(NEW YORK) — Sounds of fighting and artillery shooting could be heard in several parts of Sudan on Monday as talks between warring sides were underway in Saudi Arabia amid hopes it will to bring a short-term ceasefire.
Witnesses reported renewed clashes in east and central Khartoum and in the adjoining cities of Bahari and Omdurman. Airstrikes hit parts of Khartoum as dark smoke rose in the sky, residents said.
Negotiations between the Sudanese army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group began on Saturday in Saudi Arabia’s coastal city of Jeddah, on the Red Sea, as part of a U.S.-Saudi initiative aimed to bring a hiatus to the three-week conflict which killed hundreds and sparked an influx of refugees.
The preliminary talks will “continue over the following days in the hope of reaching an effective and temporary cease-fire so that humanitarian aid can be delivered to those in need,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The two sides have agreed to multiple truces since the fighting started, but none has effectively taken hold, with both parties blaming each other for violating them.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed the developments of the negotiations in Jeddah in a phone call on Monday, the Saudi foreign ministry said separately. It has not commented on the progress of the talks.
The conflict in Sudan erupted on April 15 between the army, led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the RSF, commanded by his former ally General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti, as the two factions grapple for power.
The two warring generals were allied in a 2021 coup and the prior toppling of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir and later shared power as part of transition towards civilian rule, but fell out over plans to integrate the RSF into the army.
“Battles are renewing and increasing every day and every minute. There were scary clashes in the morning and we woke up to find RSF forces having their bases around our residential block,” Heba Mahmoud, a resident of Bahri, told ABC News.
Residents in several parts of Bahri have been struggling to access basic needs and food commodities, with a complete water outage since the fighting began, she said.
At least 500 people have been killed and more than 5,000 others wounded since the conflict started, according to the health minister.
In West Darfour, where a flare-up of tribal violence erupted, at least 100 people were killed in the capital city of Geneina over the past two weeks, the Doctors’ Syndicate said on Sunday. Hospitals in the city continue to be out of service, the group added.
Saudi Arabia and the U.S. urged the two warring parties to engage seriously in the talks to move forward towards “setting a timetable for expanded negotiations to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities, the Saudi foreign ministry said.
An army envoy had said they would only discuss details of a humanitarian truce. RSF leader Hemedti said he hoped the talks would “achieve their intended goals.”
The conflict in Sudan has trapped millions of civilians in their homes, destroyed or shut down hospitals and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. It also forced foreign governments to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of private citizens out of Sudan.
Saudi Arabia will provide $100 million worth of humanitarian aid to Sudan, the foreign ministry said.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan held talks with Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss issues in the region on Sunday. He expressed gratitude for the “support Saudi Arabia has provided to U.S. citizens during the evacuation from Sudan,” the White House said in a statement.
More than 100,000 people have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries in search of safety and over 334,000 people have been displaced inside the country, the UN says.
On Sunday, the Arab League issued a resolution stressing the need for “full respect of Sudan’s sovereignty” and preventing any external interference which would “fan the conflict and threaten regional peace and security”.
The resolution also sets up a ministerial commission of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the pan-Arab bloc’s secretary general to work towards ending the conflict, reaching a “complete, sustainable ceasefire” and facilitating humanitarian assistance.
(LONDON) — King Charles III had his crowning moment Saturday as the United Kingdom celebrated its first coronation in 70 years.
Charles and his wife Queen Camilla were celebrated in a weekend of festivities, highlighted by Saturday’s coronation service at Westminster Abbey.
Here is how the coronation events unfolded. All times Eastern:
May 07, 2023 4:55 PM EDT
Princess Charlotte sings along to Katy Perry
Pop superstar Katy Perry took to the stage in front of Windsor Castle in a gold ballgown as she honored royalty.
In the audience, Charlotte, the youngest child of William and Kate, was spotted singing along as Perry opened with her hit song “Eye Of The Tiger (Hear Me Roar),” followed by another hit, “Firework.”
Perry was also an invited guest at the coronation service Saturday for Charles.
She revealed onstage that she brought her mom to the coronation celebration and stayed in Windsor Castle.
May 07, 2023 4:39 PM EDT
William honors Charles with moving speech
William, the heir to the throne, honored his father with a speech recognizing Charles’ decades of service to others and to the planet.
William was met by loud cheers when he took the stage in front of Windsor Castle.
He honored his father’s service, noting the pledge of service Charles gave at Saturday’s coronation as well as the “over 50 years of service” he devoted before becoming king.
“We’re all so proud of you,” William said.
The royal ended his speech by saying, “I commit myself to serve you all, king, country and Commonwealth. God Save the King.”
May 07, 2023 4:32 PM EDT
Lionel Richie brings crowd to its feet
Music star Lionel Richie performed his hit songs Sunday night in front of royalty.
Richie played the piano and sang his hit song “Easy (Like Sunday Morning)” in front of a crowd of thousands, including Charles, Camilla, William and Kate.
He then got up and danced as he sang another hit song, “All Night Long (All Night).”
In addition to performing at the coronation concert, Richie also attended Saturday’s coronation service at Westminster Abbey.
May 07, 2023 3:38 PM EDT
Prince Louis absent from coronation concert
Prince Louis, who stole the show at Saturday’s coronation , is not in attendance at the Sunday night coronation concert at Windsor Castle.
William and Kate are attending the concert with their two oldest children, Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 8.
Louis has become a crowd favorite thanks to his lively personality at recent royal events, from last year’s Platinum Jubilee to Saturday’s coronation of his grandfather.
(MATAMOROS, Mexico) — Most U.S. border towns, from Texas to California, thrive on a healthy relationship with their Mexican counterparts. Goods and labor flow back and forth, helping tourism and the economy on both sides. But in the last decade, those relationships have been strained and tensions have grown.
The Migrant Protection Program, or MPP, was created during the Trump administration. Thousands of migrants requesting asylum were sent back to Mexico to wait for their appointments or court hearings, resulting in the creation of a large-scale tent city in Matamoros, Mexico. The camp was only for migrant families and was fenced off to the general public — even media couldn’t get inside.
The migrants running the location set up a cooking area, a place to bath and use the restroom and even a play area for children. It was safe and orderly. Once MPP was discontinued, the camp was eventually shut down.
As the end of Title 42 creeps closer, a new camp has flourished in Matamoros. Over the last six months thousands have flocked to the Mexican border town, staging near the Rio Grande River and preparing to cross when the time is right. We traveled over the International Bridge into Matamorros, Mexico, with Pastor Abraham Barberi, a local minister associated with One Mission Ministries.
Title 42 is a Trump-era policy implemented during the pandemic that allows border patrol agents to expel migrants without allowing them to seek asylum but it does not come with consequences.
