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.
Ukraine has launched an official account on Spotify, the world’s leading music streaming platform, on Dec. 20, 2021. The project is aimed to promote contemporary Ukrainian music and culture. (Courtesy)
Ukraine has launched its official account on Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming platform, on Dec. 20.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has partnered with the Ukrainian Institute and Slukh, an online media outlet covering music, for this cultural diplomacy project.
“It was created to promote a positive image of Ukraine among foreign audiences through contemporary Ukrainian music in English and Ukrainian,” Slukh wrote on Dec. 20.
The account is called Ukraine.ua. It now offers six playlists themed by moods “that everyone can relate to,” such as inspiration, joy, sadness, motivation.
The playlists feature songs by the giants of the Ukrainian music scene such as rock band Okean Elzy and electronic group Onuka. There are also little-known gems that can be discovered by local and foreign audiences including electronic music DJ and producer Koloah and sexy indie pop band Latexfauna.
The account is aimed to promote not only contemporary Ukrainian music but local culture in general.
The “If you feel glad” playlist is accompanied by a photo of traditional Ukrainian beetroot soup borsch. According to Slukh, the photo symbolizes the happy feeling one experiences when their borsch turns out to be of rich red color.
The “If you feel blue” playlist’s cover image portrays famous Ukrainian cat Stepan, whose chill and relatable looks won him global fame online. Stepan has gone viral after his photos were reposted by pop icon Britney Spears in late November.
Ukraine has invested more money and effort into promoting itself as a tourist and cultural destination over the recent years. In 2018, it developed a modern brand for campaigning that includes the “Ukraine NOW” slogan.
Aside from Spotify, the country now has official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Spotify is a Swedish company that dominates the international audio streaming market with 381 million users including 172 million paid subscribers.
Toma Istomina is the deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked for the Kyiv Post from 2017-2021, first as a staff writer, later taking editor roles. For co-founding the Kyiv Independent, Toma was selected as one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in 2022. She holds a master’s in international broadcasting from Taras Shevchenko University.
