to the Russian military His statement marks Kyiv's first confirmation that Beijing supports Russia's war effort by providing weapons Kyiv also presented Beijing with evidence that Chinese citizens and companies have participated in Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine The Kremlin uses Victory Day celebrations for propaganda purposes showcasing its military might and drawing on the Soviet victory in World War II to justify its aggression against Ukraine Zelensky said Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of foreign officials planning to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow warning that any incidents on Russian territory fall solely under the Kremlin’s control “Our position is very simple for all countries traveling to Russia on May 9: We cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky said during a briefing with journalists Zelensky cautioned that Russia could orchestrate provocations or other actions,” and then attempt to blame Ukraine He said Kyiv has advised visiting delegations accordingly 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 and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University As Russian tanks roll through Red Square for Victory Day on May 9 Chinese President Xi Jinping will stand alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin—a jarring image for a country that claims to be a force for global stability The image of Xi in Moscow underscores the growing tension at the heart of China’s foreign policy: its strategic partnership with Russia increasingly collides with its broader ambitions to be seen as a responsible global leader as a steadying alternative to what it depicts as American volatility and Western decline Although the China-Russia relationship remains solid, Xi faces challenges. Over the past year, Moscow has expanded its diplomatic outreach, negotiating directly with Washington and signing a mutual defense pact with Pyongyang Xi’s visit offers him an opportunity to reaffirm the strength of the Beijing-Moscow partnership—even as Putin’s diplomatic options grow Some observers argue that China could turn U.S diplomatic disarray under the second Trump administration into a strategic advantage Beijing has long believed that periods of American distraction or disruption offer an opportunity for China to expand its influence Chinese leaders have been actively courting Europe positioning Beijing as a more reliable economic and diplomatic partner—especially as Trump’s erratic tariffs open musings about annexing foreign territories and disregard for allies and international norms have alienated much of the world where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pressed for deeper trade and investment ties and a revival of negotiations on a long-stalled trilateral free trade agreement Yet Xi’s appearance in Moscow muddies China’s campaign—and exposes the limits of its strategy By visibly aligning with Putin while Russia wages a war of aggression against Ukraine Beijing reinforces suspicions that it is willing to side with revisionist powers over defending international norms the diplomatic costs of this alignment are uneven Many governments in the Global South view Beijing’s partnership with Moscow as unproblematic or at least secondary to their broader interests with China where skepticism of Beijing already runs high Xi’s overtures are unlikely to offer reassurance As competition with the United States intensifies Chinese officials dismiss the prospect of a “reverse Nixon”—the scenario in which Washington and Moscow reconcile relations The consensus view in Beijing is that Putin is unlikely to give Trump the Ukraine peace deal he wants; the distrust between Moscow and Washington remains too profound for any full reset What has Chinese officials nervous is not a potential Trump-Putin rapprochement but the tightening of ties between Putin and Kim Jong-un The recently signed Russia-North Korea defense pact has only deepened these anxieties Chinese analysts are increasingly uneasy about Russia’s expanding and opaque military ties with Pyongyang and their potential to create instability right on its doorstep Beijing is particularly wary that Putin could position himself as a broker between Trump and Kim attention away from faltering negotiations on Ukraine long accustomed to playing a central role in Korean Peninsula diplomacy ceding its position to Moscow would be seen as a serious blow Xi isn’t inclined to make new concessions to Putin and its diplomatic leverage with the West remains limited China continues to dominate the economic relationship and that imbalance isn’t likely to change soon—though it’s increasingly a source of the Kremlin’s resentment Russia is both a strategic asset and a potential liability—an ally in confronting Western dominance A weakened Russia can’t fully serve Beijing’s strategic goals independent Russia could one day reemerge as a rival It wasn’t so long ago that China and the Soviet Union were bitter adversaries facing off across a heavily militarized 4,000-kilometer frontier Beijing’s ideal outcome is a Russia strong enough to push back against the West but weak enough to remain securely in China’s orbit is becoming more difficult—and carries global consequences Xi’s visit to Moscow exposes the contradictions at the heart of China’s foreign policy The belief that Beijing could capitalize on American dysfunction while maintaining credibility with Europe and Asia is proving naïve Xi’s embrace of autocrats abroad is not strengthening China’s global hand—it is narrowing it Our goal: to leave no breach of freedom of information unreported our latest investigation reports as well as our publications produced every day by our regional offices in connection with our network of correspondents in 115 countries around the world we carry out in-depth work with governments and institutions We offer concrete solutions and launch international initiatives We are on the ground to assist journalists in danger Do you believe there can be no freedom of conscience without freedom of the press Do you want to help free and independent journalism Do you want to defend the right to information There are several ways to support RSF: find the one that suits you and join the fight Go behind the scenes of RSF and discover in detail our operations our governance… but also our favourite picks projects and events we support and who act in their own way to advance our commmon ideal Reporters Without Borders (RSF) held a press conference at its headquarters to present Ekaterina Barabash to the press The Russian journalist and film critic disappeared from Moscow Ekaterina Barabash recounted her escape from the Russian authorities who put her on their wanted list as she faced up to ten years in prison RSF coordinated the operation and ensured her safe passage to France Journalism no longer exists in Russia,” Ekaterina Barabash declared emotionally during the press conference on Monday The 63-year-old journalist tore off her electronic tag and travelled over 2,800 kilometres using clandestine routes to escape the close surveillance of the Russian authorities she has been officially listed as “wanted” by Russia since 21 April she had not been seen or heard from publicly until the RSF press conference “It is an immense relief to welcome Ekaterina Barabash to Paris Her escape from Russia is one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since the draconian Russian laws of March 2022 It sends a clear message to the Kremlin: free voices that dare to speak the truth about the war in Ukraine cannot be silenced It is a message to journalists in danger: there is a way out I have the deepest admiration for the moral determination and physical courage shown by Ekaterina Barabash we feared she would be arrested — at one point we even thought she might be dead ready to testify and to resume her profession Her message is clear: journalism no longer exists in Russia and no journalist are safe from the Kremlin’s surveillance and repression RSF extends its gratitude to all those who helped facilitate Ekaterina Barabash’s departure from Russia and her arrival in the European Union An arbitrary arrest and politically motivated charges Ekaterina Barabash’s ordeal began on 25 February 2025 Returning from the Berlinale international film festival in Berlin known for her criticism of Russia’s war in Ukraine It was not the first time she had been targeted by the authorities: on her way to Germany she was held for several hours at border control she was charged with “disseminating false information” about the Russian army based on four social media posts — one of which condemned Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine a Moscow court ordered her to be placed under house arrest for two months which criticises its vagueness and arbitrary application Your donations enable RSF to keep working. We depend on you in order to be able to monitor respect for press freedom and take action worldwide. You support our activities when you buy our books of photos: all of the profits go to Reporters Without Borders. Thanks to you, we remain independent." Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash resurfaced in Paris Monday following a daring escape from Moscow last month after being put under house arrest and facing a 10-year prison sentence for posts condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine Reporters Without Borders said it helped Barabash orchestrate her adrenaline-packed getaway: The outspoken war critic tore off her electronic monitoring tag and “travelled over 2,800 kilometres (about 1739 miles) using clandestine routes” to evade surveillance “Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since Russia’s draconian laws of March 2022,” said the group's Director General Thibaut Bruttin during a press conference with Barabash at RSF's headquarters in Paris vehemently condemned on Monday the lack of freedoms in Russia while detailing her escape “There is no culture in Russia… there is no politics… It’s only war,” she said adding that those unwilling to submit to state censorship either lived in exile or were imprisoned Barabash said the very concept of a “Russian journalist” no longer made sense. “There are no Russian journalists,” she said. “Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism.” The Facebook posts that landed her in legal jeopardy were written between 2022 and 2023, lambasting Russia's actions in Ukraine. “So you (expletive) bombed the country, razed entire cities to the ground, killed a hundred children, shot civilians for no reason, blockaded Mariupol, deprived millions of people of a normal life and forced them to leave for foreign countries? All for the sake of friendship with Ukraine?” one post read. Russian authorities arrested the veteran journalist and film critic, born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, upon her return from the Berlinale film festival in February. She was charged with spreading “fake news” about Russia's military, and branded a “foreign agent.” Barabash was then put under house arrest. Barabash said she crossed multiple borders, using covert channels coordinated by RSF, and spent two weeks in hiding and then she France on April 26, her birthday. The hardest part was her inability to contact her 96-year-old mother, whom she had to leave behind. “I just understood that. I’d never see her,” Barabash said, adding they both decided that not seeing her while being free was better than a Russian prison. Barabash's son and grandson remain in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. She hasn't been able to see them since the war started because “I have a Russian passport,” she said. Brutin, RSF's director, said during Barabash's escape, "she sang George Brassens.” Barabash thanked the "many people" and the RSF team for helping her gain freedom. “I don’t know their names,” she said. Their identities were kept confidential for their protection. The former Radio France Internationale contributor, who later worked with independent outlet Republic, hopes to seek asylum and resume work with exiled Russian-language media. She does not yet have a French work permit, but RSF says she holds a six-month visa and is in the process of regularizing her status. “Now I’m here and I think it will not be (an) easy way to begin (a) new life. I’m not very young. I’m young ... but not very," she said in a self-deprecating way. Barabash joins a growing wave of Russian journalists in exile — more than 90 media outlets have fled to the European Union and neighboring countries since the war began, according to RSF, which ranks Russia 171st out of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index. After the press conference, Barabash told The Associated Press that for her, a Russian prison was “worse than death.” “If you want to be a journalist, you have to (live in) exile," she said. If you want (to) stay in Russia as a journalist, you are not a journalist. That is it. It’s very simple.” At least 38 journalists remain imprisoned in Russia, and independent reporting is functionally extinct inside the country, said the media freedom group. Still, RSF’s Bruttin said: “Free voices that dare to speak the truth about the war in Ukraine cannot be silenced.” Associated Press journalists Jeffrey Schaeffer and Alex Turnbull in Paris and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, Britain, contributed to this report You will also start receiving the Star's free morning newsletter who has Ukrainian heritage and is an outspoken critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine speaks during a press conference at Reporters Without Borders (RSF) headquarters reacts during a press conference at Reporters Without Borders (RSF) headquarters Ekaterina Barabash was facing a 10-year prison sentence for posts condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine PARIS (AP) — Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash resurfaced in Paris Monday following a daring escape from Moscow last month after being put under house arrest and facing a 10-year prison sentence for posts condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine “Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since Russia’s draconian laws of March 2022,” said the group’s Director General Thibaut Bruttin during a press conference with Barabash at RSF’s headquarters in Paris Barabash, 63, vehemently condemned on Monday the lack of freedoms in Russia while detailing her escape “There is no culture in Russia… there is no politics… It’s only war,” she said, adding that those unwilling to submit to state censorshi p either lived in exile or were imprisoned Barabash said the very concept of a “Russian journalist” no longer made sense “There are no Russian journalists,” she said “Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism.” The Facebook posts that landed her in legal jeopardy were written between 2022 and 2023 lambasting Russia’s actions in Ukraine deprived millions of people of a normal life and forced them to leave for foreign countries All for the sake of friendship with Ukraine?” one post read Russian authorities arrested the veteran journalist and film critic upon her return from the Berlinale film festival in February She was charged with spreading “fake news” about Russia’s military Barabash said she crossed multiple borders and spent two weeks in hiding and then she France on April 26 The hardest part was her inability to contact her 96-year-old mother adding they both decided that not seeing her while being free was better than a Russian prison Barabash’s son and grandson remain in the Ukrainian capital She hasn’t been able to see them since the war started because “I have a Russian passport,” she said Barabash thanked the “many people” and the RSF team for helping her gain freedom Their identities were kept confidential for their protection The former Radio France Internationale contributor who later worked with independent outlet Republic hopes to seek asylum and resume work with exiled Russian-language media She does not yet have a French work permit but RSF says she holds a six-month visa and is in the process of regularizing her status “Now I’m here and I think it will not be (an) easy way to begin (a) new life but not very,” she said in a self-deprecating way Barabash joins a growing wave of Russian journalists in exile — more than 90 media outlets have fled to the European Union and neighboring countries since the war began which ranks Russia 171st out of 180 countries in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index Barabash told The Associated Press that for her you have to (live in) exile,” she said If you want (to) stay in Russia as a journalist At least 38 journalists remain imprisoned in Russia and independent reporting is functionally extinct inside the country RSF’s Bruttin said: “Free voices that dare to speak the truth about the war in Ukraine cannot be silenced.” Associated Press journalists Jeffrey Schaeffer and Alex Turnbull in Paris and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 9:36 am)War analysisFrance is sending Ukraine more AASM Hammer bombs — here's what they can do by Anna FratsyvirRobert Fico Prime Minister of Slovakia during a press conference after their meeting at the Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava Slovakia on 28 April 2025 Robert Nemeti/Anadolu via Getty Images)Ukraine’s Embassy in Slovakia on May 4 condemned what it called "anti-Ukrainian" remarks by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico who criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning that Russia could stage provocations during its May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow In a statement the Ukrainian Embassy said it regretted Fico’s accusations and urged Slovak officials to "more carefully study Russia is responsible for ensuring safety and security on its territory Fico, who plans to attend Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, had earlier denounced Zelensky for "threatening" foreign delegations, calling the remarks "unacceptable" and accusing the Ukrainian leader of disrespecting Russia’s role in defeating fascism in World War II The embassy said that Zelensky had only warned that Russia might exploit the parade to stage provocations and blame Ukraine, and therefore could not guarantee the safety of visiting foreign officials the Ukrainian Embassy said it viewed Fico’s remarks as "deeply regrettable," particularly amid ongoing Russian aggression "Regarding the need not to mix history with the present, the Embassy regrets to note that the current Russian aggression against Ukraine has returned to the scale of atrocities unseen since World War II, which Russia is now using solely to justify the war against our country," the embassy said "It should be remembered that during the Second World War Ukrainian soldiers made a huge contribution to the victory over Nazism having distinguished themselves with extraordinary heroism bravery and self-sacrifice on all fronts," the statement read Highlighting Ukraine’s contribution to the Allied war effort the embassy noted that six million Ukrainians fought against Nazism both in the Soviet army and other Allied forces claimed over eight million Ukrainian lives The embassy also pushed back against Fico’s calls for a ceasefire timed with the WWII anniversary, noting that Ukraine had already agreed to a full ceasefire on March 11 while Russia "constantly rejects this option and puts forward new demands which is not a serious path to peace." is one of few European leaders set to attend Russia’s Victory Day amid the ongoing war in Ukraine On May 9, Russia holds grandiose military parades in celebration of the end of World War II in Europe. Ukraine and most European nations mark May 8 as Victory in Europe Day Ukraine has invited senior EU leaders and officials to Kyiv on May 9 to counter Russia's celebration The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas on April 15 warned European leaders against attending Russia’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne covering global politics and international developments Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Mobile internet services in Moscow faced major disruptions on Monday as authorities warned residents of possible outages throughout the week due to heightened security ahead of Victory Day celebrations Russia’s emergency alert system sent out messages warning of mobile internet restrictions from May 5 to May 9 “to ensure security in connection with the preparation and celebration of the Victory Day parade.” Outages across Russia’s largest telecom providers and other online services were reported Monday morning, coinciding with the rehearsal of a military aircraft flyover in Moscow which commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II is one of Russia’s most politically significant holidays President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the military parade on Red Square alongside some 20 foreign leaders Internet restrictions have become common during major events involving Putin particularly amid growing concerns over drone attacks and sabotage attempts linked to the war in Ukraine The disruptions come days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected a ceasefire proposal from Putin to coincide with the commemorations Zelensky said it was up to Moscow to ensure the safety of visiting delegations some of whom reportedly requested security guarantees Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Zelensky of directly threatening the May 9 events, while former President Dmitry Medvedev warned that “May 10 may not arrive in Kyiv” if there were “real Victory Day provocations.” Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society Europe's water is under increasing pressure floods are taking their toll on our drinking water Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters and to discover some of the best water solutions an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of foreign officials planning to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on Friday “Our position is very simple for all countries travelling to Russia on 9 May: we cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the Ukrainian president said on Saturday because we do not know what Russia might do on those dates.” This statement sparked further diplomatic tensions with Slovakia whose Moscow-friendly Prime Minister Robert Fico criticised Zelenskyy’s warning "I reject such threats for security reasons," Fico said on Monday "I fully respect that the safety of participants is an internal matter of the Russian Federation But if Mr Zelenskyy believes that his statements will force foreign delegations not to come It is unclear if Fico will be attending the parade After the Slovak prime minister cancelled a few public appearances there have been speculations that he might also not appear in Moscow who had also planned to visit Moscow alongside Fico fell ill during a visit to the United States last week cutting his trip short and returning to Belgrade Fico and Vučić were the only European leaders to announce their participation in the Russian Victory Day parade a decision which drew sharp criticism from the European Union indicating that the visit would violate EU membership criteria and potentially hurt Serbia's accession process to the 27-member bloc but Moscow’s most valuable ally and arguably the most important guest will be attending Chinese president Xi Jinping will make an official visit to Russia from 7 to 10 May to participate in celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine between 7 and 9 May around the Victory Day celebration The idea was categorically dismissed by Kyiv with Zelenskyy calling it a "theatrical performance" designed to ease Russia’s international isolation and create a favourable atmosphere for the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow Zelenskyy reportedly said the proposal was not a serious attempt to end the war and reiterated Ukraine’s support for a US-backed initiative calling for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire Ukraine’s president warned that Moscow’s history of violating short-term truces undermines any trust in its latest offer then start attacking again on the 11th," he said as the rehearsals were taking place in the Russian capital authorities said four drones were intercepted overnight as they approached the city there were no injuries or damage from the falling debris Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app This wasn’t the first time Ukrainian drones reached Moscow the city authorities reported the biggest drone attack with over 70 drones shot down according to the Russian air defence and Moscow authorities Ukrainian drones can now fly way beyond that and reach a range of 3,000 km Kyiv has been using long-range drones to strike deep into Russian territory targeting military infrastructure like airfields Russia has already cancelled the Victory parade in the occupied Crimean port city of Sevastopol The Moscow-installed occupation governor of Sevastopol said the parade will not take place due to safety risks The announcement comes following a reported Ukrainian sea drone strike which destroyed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet near the port of Novorossiysk last Friday Ukraine’s military intelligence described it as "an unprecedented operation," marking the first time a sea drone downed a jet aircraft It is the third time in a row that the parade has been cancelled in Sevastopol The occupied port city last held it in 2022 shortly after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine it has become one of the most important public holidays and a grand demonstration of Russia’s military power It has become even more symbolic since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 as the Kremlin has been using the imagery and narratives of World War II to describe and back its all-out invasion Russia has rehashed a slew of slogans and symbols identical to the ones the Soviet Union used in WWII such as "We can do it again" or "We can repeat it," as seen widely used by Russian soldiers in Ukraine has now become one of the most recognisable emblems of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is worn by the supporters of Moscow’s attack on the neighbouring country Moscow has deliberately linked the two narratives through language as well using elaborate language to create a substitute term implying grandeur: for example calling its full-scale invasion of Ukraine "a special military operation" in the same way as World War II is called "the Great Patriotic War" in Russia Putin himself has repeatedly claimed that "the Soviet people were fighting alone" in WWII disregarding the contribution of the allies When launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine he stated its primary goals were the “denazification” of the country and the "fight against fascism" — claims that Putin has never backed up with evidence to this day The popularisation of this rhetoric and Putin’s glorification of Victory Day have their own term in Russian: "pobedobesie," a derogatory word meaning grotesque hyperbolic celebrations Ukraine has distanced itself from Soviet-era commemorations and dates Zelenskyy signed a law in 2023 moving Ukraine's World War II remembrance to 8 May Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government could not guarantee the safety of foreign delegations visiting Moscow to attend the Victory Day Parade next Friday marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II “Our position is