"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
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.
Illustrative image of railway tracks in Moscow Oblast, Russia, on June 9, 2018. (Vyacheslav Argenberg/Getty Images).
Sudzha, Korenevo, and Psel stations in Kursk Oblast are "temporarily closed to passengers," Russian state-owned train operator Moscow Railway said on Aug. 8, as Russia claims ongoing battles in the region.
Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, resulting in clashes on Russian soil that were described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as "a large-scale provocation."
Kyiv has largely refused to comment on the operation in Kursk Oblast, which takes place just as Russia is ramping up attacks in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast.
Much of the fighting is reportedly taking place around Sudzha, a village with a population of around 5,000 people located less than 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border with Ukraine. The city of Kursk lies 85 kilometers (53 miles) to the northeast of Sudzha.
Korenevo is located around 32 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Sudzha, while Psel station is located in the village of Peschansky, 25 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of Sudzha.
"The stations at Sudzha, Korenevo, Psel are temporarily closed to passengers," Moscow Railway said.
Train services are being carried out as normal in Kursk Oblast with the exception of the Sudzhansky and Korenovsky districts, the company said.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Aug. 8 that its forces continue to engage Ukrainian troops in these two districts.
"To ensure traffic safety, additional inspections of the infrastructure and briefings for personnel are carried out," Moscow Railway added.
The company reported later in the afternoon that an additional train to Moscow will leave Kursk railway station at 3 a.m. on Aug. 9 "to meet the demand for passenger transportation."
The number of carriages on a regularly scheduled train from Kursk to Moscow "has been temporarily increased to 10," Moscow Railways added.
According to Russian media, several thousand people have been reportedly evacuated from Kursk Oblast.
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.
Francis Farrell
