Key developments on Could 16:
- Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul finish, Moscow calls for Kyiv withdraw from 4 areas, no ceasefire settlement
- As much as 640,000 Russian troops preventing in opposition to Ukraine, Syrskyi says
- Ukraine 'misplaced contact' with F-16 throughout fight, pilot ejected, Air Drive says
- Putin appoints common who led Mariupol assault as new Russian Floor Forces Commander
- Explosions rock occupied Crimea as drone assault reportedly units Russian ammo depot on fireplace
Ukrainian and Russian delegations concluded their talks in Istanbul on Could 16 after talking for lower than two hours, with no settlement reached on a full, 30-day ceasefire, and Moscow demanding Kyiv withdraw utterly from Ukraine's 4 oblasts that President Vladimir Putin claims to have annexed.
A supply within the Ukrainian President's Workplace briefed on the talks confirmed to the Kyiv Unbiased that Moscow's delegation insisted that Ukraine retreat from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, regardless of Russia not controlling any of them of their entirety.
The Kremlin illegally declared the annexation of the 4 oblasts following sham referenda in late 2022, incorporating them into Russia’s structure — a transfer that holds no weight internationally.
Regardless of the calls for, the supply mentioned the Ukrainian delegation's "impression was that (the Russian) delegation merely didn’t have any actual authority."
"They now must return to Moscow, simply to determine what they will even say in response to what they heard right here," they added.
In response to the supply, through the talks, Ukraine supplied a right away ceasefire, an all-for-all prisoner alternate and to carry a face-to-face assembly between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin.
In a single constructive improvement, Russia and Ukraine reached an settlement for the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs) on a 1,000-for-1,000 foundation, Protection Minister Rustem Umerov, who was main Ukraine's delegation, instructed reporters after the talks on Could 16.
"We all know the date, however we're not going to say it but," he said.
Quickly after, Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, confirmed the agreed alternate in feedback to Russian state media.
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After the talks ended, Zelensky and a number of other high European leaders held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, the Ukrainian chief introduced on Telegram.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk joined Zelensky through the name.
"Ukraine is able to take the quickest doable steps for actual peace, and it’s important that the world holds robust positions," Zelensky wrote.
"If the Russians refuse an entire and unconditional cease to the hearth and killings, there should be robust sanctions. Stress on Russia should be maintained till Russia is able to finish the conflict."
Quickly after, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk echoed the condemnation of Russia's unwillingness to cease the preventing.
"The Russians in Istanbul have de facto damaged off negotiations and refused to stop fireplace," Tusk wrote on X. "Time to extend the stress."
No additional particulars have been supplied concerning the content material or period of the decision.
"Trump nonetheless hopes one thing will be performed," the supply within the President’s Workplace mentioned.
In response to the supply, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Particular Envoy Keith Kellogg see the scenario as it’s. The identical supply mentioned that Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff is, in flip, "overpromising."
In a while Could 16, European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen referred to as for new sanctions against Russia, she mentioned through the European Political Group Summit.
The European Fee is making ready a brand new sanctions bundle, which would come with sanctions on the Nord Stream 1 and a pair of pipelines, further listings of vessels from Russia's shadow fleet, a decrease oil value cap, and sanctions on Russia's monetary sector, von der Leyen introduced.
Ukraine and Russia have agreed in principle to carry a follow-up assembly, Turkish International Minister Hakan Fidan introduced, based on the nation's state-run Anadolu Company.
"The events have agreed in precept to come back collectively once more," Fidan said.
The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova
After Moscow proposed to carry peace talks in Turkey this week, Zelensky agreed and invited Putin for a face-to-face assembly. The Russian chief declined to attend and appointed his aide, Medinsky, to guide the talks.
The Russian delegation included deputy ministers and lower-level aides and excluded high officers like International Minister Sergey Lavrov. Zelensky commented that Moscow has dispatched a "sham delegation," whereas Western officers introduced the transfer as a sign that Putin just isn’t severe about peace efforts.