“At times, it’s overwhelming. And I’ve wanted to quit. It’s been going on too long and it’s just difficult,” he said. “I wake up in the morning many times and I think … I’m done. I’m tired. It’s not just that … it’s just feeling like you can’t do anything.”
And yet, several times a week he’s in the camp delivering food or water and ministering to people. Within minutes we run into a young mother, Lucia Gomez, and her 2-year old daughter from Venezuela.
The pair have been living in the make-shift camp along the river for more than five months. Tears running down her face, Gomez tells us in Spanish that the CBPOne app went live at 10 a.m. with daily appointment slots but they were already all gone. It’s 10:01 a.m.
We soon found out that level of desperation and anxiety has seeped into every corner of the camp that holds thousands of migrants in Matamorros. Families are sleeping in make-shift tents made of old blankets and broken tree limbs. They are cooking over open fire pits, with portable toilets and piles of trash feet away. It’s primitive. It’s dirty and inhumane. And yet, most of the people we spoke with say they are willing to endure this for a chance to get into the U.S.
But many are growing restless. They tell us the U.S. government’s CBPOne app is meant for iPhone users and is difficult to navigate. Internet service is scarce and the cartel is now charging migrants for printouts of the instruction manual for the application process because the link is not readily accessible. Our camera caught a family with three young children, one in a body cast, crossing the river with pool rafts and a rope. Troops on the U.S. side watch it all go down without saying a word.
The family we saw crossing the river will end up in Brownsville at the city’s newly erected processing facility along the river. On average the city is getting well over 2,000 migrants a day. Some will get sent back to Mexico by using Title 42; many will be processed and released. The city and local NGOs will help them find transportation out of the Rio Grande Valley. A majority will be staying with sponsors already here in the U.S.
Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez told us: “We are ready. We know there are more people coming and these last few weeks have been a dry run for us.”
When the Biden administration announced last April that they’d let Title 42 expire in May, migrants were required to apply for legal entry through a phone app and set up an appointment.
Title 42 ends on May 11 and officials continue to tell us they have no idea how many people to expect. They are confident they measures they’ve put in place so far will help them mitigate whatever comes their way.
Not everyone is convinced.
Pastor Abraham worries the situation will only get worse.
“No. I don’t think we are prepared,” Abraham said. “More asylum seekers are going to come and this is just going to get bigger.
(NEW YORK) — More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces are readying a spring counteroffensive, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 05, 12:03 PM EDT
Russian official warns it is ‘on the edge’ of a conflict with US
Russia is ready to use all means at its disposal to prevent anyone from encroaching on the security of the country in response to the recent drone attacks targeting the Kremlin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview on Russia’s Channel One Thursday.
Ryabkov said Washington is using its “puppets” in Kyiv to stage more and more dangerous provocations.
“I think that any reasonable person in any country will understand that the United States continues its escalatory policies and uses its subordinates in Kyiv, their puppets, to stage and carry out more and more audacious, more and more dangerous, acts of provocation,” he said.
He went on to say that U.S. officials may deny any responsibility and involvement in the attacks but nobody will believe them.
“We are working to prevent relations with the U.S. from plunging into the abyss of an open armed conflict. We are already standing on the edge, on the edge of this precipice,” he said.
May 05, 9:06 AM EDT
Wagner announces retreat from Bakhmut; blames Russian Defense Ministry
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group said it will retreat from Bakhmut because of severe shortages in ammunition, according to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the group’s leader. He said his forces would withdraw on May 10, blaming Russia’s defense ministry for the retreat.
Wagner has played a crucial role for months in the fighting for Bakhmut, sustaining huge casualties. The announcement and the suggestion of bitter infighting within Russia’s military forces signals division and disorganization just as Russia is bracing for a major Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Prigozhin said he was taking the decision in retaliation against Russia’s military leadership, which he accused of deliberately starving his troops of ammunition because they are jealous of Wagner’s success.
Prigozhin and Russia’s defense ministry have been in a one-sided public feud for months. Prigozhin claims it’s now reached a breaking point, delivering a blistering attack on Russia’s senior military command in the video announcing the withdrawal. He accused them of being “cowards” and of denying Russians a victory in Bakhmut because of their “petty envy.”
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
May 04, 12:15 PM EDT
Zelenskyy makes unannounced visit to The Hague
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a war crimes tribunal in a surprise visit to The Hague on Thursday.
“There must be accountability for this crime. And this can only be achieved through the tribunal. … We must transform the experience of the Nuremberg trials into new operational rules. And that is why we advocate the creation of such a tribunal. We want to continue the tradition of mandatory punishment for such crimes as a guarantee of non-repetition of such aggression,” Zelenskyy said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
May 04, 8:21 AM EDT
US calls Kremlin drone accusation ‘ludicrous’
Responding to Russia’s accusation that the U.S. was behind Wednesday’s drone attack on the Kremlin, White House spokesperson John Kirby said it was a “ludicrous claim.”
“There’s a word that comes to mind that I’m obviously not — not appropriate to using on national TV,” Kirby said on CNN on Thursday.
“I will just tell you Mr. Peskov is lying, and I mean, that’s obviously, it’s a ludicrous claim,” he added. “The United States had nothing to do with this. We don’t even know exactly what happened here, Kaitlin. But I can assure you, the United States had no role in it whatsoever.”
Kirby said the U.S. does not have any information on who is behind the strike but are “trying to learn more about this as best we can.”
May 04, 6:44 AM EDT
Kremlin blames US for drone attack in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman accused the United States of being involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin on Wednesday.
“We understand well that the decision about such terror attacks are taken not in Kyiv, but in Washington,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing. “Often targets are determined not in Kyiv but in Washington. They don’t Kyiv the right everytime in choosing the means. In Washington they also clearly understand that we know that.”
He added, “Without question. Such decisions — the determining of targets and means — are all dictated to Kyiv from Washington.”
Peskov said it was important that Washington understand the “danger” of such involvement in an attack.
May 04, 12:08 AM EDT
Russia attacks Kyiv with drones and missiles; no casualties or injuries reported
Russian forces launched a “complex air strike” with “drones and missiles” on Kyiv early Thursday morning, the Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram.
The air raid siren went off in Kyiv for three and a half hours during the attack, the Kyiv City Military Administration said.
There were no casualties or injuries from the strikes.
“According to preliminary information, all the missiles and UAVs were destroyed,” the Kyiv City Military Administration added.
This was the third attack on the capitol in four days, the administration said.
May 03, 5:11 PM EDT
US Embassy in Ukraine warns of ‘ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks’
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine sent an alert to Americans on Wednesday warning of an “ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks,” including in Kyiv.
“In light of the recent uptick in strikes across Ukraine and inflammatory rhetoric from Moscow, the Department of State cautions U.S. citizens of an ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks, including in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast,” the alert stated.
