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.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
Photo for illustration purposes: Ukrainian forces from the 22nd Brigade operate Poseidon drones near the Russian border in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 9, 2024. (Gian Marco Benedetto/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Editor's note: This news story is being updated as more details on the attack emerge.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed on the afternoon of Sept. 21 that the country's military and security service struck two Russian arms depots overnight.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier the same day that its forces shot down and intercepted 101 Ukrainian drones overnight, while explosions were reported at ammunition depots in Krasnodar Krai and Tver Oblast.
Ukraine's General Staff confirmed a strike on the Tikhoretsk weapons depot in Krasnodar Krai, which it called one of three largest ammunition depots in Russia and "one of the key storage facilities in the Russian military's logistics system."
"According to available information, at the time of the attack, another echelon was on the territory of the arsenal, which delivered at least 2,000 tons of ammunition, including from the North Korea," reads the General Staff's report.
A Russian Podlet radar system that aided air defense of the arsenal was also destroyed in the attack, according to the Ukrainian military.
Veniamin Kondratyev, the regional governor, reported early on Sept. 21. that a drone strike in the Tikhoretsk district of Russia's Krasnodar Krai had caused detonations of "explosive objects" at an unspecified facility.
Russian air defense units intercepted two drones over the Tikhoretsk district, Kondratyev said. "The falling debris of one of them caused a fire that spread to explosive objects. A detonation began."
Local authorities have evacuated 1,200 residents from the area near the blast, Kondratyev said later the same day. No casualties have been reported.
Hours after the attack, Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's state-run Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote that a depot was "demilitarized" in Russia's Tikhoretsk district and published videos allegedly showing the aftermath of the strike.
North Korea-made KN23 missiles, artillery shells, and ammunition for Smerch rocket launchers were stored in the Tikhoretsk depot, Kovalenko added.
Ukraine's General Staff also confirmed a strike on an ammunition depot in Tver Oblast that was earlier reported by Russian Telegram channels. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) hit the 23rd arsenal of the Russian Defense Ministry's Main Artillery Directorate near the village of Oktyabrsky in Tver Oblast, according to the General Staff.
The local government in Tver Oblast reported that an unspecified number of drones were shot down in the region but did not disclose any details on the consequences of the attack.
The facility is located near a weapons depot in Toropets, one of Russia's largest arsenals, that was attacked by Ukrainian drones on Sept. 18.
Fire and detonation have been recorded in the areas of both Tikhoretsk and Oktyabrsky military arsenals, the General Staff added.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 53 drones were intercepted over Bryansk Oblast, 18 over Krasnodar Krai, 16 over the Azov Sea, 5 over Kaluga Oblast, and 9 over Kursk and Smolensk oblasts and Russian-occupied Crimea.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
A source in the SBU told Hromadske media outlet that the SBU forces also hit the Shaykovka military airfield in Kaluga Oblast, where TU-22M strategic aircraft are stationed. Russia uses TU-22M planes to conduct missile strikes against Ukraine.
Elsa Court
