The Ukrainian capital Kiev was rocked by several explosions on Sunday. “Several explosions in Darnytsky and Dniprovsky districts,” Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. “Emergency services are working to put out the fire.” An eyewitness told Reuters that smoke was also seen in the city after the explosion. Earlier, air raid sirens could be heard in much of Ukraine, including the Kiev region.
In view of the massive destruction of cultural heritage by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy strongly demands that Moscow be excluded from UNESCO. “Unesco is no place for barbarians,” Zelenskyy said in his video address in Kiev on Saturday. Russian troops would massively destroy cultural monuments, churches and other religious sites. That’s reason enough to exclude the country from the United Nations’ cultural and educational organization, he said.
113 churches have already been destroyed or damaged. Russia is a “terror state” that destroys historical heritage with its artillery. At the end of May, he had already demanded that Russia be excluded from UNESCO.
Zelenskyj: “Our heroes hold the fortress in their hands”
Since the war started on Feb. 24, Russia has fired more than 2,500 missiles at Ukraine, Zelenskyy lamented. “Our heroes hold the fortress and do everything they can to inflict as many casualties on the enemy as possible.” Referring to the focus of the fighting in Donbass in eastern Ukraine, the head of state said the day will come when Russia will leave the area alone. Only the order of one person determines this, he said, without mentioning Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Will Russia soon gain full control of the Luhansk region?
Selenskyj and the Ukrainian General Staff reported heavy fighting, especially in eastern Ukraine. There is a focus in the Luhansk region with the heavily disputed administrative center Sievjerodonetsk. Bloody street fights continued, Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian armed forces want to continue to prevent Russian forces from taking full control there. If the city falls, Russia would have achieved an important war goal: complete control of the Luhansk region. Russian airstrikes in the region were also reported.
160 bodies of soldiers exchanged
According to Kiev authorities, Ukraine and Russia have transferred the bodies of 160 soldiers to the other side. The exchange took place on June 2 along the front lines in the Zaporizhzhya region, it said. According to Ukrainian information, negotiations on the exchange of prisoners of war are still ongoing on both sides. Thousands of Ukrainian fighters are in Russian violence, including Mariupol’s defenders, who held the fortress there at the Azovstal steel plant until Kiev gave up the city in May.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
