This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
An explosion in the distance, reportedly in the aftermath of a drone strike in Russia's Lipetsk Oblast on Aug. 9, 2024. (Astra/Telegram)
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new information from a source in Ukrainian intelligence.
A drone strike against a military airbase in Russia's Lipetsk Oblast on Aug. 9 set off a chain explosion that detonated more than 700 bombs, a Ukrainian intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.
Earlier, Russian authorities said that a fire broke out at a military airfield, and an energy facility was damaged in a drone attack in the oblast. The source told the Kyiv Independent that there were fighter jets and helicopters stored at the airbase. It is unknown how many were damaged or destroyed in the attack.
The source said the attack was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in collaboration with the Ukrainian army and the Special Operation Forces. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed the attack on the airfield but said that the damage was still being clarified.
Ukrainian forces have previously launched drone attacks at military and industrial targets in Lipetsk Oblast, which is located some 450 kilometers (279 miles) from the Ukrainian border. It is northeast of Kursk Oblast, where fighting is currently ongoing after an unprecedented Ukrainian cross-border incursion that began on Aug. 6.
Six people were injured in the attack, Lipetsk Oblast Governor Igor Artamanov said, adding that they had been taken to the hospital.
Videos shared on Russian Telegram channels showed a massive explosion in the distance, although it was unclear what was directly impacted by it or where it was located.
The intelligence source said that the explosion occurred at the Lipetsk-2 military airfield, located just outside the city of Lipetsk, which has a population of around 500,000.
The local department of the Emergency Situations Ministry said that a state of emergency had been introduced, and residents of four towns had been ordered to evacuate.
Temporary shelters were being prepared, the ministry added.
Russia's Defense Ministry said that 75 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted overnight over six different oblasts, as well as occupied Crimea. The ministry also claimed that seven naval drones in the Black Sea had been intercepted.
The aftermath of a reported drone strike in the town of Shebekino, Russia's Belgorod Oblast, on Aug. 9, 2024. (Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov/Telegram)
Separately, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of neighboring Belgorod Oblast, said that four drones had struck an apartment building in the border town of Shebekino.
Gladkov claimed that no one was injured in the attack.
The claims cannot be independently verified, and Kyiv has not commented on the attacks at the time of this publication.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
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