Although Zelensky has since then left for Albania, a Ukrainian delegation, together with Presidential Workplace head Andriy Yermak, International Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Umerov, has arrived in Istanbul to satisfy the Russian delegates.
The Ukrainian delegation additionally held meetings with U.S. officers, together with Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier within the day.
Kyiv and its allies have urged Moscow to undertake an unconditional ceasefire beginning Could 12 as step one towards peace talks — a proposal Russia has ignored.
Whereas Ukrainian officers mentioned they hope to debate a doable truce in Istanbul, Russia introduced the assembly because the continuation of the 2022 talks and careworn the necessity to tackle what it sees because the "root causes" of the conflict.
The Kyiv IndependentAlex Cadier
As much as 640,000 Russian troops preventing in opposition to Ukraine, Syrskyi says
Russia has deployed as much as 640,000 troopers in fight in opposition to Ukraine, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi mentioned on the NATO-Ukraine Council on Could 15.
Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's navy intelligence company (HUR), reported in March that Russia had deployed 620,000 troopers to struggle in Ukraine, an increase from his earlier estimate of nearly 580,000 in November 2024.
"Moscow has turned its aggression in opposition to Ukraine right into a conflict of attrition and is utilizing a mixed pressure of as much as 640,000 troops," Syrskyi instructed members of the NATO-Ukraine Council.
"Our troopers proceed to conduct an efficient protection operation, inflicting vital losses on the enemy."
The entire variety of Russian navy personnel marks a rising development, as Russia continues to intensify operations in numerous areas of the entrance line.
The Monetary Instances reported on Could 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officers, that Russia seems to be making ready a major offensive regardless of anticipated ceasefire talks this week and calls by Kyiv and its companions for an unconditional 30-day truce.
Russia has gained floor in japanese Ukraine and Kursk Oblast in latest months, however at the price of heavy casualties in addition to tools losses.
As of Could 15, Russia has misplaced a complete of 970,590 troops for the reason that full-scale invasion started, Ukraine's Normal Employees reported. The estimate, which is broadly according to estimates made by Western intelligence businesses, probably contains these killed, captured, wounded, and lacking.
On Feb. 24, unbiased Russian media shops Meduza and Mediazona estimated in a report that round 165,000 Russian troops have been killed for the reason that launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, together with practically 100,000 in 2024.
President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Feb. 15 that Moscow had misplaced round 250,000 troopers, with 20,000 killed in battles for Russia's Kursk Oblast alone. Whereas Kyiv doesn’t frequently disclose the whole variety of casualties, that quantity has probably considerably elevated in latest months.
In an interview with NBC printed on Feb. 16, Zelensky said over 46,000 Ukrainian troopers have been killed and 380,000 injured on the battlefield.
The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak
Ukraine 'misplaced contact' with F-16 throughout fight, pilot ejected, Air Drive says
The Air Drive "misplaced contact" with an F-16 jet throughout a mission to repel a Russian aerial assault in a single day on Could 16 following an emergency scenario on board, the Air Drive reported.
The pilot diverted the airplane away from populated areas and ejected, after which he was discovered by a search and rescue crew, based on the statement.
In response to preliminary information, the F-16 pilot destroyed three Russian aerial targets and was attacking a fourth one with an plane cannon. Following an unspecified emergency, contact was misplaced at round 3:30 a.m., forcing the pilot to eject.
The Air Drive didn’t present additional particulars on the airplane's final destiny or its probably crash web site.
"The pilot's situation is passable, he’s protected and his life and well being are usually not in peril," the assertion learn.
Ukraine obtained its first U.S.-made fourth-generation F-16 jets from the Netherlands and Denmark in 2024, deploying them to counter Russian missile and drone assaults throughout Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Drive misplaced its first F-16 aircraft in a crash in August 2024, resulting in the loss of life of its pilot, Oleksii Mes. A second F-16 pilot, Pavlo Ivanov, was killed throughout a fight mission this April.