The U.S. Embassy urged U.S. citizens to follow guidance from local authorities and to observe air alarms and shelter appropriately.
May 03, 2:43 PM EDT
At least 21 killed in Kherson region shelling: Ukrainian officials
At least 21 people were killed and 48 injured by shelling in the Kherson region on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said, as the death toll continues to rise.
A railway station and market in the city of Kherson were hit in strikes, which occurred across the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, officials said.
“A railway station and a crossing, a house, a hardware store, a grocery supermarket, a gas station — do you know what unites these places? The bloody trail that [Russia] leaves with its shells, killing civilians in Kherson and Kherson region,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter.
All the victims were civilians, Zelenskyy said.
An ambulance was also damaged in the strikes, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
“No military objects here. Just civilians, including children,” Kostin said on Twitter.
At least one person was killed and three injured in the strike on the railway station, officials previously said.
May 03, 2:00 PM EDT
White House announces $300M military aid package for Ukraine
The Biden administration has announced a new $300 million military aid package for Ukraine.
The package includes additional ammunition for U.S.-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, as well as “additional howitzers, artillery and mortar rounds, and anti-armor capabilities that Ukraine is using to push back against Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression,” the Department of Defense said in a statement.
This marks the Biden administration’s 37th drawdown of equipment from Defense Department inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
May 03, 11:50 AM EDT
At least 12 killed in Kherson shelling: Ukrainian officials
At least 12 people were killed and 22 injured by shelling in Kherson on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said.
A market and railway station were hit in the strikes in the southern Ukrainian city, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. An ambulance was also damaged, he said.
“No military objects here. Just civilians, including children,” Kostin said on Twitter.
At least one person was killed and three injured in the strike on the railway station, officials said.
Four additional fatalities were reported from shelling throughout the Kherson region Wednesday, officials said.
May 03, 9:48 AM EDT
Zelenskyy denies involvement in Kremlin attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Russia’s claim that his country was involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin early Wednesday.
Zelenskyy, who is currently in Finland, said the claim was the prelude to a “large-scale terrorist attack” from Russia.
“First of all, Ukraine wages an exclusively defensive war and does not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. “What for? This does not solve any military issue. But it gives RF grounds to justify its attacks on civilians.”
Zelenskyy went on to say that various attacks in Russia could be the result of “guerrilla activities of local resistance forces.”
May 03, 8:31 AM EDT
Russia says Ukraine tried to kill Putin in Kremlin with two drones
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has accused Ukraine of trying to strike Putin’s residence in the Kremlin with two drones overnight, but said they were brought down before they could reach their target.
No injuries were reported, Kremlin officials said. Putin was not at the residence at the time, they said.
Videos released on official social media channels appeared to show a drone strike the roof of the Senate Palace at the Kremlin.
The Kremlin said “the Russian side reserves the right to retaliate whenever and wherever it deems necessary.”
May 03, 1:30 AM EDT
Ukrainian drone hits Russian port, causing fire
A Ukrainian drone hit a Tamanneftegaz fuel tank in the Port of Taman, Russia, at about 2:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, Kirill Fedorov, a pro-Russian blogger, said on his Telegram channel. The Port of Taman is in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait.
The fire could be seen in a video circulating online.
Local authorities confirmed the fire, which “has been assigned the highest rank,” the governor of the region said. A tank with petroleum products was hit by the drone and is burning, the governor said. No injuries were reported and there was no threat to residents, he added on his Telegram channel.
May 02, 11:45 PM EDT
All drones targeting Kyiv shot down; third attack on capital in six days
All drones that were used by Russians to attack Kyiv early Wednesday morning local time were shot down by Ukrainian air defense systems, the Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram.
There were no reported injuries or casualties, the military administration said.
This was the third attack on Kyiv in six days, the administration added.
May 02, 6:58 PM EDT
Explosions reported in Kyiv
Explosions were reported in Kyiv around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, according to Suspilne, the Ukrainian public broadcaster.
The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces were activated in response, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
S-300 missiles belonging to Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit in Zaporizhzhia, the spokesman of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Bratchuk, said on Telegram.
Reports of damage, and number of people injured or killed were not immediately available.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Max Uzol
May 02, 6:12 PM EDT
Explosions reported in Kyiv
Explosions were reported in Kyiv around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, according to Suspilne, the Ukrainian public broadcaster.
The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces were activated in response, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
Reports of damage, and number of people injured or killed were not immediately available.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Max Uzol
May 02, 12:38 PM EDT
Marine veteran killed while evacuating civilians in Ukraine
A 26-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran was killed in a mortar strike last month in Ukraine while working to evacuate civilians, his family confirmed to ABC News this week.
Cooper Andrews died on April 19 in the Bakhmut area, his cousin Willow Pastard, who is speaking on his family’s behalf, told ABC News.
The State Department announced Monday that an American citizen died in Ukraine, though did not provide more details or an identity “out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
“We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
At least nine deaths of U.S. citizens who have volunteered to fight in Ukraine have been officially reported since the war began last year, according to the State Department.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 01, 3:54 PM EDT
2 dead, 40 wounded in latest Russian strikes
Two men were killed and at least 40 people, including children, were injured after Russian missiles struck Pavlograd, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials said.
Serhii Lysak, the head of the military administration of the Dnipropetrovsk, said 19 high-rise buildings, 25 private houses, six schools and preschool education institutions and five shops were hit by the missiles.
Five children were among the wounded officials said. The youngest victim is 8 years old, according to officials.
-ABC News’ Wil Gretsky
May 01, 3:07 PM EDT
Russia suffered 100K casualties in Bakhmut since December: White House
The U.S. estimates that Russia has suffered over 100,000 casualties, including over 20,000 killed in action, from the battles in Bakhmut since December, White House spokesman John Kirby said Monday
Half of the 20,000 killed in action were members of the Russian-backed private military Wagner Group, according to Kirby. The majority of Wagner fighters killed were allegedly ex-convicts, according to Kirby.
Kirby said that the data came from “some downgraded intelligence,” that the U.S. has been able to collect. He was unable to provide data on deaths of Ukrainian fighters.
Kirby emphasized that the U.S. thinks Bakhmut holds “very little strategic value for Russia” and if captured by Russia it “would absolutely not alter the course of the war in Russia’s favor.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
May 01, 1:41 PM EDT
State Department confirms US citizen dies in Ukraine
The State Department announced Monday that an American citizen died in Ukraine.
“We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
The State Department declined to provide more details or an identity “out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.” It is not immediately clear when the death took place.
At least 10 U.S. citizen deaths in Ukraine have been officially confirmed by the State Department since the war began last year. The majority of those deaths were of Americans who volunteered to fight alongside Ukrainians, according to officials.
(NEW YORK) — The invitations have been sent and rehearsals have been done for the coronation of King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla.