very simple for all countries traveling to Russia on May 9: We cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy told reporters according to a report by Ukrainian news agency Interfax on Saturday “They provide you with security; therefore Because we don’t know what Russia will do these days,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying He also warned that Russia could orchestrate provocations Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are among the leaders set to attend the celebrations to commemorate the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany on May 9 in Moscow Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and the country’s former president, called Zelenskyy’s statement a “verbal provocation” in a post on his Telegram channel, according to Reuters Zelenskyy “understands that in the event of a real provocation on Victory Day nobody will be able to guarantee that Kyiv will live to see May 10,” Medvedev threatened on his channel Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a one-sided three-day ceasefire starting on May 8 Kyiv referred to Putin’s truce announcement as a manipulation attempt, while calling for a ceasefire that would be “immediate The conservative leader’s wafer-thin majority is exposed after failing to get parliamentary support in a first vote This failure is unprecedented in Germany’s postwar history Germany’s most important and powerful ally for many decades — the US — has only further weakened conservative leader Friedrich Merz Germany’s junior coalition partner hands key ministries to familiar faces — and springs a few surprises Three people were killed after an explosion ripped through an apartment building in Moscow and sparked a fire, state media reported early Monday Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said first responders arrived at the blast scene in Moscow’s southwestern Yasenevo district on Sunday evening It took fire crews around an hour to put out the flames which caused part of the ninth floor of the building to collapse At least two bodies were found on a balcony, the ministry said, while six other people were being treated for injuries. Around 150 residents were temporarily moved to a nearby school An anonymous police source told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that the death toll had climbed to three as of Monday morning There was no official confirmation of the third death Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the cause of the fire was not yet known Law enforcement officials launched a criminal investigation into the explosion but did not say if charges had been brought against anyone Sophie Grace Clark is a Live News reporter based in London, with a focus on crime stories. She has also covered politics and entertainment extensively. Sophie joined Newsweek in 2024 from a freelance career and had previously worked at The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Star, OK Magazine, and MyLondon. She is a graduate of Middlebury College. You can get in touch with Sophie by emailing sg.clark@newsweek.com either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Two European allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin have fallen ill days before they were set to attend a Victory Day parade in Moscow Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico have had their trips to Russia questioned amid reported health scares The Victory Day parade, set to occur on May 9, celebrates the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany This year marks 80 years since the end of World War II The Victory Day parade in Moscow has grown over the years from a celebration of victory over Nazi Germany into a day to uphold Russian patriotism. It has also expanded since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, particularly as Russian media portrays Ukrainians as Nazis Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he cannot guarantee the safety of world leaders attending the event creating speculation over whether Ukraine is planning a counteroffensive on the day Vucic announced his sickness when he had to cut short his visit to the United States The Serbian president consulted with doctors while in the U.S Cardiologist Dragan Dinčić from the Military Medical Academy told Russian outlet RBC that the president experienced chest pain related to his blood pressure He was supposed to meet with several high-profile Republicans during his visit and his trip to Moscow is still in question After Vucic reported his illness, U.S. special presidential envoy Richard Grenell wished him well on X, formerly Twitter: "Sending our best has rejected media reports that he is unwell Slovak media began questioning his health after he canceled a week's worth of events and appearances Fico has said he is not changing his plans to visit Moscow on May 9 for the parade told the press that the parade was "for the memory of the Great Patriotic War." He added that the prime minister's choice to remove himself from other plans may be due to the psychological effects of surviving an assassination attempt on May 15 Fico is the only leader of an EU state planning to attend the parade Vucic has been working to obtain EU membership for Serbia Slovak politician Jan Richter told Aktuality: "The visit to Moscow is not connected with the war between Russia and Ukraine but with respect for the memory of the Great Patriotic War." per Ukrainian media: "We cannot be responsible for what is happening on the territory of the Russian Federation They provide you with safety and so we will not give you any guarantees." Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsletters in your inbox See all Serhiy was just about to board a coach bound for Germany when Polish security services detained him at the bus station in the city of Wrocław when they searched the mobile phone of the 49-year-old Ukrainian refugee they found a pdf of a Russian-language book called Modern Pyrotechnics It contained detailed instructions on how to start fires and detonate explosives Serhiy S – as he is identified in accordance with Polish law on naming criminal suspects – is one of dozens of people who have been rounded up across Europe over the past two years and accused of being foot soldiers in a new front of Russia’s war against the west Serhiy seen in red overalls in court in Wrocław Photograph: Lina Verschwele/SZEuropean intelligence agencies say Moscow has launched a campaign of sabotage arson and disinformation against the continent it is focused on specific targets related to support for the Ukrainian war effort but more often it is simply aimed at causing chaos and unease the incidents point to how Russia’s intelligence services have moved towards a new kind of attack on the west one that is dangerous and violent but also piecemeal and hard to prove the acts are carried out by people who are recruited online and often paid in cryptocurrency Some know exactly what they are doing and why others do not realise they are ultimately working for Moscow The professional intelligence officers who direct the operations never need to leave Russian territory This account of Russia’s sabotage offensive is based on thousands of pages of court documents from Britain and Poland interviews with current and former security and intelligence officials in several European countries and the US and discussions with people who knew some of the perpetrators “It’s easier to deal with spies under diplomatic cover or even [deep-cover] illegals,” said one senior European security official “This kind of action is becoming dangerous for all of us.” But before the change of US administration there were signs that Moscow was raising the stakes ever higher Intelligence last year about an apparent plot to send exploding parcels to the US which could have led to a plane crash and mass casualties caused so much alarm in Washington that top Biden administration security officials called their Russian counterparts to warn them that such an escalation would force the US to respond They were not sure if the orders had come from the Kremlin or from overenthusiastic mid-level planners “We didn’t know if Putin had approved it or knew about it,” said a former US security official senior Russian officials denied there was any such operation in the works but promised to pass on the message to Putin The phone calls seemed to put an end to the exploding parcels plan but the episode left nerves frayed over what lines Russia might be willing to cross in future “Their goal is not the same as Islamist jihadists who want as many victims as possible,” said Harrys Puusepp Serhiy was born in Odesa in 1974 into a Soviet military family. As he was finishing school, the Soviet Union collapsed and his home city became part of independent Ukraine and Serhiy grew increasingly disdainful of the government in Kyiv believing it discriminated against Russian speakers like him he spent a lot of time scrolling through pro-Russian news websites Soon after the full-scale invasion in February 2022 he left a comment under a political video on a Telegram channel messaged him privately to say he agreed with Serhiy’s point of view Alexei said he was a Kyiv-based businessman in the construction sector and asked a lot of questions about Serhiy’s life and work He made it clear he also hated Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian authorities scared of being conscripted into the Ukrainian army to fight in a war he did not believe in Serhiy illegally crossed the border into Moldova where a former schoolfriend from Odesa told him there was casual work that paid €75 a day After a few months of doing these odd jobs, his old Telegram buddy Alexei got back in touch from a new account. Alexei said he was now based in the Baltic states and suggested meeting up in Latvia or Lithuania to discuss a business proposal Serhiy told him it was too far away and too expensive for him to travel but Alexei offered to pay for the trip and suggested a closer destination – Wrocław in Poland He transferred about £350 in Ukrainian currency to Serhiy’s wife’s bank account Alexei called him and apologised – something had come up and he was not able to travel But he could reveal the business proposal: he wanted Serhiy to look for shopping malls and industrial centres in Wrocław and photograph them and a further $2,000 on receiving proof of the arson According to the story he later told Polish investigators he asked no questions about who might want to order such a plan or why Serhiy paced the streets of Wrocław looking for possible targets Eventually he settled on a paint wholesaler in an industrial estate on the outskirts of town He sent photographs of the building to Alexei who agreed it was an excellent target – near various sensitive infrastructure sites and close to a canal that could be heavily polluted if paint spilled into it Serhiy bought supplies for starting a fire all alone in Wrocław and realising the seriousness of what he had signed up for He remembered a building near his home in Germany that had burned down and told his wife to send him a photo of it he could send that to Alexei and pass it off as somewhere in Wrocław He was arrested just before he boarded the coach a message appeared on a small Telegram group with 28 subscribers that shared white supremacist content It was posted below an image of a mountain range that appeared to show an image of Adolf Hitler’s face We are looking for partisans in Europe,” read the message “We are looking for comrades who make arson to the store of black migrants.” The reward was $5,000 Attached was a photograph of the building Serhiy had identified The account that posted the message was the same one used by “Alexei” who had told Serhiy he was a construction magnate from Kyiv the account was posing as a European neo-Nazi Russia’s campaign of setting things on fire did not come out of nowhere. Research in the archives of communist security services shows that sabotage in enemy countries was part of the KGB’s intelligence doctrine as early as the 1960s to be launched in times of heightened tension or war After the annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in east Ukraine in 2014 Russian operatives targeted ammunition factories and arms dealers in Europe who supported Ukraine Unlike much of the current wave of sabotage using trained operatives against specific targets Many of those who carried it out were from a shadowy GRU unit known as 29155, whose tasks included sabotage and assassinations across Europe. However, their activities were so brazen that they were eventually unmasked. After the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in 2018 with the nerve agent novichok British authorities – as well as investigative journalists from the outlet Bellingcat – identified the poisoners as 29155 operatives there was a new round of diplomatic expulsions These episodes severely hampered Moscow’s ability to operate outside Russia and spy bosses had to get creative to plug the gaps some of the clean diplomats still abroad were co-opted “We saw them tasking ordinary diplomats with intelligence activities and this is not a phenomenon limited to Estonia,” said Puusepp in an interview at the domestic security agency’s headquarters in Tallinn Russia activated its network of “illegals” deep-cover operatives posing as foreigners Giving them more daring missions meant more risk of capture and in the year after the invasion of Ukraine Those who did not flee in time were arrested In addition to using new actors to carry out old tasks Moscow also launched a campaign of sabotage that was much broader than anything seen before this wave would be more scattergun and have different goals One former US intelligence official said that in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Washington had expected to see