Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for Saturday's grand final.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
Opposition supporters carry a huge former white-red-white flag of Belarus during a rally to protest against the presidential election results in Minsk on Sept. 13, 2020. (TUT.BY/AFP via Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was updated with the figure of Belarusians sentenced for treason.
Belarusian authorities have initiated a wave of arrests ahead of January’s election, Viasna human rights center reported on Nov. 6.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, is using repressions to lay ground for securing his seventh term.
According to Viasna, over 100 people have been detained in the last week. Many of those arrested have been linked to online neighborhood chats, which authorities recently labeled “extremist” and accused of being part of a conspiracy.
These local chats, once used to coordinate 2020 protests against alleged election fraud, are now seen as threats.
Jails are overcrowded, and many detainees, including political prisoners, face harsh conditions.
The number of treason convictions is also quickly increasing. Eighty-eight people received sentences on treason charges, twice as many as nine years ago, Viasna said.
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya condemned the crackdown, calling on the West to respond and urging Belarusians to vote against all candidates.
Belarus hasn’t had free or fair elections since 1994. The previous presidential election, which Lukashenko claimed to have won by a landslide with 80% of the vote, provoked nationwide protests and a subsequent regime crackdown on dissent.
In the course of quelling the opposition, Lukashenko’s regime eliminated independent media, closed over 1,700 non-profit civic organizations, banned all but four political parties loyal to the regime, and jailed over 1,300 political prisoners.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Kateryna Denisova
