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.
Kherson residents row past a billboard with remnants of a Russian propaganda poster in Kherson on June 7, 2023. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent)
Russian forces attacked Kherson, injuring three people, including an underage girl, Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported on June 9.
The attack reportedly took place around 5:40 p.m. local time during ongoing evacuation efforts. The Kherson Oblast Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into the attack as a part of the efforts to document war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Several civilian infrastructure objects were also damaged, the Prosecutor’s Office wrote.
Kherson, as well as a significant part of Kherson Oblast, is suffering from heavy floods due to the Kakhovka dam breach on June 6.
Some 35 settlements on the Ukraine-controlled west bank of the Dnipro River remain flooded as the government evacuates the residents.
Russian forces attacked Kherson during evacuations earlier on June 8, injuring nine people, including civilians and those conducting rescue efforts.
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.
Francis Farrell
