"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.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Photo for illustration purposes: Ukrainian forces from the 22nd Brigade operate Poseidon drones near the Russian border in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 9, 2024. (Gian Marco Benedetto/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Editor's note: This news story is being updated as more details on the attack emerge.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed on the afternoon of Sept. 21 that the country's military and security service struck two Russian arms depots overnight.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier the same day that its forces shot down and intercepted 101 Ukrainian drones overnight, while explosions were reported at ammunition depots in Krasnodar Krai and Tver Oblast.
Ukraine's General Staff confirmed a strike on the Tikhoretsk weapons depot in Krasnodar Krai, which it called one of three largest ammunition depots in Russia and "one of the key storage facilities in the Russian military's logistics system."
"According to available information, at the time of the attack, another echelon was on the territory of the arsenal, which delivered at least 2,000 tons of ammunition, including from the North Korea," reads the General Staff's report.
A Russian Podlet radar system that aided air defense of the arsenal was also destroyed in the attack, according to the Ukrainian military.
Veniamin Kondratyev, the regional governor, reported early on Sept. 21. that a drone strike in the Tikhoretsk district of Russia's Krasnodar Krai had caused detonations of "explosive objects" at an unspecified facility.
Russian air defense units intercepted two drones over the Tikhoretsk district, Kondratyev said. "The falling debris of one of them caused a fire that spread to explosive objects. A detonation began."
Local authorities have evacuated 1,200 residents from the area near the blast, Kondratyev said later the same day. No casualties have been reported.
Hours after the attack, Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's state-run Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote that a depot was "demilitarized" in Russia's Tikhoretsk district and published videos allegedly showing the aftermath of the strike.
North Korea-made KN23 missiles, artillery shells, and ammunition for Smerch rocket launchers were stored in the Tikhoretsk depot, Kovalenko added.
Ukraine's General Staff also confirmed a strike on an ammunition depot in Tver Oblast that was earlier reported by Russian Telegram channels. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) hit the 23rd arsenal of the Russian Defense Ministry's Main Artillery Directorate near the village of Oktyabrsky in Tver Oblast, according to the General Staff.
The local government in Tver Oblast reported that an unspecified number of drones were shot down in the region but did not disclose any details on the consequences of the attack.
The facility is located near a weapons depot in Toropets, one of Russia's largest arsenals, that was attacked by Ukrainian drones on Sept. 18.
Fire and detonation have been recorded in the areas of both Tikhoretsk and Oktyabrsky military arsenals, the General Staff added.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 53 drones were intercepted over Bryansk Oblast, 18 over Krasnodar Krai, 16 over the Azov Sea, 5 over Kaluga Oblast, and 9 over Kursk and Smolensk oblasts and Russian-occupied Crimea.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
A source in the SBU told Hromadske media outlet that the SBU forces also hit the Shaykovka military airfield in Kaluga Oblast, where TU-22M strategic aircraft are stationed. Russia uses TU-22M planes to conduct missile strikes against Ukraine.
Elsa Court
