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."
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called for "concrete proposals from both sides" in order for Washington to "move forward" in peace negotiations.
"If they speak to each other in Russian, he doesn't know what they are saying," one Western official told NBC News. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, called Witkoff's approach "a very bad idea."
Tougher sanctions "should be applied to (Russia's) banking and energy sectors, targeting fossil fuels, oil, and the shadow fleet," the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland said in a joint statement.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power."
Speaking to CNN on May 10, Peskov commented on the latest ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and Europe, responding that Russia needs to "think about" it, but is "resistant" to pressure.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
A screenshot from a video published by the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Mash on Oct. 14, 2023, allegedly shows the work of air defense downing two drones over the Black Sea near the coast of Russia's Krasnodar Krai.
Alexey Kopaygorodsky, the mayor of the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, claimed on Oct. 14 that local air defenses shot down two drones over the sea in the morning.
There were no casualties or damages in the city, according to Kopaygorodsky.
The pro-Kremlin Russian Telegram channel Mash published a video allegedly showing the work of air defense over Adler, Sochi’s southernmost district. Mash cited Adler residents saying they heard five or six explosions, followed by power outages in some houses.
Kopaygorodsky, however, didn't mention anything about electricity cut-offs resulting from the attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the drone attack, saying that two targets were downed near the Black Sea coast of Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, where Sochi is located.
These claims could not be independently verified.
Reports of drone strikes within Russia have increased in recent weeks. Moscow usually blames Ukraine for such attacks, while Kyiv rarely takes responsibility.
On Oct. 4, Ukrainian drones hit a Russian S-400 Triumph air defense system near Belgorod, according to Ukrainian media outlets, citing sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU.)
Igor Kossov