The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir
Putin appoints common who led Mariupol assault as new Russian Floor Forces Commander
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Colonel Normal Andrey Mordvichev, who led the assault on Mariupol in 2022, because the Commander of the Russian Floor Forces, Russian state-controlled media reported on Could 15.
The appointment comes amid media stories claiming that Russia is preparing a major new offensive in Ukraine regardless of ongoing peace efforts led by the U.S.
Mordvichev was a commander of the eighth Guards Mixed Arms Military of Russia’s Southern Navy District, which was closely concerned within the devastating 2022 siege of Mariupol which killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, based on Kyiv.
The Safety Service of Ukraine (SBU) in September 2022 mentioned that whereas stationed in Mariupol, Mordvichev reportedly met with Chechen chief Ramzan Kadyrov to approve plans for the ultimate assault on the town, together with the encirclement and storming of Azovstal, the place Ukrainian troops and civilians have been sheltering.
Beneath Mordvichev’s command, Russian troops carried out the destruction of civilian infrastructure and dedicated atrocities in opposition to each civilians and the Ukrainian navy, the SBU mentioned.
It additionally discovered that Mordvichev has been instantly involved in different areas of Russia’s full-scale invasion, together with the coordination of Russian forces within the Donetsk Oblast.
It was additionally reported that Putin personally praised him and awarded him the title of Hero of Russia for the seize of Avdiivka on March 28, 2024.
Mordvichev has been notified of suspicion underneath half 3 of Artwork. 110 (encroachment on Ukraine's territorial integrity and inviolability leading to deaths and different grave penalties), half 2 of Artwork. 437 (waging an aggressive conflict), half 2 of Artwork. 28 (committing against the law by a gaggle of people in prior conspiracy) of the Felony Code of Ukraine.
Mordvichev will change Normal Oleg Saliukov, who was appointed as deputy secretary of the Safety Council on Could 15.
Saliukov, who turns 70 on Could 21, had led Russia’s Floor Forces and the Moscow Garrison since 2014, according to Radio Liberty.
Recognized for overseeing annual Victory Day parades on Crimson Sq. from 2014 by means of 2025, he’s at the moment underneath Western sanctions for his position in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
His retirement from lively navy service had been anticipated this month underneath Russian legislation, which mandates retirement at age 70 except a particular exemption is granted.
Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s former protection minister, has headed the Safety Council since Could 2024 and now has a number of deputies, together with Saliukov.
The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek
Explosions rock occupied Crimea as drone assault reportedly units Russian ammo depot on fireplace
A fireplace broke out at an ammunition depot within the village of Perevalne in Russian-occupied Crimea following a sequence of explosions throughout a drone assault on the morning of Could 16, the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reported, citing native residents.
The 126th Separate Coastal Protection Brigade of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is claimed to be stationed close to Perevalne. In response to the incident, authorities reportedly blocked the street connecting Simferopol and Alushta.
Crimean Wind shared footage taken by locals exhibiting smoke rising from completely different places throughout Crimea.
Explosions have been additionally reported close to the Belbek and Kacha navy airfields in Sevastopol, in addition to close to Cape Fiolent, Balaklava, and Bakhchisarai.
"The loud sounds that have been heard within the metropolis are the work of our troopers," claimed the Russian-installed proxy head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev.
In response to Razvozhayev, six drones have been downed over the occupied peninsula. He didn’t report any injury or casualties because of the assault. Russia's Protection Ministry claimed that as many as 21 drones have been shot down over Crimea, in addition to 43 within the Black Sea and one in Belgorod Oblast.
Ukraine has not formally commented on the reported strikes, and the Kyiv Unbiased couldn’t independently confirm the claims.
All through Russia's all-out conflict, Ukraine has carried out a number of profitable assaults in opposition to Russian targets in occupied Crimea and its neighborhood, closely degrading the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
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