The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
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.
Illustrative image of a burial mound in a field in the south of Ukraine on July 2, 2018. (Olya Solodenko via Getty Images).
Russian forces have damaged several ancient burial mounds on the front line in southern Ukraine, potentially violating the Hague and Geneva Conventions, according to research from the Ukraine Conflict Observatory published on Sept. 4.
Ukraine is home to many of these ancient graves, known as kurgans or mohyly. The mounds can be up to 20 meters tall and date back to as far as 3,000 BC, containing archeological treasures relating to prehistoric life in Ukraine, including the Scythian era.
The Conflict Observatory analyzed open geospatial data to find that the two sites in Vasylivka district in Zaporizhzhia Oblast have been damaged under occupation by the Russian Armed Forces.
"The damage includes the construction of military infrastructure at the archaeological sites and the creation of a large, lewd geoglyph in the shape of a phallus in an adjacent field," the report said.
"The use of the sites for military purposes places heritage at risk of incurring additional damage from the conflict."
Damage incurred separately from the construction of military installations "may indicate looting or destruction of the mound's associated artifacts and ancient remains."
Since cultural heritage is entitled to protection under international law, the damage to the sites and potential looting may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law and the Hague and Geneva Conventions, the report said.
Limitations in conducting research through open-source intelligence means that "the actual number of archaeological sites impacted by Russian fortification building is likely far higher than what is documented in this report," the Conflict Observatory noted.
Russia's war against Ukraine has severely impacted Ukraine's cultural heritage, damaging around 2,000 cultural sites and leaving 1.5 million museum artifacts in Russian-occupied territories.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution in late June recognizing Russia's genocidal intent in destroying Ukraine's cultural heritage and identity.
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.
Kateryna Denisova
