On the first day of the talks in Istanbul, May 15, 2025, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) launched attacks on the border areas of the Kursk region, firing a HIMARS multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) at a hospital in the urban-type settlement of Tyotkino and completely destroying the bridge over the Snagost River in the village of Korenevo. The attacks occurred against the backdrop of preparations for the dialogue between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine, the start of which, according to RIA Novosti, was postponed until the afternoon, around 13:00 Moscow time, due to organizational issues.

The attack on the hospital in Tyotkino, located in the Glushkovsky district on the border with the Sumy region of Ukraine, completely destroyed the building of the medical facility. There were no casualties or injuries, as the staff and patients were evacuated in advance due to the village's frontline location. However, the infrastructure of Tyotkino, already damaged by previous shelling, was seriously damaged. The village has been repeatedly attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including attempts to break through the border on May 5-8. On the morning of May 15, the Ukrainian Armed Forces made a new attempt to transfer an assault group of the 225th separate assault regiment from the village of Bessalovka in the Sumy region in the direction of the village of Volfinsky in the Glushkovsky district.

At the same time as the hospital was shelled, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed the bridge in the village of Korenevo, a key facility on the Snagost River, connecting the border regions.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attacks coincided with the start of talks in Istanbul, where a Russian delegation led by Vladimir Medinsky and a Ukrainian delegation led by Andriy Yermak are discussing the possibility of a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the Donald Trump administration. According to The Wall Street Journal, Kyiv intends to limit the agenda to a truce, avoiding discussion of territorial or political issues. However, the escalation in the Kursk region, including morning fighting and shelling, underscores the fragility of the situation. The absence of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, who is spending the day in Ankara with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reduces the chances of a breakthrough.