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Stay on top of Russia-Ukraine war 05-15-2025 developments on the ground with KyivPost fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated war maps.
An ex-FBI Agent has claimed that Russian intelligence officers used Musk’s susceptibility to sex and drugs to target the tech billionaire for exploitation.
A former FBI agent has alleged that Russia’s GRU intelligence agency targeted tech billionaire Elon Musk for exploitation and offered him direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Former FBI Counterintelligence Special Agent Jonathan Buma stated that Russian intelligence had special operations to influence Silicon Valley tech CEOs such as Musk and venture capitalist Peter Thiel that included gathering damning information that could later be used as blackmail.
US Secretary of State says it’s ‘abundantly clear’ that a Trump-Putin meeting is needed for a ‘breakthrough’ in peace talks, bringing into question the “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine” policy.
The United States doesn’t have “high expectations” for Russia-Ukraine talks, which are poised to take place on Friday, May 16, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday night ahead of his trip to Istanbul.
In a briefing for the traveling US press following NATO engagements in Antalya, the top US diplomat said he would meet with Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, and a senior Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul on Friday.
Zelensky to send Defense Chief Rustem Umerov to Istanbul talks after Putin refuses to attend the negotiations that he originally proposed.
Ukraine will be represented in peace talks in Istanbul by its Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a press conference during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Thursday.
The announcement comes as uncertainty continues over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would attend peace talks in Turkey, after the leader originally proposed May 15 for talks.
Two years after Finland’s accession to NATO, there has been a noticeable expansion of Russian military infrastructure in the border regions.
The Swedish news site SVT Nyheter, citing open-source satellite imagery, said that Russia was setting up troop camps, building vehicle warehouses, opening and refurbishing airbases just miles from the Finnish border.
Finland abandoned decades of neutrality to become the 31st NATO member on April 4, 2023 – a direct result of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Its membership not only added to the alliance’s military strength but further extended its border with Russia by 1,340 kilometers (830 miles).
Belarus is sending troops to Russia’s Mulino training center to become instructors, citing the need to learn lessons from “modern conflicts” – likely referring to the war in Ukraine.
Belarus is deploying military personnel to Russia for advanced training, to prepare them to become instructors on their return, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced.
According to the official statement, the servicemen were selected from various units of the Belarusian Armed Forces and are undergoing training at the 333rd Combat Training Center, located near Mulino in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region.
As delegations from Ukraine and Russia have descended on Turkey to begin (or not) the peace process, some feel the tremor could be a signal from above.
Shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara and in advance of delegations from Kyiv and Moscow meeting in Istanbul, the central Turkish province of Konya/Kulu experienced an earthquake at around 3:46 p.m. local time.
According to the TRT Haber news outlet, the Turkish Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on X that the tremor was a 5.2 magnitude quake at a depth of 18.73 kilometers (61,450 feet).
The Ukrainian president argued that pressure cannot be one-sided in peace talks and called for more pressure on Moscow.
President Volodmyr Zelensky has called for more sanctions on Moscow at a Thursday press conference in Ankara after a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
His meeting with Erdoğan came as a result of the direct talks in Turkey called by Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Sunday in response to the West’s ceasefire ultimatum. Putin did not attend the meeting eventually.
The US Secretary of State met with counterparts from Western Europe to discuss peace in Ukraine, after the Russian failure to send top-level delegates to Istanbul dashed hopes for a quick peace deal.
The top US diplomat on Thursday told his counterparts from the Big Four of Western Europe – France, Germany, Italy and the UK – that European leadership was “critical” for getting Russia and Ukraine to talk peace in good faith.
Marco Rubio met with the other Transatlantic Quint Foreign Ministers – Jean-Noël Barrot (France), Johann Wadephul (Germany), Antonio Tajani (Italy), and David Lammy (the UK) on the sidelines of the NATO Informal Ministerial Meeting in Antalya, reports Kyiv Post’s correspondent currently traveling with Rubio.
