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.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and foreign leaders lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall after the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. (Maksim Blinov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia held its Victory Day celebration in Moscow on May 9, a heavily militarized holiday marking the end of World War II.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that over 9,000 military personnel and over 70 pieces of equipment were featured in the Victory Day parade.
The leaders of Cuba, Laos, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, and Belarus were among the foreign leaders who joined Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for the event.
Russia relies on "the memory of the military brotherhood of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers," and the "friendship of people of different nationalities" for the ability to work "together for the sake of the future," Putin said in his speech.
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Putin referred to the Soviet Union as a country that not only "defeated Nazism," but also "helped the peoples of the African continent and Asia both during the period of their anti-colonial struggle and after they gained state independence."
The day is celebrated by those who "realize the enduring value of justice, equality, and humanism," Putin claimed.
Against the backdrop of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, the historical memory of World War II has been weaponized by Russia as part of its attempt to frame the invasion of Ukraine as a continuation of Russia's struggle against the West.
Media reports emerged earlier in May that the Russian authorities had created a display of Western military hardware allegedly captured in Ukraine as part of a World War II memorial in Moscow.
The display reportedly showcased a variety of German-made equipment, accompanied by a sign that read, "history is repeating itself," as well as a U.S. Abrams tank.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law in 2023 officially changing the date of Ukraine's World War II commemoration to May 8, aligning it with most of Europe and indicating a full break from the Soviet-era holiday.
Around 6 to 7 million Ukrainians were killed during World War II, including about 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews. As a percentage of the population, Ukraine suffered greater losses in the war than Russia.
Irynka Hromotska