massive Russian cyber-attacks launched against the west and one theory is that Moscow went for a more explosive option instead “The idea of sabotage was always in the field of vision as a possibility but it’s still very surprising to see it play out,” said the former official there is now inevitable speculation of possible Russian involvement London causes widespread outages and Heathrow airport closure – video“It creates a kind of fog,” said one senior European security official “In the beginning some of these things look natural but then it happens more and more and you start to wonder Many of the same operatives from unit 29155 who have been involved in sabotage operations for more than a decade are part of the new campaign The unit has been folded into a bigger GRU department and is still run by its longstanding chief the work on the ground is done by one-time operatives recruited over Telegram most of whom are no longer able to travel to Europe And instead of focusing narrowly on specific targets closely related to the Ukraine war warehouses and other civilian infrastructure “The strategic aim is to sow discord and insecurity They are not destroying significant infrastructure They are concentrating on soft targets that influence a general perception of insecurity in society This is classic psy-ops,” said Piotr Krawczyk the former head of Poland’s foreign intelligence service The way Moscow recruits operatives and selects targets varies from country to country the Russian services make use of the extensive family ties of the local Russian-speaking population Recruitments are made during visits to Russia and Telegram is then used for communication rather than for making the initial contact The motivating factor is usually either money or blackmail Puusepp said: “It’s not a question of ideology but of business and relatives inside Russia their overall understanding of the world is not about much more than survival.” initially think they are talking to like-minded friends about a joint business project Others may think they are working on the orders of white supremacist groups or domestic political actors Drone image of the Marywilska 44 shopping centre fire in Warsaw Photograph: Dariusz Borowicz/Agencja Wyborcza.pl/ReutersOperatives are recruited via the grey employment groups where immigrants often find casual gig-economy work that pays under the counter they are people who have operated on the margins of the law for some time and when the order comes to burn something down they may think it is part of a criminal dispute rather than intelligence work Some recruits do have an ideological affinity with Russia who supported Russia’s war in Ukraine and longed for his native Odesa to become Russian-controlled Polish authorities arrested a Pole and two Belarusians on suspicion of planning sabotage acts for the Russians inside Poland All three men had previously fought in Ukraine on the side of Kyiv was apprehended in Poland in early 2023 and later sentenced This group mainly comprised people who had little sympathy for the Kremlin’s geopolitical goals but were simply looking to earn money in the gig economy The recruits were offered tasks in Poland that ranged from posting anti-Nato flyers to installing cameras that would monitor trains with humanitarian and military cargo bound for Ukraine ranged from $5 for putting up a poster to $400 for installing a camera The group’s activities were directed by a man who identified himself only as “Andrei” and who communicated with two of the group and told them to distribute tasks among the others a 20-year-old Belarusian woman who was arrested and convicted with her boyfriend claimed that neither of them were supporters of Russia’s war effort He just did it to have some extra cash without thinking of the consequences,” she wrote in a letter to her family after her arrest “This is the worst thing to happen to me in my whole life.” Serhiy was brought into a courtroom in Wrocław dressed in the red prison overalls reserved for highly dangerous prisoners “The goal of the accused was to lower our morale to question the effectiveness and competency of our state and to question our support for Ukraine,” said the judge as an interpreter whispered the judge’s words into his ear He had previously agreed a plea bargain with prosecutors in exchange for a three-year sentence but Myczkowski cancelled the deal and was arrested when he was about to board a bus out of the country Myczkowski handed him an eight-year sentence it was meant as a warning to others – “a clear and unequivocal signal to you and to all potential candidates that committing such acts is not worthwhile” the benefit of using one-time operatives is that Moscow can discard them and leave them do their time in prison No Russian diplomats are working behind the scenes to free Serhiy and it is highly unlikely that he would be included in any prisoner exchange the controllers at GRU headquarters can simply set up new Telegram accounts and start the process again “You jail one person and another pops up to take their place These people are disposable and Moscow doesn’t care about them,” said a European security official The possibility that anyone looking for odd jobs on Telegram could be signing up for Russian intelligence missions sparks surveillance and privacy dilemmas reminiscent of counter-terrorism work as authorities scramble to catch potential perpetrators before they act brought into focus by the alleged aborted plot to send explosive packages to the US last year: what is the endgame One senior security official said that as Russia increasingly considers Europe a party to the war in Ukraine the sabotage campaign is only likely to intensify as long as the war goes on “They are crossing one red line after another and we don’t know how far they will go,” said the official Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi noted that the Russian offensive has already begun, which can be seen in the sharp increase in the number of assault actions by Russian troops, particularly in the Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts. Since April, the intensity of assaults has increased twice in all major axes (LB The Russian Army could use the Sumy and Kharkiv offensive as a military deception operation to stretch Ukrainian forces with a real attack axis in Zaporizhzhia and/or Donetsk and Luhansk regions Russia maintains an unimpeded supply of weapons, ammunition, and soldiers from Russia’s allies, including North Korea. Recently, Russian officials officially recognized the participation of North Korea’s military in the war against Ukraine for the first time. More are expected to be involved in further operations (BBC Ukrainian Service Moscow is seeking to continue active offensive actions despite negative factors and the Kremlin’s alleged demonstration of readiness for a ceasefire (see EDM, April 14, 21) This is necessary to achieve the strategic goal of the “operation” against Ukraine and prepare the Russian Armed Forces for future military offenses against Europe Russia is likely to use any potential territorial gains to strengthen its bargaining position in future peace negotiations as well as to put pressure on the Ukrainian government and society the Russian army faces serious problems with the supply of weapons and military equipment but is attempting to compensate for this by adapting its tactics a cessation of hostilities and a freeze of the war are not in Moscow’s interest Liu Xin co-leads the Global Times China desk She covers topics on China’s Xinjiang region Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from May 7 to 10 and attend .. The opinion was expressed in a comment to Ukrinform by the Director of the Russian and Belarusian Studies Program at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council Candidate of Historical Sciences Yaroslav Chornohor He recalled that the four-day trip of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Moscow is a state visit which is therefore of practical and symbolic significance "It is important for China to demonstrate good relations with Russia And if we take into account the current context President's special envoy - ed.) Witkoff comes to Putin as the Trump team keeps trying to tear Russia away from China demonstrating unity between partners is not a secondary goal,” the expert said Chornohor also recalled that Xi Jinping came to the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February 2014 on the eve of the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing “I think many things in the world happen after Putin receives consent or assurances from the Chinese leader that there will be no resistance,” suggested the pundit Commenting on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's confirmation of Xi Jinping's visit to Russia on May 9 despite the lack of security guarantees from Ukraine Chornohor noted that China considers itself a superpower that can dictate conditions to the entire world if a visit that has the status of a state one is scheduled for May it wouldn’t be acceptable for the leader of a superpower to react to any threats Putin convinced China that he would be able to guarantee Xi's safety throughout his stay in Moscow," the expert noted In response to the question of what additional risks the meeting of the two leaders poses for Ukraine Chornohor said it would be difficult to predict because these countries usually offer official statements only We don’t know for sure what they (Putin and Xi We will monitor the situation and try not to miss any obvious or hidden signs during that event but we shouldn’t take this visit lightly either,” the expert believes so far there is nothing indicating that the Chinese may appear on the battlefield as Russia’s formal allies economic and military-technical cooperation is what poses a serious threat to Ukraine because Russia is currently in a very difficult economic situation We often focus on Russia’s human resources but in fact they lack all other resources for waging war weapons-related… China’s support for the Russian economy is already a threat to us Even if China buys some products in the EU countries and the U.S and uses its economy to circumvent sanctions imposed on the Putin regime this is already assistance to Russia,” Chornohor stated despite the statement by President Volodymyr Zelensky that the Ukrainian side will not provide any security guarantees in the territory of the Russian Federation on May 9 The Chinese leader will come to Russia on a state visit on May 7-10 and take part in the celebrations in Moscow on the occasion of Victory Day While citing and using any materials on the Internet links to the website ukrinform.net not lower than the first paragraph are mandatory citing the translated materials of foreign media outlets is possible only if there is a link to the website ukrinform.net and the website of a foreign media outlet Materials marked as "Advertisement" or with a disclaimer reading "The material has been posted in accordance with Part 3 of Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" No 1996 and the Law of Ukraine "On the Media" No 2023 and on the basis of an agreement/invoice Online media entity; Media identifier - R40-01421 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to his Pakistani counterpart on Sunday and offered Russia's help in resolving tensions between Pakistan and India over Kashmir "Particular attention was paid to the significant rise in tension between New Delhi and Islamabad," the ministry said in a statement referring to Lavrov's conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar "It was stressed that Russia is ready to act for a political settlement of the situation resulting from the act of terrorism of April 22 in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley in the event of a mutual desire on the part of Islamabad and New Delhi," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram Lavrov's conversation with Dar took place two days after he spoke with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and also called for a settlement of differences between the two neighbouring countries Suspected militants killed at least 26 people in last week's attack on a mountain tourist destination in the Pahalgam area of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir valley The Muslim-majority region has been the focus of several wars Russia has been India's largest weapons provider for decades and New Delhi and Moscow have had close ties since Soviet times A Russian general was killed by a car bomb on Friday Russia’s top criminal investigation agency said in the second such attack on a top Russian military officer in four months A senior Russian military officer was killed by a car bomb on Friday a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff of the Russian armed forces was killed by an explosive device placed in his car in Balashikha US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday to discuss a US-brokered peace plan for Ukraine Security personnel work the scene where Lt Police and investigators work at the scene where Lt was killed by an explosive device placed in a car in Balashikha In this handout photo released by OSTOROZHNO NOVOSTI flames and smoke rise from the scene where Lt a deputy head of the main operational department in the Ge eral Staff of the Russian armed forces said that the explosive device was rigged with shrapnel She said that investigators were at the scene Russian media ran videos of a vehicle burning in the courtyard of an apartment building The committee did not immediately mention possible suspects but Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova declared without offering evidence that “there are reasons to believe that Ukrainian special services were involved in the killing.” Ukrainian authorities did not