The blockade ended at 10:30 p.m. local time. Truck traffic in both directions is now moving as usual, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard's statement.
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
The aftermath of Russian attacks against Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Sept. 19-20, 2024. (Governor Vadym Filashkin/Telegram)
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least five people and injured at least 33 over the past day, regional authorities reported on Sept. 20.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 61 of the 70 Shahed-type drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Nine drones were "lost" in Ukraine as a result of "active measures" by Ukrainian forces.
A Kh-59 cruise missile was also reportedly shot down overnight.
In Sumy Oblast, one person was killed and 17 people injured over the past day, the regional military administration reported.
Russia launched an airstrike against the city of Sumy late on Sept. 19, hitting a retirement home, killing one person, and injuring 14, officials said.
Three other people were reportedly injured during an airstrike against the Seredyna-Buda community earlier the same day.
Two people were killed during an attack against Chasiv Yar, and one was killed in Kostiantynivka. Two injuries were reported in the village of Rivne, two in Kurakhivka, and one each in Kurakhove, Zoria, Zarichne, and Serebrianka, the governor said.
Russian attacks against Kharkiv Oblastkilled an 85-year-old man in the town of Vilcha near Vovchansk, injured a 65-year-old man in Kupiansk, and wounded two people in the village of Shestakove, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Five people were injured during Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. A critical infrastructure facility, five multi-story buildings, and 14 houses were damaged.
Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsia, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Luhansk, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Rivne, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts also came under attack, but no casualties were reported.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Jakub Parusinski
