The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel speaks about the future of the EU-led special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and its role in bringing Russia to justice.
Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with the activities of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was co-founded by Golos's legal predecessor, the Golos association.
Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
A grave is pictured in front of destroyed residential buildings in Mariupol on May 31, 2022. (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry condemned an event on the "rebirth" of Mariupol after Russia's brutal siege, planned by an Italian pro-Russian association, as propaganda and a provocation, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Jan. 4, citing Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko.
The Russian Cultural Association of Emilia Romagna announced on Jan. 3 that an event would be held in a civic hall in Modena on Jan. 20 about Russia's "rapid reconstruction" of Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast.
The city came under siege by Russian forces between February and May 2022, leaving thousands dead and reducing the city to rubble. Satellite images showed the expansion of mass graves near the city in the months following the start of Russia's occupation.
The Facebook post about the event, written in Italian and Russian, refers to the "liberation" of Mariupol by Russia.
The event lists Russian Ambassador to Italy Dmitry Shodin as a speaker. Another speaker is Eliseo Bertolasi, an Italian pro-Kremlin journalist who claimed to be a foreign observer of Russia's sham referendum in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine in September 2022.
Nikolenko told Ukrainska Pravda that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has already instructed the Ukrainian Embassy in Rome to prepare an official appeal.
"At an official level, Italy resolutely supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. And we expect that there will be an appropriate reaction to this propaganda event," Nikolenko noted.
According to news outlet Modena Today, Paolo Zanca, a local official, said that Modena Mayor Gian Carlo Muzzarelli should "clarify the municipality's position regarding the invasion of Ukraine."
"Mariupol is the symbol of the unspeakable horrors of Putin's ogres, not least the bombing of the Drama Theater with 600 civilians murdered, many of whom were children. It was one of the worst war crimes committed since the Russian invasion, as also recognized by Amnesty International," Zanca told Modena Today.
Senator Enrico Borghi posted on X that it was "unacceptable" that such an event is being organized in a public place.
"A pro-Russian association launches its propaganda on Mariupol, a Ukrainian city razed to the ground by Putin, in a public hall in Modena. The attempt to subvert the truth, to pollute communication, and now even to glorify reconstruction continues," Borghi said.
Lawmaker Lia Quartapelle also said she hoped that the mayor of Modena would react.
"When we say that we must protect ourselves from interference, it also means avoiding giving public spaces to propaganda initiatives for Russia carried out on the backs of Mariupol, a city devastated by Putin," Quartapelle posted on X.
Muzzarelli responded to Quartapelle on X that the event has received no financial support from the local council.
It is not a "municipal conference, there is no municipal patronage," but "I will check what I can do," Muzzarelli wrote. "Our position alongside the invaded country has been very clear from day one," the mayor said.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