comment on the attack “If the investigation confirms the Ukrainian trace in this case this will once again demonstrate to the world community the barbaric and treacherous nature of the Kyiv regime which is betting on an escalation of military confrontation with Russia and irresponsibly ignoring constructive proposals aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the conflict,” Zakharova said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed that sentiment telling Russian state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin on Friday that Kyiv “continues its involvement in terrorist activity on our soil.” He also didn’t offer any evidence when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter parked outside his apartment building exploded as he left for his office Russian authorities also blamed Ukraine and Ukraine’s security agency acknowledged it was behind the attack Kirillov was the chief of Russia’s Radiation the special troops tasked with protecting the military from the enemy’s use of nuclear chemical or biological weapons and ensuring operations in a contaminated environment Kirillov’s assistant also died in the attack Foreign Affairs has been the leading forum for serious discussion of American foreign policy and global affairs The magazine has featured contributions from many leading international affairs experts ALEXANDER COOLEY is Claire Tow Professor of Political Science and Vice Provost for Research and Academic Centers at Barnard College Alexander Cooley After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 many Western analysts and scholars who study post-Soviet countries expected those countries’ governments and publics to express solidarity with Ukraine and denounce Russian attempts to reclaim territory and deny Ukraine’s sovereignty Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the post-Soviet states have sought to consolidate their independence forging links with the West and other regional players while remaining mindful of the need to manage their relations with Russia has since 1999 made reestablishing influence over Russia’s “near abroad” a strategic priority in his bid to justify his great-power aspirations Putin began his tenure by waging an aggressive military campaign to bring Chechnya back under Moscow’s control he intensified his attempts to curb Western influence across the post-Soviet space military bases in Central Asia and the so-called color revolutions that brought more Western-friendly governments into power in Georgia The Kremlin justified its 2008 war with Georgia as an effort to protect Russia’s “privileged” sphere of influence in the “near abroad.” Moscow’s strategic priority to blunt Western influence in its region has now culminated in its “special military operation” in Ukraine and a three-year standoff with the West over Ukraine’s future Western leaders assumed that a fear of becoming Russia’s next target would encourage post-Soviet countries, particularly those that share borders with Russia to support Ukraine’s fight to defend its sovereignty most of the other post-Soviet states have carefully avoided denouncing Russian aggression or adopting a framing of their Soviet past as colonialism Most have taken a pragmatically neutral stance instead expressing concern about the conflict while refusing to publicly condemn Moscow or join the Western sanctions regime against Russia the post-Soviet states have deepened and even forged new connections to their former imperial center Some increases in Russian trade and investment in Central Asia extended preexisting economic networks and patterns of labor migration but others—such as the influx of Russian information technology workers into the Caucasus and Central Asia’s facilitation of Russia’s efforts to evade Western sanctions—have been more unexpected Crucially, these developments do not merely reflect a fear of Russian retribution. Instead, the resilience of Russia’s influence reflects the diligent work Putin has put in to establish and cultivate formal and informal regional institutions, networks, and partnerships within the former Soviet domain, often in an attempt to create counterweights to Western-backed organizations such as NATO and the European Union These post-Soviet organizations and initiatives have vastly increased the quantity of people and even ideas flowing between Russia and its post-Soviet neighbors and created new mechanisms for alliances and common causes They have also allowed Moscow to use regional economic agreements and supply chains to evade Western sanctions This means that it was never going to be as easy as many Western observers anticipated to isolate Russia or to convince the post-Soviet states that they would be better off extricating themselves from Moscow’s orbit Russia will continue to cultivate its sphere of influence in the post-Soviet space The West would do better to prioritize finding ways to selectively engage with each of these states that go beyond simply offering membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions—offers that require slow and difficult processes and that may not actually end in acceptance At the end of the Cold War the Soviet Union broke into 14 independent states and Lithuania) are in the Baltics; three (Belarus and Ukraine) lie west of Russia; three (Armenia in a corridor leading to the Middle East; and five are in Central Asia sharing borders with Afghanistan and China Russia—its state greatly weakened and its economy in transition—was consumed with its own domestic problems Its preeminent challenge was to deal with the vast number of strategic and military assets that lay stranded in other countries not to reassert its political and economic influence When it sent peacekeepers to Georgia to help manage the country’s so-called frozen conflict it obtained a UN mandate to do so in Abkhazia these post-Soviet states’ trajectories began to diverge The Baltic states made determined attempts to integrate with the West and were granted membership in both the EU and NATO Putin’s plan for resurrecting Russia as a great power relied heavily on consolidating other former Soviet countries in Moscow’s sphere of influence Russia founded the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Uzbekistan joined in 2006 after its eviction of the United States from a military base although it withdrew again in 2012 when U.S.-Uzbek ties rewarmed Russia supplied cheap energy and pushed a series of regional initiatives to bolster economic integration: it established the Eurasian Economic Community loosely modeled on the former European Economic Community it formed an even tighter customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan and Russia formed a more comprehensive Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) with a supranational governing institution; Kyrgyzstan joined in 2015 When Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych withdrew from the EU’s Eastern Partnership under Russian pressure and expressed a preference for joining the EAEU that triggered the Euromaidan protests that eventually led to the collapse of his government Moscow also used authoritarian tools to curry favor with regional leaders and reestablish its influence explicitly countering Western outreach efforts implemented a so-called foreign agent law that stigmatized nongovernmental organizations accepting money from abroad the Kremlin sought to disseminate that anti-Western NGO playbook to other post-Soviet states providing model legislation that restricted protest and the types of advocacy such groups could pursue Putin also encouraged regional authoritarian leaders to curtail the influence of international election observers and democracy watchdogs Moscow used the extraterritorial provisions in the framework for the Commonwealth of Independent States—an association formed in 1991 by ex-Soviet republics—and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s antiterrorism convention to designate political dissidents as extremists and facilitate their extradition Moscow then passed the even more extreme Undesirable Organizations Law which outlawed most Western-based NGOs entirely—a regulation that Belarus’s president imitated when he shut down over 1,600 NGOs after the eruption of antigovernment protests just weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Putin deployed Russian troops to Kazakhstan under a CSTO mandate to shore up the rule of its friendly president Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine made clear how just deeply connected post-Soviet states still are with Russia It also introduced new forms of entwinement Russia’s acute wartime labor shortage ensured that it remained the primary destination for millions of Central Asian workers even as Central Asian governments and migrants tried to diversify their destinations nearly 3.3 million Central Asian migrants worked in Russia the war triggered a new trend of reverse migration After Moscow banned most Western tech companies in March 2022 hundreds of thousands of Russian IT workers suddenly became unemployed about 100,000 of them—ten percent of Russia’s IT workforce—left the country over the course of that year heading primarily to nearby countries for which they did not need entry visas These relocations swiftly transformed the economies that received Russian tech workers for a decade after the 2008 global financial crisis Armenia’s GDP growth had hovered between three and eight percent driven almost entirely by a 20 percent expansion of the information and communication technology sector after the arrival of Russian IT specialists spurring similarly impressive economic growth but also generating social tension between Russian-speaking and Georgian communities as well as an affordable housing crisis Even more Russians fled their country out of opposition to the war or to avoid conscription after Russia launched its partial mobilization in September 2022 and began drafting hundreds of thousands of men The Russian government does not keep comprehensive statistics on emigration but the research platform Re: Russia has estimated that 820,000 to 920,000 people left Russia between February 24 According to official Russian migration statistics Russians made half a million more trips to Central Asia in 2022 than they had annually over the prior half-dozen years Russia has attempted to monitor this outflow and to stymie antiwar activism beyond its borders The country’s security services have increasingly pressured their regional counterparts to deny entry to Russian war opponents and political exiles and to clamp down on antiwar protests in their countries extradition treaties between Russia and the Central Asian states enabled the arrest of at least seven Russian dissidents in Kazakhstan and four in Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan—with Russia’s support—introduced a new facial recognition system that has since been used to identify Russian antiwar dissidents; in the same month Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan inked data-sharing agreements with Moscow that provide Russian authorities with personal information such as migration registration All these new security links have helped chill the activities of Russian dissidents abroad One indicator of the growing importance that Russia assigns to Central Asia is that Putin himself visited every Central Asian country and attended more than 50 meetings with his Central Asian counterparts The war in Ukraine also revealed how post-Soviet regional economic networks and institutions had evolved into channels that could be used to circumvent Western sanctions The EAEU provided a legal architecture that enabled the reexport of restricted goods from the West to Russia through post-Soviet countries As a 2023 study by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development documented and the United States contracted severely after February 2022 but each of those countries saw its trade with the post-Soviet states surge That rise was accompanied by a corresponding increase in trade between Russia and Armenia including a 30 percent increase in goods targeted by sanctions Overall trade between Russia and Kazakhstan increased to $26 billion in 2022 and then again to $27 billion in 2023 from $24 billion in 2021 Kazakhstan’s computer imports totaled $1.2 billion in 2022 According to a Bloomberg report based on the EU’s Eurostat database Central Asian states stripped microchips from EU appliances including washing machines and refrigerators and then shipped the chips off to Russia the EU adopted regulations to try to curtail the reexport of dual-use goods and aviation and military technologies and the United States has regularly added Central Asian companies to the Treasury Department’s sanctions list Georgia exported $904 million worth of cars representing 16.2 percent of all its exports an increase of 98 percent from its 2021 auto exports Although the Georgian government banned the reexport of cars to Russia in August 2023 car exports from Georgia have continued to grow reaching $1.95 billion in 2023 and $2.43 billion in 2024 cars accounted for 37 percent of all Georgian exports which has become a major reexport hub to Russia reexporting between different legal regimes is itself a post-Soviet practice In the first decade of the twenty-first century Kyrgyzstan leveraged its dual membership in the World Trade Organization and what was then the Eurasian Customs Union to systematically facilitate the reexport of Chinese goods into Russia and other neighboring states China—Russia’s main supplier of restricted and dual-use technologies such as drones—is also making use of neighboring Central Asian states to resupply Moscow According to official Chinese trade statistics Chinese exports to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan of 45 dual-use goods