Even without an invitation, and even if you’re not in the United Kingdom, you can still get an up-close view of the coronation, an event that last happened 70 years ago when Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned.
Charles and Camilla’s coronation will take place Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey in London.
Cameras are allowed inside Westminster Abbey, so all of us at home will get a chance to see the biggest moments of the day, from the coronation service to a procession through London and Charles’ first wave as king from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Home viewers can also catch a glimpse of the special guests attending the coronation — including first lady Jill Biden — and all the best fashion.
How to watch the coronation in the US
ABC News and Good Morning America will have special TV coverage of the coronation on Saturday, May 6, from 5 to 10 a.m. ET.
The five hours of special coverage will also be available to stream on ABC News’ digital platforms, including ABCNews.com and GoodMorningAmerica.com, mobile apps, social platforms and over-the-top (OTT) services.
ABC News’ digital platforms will also re-air the coronation service throughout the day on May 6.
See the coronation day schedule below and get ready to watch history!
Coronation schedule of events
Buckingham Palace has yet to confirm timings for Charles’ coronation day so the below timings are estimated and scheduled to change.
Approximately 5:30 a.m. ET: Charles and Camilla depart Buckingham Palace and travel to Westminster Abbey in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was created for Elizabeth in 2012. The procession will take Charles and Camilla down The Mall and around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary and, finally, to the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey.
6 a.m. ET: The May 6 coronation service will begin at 11 a.m. local time, 6 a.m. ET, and is expected to last around 90 minutes. During the ceremony, Charles will sign an oath pledging to serve the people and will be crowned with the St. Edward’s Crown, marking the only time the king will ever wear that specific crown. Camilla will be crowned with the Queen Mary’s Crown. At the end of the service, Charles will exchange his crown for the Imperial State Crown, or Crown of State.
Approximately 7:30 a.m. ET: Charles and Camilla will depart Westminster Abbey in a procession back to Buckingham Palace. This procession, known as the Coronation Procession, will follow the same route as they took earlier in the day, but will be larger in scale and will include Armed Forces from the U.K. and across the Commonwealth.
Charles and Camilla will travel in this procession in the Gold State Coach, which has been used in every coronation since 1831. The coach was last used at the Platinum Jubilee for Elizabeth in 2022.
Approximately 8 a.m. ET: At the end of the procession, Charles and Camilla will receive a royal salute and three cheers from members of the Armed Forces. They will then appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where they will give their first balcony waves to the public as king and queen.
The rest of the coronation weekend — which includes a bank holiday in the U.K. on Monday, May 8 — will include celebrations across the country.
Buckingham Palace is encouraging people to host Coronation Big Lunches to celebrate together throughout the weekend.
On Sunday night, a coronation concert featuring Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli and others will be held on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
On Monday, the palace is encouraging people to volunteer in their communities.
(LONDON) — Anti-monarchists are expected to stage large-scale protests in London on Saturday during the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, despite warnings from authorities and a controversial new law.
Charles and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, will be coronated side-by-side at Westminster Abbey. The new sovereign and consort will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the diamond jubilee state coach as part of the “king’s procession” before returning to the palace in the gold state coach after their crowning as part of the “coronation procession.” London’s Metropolitan Police Service said it will have more than 11,500 officers on duty that day, making it “one of the most significant and largest security operations” that the agency has led.
“Our tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low,” the police force said in a statement on Wednesday. “We will deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining this celebration.”
More than a thousand people will be protesting in Trafalgar Square as the royal processions pass by, according to Republic, a London-based campaign group advocating to replace the British monarchy with an elected head of state.
“We have had two meetings with the Met police and numerous phone conversations. They have repeatedly said they have no concerns about Republic’s plans,” the group’s CEO, Graham Smith, said in a statement on Wednesday. “It is a mystery why the Home Office thought it was necessary to send us an anonymous letter that could be interpreted as intimidation.”
Republic shared a link on its website to the letter in question, which was dated April 27. In the letter, the U.K. Home Office’s Police Powers Unit details new criminal offenses that will be rushed into law to prevent disruption.
“I would be grateful if you could publicise and forward this letter to your members who are likely to be affected by these legislative changes,” the letter stated, in part.
The changes are part of the so-called Public Order Bill, which came into effect on Wednesday after passing through U.K. Parliament and receiving royal assent from Charles. Under the new law, protesters who interfere with “key national infrastructure,” such as blocking roads and railways, could face 12 months behind bars, an unlimited fine or both; anyone “locking on” or physically attaching themselves to other people, objects or buildings to cause “serious disruption” could face 6 months behind bars, an unlimited fine or both; and police will be empowered to stop and search protesters suspected of having intent to commit an offense.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has urged the U.K. government to reverse the “deeply troubling” legislation.
“This new law imposes serious and undue restrictions on these rights that are neither necessary nor proportionate to achieve a legitimate purpose as defined under international law,” Turk said in a statement on April 27. “This law is wholly unnecessary as U.K. police already have the powers to act against violent and disruptive demonstrations.”
Republic, however, “will not be deterred” and will protest in Trafalgar Square and along the procession route on Saturday as planned, according to Smith. Protesters will likely be holding yellow placards with the words “Not My King,” as they have done at previous demonstrations organized by Republic.
“It is telling that Charles, who has had no problem speaking up on various issues, has chosen not to defend democratic rights when they are being threatened in his name,” Smith added. “Perhaps he might make it clear that he believes in the right to protest.”
The anti-monarchy protest movement has gained fresh momentum in Britain since Queen Elizabeth II’s death and Charles’ ascension. Republic has garnered more support, both financially and in recruits to its cause, according to Smith.
“Charles has not inherited the respect and deference and sycophancy that the queen enjoyed,” Smith told ABC News during an interview in March. “And it’s a very different environment in which to campaign now.”
A new survey conducted by London-based polling company YouGov found that overall support for retaining the British monarchy remains relatively high — at 62% as of April. But that figure is significantly down from previous levels — YouGov tracker data found backing for the crown as high as 75% in 2012 and 2013.
Moreover, the latest survey shows the younger generation is losing interest, with only 36% of 18- to 24-year-old Britons saying they want to keep the monarchy as of April. That’s compared to 2013 when as many as 72% of 18- to 24-year-olds wanted to keep the institution, according to YouGov.
ABC News’ Guy Davies and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Sudan is on the brink of collapse as forces loyal to two rival generals are battling for control of the resource-rich North African nation.
The ongoing conflict has left hundreds of people dead, thousands more wounded and hundreds of thousands displaced, according to figures from the United Nations. It has also prompted a number of countries, including the United States, to evacuate personnel from Sudan and shutter diplomatic missions there indefinitely.
