The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel speaks about the future of the EU-led special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and its role in bringing Russia to justice.
Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with the activities of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was co-founded by Golos's legal predecessor, the Golos association.
Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (Center-R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) walk past children attend a welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024. (Photo by Vladimir Smirnov/AFP via Getty Images)
North Korea appears to be preparing to supply more arms to Russia on top of some 20,000 containers it had already sent, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Dec. 23 based on its analysis of satellite images.
It follows a statement by the South Korean military, which said earlier the same day that North Korea prepares to send more troops and weapons to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Seoul officials told WSJ that approximately 200 munitions factories in North Korea are running at full capacity to produce weapons, with Russia providing fuel and equipment to assist Pyongyang's arms production efforts.
Satellite images analyzed by WSJ show that some of these factories are being expanded. In return for its arms and ammunition sent to Russia, North Korea might have received as much as $5.5 billion, an analyst told WSJ.
By deepening military cooperation with Moscow, Pyongyang hopes to gain practical battlefield experience and the ability to modernize its weapons systems, said.
North Korea has emerged as Russia's leading ally in the full-scale war against Ukraine, providing not only ballistic missiles and artillery ammunition but also soldiers. The two nations signed a defense treaty in June, requiring either state to render military aid to the other in the event of an attack.
After reporting the first clashes with North Korean troops in the fall, Ukraine in December announced that Russia had begun using North Korean units in ground assaults in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
South Korean officials have reported that at least 100 North Korean soldiers have been killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine. According to lawmaker Lee Sung-kwon, North Korean troops are suffering high casualty rates in part due to their inexperience with drone warfare.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is attempting to hide information about North Korean casualties.
Asami Terajima