targeted by sanctions have risen 64 percent from pre-2022 levels; many have ultimately been tracked to Russia Kazakhstan purchased $5.9 million in uncrewed aircraft from China and exported $2.7 million to Russia Post-Soviet legal architectures such as the EAEU have also enabled Russian businesses to relocate while obscuring their origins Over 4,000 Russian-owned companies were registered in Kazakhstan alone the first nine months of 2022 driving an 18 percent increase in the country’s total foreign investment Around half a million Russian citizens have opened bank accounts in Kazakhstan since February 2022 Informal connections between EAEU customs officials and logistics operators facilitate a great deal of so-called false transit the deliberate misrepresentation of shipments’ true destination in Russia Post-Soviet states have proved vital to Russia’s economic adjustment to sanctions And the arrangement has proven mutually beneficial as Central Asia has maintained the highest growth rates in the European and Central Asia region: the World Bank projects that Central Asia’s growth rate reached 4.3 percent in 2024 and will reach five percent in 2025 most elites in post-Soviet countries have been careful not to condemn Moscow’s aggression even as they defend the principles of sovereignty But political attitudes toward Russia’s war in Ukraine are varied and shaped by pressing domestic challenges the public remains broadly supportive of Ukraine however—which the country’s opposition has accused of falsifying results in October 2024’s parliamentary election—has moved closer to Moscow and broke with Kyiv in February to join the United States in sponsoring a UN resolution on the war that significantly toned down criticism of Russia at the behest of a new Trump administration the inverse appears to be happening: although the Armenian public’s economic links with Russia continue to expand the government of Nikol Pashinyan publicly declared in 2024 that it was not Russia’s ally in the Ukraine war Armenia has since suspended its participation in activities by the CSTO and evicted Russian border guard troops from the Yerevan airport Polling in Central Asia by the survey firm Central Asian Barometer reveals that public opinion about whether Russia or the United States is most to blame for the war remains fairly evenly divided in Kazakhstan; in Kyrgyzstan more respondents blame Ukraine or the United States than Russia for the outbreak of conflict Central Asian publics appear to be more concerned about the war’s negative impact on their economies than about the risk of new conflicts erupting nearly two-thirds of those surveyed in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan Russia has also accelerated its efforts to shape politics in post-Soviet states in its own image Kyrgyzstan had managed to defer or repel past attempts by Moscow to secure the adoption of a Russian-style foreign agent law Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signed legislation that mimicked Russia’s law imposing stringent auditing and reporting on organizations receiving funding from abroad The Georgian government’s introduction of similar legislation drew public protests exacerbating tensions with the EU—which halted the country’s accession negotiations—and the United States which imposed temporary visa restrictions on Georgian officials has not been free to act exactly as it pleases within its former colonies Weakened by sanctions and a draining war effort Russia has had to make concessions to regional partners that it views as preferable to Western actors Russia is cooperating more closely with Ankara Turkey has become a hub for Russian economic activity and energy trading and Moscow accepted Ankara’s mediation in negotiating the 2022 deal that established a safe corridor for Ukrainian grain exports Russia remained completely passive when Turkish-supplied Azerbaijani forces seized the province of Nagorno-Karabakh in October 2023 After the downing of an Azerbaijani civilian airplane en route to Grozny in December 2024—reportedly by Russian missiles—Putin even offered a rare public apology to the Azerbaijani president A peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan would risk cutting Russia out of the region altogether Russia’s focus on the war in Ukraine has led it to accommodate China’s growing economic and security footprint in Central Asia under the shared banner of countering U.S Although both countries supported Washington’s exit from Afghanistan and each views Central Asia as a region vital to its security interests China is now the region’s largest trading partner and is forging ahead with its own bilateral security initiatives It is doing so by expanding its formal regional security presence deploying more private security forces to protect its regional Belt and Road projects and establishing the China–Central Asia Mechanism a Russia-free forum for promoting regional cooperation Moscow may be concerned about some of these trends but it also believes that it has reached an accommodation with China in Central Asia despite speculation that the two powers would compete more intensely for regional influence Moscow publicly acquiesces to these Chinese initiatives because it regards Beijing as its most important backer on Ukraine and strategic partner against the West Russia’s regional influence in post-Soviet states has proved far more resilient than many Western observers anticipated Moscow’s strategy to pursue a war of attrition and wait for Western unity to crack appears to be vindicated President Donald Trump’s softer stance on Russia has been welcomed by most countries in Russia’s region which want to avoid being caught in a geopolitical tug of war between Washington and Moscow or Western policymakers have regularly supported the right of post-Soviet states to make sovereign choices and have pushed for isolating Russia What they have been less attuned to is the way that Russia many post-Soviet governments have shown considerable agency in repurposing for their own political and economic benefit The post-Soviet region is not turning out to be a decolonizing space; it rather has emerged as a laboratory for new forms of integration and regional networking But Western policymakers should not view these developments as zero sum they should support these states in their bids to develop meaningful partnerships beyond Moscow and Beijing without forcing them to completely align with the West Doing so would offer these countries both a geopolitical hedge and breathing room to navigate the shock waves from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the uncertainties surrounding its resolution Recognizing the evolving influence of post-Soviet legacies is not a concession to Moscow but a necessary step toward crafting pragmatic policies that support regional states’ agency and strategic autonomy Subscribe to Foreign Affairs to get unlimited access Already a subscriber? Sign In Juzel Lloyd A. Wess Mitchell Alexander Gabuev Rose Gottemoeller Michael McFaul and Evan S. Medeiros Alexander Vindman Zainab Usman Tong Zhao Sophia Besch and Richard Youngs L. Rafael Reif Zongyuan Zoe Liu * Note that when you provide your email address, the Foreign Affairs Privacy Policy and Terms of Use will apply to your newsletter subscription Published by The Council on Foreign Relations Privacy Policy Terms of Use From the publishers of  Foreign Affairs This website uses cookies to improve your experience You can opt-out of certain cookies using the cookie management page * Note that when you provide your email address, the Foreign Affairs Privacy Policy and Terms of Use will apply to your newsletter subscription You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Russian official calls talks with Steve Witkoff ‘quite useful’ as investigation launched into suspected Ukrainian bombing Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff has met Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin for high-stakes peace talks hours after a senior Russian military official was killed in a car explosion near Moscow Trump has played up Witkoff’s visit – his fourth to Russia in recent months – claiming a deal on ending the war in Ukraine was within reach “The next few days are going to be very important Meetings are taking place right now,” Trump told reporters on Thursday “I think we’re going to make a deal … I think we’re getting very close.” But no apparent breakthrough was reached on Friday said the discussions were “constructive and quite useful” and noted that the two sides had “narrowed differences” Ushakov said the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine had also been discussed said Witkoff had left Moscow carrying a message for Trump There was no immediate comment from Witkoff on the outcome of the meeting Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Friday Photograph: Kristina Kormilitsyna/APAt the start of the talks the Kremlin published a short clip showing Putin and Witkoff – who holds no formal diplomatic credentials – shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries in the Kremlin before sitting down on opposite sides of a white oval table to start their meeting behind closed doors Putin was flanked in the meeting by Ushakov and his investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev Witkoff’s car was seen leaving the Kremlin Although Trump has repeatedly claimed he was close to ending the war his efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine have so far yielded little results Reuters on Friday published two sets of documents outlining the US and Ukrainian proposals for ending the war revealing significant differences on issues ranging from territorial concessions to sanctions which has consistently rejected an immediate ceasefire despite the major concessions it offers the Kremlin including allowing it to retain territory it has captured Trump admitted on Friday that the talks were “very fragile” and said he had no deadline for achieving peace having previously claimed he could end the war “in 24 hours” In an interview with Time magazine published on Friday Trump also said that “Crimea will stay with Russia” the latest example of the US leader putting pressure on Ukraine to make concessions to end the war while it remains under siege The scene of the car bombing that killed Lt Gen Yaroslav Moskalik Photograph: Yulia Morozova/ReutersUkraine’s leader later insisted the territory is “the property of the Ukrainian people” “Our position is unchanged,” he told reporters in Kyiv “The constitution of Ukraine says that all the temporarily occupied territories … belong to Ukraine.” Witkoff’s visit came hours after a senior Russian general was blown up outside his apartment in what appears to have been the latest Ukrainian operation deep inside Russian territory The Russian authorities named the officer as Lt Gen Yaroslav Moskalik the deputy head of the main operations directorate of the general staff of the Russian armed forces The blast was similar in nature to previous attacks on Russians that were later claimed by Ukraine The apparent Ukrainian assassination is unlikely to sit well with the Trump administration which has been desperate to show tangible progress on peace before Trump’s 100th day in office next week Free weekly newsletterThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment Despite Putin’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire and continued missile strikes on Ukraine the US president has criticised Zelenskyy repeatedly over the stalled peace talks while adopting a more cautious tone toward the Russian leader The Russian investigative committee said the explosions were caused by the detonation of an improvised explosive device packed with shrapnel a Telegram channel with sources in Russia’s law enforcement agencies said a bomb in a parked car in the town of Balashikha A video circulating on Russian social media captured the moment the car exploded while additional images showed the burnt-out vehicle The Kremlin blamed Ukraine for the killing with Peskov saying Kyiv was engaging in “terrorist activities on Russian territory” Ukraine has not yet commented on the incident Since the start of the full-scale invasion Ukraine has targeted dozens of Russian military officers and Russian-installed officials whom Kyiv has accused of committing war crimes in the country about the clandestine Ukrainian resistance cells involved in assassinations and attacks on military infrastructure in Russia and Russian-controlled areas Last December, Ukraine’s security services targeted another senior Russian general, Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, who was killed after an explosive device hidden in an electric scooter detonated outside an apartment building in Moscow Trump’s appointed special representative for Ukraine and Russia saying it could have violated the rules of warfare was part of several high-profile Russian foreign delegations in recent years including in at least two rounds of talks with Ukrainian and western officials as well as a 2018 visit to the Assad regime in Syria Insiders close to the defence ministry say his influence within the Russian military was on the rise a popular Russian military blogger with ties to the defence establishment said: “According to chatter behind the scenes one scenario for personnel reshuffling at the general staff had Moskalik being considered as a potential head of the national defence management centre primarily due to his methodical approach and thoughtfulness.” by Yuliia TaradiukA screen grab from a video shows the car in which senior Russian military officer Gen Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in on April 25 Russia (Russian Investigative Committee / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)The senior Russian general killed in a car