The Ukrainian president said he can even skip the meeting with his Russian counterpart if the delegations can agree on a ceasefire on Thursday as proposed earlier.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he does not have to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin if the delegations can achieve a ceasefire the same day.
Thursday’s talks were initiated by Putin on Sunday in response to the West’s Saturday ceasefire ultimatum. However, Putin has sent low-level officials in his place, to the dissatisfaction of Kyiv and the West.
Kyiv Post visited the National Center for Radiation Medicine in Kyiv – a unique institution that has been conducting radiological studies since the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.
The threat of nuclear disaster is rising steadily, as Russia uses the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant – Europe’s largest – to shield its artillery attacks on Ukrainian targets.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility, which is the third-largest nuclear power plant in the world, has become a platform for Russian forces to launch attacks at the Ukrainian city of Nikopol and at Ukrainian military positions in the Dnipropetrovsk region – elevating the risks of a nuclear disaster to a new level.
For almost half of Russiaʼs residents, the financial situation worsened in 2025 and 21% needed $186.3 more monthly.
Nearly half – 47% of Russians – said their financial situation had worsened in 2025 compared to the previous year and 75% reported that they often lack money for everyday needs, The Moscow Times reported, citing an Anderida Financial Group survey.
For 40% of Russian residents, the income level remained unchanged, while only 13% reported an increase in earnings.
Currently, foreigners working as volunteers in Ukraine need to apply for a D type visa and a temporary residence permit once inside the country.
Ukraine is considering scrapping the visa requirements for foreign volunteers during martial law.
At present, foreigners, when coming to Ukraine as volunteers working with accredited organizations, need to apply for a long-term visa known as a D-type visa at a Ukrainian consulate abroad, then request a temporary residence permit once they are in Ukraine – which is subject to renewal each year.
Hungarian media says Kyiv may have sent a drone near Tokaj to test Budapest’s defenses – part of a growing “intelligence war,” days after Ukraine busted a Hungarian spy ring.
Hungary claims its air defenses shot down a drone, allegedly sent from Ukrainian territory, near the border.
“A Hungarian radar detected and then shot down a drone by the Hungarian Armed Forces, which could be a new chapter in the secret service war between Hungary and Ukraine,” the Magyar Hírlap media outlet reported on May 12.
Europe is stepping up more with cash, arms and production capacity, all to beef up Ukraine’s artillery.
Ukrainian Ground Forces cannon and howitzer gunners got more good news from Europe this week with new and substantial commitments by Germany and France to get more firepower into the hands of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s (AFU) artillery.
Officials from Ukraine’s national defense production company Ukroboronprom on Tuesday in Madrid signed an agreement with Rheinmetall, Germany’s biggest arms manufacturer, to launch a joint venture that will manufacture 155mm caliber artillery shells in a Ukrainian facility, with initial production planned in 2026.
NATO Secretary General Rutte says Putin snubbed a chance for peace after Zelensky offered direct talks. Rutte is calling for a deal that won’t repeat the broken Minsk model.
Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to seize a chance for peace after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed readiness for a direct meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at a press conference in Antalya, Turkey, during an informal meeting of foreign ministers from Alliance countries.
“The Russians are sending a low-level delegation and are not using the opportunity provided by President Zelensky. He said that he is ready to sit down at the negotiating table with Putin,” Rutte said, as quoted by Ukrinform.
US President Donald Trump then said he knew “nothing about a delegation” when questioned by a reporter aboard Air Force One.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is “not disappointed” by Moscow’s low-level delegation in Turkey, but later said he knew “nothing about a delegation” aboard Air Force One,
On Sunday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Kyiv in Istanbul on Thursday in response to the West’s ceasefire ultimatum, but he chose to send a low-level delegation comprising deputy ministers in his place, despite calls by his Ukrainian counterpart to attend in person.
Vladimir Solovyov, notorious for his televised polemics against Ukraine, has announced a new children’s show aimed at instilling “political awareness from the cradle.”
Proverbs 22:6 “Catch them young and they will be yours forever.”