While an unsteady ceasefire is in place for now, President Joe Biden on Thursday issued an executive order he said would expand the U.S. ability to respond to the violence with “sanctions that hold individuals responsible for threatening the peace, security, and stability of Sudan; undermining Sudan’s democratic transition; using violence against civilians; or committing serious human rights abuses.”
Here’s what we know about the situation and how it unfolded.
Who is fighting and why?
Fighting erupted in Khartoum on April 15 in a culmination of weeks of tensions between Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful Sudanese paramilitary group. The two men were once allies who had jointly orchestrated a military coup in 2021 that dissolved Sudan’s power-sharing government and derailed its short-lived transition to democracy, following the ousting of a long-time dictator in 2019.
Officially formed in 2013, the RSF evolved out of the notorious Janjaweed militias used by the Sudanese government to crush an armed rebellion in the Darfur region in the 2000s. Sudanese forces and the Janjaweed were accused of committing war crimes in Darfur. Ultimately, the International Criminal Court charged Sudan’s former dictatorial ruler Omar al-Bashir al-Bashir with genocide.
After overthrowing al-Bashir and carrying out a coup, Burhan became Sudan’s de facto ruler with Hemedti as his right-hand man. In recent months, military and civilian leaders have been engaged in negotiations to reach a power-sharing deal that would return Sudan to the democratic transition and end the political crisis. But long-simmering tensions between the two generals boiled over amid demands that the RSF be disbanded and integrated into the army.
“Hemedti started to believe he had been deceived by Burhan and that the overthrow of the [transitional] government was primarily aimed at serving old-regime figures given the intertwined interests they share,” Mohamed Abdel Aziz, a Sudan-based writer and political analyst, told ABC News. “The final straw was disagreement over the security and military reform dossier,” which Aziz said is a key aspect of making the transitional period work.
Burhan wants the planned integration of the RSF to take place in two years, while Hemedti insists it should be stretched out over a decade. Now, they are in a vicious power struggle and neither have shown any real indication of backing down.
“The situation now is the worst-case scenario,” Jon Temin, vice president of policy and programs at the Truman Center for National Policy in Washington, D.C., told ABC News. “The two generals seem pretty set on fighting it out and seeing who wins, and an incredible number of people are going to suffer along the way.”
What’s at stake?
The international community has repeatedly called on Sudan’s warring parties to immediately lay down their arms and engage in dialogue. But proposed cease-fires have barely held, if at all.
If fighting persists, it could evolve into another civil war that might drag on for years, spelling disaster for a nation that sits at the crossroads of Africa and the Middle East, bordering the Red Sea. A number of countries in the region are connected through open borders.
“There are two equally unpleasant courses of action: if any of the two sides wins, this will not achieve democracy in Sudan and will be seen as a bad scenario for civil forces,” Aziz said. “If the conflict continues and division deepens and extends wider, it will turn into a civil war that will have ramifications beyond Sudan.”
“Millions of people will flee to Europe through the Mediterranean.” he added. “Neighboring countries already grappling with economic woes will face more pressure when new people are added to their population.”
Why is the US concerned?
The clashes have spread outside Khartoum, though “the heaviest concentration of fighting” remains centered in the densely populated capital, according to the WHO. Although Sudan is no stranger to conflict, warfare in Khartoum is unprecedented.
The U.S. is concerned that Sudan’s conflict could spread further and has been in contact with the rival sides “every single day … trying to get them to put down their arms, to abide by the cease-fires that they themselves say they want and to return to some sort of civilian authority,” according to John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council in the White House.
“We’re doing everything we can to get this fighting stopped,” Kirby told ABC News. “This is a centrally located, very important, very large African country. We are concerned that other partners, other nations will be affected by this — not just in the region, but beyond — so that’s why we’re working so hard to get this violence stopped.”
But it’s questionable how much influence the U.S. or the larger international community has on Sudan’s warring sides.
“We are looking at a civil war with no end line, with no end game — and that’s why you saw all these countries, including the United States, pull out their diplomats and their citizens out of Sudan,” Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C., told ABC News. “I don’t think any one of these countries has enough leverage to push any one of the fighting parties to step back or to compromise.”
There’s also a risk that the conflict could create a security vacuum, which Aziz said “will invite militant groups to take Sudan as a haven or a pathway to target other countries in the region and weapons will infiltrate through the borders.”
In 1993, the U.S. designated Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism for supporting international terrorist groups. Sudan notoriously hosted al Qaida founder Osama bin Laden and other militants in the mid-1990s. The U.S. removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list after Khartoum agreed to forge ties with Israel in 2020.
“With nations politically, economically and security fragile like Sudan, the importance of national institutions comes to the forefront,” Mohamed Fayez Farhat, director of al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, told ABC News. “Sudan now is seeing the absence of those institutions. The army is a pillar for stability.”
(NEW YORK) — More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces are readying a spring counteroffensive, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 04, 8:21 AM EDT
US calls Kremlin drone accusation ‘ludicrous’
Responding to Russia’s accusation that the U.S. was behind Wednesday’s drone attack on the Kremlin, White House spokesperson John Kirby said it was a “ludicrous claim.”
“There’s a word that comes to mind that I’m obviously not — not appropriate to using on national TV,” Kirby said on CNN on Thursday.
“I will just tell you Mr. Peskov is lying, and I mean, that’s obviously, it’s a ludicrous claim,” he added. “The United States had nothing to do with this. We don’t even know exactly what happened here, Kaitlin. But I can assure you, the United States had no role in it whatsoever.”
Kirby said the U.S. does not have any information on who is behind the strike but are “trying to learn more about this as best we can.”
May 04, 6:44 AM EDT
Kremlin blames US for drone attack in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman accused the United States of being involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin on Wednesday.
“We understand well that the decision about such terror attacks are taken not in Kyiv, but in Washington,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing. “Often targets are determined not in Kyiv but in Washington. They don’t Kyiv the right everytime in choosing the means. In Washington they also clearly understand that we know that.”
He added, “Without question. Such decisions — the determining of targets and means — are all dictated to Kyiv from Washington.”
Peskov said it was important that Washington understand the “danger” of such involvement in an attack.
May 04, 12:08 AM EDT
Russia attacks Kyiv with drones and missiles; no casualties or injuries reported
Russian forces launched a “complex air strike” with “drones and missiles” on Kyiv early Thursday morning, the Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram.
The air raid siren went off in Kyiv for three and a half hours during the attack, the Kyiv City Military Administration said.
There were no casualties or injuries from the strikes.
“According to preliminary information, all the missiles and UAVs were destroyed,” the Kyiv City Military Administration added.
This was the third attack on the capitol in four days, the administration said.
May 03, 5:11 PM EDT
US Embassy in Ukraine warns of ‘ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks’
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine sent an alert to Americans on Wednesday warning of an “ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks,” including in Kyiv.