bombing in Moscow on April 25 prepared reports for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the situation in Ukraine according to an obituary from the Russian Defense Ministry on April 29 Yaroslav Moskalik was a deputy chief of the main operations directorate of Russia's army and reportedly led the combat duty shift overseeing battlefield developments from the Russian General Staff published in the Russian state newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda He was killed in an explosion in the Russian city of Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, a spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of Russia confirmed on April 25 Ukrainian officials have not commented on Moskalik’s death, though on April 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had received intelligence updates on the elimination of senior figures within Russia’s military leadership from 2015 to 2021 Moskalik was also part of the Russian delegation to the Minsk Contact Group and participated in the Minsk talks and Normandy Four meetings in Berlin and Paris He also worked on planning Russia’s military intervention in Syria in 2015 Russia’s FSB claimed on April 26 to have detained a suspect accused of killing Moskalik in the car bombing Kuzin allegedly put the explosive device in the parked vehicle The FSB claimed the device was remotely controlled from the territory of Ukraine The incident took place as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow earlier in the day to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin While Ukraine has not been officially linked to the recent car bombing Kyiv has previously targeted Russian officials who play a key role in Russia's full-scale invasion Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops, was killed in an explosion at a residence in Moscow in December 2024 a source in the Security Service of Ukraine told the Kyiv Independent Mikhail Shatsky, a Russian expert involved in modernizing missiles launched against Ukraine, was shot dead near Moscow on Dec a Defense Forces source told the Kyiv Independent Aleksey Kolomeitsev, a Russian colonel who trained specialists in the use of attack drones, was killed in the city of Kolomna in Moscow Oblast Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Sept Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London He also covers other areas of geopolitics including China Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and well as English You can get in touch with Brendan by emailing b.cole@newsweek.com or follow on him on his X account @brendanmarkcole Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has referred to the security measures surrounding foreign dignitaries attending a parade in Red Square next week marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II Days after he was accused of threatening to disrupt the Victory Day parade event in Moscow, Zelensky told reporters Kyiv "cannot be responsible" for what happens on Russian territory during the commemorations which will be attended by China's president Xi Jinping and other leaders Zelensky mentioned no names and offered no further details but his comments follow his earlier remarks that Russia was worried about what might happen during the event and a warning by the European Union urging its leaders not to attend Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries for comment Under Vladimir Putin's presidency the May 9 event marking the defeat of Nazi Germany has become an annual demonstration of Russian patriotism which has gathered resonance following his full-scale invasion of Ukraine Leaders of former Soviet countries and allies such as China typically attend Putin called for a three-day ceasefire which Zelensky has rejected Zelensky's latest comments add to speculation over what Ukraine might do during the period Zelensky said last week the Kremlin was worried that the parade was in danger prompting Moscow to accuse Ukraine of planning an attack to coincide with the event Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down Zelensky's remarks and said that Russians would watch the televised event with pride But the Ukrainian leader returned to the topic telling journalists that unnamed countries had asked Kyiv about the safety of going to Moscow for the event but that Ukraine cannot be responsible for what happens on Russian territory He referred to how arson and explosions could be blamed on Ukraine but Kyiv would not be responsible for what might happen Zelensky also dismissed Putin's offer of a three-day ceasefire reiterating Kyiv's calls for a 30-day pause as proposed by the U.S His remarks follow a warning by the European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas for European leaders not to participate in the celebrations and show solidarity with Ukraine instead Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said in a Telegram post on Saturday that no one was asking for Zelensky's guarantees but if his "provocations" are realized "nobody will guarantee the dawn of May 10 in Kyiv." As well as Xi, the leaders of more than 20 countries are expected to attend, including Putin's allies, Alexander Lukashenko, and Nicolas Maduro the leaders of Belarus and Venezuela respectively Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vučić, whose country is bidding for EU membership The only EU leader accepting an invitation was Slovakia's prime minister Robert Fico The Kremlin confirmed this week that India's prime minister Narendra Modi whose country has increased economic ties over the last three years Russian state media had reported that a high-level U.S. official would attend, naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio although the U.S State Department told Newsweek on Thursday there were no travel plans in place according to a translation: "We cannot be responsible for what is happening on the territory of the Russian Federation deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council on Telegram: "Who is looking for his guarantees Nothing more … in the event of a real provocation on Victory Day no one will guarantee that May 10 will come in Kyiv." As Moscow gears up for the May 9 parade where Russian military hardware will be on show Ukraine has asked EU officials to come to Kyiv on the same day to display diplomatic force of its allies Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow has the "strength and means" to bring its unprovoked war on Ukraine to a "logical conclusion." more than three years after Putin launched his full-scale invasion "We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires," Putin said according to a preview of an interview with state television In the interview, Putin said there would be “no need” to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict. Responding to a question about Ukrainian strikes on Russia he said: "There has been no need to use those [nuclear] weapons .. Late Saturday, Zelenskyy said that Kyiv is "ready to move toward a ceasefire as soon as possible — even starting today — if Russia is ready to take reciprocal steps — to establish complete silence a lasting ceasefire of at least 30 days." However, "currently, the intensity of Russian strikes indicates nothing but Russia’s desire to continue fighting," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address The two leaders are set to sign a number of bilateral documents “If the Chinese vampire can’t suck the American blood blood and the EU blood,” Peter Navarro tells the Telegraph with far-reaching consequences for the country’s future that it should be put directly to the people,” Bayrou tells Journal du Dimanche Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the arrests “serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats.” “Couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery,” says one frustrated candidate Accusations of fudging figures have dogged the Russian government in recent years It is true that researchers have ample reason to question the authenticity of statistics: a growing amount of data is being classified and many figures appear calculated to please the Kremlin.  that Russian statistics have become as meaningless as their Soviet predecessors They simply require more careful interpretation Much criticism of Russian statistics is justified: official figures contain various forms of demonstrable manipulation Take the series of presidential decrees issued in May 2012 Eager to show the Kremlin some form of success regional authorities reassigned mortality codes Suicides became “injuries of undetermined intent” in official accounting and deaths from circulatory diseases were reclassified as “old age.” According to various estimates these junk mortality codes now apply to about 10 percent of deaths in Russia Coronavirus data are similarly skewed due to deficiencies in regional data collection systems. Despite modest official figures, Russia was among the global leaders in excess mortality. During this period, the authorities also conducted a census so questionable that most experts distrust its results Accounting problems are not limited to demographics Similar issues exist across all areas of official statistics.  Economists argue that Russia’s record-low poverty rate stems more from a revised calculation methodology than from any real improvement in living standards Sociologists point out that judicial data reflect the priorities of quota-obsessed security agencies Environmentalists argue that air pollution data are unreliable because they are based on self-reporting by enterprises who often cites statistics that counter Western forecasts growing authoritarianism and the rapid expansion of secrecy into new domains this raises legitimate doubts about the value of available figures when researchers presume all Russian statistics are unreliable The first question to ask is how we even know about these distortions Few insiders are willing to speak candidly evidence of falsification is embedded in the data itself Pulling figures out of thin air is harder than it looks There are many signs of distortions: sudden changes in methodology; abrupt shifts in dynamics or regional context; the use of a figure as a key performance indicator or basis for funding; the presence of conflicting sources and so on None of these is definitive proof of falsification Intentional manipulation differs from human error or from the inherent difficulty of measuring complex realities can warp national economic indicators without any underlying intent to deceive Russia’s continued GDP growth may seem paradoxical amid sweeping Western sanctions It is tempting to dismiss this as fabrication they are likely the result of traditional measurement tools failing to capture the effects of structural transformation in the economy A more plausible explanation is that both GDP growth and low unemployment reflect the nature of the crisis The constant production of weapons and acute labor shortages yield strong economic indicators — on paper — while simultaneously driving inflation and failing to enhance long-term prosperity Denying this nuance is its own form of manipulation Any official statistics should be treated cautiously, especially when they come from a country lacking independent institutions or checks on power. But Russia is not alone: China has long faced similar accusations and even the United States has not escaped scrutiny Total distrust of Russian statistics is not healthy skepticism — it is intellectual laziness It offers the illusion of certainty while bypassing actual analysis And it fails to improve our understanding of Russian society and politics Despite the rise of alternative data sources and digital tools official Russian statistics remain indispensable The state still has unique access to internal processes—access that no external actor can replicate The good news is that flawed data can still yield insight as long as its limitations are clearly understood Researchers can still estimate the scale of election fraud or excess COVID-19 deaths using careful methods Working rigorously with imperfect data is the only way to remain grounded in reality Although open data in Russia is becoming harder to find the shrinking process is far from complete it retains some technocratic institutions and practices Russia balances an unpredictable foreign policy with a largely conventional economic approach If the government ever seeks to build a fully fictional parallel reality — one in which internal records and public messaging diverge completely — it will not happen overnight researchers must keep reading between the lines This article was originally published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace President Donald Trump said Monday he wanted to work with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine Trump added on his Truth Social network that Erdogan had also invited him to visit Turkey and that the Turkish leader would be meeting him in Washington "I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous War between Russia and Ukraine ended — NOW!" Trump posted who promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of starting his second term in January has been pushing Kyiv and Moscow to reach a ceasefire deal NATO member Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with both of its Black Sea neighbors since the Russian invasion and has twice hosted talks aimed at ending the war The two leaders also discussed "all things Syria Gaza and more" in what Trump called a "very good and productive telephone conversation" with Erdogan Trump said he and Erdogan had an "excellent" relationship during his first term as U.S The Turkish president's office said Erdogan had told Trump that U.S efforts to ease sanctions on Syria would "contribute" to stabilizing the war-torn country Washington