Vladimir Solovyov, the Rossiya 1 TV channel’s rabid propagandist – the Kremlin’s leading advocate notorious for his anti-Ukrainian rhetoric – is branching out into children’s television.
The fact that Putin sent his rumored ghost writer on pro-Russian literature might illustrate his seriousness towards the talks with Ukraine, which he proposed himself.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has dispatched his rumored ghost writer, former Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky, to head Thursday’s Istanbul talks with Kyiv initiated by none other than Putin himself on Sunday.
Medinsky is known as an ultranationalist Kremlin hawk who has amplified Russia’s imperialism claims in the past – a potential signal as to what is to come from the Russian negotiators during the talks on Thursday.
The leaders of Slovakia and Serbia both went to Moscow to celebrate Victory Day with Putin – despite EU warnings not to. How can Brussels discourage further collaboration?
Last week marked “Victory Day” in Russia to celebrate the triumph which defeated the Nazis, effectively concluding WWII in Europe. Victory Day in Russia did not disappoint, symbolizing an event of pride, patriotism, and propaganda. Putin recognizes that global politics is heavily influenced by perception, and the side that controls information most effectively holds the advantage. To portray Russia as a relevant global power, over two dozen world leaders joined the Kremlin in celebration.
Two of them – Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić and Slovakia’s Robert Fico – represent Russia’s success in resisting Western diplomatic isolation, legitimization of its global influence, and defiance of EU pressure.
The Kremlin had left the question of who would be attending open until the last minute, even though it was Putin himself who proposed direct negotiations.
Vladimir Putin will not be present at the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia that commence today in Istanbul. The Kremlin had left the question of who would be attending open until the last minute, even though it was Putin himself who proposed direct negotiations in response to Sunday’s joint European-US demand for an immediate 30-day ceasefire.
Putin predictably conspicuous by his absence
The Kremlin has called Zelensky a “clown” and a “failure” after he criticized Russia’s delegation in Istanbul as a “sham.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday called President Volodymyr Zelensky a “clown” and “failure” after the latter’s criticisms of the Russian delegation.
Speaking to reporters near the plane after landing in Ankara earlier on Thursday, Zelensky referred to the Russian negotiators as a “sham delegation” after Moscow dispatched four lower-level officials for the talks initiated by Moscow itself.
Speaking briefly to reporters near the plane after landing, Zelensky confirmed the Ukrainian delegation had arrived and outlined plans for the upcoming talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Ankara on Thursday, May 15, for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ahead of expected peace talks with Russia in Istanbul.
Speaking briefly to reporters near the plane after landing, Zelensky confirmed the Ukrainian delegation had arrived and outlined plans for the upcoming talks.
Ukraine’s HUR unveiled advanced MAGURA sea drones that have destroyed 17 Russian targets, forcing much of the Black Sea Fleet to retreat from Crimea to Novorossiysk.
On Wednesday, May 14, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) team unveiled its newest sea drones for the first time – unmanned systems that have already proven their effectiveness by destroying multiple Russian ships, helicopters, and aircraft, Kyiv Post journalist reports from a secret location in the Ukrainian capital.
The MAGURA sea drones represent a cutting-edge technological weapon that has helped the HUR’s special unit Group 13 dramatically shift the balance in the Black Sea in Ukraine’s favor.
Trump, on a Middle East tour, says he may join Ukraine-Russia talks in Turkey on Friday “if it is appropriate,” while the Russian delegation has landed in Istanbul.
US President Donald Trump said he may visit Turkey on Friday, May 16, to attend Ukraine-Russia talks.
“Trump, who is on a three-nation tour of the Middle East, said on Thursday he would go to the talks in Turkey on Friday, “if it is appropriate,” as per a Reuters report.
The top US diplomat insists that Trump wants to see progress made in ending Russia’s war in Ukraine ‘in the next couple of days’
ANTALYA – The top US diplomat Marco Rubio said Thursday, May 15, that President Donald Trump wants to see progress made in ending Russia’s war in Ukraine “in the next couple of days,” and that he is open to any mechanism that would result in a just peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“The President of the United States has been abundantly clear he wants the war to end,” Rubio said, speaking ahead of an informal meeting of foreign ministers in Antalya, according to a Kyiv Post reporter traveling with him.