“In light of the recent uptick in strikes across Ukraine and inflammatory rhetoric from Moscow, the Department of State cautions U.S. citizens of an ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks, including in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast,” the alert stated.
The U.S. Embassy urged U.S. citizens to follow guidance from local authorities and to observe air alarms and shelter appropriately.
May 03, 2:43 PM EDT
At least 21 killed in Kherson region shelling: Ukrainian officials
At least 21 people were killed and 48 injured by shelling in the Kherson region on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said, as the death toll continues to rise.
A railway station and market in the city of Kherson were hit in strikes, which occurred across the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, officials said.
“A railway station and a crossing, a house, a hardware store, a grocery supermarket, a gas station — do you know what unites these places? The bloody trail that [Russia] leaves with its shells, killing civilians in Kherson and Kherson region,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter.
All the victims were civilians, Zelenskyy said.
An ambulance was also damaged in the strikes, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
“No military objects here. Just civilians, including children,” Kostin said on Twitter.
At least one person was killed and three injured in the strike on the railway station, officials previously said.
May 03, 2:00 PM EDT
White House announces $300M military aid package for Ukraine
The Biden administration has announced a new $300 million military aid package for Ukraine.
The package includes additional ammunition for U.S.-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, as well as “additional howitzers, artillery and mortar rounds, and anti-armor capabilities that Ukraine is using to push back against Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression,” the Department of Defense said in a statement.
This marks the Biden administration’s 37th drawdown of equipment from Defense Department inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
May 03, 11:50 AM EDT
At least 12 killed in Kherson shelling: Ukrainian officials
At least 12 people were killed and 22 injured by shelling in Kherson on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said.
A market and railway station were hit in the strikes in the southern Ukrainian city, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. An ambulance was also damaged, he said.
“No military objects here. Just civilians, including children,” Kostin said on Twitter.
At least one person was killed and three injured in the strike on the railway station, officials said.
Four additional fatalities were reported from shelling throughout the Kherson region Wednesday, officials said.
May 03, 9:48 AM EDT
Zelenskyy denies involvement in Kremlin attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Russia’s claim that his country was involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin early Wednesday.
Zelenskyy, who is currently in Finland, said the claim was the prelude to a “large-scale terrorist attack” from Russia.
“First of all, Ukraine wages an exclusively defensive war and does not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. “What for? This does not solve any military issue. But it gives RF grounds to justify its attacks on civilians.”
Zelenskyy went on to say that various attacks in Russia could be the result of “guerrilla activities of local resistance forces.”
May 03, 8:31 AM EDT
Russia says Ukraine tried to kill Putin in Kremlin with two drones
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has accused Ukraine of trying to strike Putin’s residence in the Kremlin with two drones overnight, but said they were brought down before they could reach their target.
No injuries were reported, Kremlin officials said. Putin was not at the residence at the time, they said.
Videos released on official social media channels appeared to show a drone strike the roof of the Senate Palace at the Kremlin.
The Kremlin said “the Russian side reserves the right to retaliate whenever and wherever it deems necessary.”
May 03, 1:30 AM EDT
Ukrainian drone hits Russian port, causing fire
A Ukrainian drone hit a Tamanneftegaz fuel tank in the Port of Taman, Russia, at about 2:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, Kirill Fedorov, a pro-Russian blogger, said on his Telegram channel. The Port of Taman is in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait.
The fire could be seen in a video circulating online.
Local authorities confirmed the fire, which “has been assigned the highest rank,” the governor of the region said. A tank with petroleum products was hit by the drone and is burning, the governor said. No injuries were reported and there was no threat to residents, he added on his Telegram channel.
May 02, 11:45 PM EDT
All drones targeting Kyiv shot down; third attack on capital in six days
All drones that were used by Russians to attack Kyiv early Wednesday morning local time were shot down by Ukrainian air defense systems, the Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram.
There were no reported injuries or casualties, the military administration said.
This was the third attack on Kyiv in six days, the administration added.
May 02, 6:58 PM EDT
Explosions reported in Kyiv
Explosions were reported in Kyiv around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, according to Suspilne, the Ukrainian public broadcaster.
The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces were activated in response, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
S-300 missiles belonging to Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit in Zaporizhzhia, the spokesman of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Bratchuk, said on Telegram.
Reports of damage, and number of people injured or killed were not immediately available.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Max Uzol
May 02, 6:12 PM EDT
Explosions reported in Kyiv
Explosions were reported in Kyiv around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, according to Suspilne, the Ukrainian public broadcaster.
The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces were activated in response, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
Reports of damage, and number of people injured or killed were not immediately available.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Max Uzol
May 02, 12:38 PM EDT
Marine veteran killed while evacuating civilians in Ukraine
A 26-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran was killed in a mortar strike last month in Ukraine while working to evacuate civilians, his family confirmed to ABC News this week.
Cooper Andrews died on April 19 in the Bakhmut area, his cousin Willow Pastard, who is speaking on his family’s behalf, told ABC News.
The State Department announced Monday that an American citizen died in Ukraine, though did not provide more details or an identity “out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
“We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
At least nine deaths of U.S. citizens who have volunteered to fight in Ukraine have been officially reported since the war began last year, according to the State Department.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 01, 3:54 PM EDT
2 dead, 40 wounded in latest Russian strikes
Two men were killed and at least 40 people, including children, were injured after Russian missiles struck Pavlograd, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials said.
Serhii Lysak, the head of the military administration of the Dnipropetrovsk, said 19 high-rise buildings, 25 private houses, six schools and preschool education institutions and five shops were hit by the missiles.
Five children were among the wounded officials said. The youngest victim is 8 years old, according to officials.
-ABC News’ Wil Gretsky
May 01, 3:07 PM EDT
Russia suffered 100K casualties in Bakhmut since December: White House
The U.S. estimates that Russia has suffered over 100,000 casualties, including over 20,000 killed in action, from the battles in Bakhmut since December, White House spokesman John Kirby said Monday
Half of the 20,000 killed in action were members of the Russian-backed private military Wagner Group, according to Kirby. The majority of Wagner fighters killed were allegedly ex-convicts, according to Kirby.
Kirby said that the data came from “some downgraded intelligence,” that the U.S. has been able to collect. He was unable to provide data on deaths of Ukrainian fighters.
Kirby emphasized that the U.S. thinks Bakhmut holds “very little strategic value for Russia” and if captured by Russia it “would absolutely not alter the course of the war in Russia’s favor.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
May 01, 1:41 PM EDT
State Department confirms US citizen dies in Ukraine
The State Department announced Monday that an American citizen died in Ukraine.
“We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
The State Department declined to provide more details or an identity “out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.” It is not immediately clear when the death took place.