has said any normalization or lifting of sanctions following the December ouster of Bashar al-Assad will depend on verifiable progress by Syria's new authorities on priorities including actions against "terror." Erdogan also thanked Trump for his "approach to ending wars," with the statement mentioning Ukraine He raised the issue of the war-battered Gaza Strip telling Trump that humanitarian aid should "be delivered to Gaza without interruption." Israel halted all aid to the 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza in March and its security cabinet has approved the expansion of military operations in Gaza including the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week by Volodymyr IvanyshynSlovak Prime Minister Robert Fico talks to the media in the Slovak Permanent Representation on January 9, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)Latest: Kyiv responds to Fico’s 'anti-Ukrainian' remarks Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on May 4 condemned President Volodymyr Zelensky for warning "foreign delegations not to come" to Russia's Victory Day parade on May 9 Zelensky on May 3 said Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of foreign officials planning to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9 warning Russia could orchestrate provocations or other actions," and attempt to blame Ukraine "I reject such threats for security reasons. I fully respect that the safety of participants is an internal matter of the Russian Federation. But if Mr. Zelensky believes that his statements will force foreign delegations not to come, then he is deeply mistaken," Fico said The leader called for an "armistice" amid the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II adding that Zelensky should of "remain silent." "It is a great disrespect when someone says to a country that made the greatest contribution to the victory over fascism and suffered the absolute greatest sacrifices we can imagine: 'Well, celebrate, we might drop a drone or something like that on you.' For me these are unacceptable things," Fico said Moscow often situates victory in World War II as a sole Russian achievement and not a multinational one, Jonathan Brunstedt an assistant professor of history at Texas A&M University focusing on nationalism and historical memory in the Soviet Union "They are responsible for your safety. We will not provide any guarantees, because we do not know what Russia might do on those dates," Zelensky said on May 3 Fico a proponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend Russia's Victory Day celebrations "What was also discussed very clearly, and said by different member states, is that any participation in the 9th May parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side considering that Russia is really waging a full-scale war in Europe," she said Kallas said the EU does not want to see any country aspiring to join the bloc participating in celebrations hosted by Putin’s government Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic confirmed on April 16 that he intends to travel to Moscow for Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 9 Victory Parade despite the EU's pressure Serbia is a candidate country to join the EU and has undergone accession negotiations with the bloc for several years Vucic has reportedly fallen ill, jeopardizing the Serbian president's ability to participate in Russia's celebration, Newsweek reported on May 4 Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent by Anna FratsyvirPresident Volodymyr Zelensky during a TV interview in Washington (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of foreign officials planning to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9 “I told the foreign minister that when countries reach out to us, we must clearly state: ‘We do not recommend visiting Russia from a (security) standpoint. And if you choose to go, that is your personal decision — do not ask us for guarantees,’” Zelensky said The Ukrainian leader emphasized that Ukraine has shown respect toward nations that have remained neutral or aligned with Russia due to historic ties and that Kyiv continues to engage in diplomatic dialogue with those states In March 2024, Russia launched a missile strike on Odesa during a visit by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis The explosion occurred just moments after Greek PM and President Zelensky toured the city’s port Russia celebrates the end of World War II in Europe on May 9 marking the occasion with pompous military parades At least three civilians were killed in two separate Ukrainian attacks in the southwestern Kursk region, regional officials said Monday Two women working for an agricultural firm were killed when a drone struck a van carrying five workers near the village of Shchegolek Acting Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein said Three others were hospitalized with bruises a 53-year-old man was killed by an explosive device dropped by a drone in the village of Zvannoye also near the border with Ukraine’s Sumy region Both villages are located close to where Ukrainian and Russian forces have been fighting over the past several months Russia said it had fully retaken control of the Kursk region along with the help of North Korean troops after Ukrainian forces captured dozens of villages during a surprise incursion in August 2024 Civilians in the border areas of both Russia and Ukraine have frequently been killed in drone and artillery attacks during the three-year war Khinshtein said last week that 288 civilians had been killed during the Ukrainian offensive in the region Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Monday that the Kursk incursion had “achieved most of its goals,” noting that although Ukrainian forces had been pushed back the operation demonstrated Kyiv’s military capabilities and hindered Russian offensives elsewhere along the front Kyiv had hoped to use its temporary control over the territory as leverage in ceasefire negotiations with Moscow Russia is ready to assist the Taliban in fighting the Afghan wing of the Islamic State, known as ISIS-K, President Vladimir Putin's envoy to Afghanistan told state media Friday told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that the Kremlin "sees and appreciates" the Taliban authorities' fight against ISIS-K.  which professes an ultra-radical ideology of global jihad is a common enemy for Russia and Afghanistan," he was quoted as saying "We'll provide every possible assistance to this country's authorities through specialized structures," Kabulov said ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the March 2024 attack on a Moscow concert venue that killed 145 people. In the months that followed, Putin referred to the Taliban as Russia's "ally" in the fight against terrorism Russia has steadily built ties with the Taliban since their return to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S Russia's Supreme Court removed the Taliban from its list of designated terrorist organizations where it had been listed since 2003.  which stopped short of formally recognizing the Taliban's government reflects the Kremlin's shift toward new regional alliances after its invasion of Ukraine strained ties with traditional partners Various Russian officials have also called on the West to lift sanctions against the Islamist group the Soviet Union waged a decade-long war on the country a conflict which saw the emergence of mujahideen resistance fighters — many of whom became Taliban leaders Historians often cite the war as having contributed to the Soviet Union’s collapse North Korean children marched alongside their Russian peers in a military-themed parade in Vladivostok The parade commemorated the upcoming Victory Day and came a week after Moscow and Pyongyang acknowledged that North Korean troops were deployed to the southwestern Kursk region to help fight off a Ukrainian offensive Video shared by Primorye region Governor Oleg Kozhemyako showed children in military uniforms marching through Vladivostok’s central square beneath May 9 banners North Korean children, wearing red and blue jackets and red pioneer-style neckerchiefs, stood on a podium flanked by adults, part of what Kozhemyako called a youth corps scheduled to perform for the Russian audience the following day “This first children’s parade in Primorye is a tribute of deep respect to the heroic deeds of the defenders of the fatherland,” Kozhemyako told the crowd He said children of soldiers currently deployed to Ukraine also took part in the event “I’m also happy to welcome the delegation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” he added “It’s a great honor for us to invite children from the neighboring friendly state.” Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for sending troops to support Russian forces in the Kursk region Japanese media earlier reported that North Korean troops may also march in the Victory Day parade on Red Square this week Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm or deny those reports Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia on May 7-10 and join Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 80th commemoration of the Allied victory against Nazi Germany The Kremlin said that the two presidents would hold bilateral talks on "developing partnerships and strategic ties" and "issues on the international and regional agenda" are expected to sign a series of bilateral documents," it added Putin has ordered a three-day truce in the war in Ukraine to coincide with Russia's World War II commemorations on May 9 which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed as theatrics China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in the three-year war although Western governments say its close ties to Russia have given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed a three-day truce ordered by Russian leader Vladimir Putin as theatrics but said Kyiv was ready for a full ceasefire set to coincide with its World War II commemorations on May 9 was aimed at testing Kyiv's "readiness" for long-term peace and accused Zelensky of making a "direct threat" to events on the holiday The Kremlin rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and Washington in March and has since made only slim contributions to U.S President Donald Trump's efforts to broker an end to the three-year Russian invasion "This is more of a theatrical performance on his part it is impossible to develop a plan for the next steps to end the war," Zelensky said The Ukrainian leader was speaking on Friday to a small group of journalists Some in Ukraine have criticized the truce as an attempt to prevent Kyiv from disrupting the World War II anniversary celebrations with foreign leaders due in Moscow to watch a grand military parade on Red Square and an address by Russian President Vladimir Putin Zelensky said Ukraine would not be "playing games to create a pleasant atmosphere to allow for Putin's exit from isolation on 9 May." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the ceasefire was aimed at testing "Kyiv's readiness to seek ways to achieve long-term sustainable peace." have accepted invitations to join this year's celebration Zelensky said some countries had approached Kyiv warning they were traveling to Russia and had requested safety "Our position is very simple towards all countries that have travelled or are travelling to Russia on May 9 — we cannot take responsibility for what is happening on the territory of the Russian Federation," he answered "They are ensuring your safety," Zelensky said adding that Russia "may take various steps on its part Zelensky did not say what Ukraine would do during the truce accusing Kyiv of making a "direct threat" to its May 9 commemorations "He is threatening the physical safety of veterans who will come to parades and celebrations on the holy day," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram Russian officials have promised grand celebrations for the occasion during which Putin will seek to rally support for his troops fighting in Ukraine Russian troops have been making gruelling gains on several parts of the front and Moscow and Kyiv have stepped up their aerial attacks The United States has warned it could abandon efforts to broker a ceasefire if it does not see progress durable ceasefire and an end to the conflict," rather than a "three-day moment so you can celebrate something else," U.S State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said this week Bruce said it would ultimately be up to Trump to decide whether to move ahead with diplomatic efforts initiating a rapprochement with the Kremlin This culminated in an on-camera clash between Trump and Zelensky at the White House on February 28 where both leaders had been set to sign a mineral deal granting U.S access to Ukrainian resources in exchange for some protection which would see Washington and Kyiv jointly develop and invest in Ukraine's critical mineral resources Zelensky on Friday said the deal was beneficial to both sides and protected Ukraine's interests — even though the accord offers no concrete security guarantees for Kyiv That followed a meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the end of April before Pope Francis' funeral at the Vatican the first encounter since their public clash "We had the best conversation out of all those that preceded it," Zelensky said Friday "I am confident that after our meeting in the Vatican President Trump began to look at things a little differently." Moscow kept up strikes on Ukraine overnight A Russian drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv late Friday wounded 51 people accused Ukraine of an overnight attack on the southern port city of Novorossiysk damaging apartment buildings and injuring five people