Putin was not included on a list of Moscow’s negotiating team published by the Kremlin late Wednesday, after Zelensky challenged him to turn up in person to the talks.
A Russian delegation landed in Istanbul on Thursday for the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in more than three years, Russian state media reported, but without President Vladimir Putin as many world leaders had urged.
Putin was not included on a list of Moscow’s negotiating team published by the Kremlin late Wednesday, after Zelensky challenged him to turn up in person to the talks.
As Ukraine and Russia prepare for peace talks in Turkey on Thursday, May 15, Russian forces launched overnight drone strikes targeting civilian areas across Ukraine.
Russia launched a wave of drone attacks on Ukraine early Thursday, May 15, striking multiple regions in a large-scale assault that caused damage but no reported casualties, officials said.
The Sumy region in the northeast was hit particularly hard, with Russian forces launching about 10 combat drones at a village in the Sumy community, according to the regional military administration.
The talks come amid a fresh push for diplomacy, but key issues like occupied territories, NATO membership and ceasefire terms still have no agreement.
Ukraine and Russia are set to hold their first direct peace talks in over three years on Thursday, in Istanbul, Turkey. But hopes for a major breakthrough are low as the two sides remain deeply divided and Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided not to attend.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending the talks and had publicly challenged Putin – who initially proposed holding them – to meet him face to face.
Male citizens are currently liable for military service until the age of 60, but the government has sent out for comments a draft proposal on raising the age limit.
The government of NATO-member Finland wants to raise the upper age limit of its army reservists to 65, it said on Wednesday, which would add 125,000 troops to its wartime strength and take the number of reservists to a million by 2031.
Military service is compulsory for men in Finland, a country of more than 5.5 million people which joined the Western military alliance two years ago in response to neighboring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As the EU winds down its “trade visa-free” regime, transitional measures could deliver a major blow to Ukraine’s revenues.
The EU is set to raise tariffs on Ukrainian imports starting June 6, following pressure from Poland and other member states to protect domestic farmers.
The raise will come in the form of transitional measures after slashing its free-trade agreement with Kyiv, which will cut Ukraine’s duty-free quotas by breaking the annual limits into 12 monthly portions, to reduce imports while talks proceed.
Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.
Key Takeaways from the ISW:
While the Kremlin leader has not yet said he would be present, he released the names of deputies who might take his place.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has approved the list of delegates for upcoming negotiations with Ukraine in Turkey on Friday, according to state news sources, after announcing he’ll likely skip the talks.
According to the ASTRA Telegram channel, the delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation.
NATO foreign ministers will gather on Thursday to focus on preparations for the upcoming Summit in The Hague, but the Alliance’s support for Ukraine also remains top of the agenda.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Wednesday night arrived in Antalya as the Turkish coastal city is hosting the NATO Foreign Ministers’ informal gathering bringing together top diplomats from all 32 member states, Kyiv Post’s correspondent who is traveling with Rubio reports.
The foreign ministers will primarily focus on preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague in June, but the Alliance’s support for Ukraine also remains top of the agenda, among other key challenges.
If true, this would mark the first time since the full-scale invasion that Ukraine has not been invited to attend the NATO summit.
The Trump administration is reportedly opposed to inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the upcoming NATO summit in the Hague, according to a May 14 report by Italy’s ANSA news agency, citing unnamed sources.
If true, this could mark a departure from the tradition of inviting Ukraine to NATO summits at Vilnius in 2023 and Washington in 2024.
The Russian leader was not listed as an attendee at peace talks in Turkey on Thursday.
On Wednesday evening, Russian President Vladimir Putin was not listed as an attendee for peace talks he himself had proposed be held with Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkey, scheduled for Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his own attendance would depend on Putin showing up.