At least 10 U.S. citizen deaths in Ukraine have been officially confirmed by the State Department since the war began last year. The majority of those deaths were of Americans who volunteered to fight alongside Ukrainians, according to officials.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 30, 5:48 PM EDT
Russian missile attack in Dnipropetrovsk region hits Ukrainian cities: Reports
A Russian missile airstrike was reported in different areas of Ukraine Sunday evening.
Sixteen Russian Tu-95 bombers were reported in the air from various airfields and explosions were reported in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine at 10:51 p.m. local time.
“Presumably, Kh-101 cruise missiles are actively flying at the Pavlograd-1 and Pavlograd-2 railway stations, where trains with APU (Ukrainian Armed Forces) equipment and people were located,” a Russian Telegram channel, Military Chronicle, said.
Several explosions were heard in the city of Pavlograd, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, local Ukrainian media reported.
An air alert was announced for the region at 9:30 p.m. local time and about 10:00 p.m., social networks began to report explosions in Pavlograd.
According to local media, repeated explosions were heard in the city at 10:20 p.m.
The strikes destroyed Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles for the S-300 complex on Pavlograd, Russian Telegram channel Intel Slava reported.
S-300s are long-range surface-to-air missiles.
Supply vehicles with reserve ammunition that belong to the Ukrainian Armed Forces were also hit, the channel said, citing eyewitness accounts.
Intel Slava is funded by the Russian government.
“The detonation of rockets has been going on for almost an hour,” the Intel Slava post said.
It’s unclear how many people were injured or killed.
-ABC News’ Fidel Pavlenko and Anastasia Bagaeva
Apr 30, 2:00 PM EDT
Leader of Russian mercenary group threatens mutiny
The Russian oligarch behind the Wagner private paramilitary group fighting for the Kremlin in Ukraine is threatening a mutiny if his forces are not resupplied with ammunition soon.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner and curator of the Wagner group, penned a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigue, demanding ammunition be provided to his forces on the battlefield.
In the letter, Prigozhin wrote that if supply problems are not fixed fast, he will complain to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his mercenaries would abandon their positions in Bakhmut, Ukraine, where heavy fighting has been going on for weeks, The Moscow Times reported.
“I appeal to Shoigu with a request to immediately issue ammunition. In case of refusal, I consider it necessary to convey to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief information about the existing problem in order to make a decision and about the advisability of further presence of Wagner PMC in Bakhmut in the conditions of a shortage of ammunition,” Prigozhin wrote.
He added, “If the deficit is not replenished … we will be forced to withdraw part of the units from this territory, and then everything else will crumble. Therefore, the bell is already ringing — it is called an alarm.”
Emphasizing the urgency, Prigozhin noted that Ukraine is planning to launch a counteroffensive soon.
There was no immediate public response from Shoigu or the Kremlin.
“We need to stop deceiving the population and telling that everything is fine with us,” Prigozhin wrote. “I must honestly say: Russia is on the brink of disaster. If these screws are not adjusted today, the ‘aircraft’ will crumble in the air.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday wished Ukrainian military forces success in what he described as the “main battles” that are “coming soon.”
Zelenskyy’s statement came a day after he said at a news conference in Kyiv that Ukrainian forces will soon launch a counteroffensive, likely before F-16 fighter jets promised by Western allies arrive.
“Dear warriors, the main battles are coming soon. We must free our land and our people from Russian slavery,” Zelenskyy said at an event where he bestowed medals to members of the county’s Border Guard forces.
Apr 30, 5:52 AM EDT
Counteroffensive expected ahead of Western jet deliveries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian counteroffensive will start before Ukraine receives F-16 fighter jets promised by Western countries.
“Frankly speaking, it would help us a lot. But we also understand that we can’t drag it [the counteroffensive] out, which is why we’ll start before we receive F-16 [aircrafts] or other models,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference for Scandinavian media held in Kyiv on Saturday, according to a script provided by Reuters.
He added, “But to calm Russia down with the fact that we’d still need a couple of months to train on the aircrafts and only then we’d start; No, this won’t happen. We’ll start and go forward, while at the same time, simultaneously, I think this is very important [to receive western fighter aircrafts.]”
He said Ukraine is “capable of putting an end to this war.”
Also on Saturday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine received a signal from some countries about the readiness to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
According to Kuleba, the F-16 fighter jet is the ideal aircraft due to its technical characteristics, although Kyiv does not overlook other aircraft, either. The minister added that the decisive word on issuing F-16s will be with the United States, because these are American fighters.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres and Max Uzol
Apr 29, 1:49 PM EDT
23 dead in Russian attack on high-rise building, 17 saved from rubble
A Russian attack on a high-rise building in Uman has left 23 people dead. Among the dead were six children between the ages of one and 17 years old, according to the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Volodymyrovych Klymenko.
Rescuers, policemen and volunteers managed to save 17 people from the rubble. Heavy machinery and special equipment were involved, according to officials.
Two more women are considered missing, officials said. But the search and rescue operation has concluded, officials said.
“My sincere condolences to the relatives of the deceased. We will punish this evil. We will not allow it to grow. We will definitely stand up and win,” Klymenko said.
-ABC News’ Tatyana Rymarenko
Apr 28, 12:18 PM EDT
Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities kill 24, including children
Russian airstrikes targeted several cities across Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 24 people, Ukrainian officials said.
The city of Uman in central Ukraine’s Cherkasy Oblast was the worst affected. Several buildings were damaged or destroyed. One of the strikes hit an apartment building, killing at least 22 people, including three children, and injuring another 18 people, according to Cherkasy Oblast Gov. Ihor Taburets. The attack happened at around 4:30 a.m. local time, when most people would have been asleep. An entire section of the nine-story building collapsed, with 27 apartments completely destroyed. There were 109 people who lived in that part of the building, according to Ukrainian police. Rescue teams were expected to spend all day and night searching for survivors in the rubble.
Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city and a major industrial hub located in southeastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, was hit by “high-precision” strikes in the early morning hours, leaving a woman and a 3-year-old child dead, according to Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov.
Russian strikes also targeted Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital and largest city, but there were no reports of any casualties or damages. It was the first such attack on the capital in 51 days, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. Preliminary data shows 11 cruise missiles and two drones were destroyed in Kyiv’s airspace, the city military administration said.
Apr 28, 11:54 AM EDT
Ukraine says it’s ‘ready’ for counteroffensive
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Friday the military is “ready” to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
“It’s up to the general staff and the command,” Reznikov said during a press briefing in Kyiv. “We will do it as soon as there is God’s will, the weather and the commanders’ decision.”
Ukraine has received Patriot missile defense systems from the United States as well as Germany and the Netherlands. The Ukrainian military has been trained on how to use the systems and “mastered” them within weeks, according to Reznikov.
“The exact number of batteries, I’m sorry, I won’t say,” he added. “Let the enemy guess.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the world not to consider or call the anticipated counteroffensive “a decisive battle.” Speaking at a press conference in Odesa on Friday, Kuleba said the decisive battle is the one that will lead to the liberation of all occupied Ukrainian territories.
