Russia's Buryatia Republic declared a state of emergency on May 13 over massive forest fires that have engulfed multiple regions in the Russian Far East.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's statement came as Strong Shield 5 exercises involving military personnel from other NATO countries began in Lithuania.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Former First Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk speaks during a voting session in Kyiv on Feb. 4, 2025. (Andrii Nesterenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 12 dismissed former Deputy Defense Minister Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
Havryliuk voluntarily stepped down from his role as first deputy defense minister on April 11, amid scandal over the ministry's handling of defense procurement.
Zelensky issued a decree on May 12 officially removing Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense and security apparatus.
The Presidential Office did not provide details on the reasons for the dismissal.
A source in the Defense Ministry reportedly told the news outlet Suspilne that the firing was related to Havryliuk's decision to transfer 78 billion hryvnia (approximately $1.8 billion) from the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) to a Polish intermediary company to purchase ammunition for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service.
Havryliuk was appointed first deputy defense minister in charge of procurement in May 2024. The defense procurement sector was reformed in December 2023, aiming to comply with NATO standards.
One of NATO and European partners' requirements for Ukraine was the establishment of two agencies that would be directly responsible for procurement for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, not through the Defense Ministry or contractors.
Shortly before his resignation, Havryliuk on April 7 announced that the ministry planned to merge the DPA and the State Rear Operator (DOT), a sister agency overseeing the procurement of non-lethal supplies for the Armed Forces.
The announcement came as Defense Minister Rustem Umerov faced scrutiny and accusations of corruption for his efforts to undermine the DPA. In January Umerov fired Maryna Bezrukova, the head of the DPA, in a move that sparked outrage among anti-corruption activists.
Havryliuk announced his resignation on April 11 and was replaced by Serhii Boyev shortly thereafter.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
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