This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
Emergency Service workers on the scene of the missile strike in Chernihiv on Aug. 19, 2023. (Photo: Interior Ministry / Telegram)
Five civilians were killed and 37 injured as Russian forces targeted the city center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on the morning of Aug. 19, according to Ukraine's Interior Ministry.
Eleven children were injured in the attack.
Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus reported the attack at 11:41 a.m. local time, saying that a ballistic missile was likely used.
"Here's what it means to be neighbors with a terrorist state, here's what we are uniting the entire world against," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote. "A regular Saturday turned into a day of pain and loss caused by Russia."
Chernihiv's center square, polytechnic institute, and theater were impacted by the missile strike, according to Zelensky.
There have been unconfirmed reports in Ukrainian media that the missile targeted the site where Ukrainian drone producers were holding an exhibition. The Kyiv Independent confirmed that an exhibition of drone producers was planned for Aug. 19 in Chernihiv, but the location was kept in secret. The registered visitors were going to receive the address hours before the event.
A man kneels next to the body of a victim of the Russian missile attack on Chernihiv on Aug. 19. (State Emergency Service)
The attack took place on one of the biggest Eastern Orthodox holidays – the Feast of Transfiguration, known in Ukraine as the Apple Feast of the Savior or Apple Spas.
According to the reports from authorities, some of the people injured in the attack could be going to the nearby church on the occasion of the holiday. One of the photos from the scene shows a body with a traditional church basket next to it.
The scene of the Russian missile strike on the center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine. (Video by Suspilne Chernihiv, a public broadcaster)
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Asami Terajima
