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.
The aftermath of the car bomb explosion in Russian-occupied Luhansk on Oct. 18 that reportedly killed Russian Major Dmitriy Pervukha. (Screenshot from the video by Russian Investigative Committee)
Russian Major Dmitriy Pervukha was killed in the center of Russian-occupied Luhansk after his car exploded, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Oct. 19.
"On Oct. 18, 2024, at about 11:40 a.m., a UAZ Patriot car exploded" on one of the streets in Luhansk, HUR said on Telegram. Pervukha was inside the car, according to HUR.
Pervukha was allegedly involved in war crimes against Ukraine. He served in the 273rd Intelligence Center of the Russian Armed Forces , located in Russia's Novosibirsk.
In the occupied territories of Ukraine, Pervukha held the position of the so-called “chief of staff for military service and security of military service,” according to HUR.
Russian Investigative Committee announced that a criminal case was opened on Oct. 18 to investigate the explosion that killed an unnamed man and wounded a woman in another car.
While HUR called Pervukha "a war criminal" and said that every crime against Ukraine would be "justly punished," it didn't claim responsibility for the attack.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, numerousassasinations of Russian military commanders, officials, and collaborators via car bombs were reported in the Russian-occupied Crimea, parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
Natalia Yermak is a staff writer for the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a fixer-producer and contributing reporter for the New York Times since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Previously, she worked in film production and documentary.
Natalia Yermak