One person was killed and 23 people, including a child, were wounded in a Russian missile strike in Mykolaiv early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The missile struck a block that had apartments, houses and a historic building, according to Zelenskyy.
“The terrorists will not get away with this yet another crime against humanity,” the president said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Apr 26, 12:50 PM EDT
Zelenskyy has 1st call with China’s Xi Jinping since war began
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping in what was the two leaders’ first official contact since January 2022, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Xi announced that he will send a special envoy to visit Ukraine and “other countries” to work on a political solution.
“I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Twitter.
The Chinese government’s official position still refuses to call the war an “invasion.”
The call between the two leaders is said to have lasted an hour, according to Zelenskyy’s office.
“Before the full-scale Russian invasion, China was Ukraine’s number one trading partner. I believe that our conversation today will give a powerful impetus to the return, preservation and development of this dynamic at all levels,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Karson Yiu, Cindy Smith and Will Gretsky
Apr 25, 1:03 PM EDT
At least 2 dead, 10 injured in strike that hit Ukrainian museum
At least two people were killed and 10 injured after a Russian missile hit a Ukrainian museum Tuesday, officials said.
The local history museum is located in the city center of Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv region.
“The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy us completely. Our history, our culture, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media while sharing a video that showed the damaged building. “Killing Ukrainians with absolutely barbaric methods.”
Apr 24, 5:48 AM EDT
Russian passports pushed on occupied Ukraine
Russian officials have warned Ukrainians in occupied Kherson that they may be “deported” if they don’t accept Russian passports, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said Monday.
“Russia is using passports as a tool in the ‘Russification’ of the occupied areas, as it did in Donetsk and Luhansk before the February 2022 invasion,” the ministry on Twitter.
Residents of Kherson have been warned of penalties for those who don’t accept Russian passports by June 1. Some may be removed from the territory or may have their property seized, according to the U.K.
(NEW YORK) — More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces are readying a spring counteroffensive, but Putin appears to be preparing for a long and bloody war.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 04, 6:44 AM EDT
Kremlin blames US for drone attack in Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman accused the United States of being involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin on Wednesday.
“We understand well that the decision about such terror attacks are taken not in Kyiv, but in Washington,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing. “Often targets are determined not in Kyiv but in Washington. They don’t Kyiv the right everytime in choosing the means. In Washington they also clearly understand that we know that.”
He added, “Without question. Such decisions — the determining of targets and means — are all dictated to Kyiv from Washington.”
Peskov said it was important that Washington understand the “danger” of such involvement in an attack.
May 04, 12:08 AM EDT
Russia attacks Kyiv with drones and missiles; no casualties or injuries reported
Russian forces launched a “complex air strike” with “drones and missiles” on Kyiv early Thursday morning, the Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram.
The air raid siren went off in Kyiv for three and a half hours during the attack, the Kyiv City Military Administration said.
There were no casualties or injuries from the strikes.
“According to preliminary information, all the missiles and UAVs were destroyed,” the Kyiv City Military Administration added.
This was the third attack on the capitol in four days, the administration said.
May 03, 5:11 PM EDT
US Embassy in Ukraine warns of ‘ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks’
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine sent an alert to Americans on Wednesday warning of an “ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks,” including in Kyiv.
“In light of the recent uptick in strikes across Ukraine and inflammatory rhetoric from Moscow, the Department of State cautions U.S. citizens of an ongoing heightened threat of missile attacks, including in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast,” the alert stated.
The U.S. Embassy urged U.S. citizens to follow guidance from local authorities and to observe air alarms and shelter appropriately.
May 03, 2:43 PM EDT
At least 21 killed in Kherson region shelling: Ukrainian officials
At least 21 people were killed and 48 injured by shelling in the Kherson region on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said, as the death toll continues to rise.
A railway station and market in the city of Kherson were hit in strikes, which occurred across the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, officials said.
“A railway station and a crossing, a house, a hardware store, a grocery supermarket, a gas station — do you know what unites these places? The bloody trail that [Russia] leaves with its shells, killing civilians in Kherson and Kherson region,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter.
All the victims were civilians, Zelenskyy said.
An ambulance was also damaged in the strikes, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
“No military objects here. Just civilians, including children,” Kostin said on Twitter.
At least one person was killed and three injured in the strike on the railway station, officials previously said.
May 03, 2:00 PM EDT
White House announces $300M military aid package for Ukraine
The Biden administration has announced a new $300 million military aid package for Ukraine.
The package includes additional ammunition for U.S.-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, as well as “additional howitzers, artillery and mortar rounds, and anti-armor capabilities that Ukraine is using to push back against Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression,” the Department of Defense said in a statement.
This marks the Biden administration’s 37th drawdown of equipment from Defense Department inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
May 03, 11:50 AM EDT
At least 12 killed in Kherson shelling: Ukrainian officials
At least 12 people were killed and 22 injured by shelling in Kherson on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said.
A market and railway station were hit in the strikes in the southern Ukrainian city, according to Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. An ambulance was also damaged, he said.
“No military objects here. Just civilians, including children,” Kostin said on Twitter.
At least one person was killed and three injured in the strike on the railway station, officials said.
Four additional fatalities were reported from shelling throughout the Kherson region Wednesday, officials said.
May 03, 9:48 AM EDT
Zelenskyy denies involvement in Kremlin attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Russia’s claim that his country was involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin early Wednesday.
Zelenskyy, who is currently in Finland, said the claim was the prelude to a “large-scale terrorist attack” from Russia.
“First of all, Ukraine wages an exclusively defensive war and does not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. “What for? This does not solve any military issue. But it gives RF grounds to justify its attacks on civilians.”
Zelenskyy went on to say that various attacks in Russia could be the result of “guerrilla activities of local resistance forces.”
May 03, 8:31 AM EDT
Russia says Ukraine tried to kill Putin in Kremlin with two drones
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has accused Ukraine of trying to strike Putin’s residence in the Kremlin with two drones overnight, but said they were brought down before they could reach their target.
No injuries were reported, Kremlin officials said. Putin was not at the residence at the time, they said.
Videos released on official social media channels appeared to show a drone strike the roof of the Senate Palace at the Kremlin.
The Kremlin said “the Russian side reserves the right to retaliate whenever and wherever it deems necessary.”
May 03, 1:30 AM EDT
Ukrainian drone hits Russian port, causing fire
A Ukrainian drone hit a Tamanneftegaz fuel tank in the Port of Taman, Russia, at about 2:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, Kirill Fedorov, a pro-Russian blogger, said on his Telegram channel. The Port of Taman is in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait.
The fire could be seen in a video circulating online.
Local authorities confirmed the fire, which “has been assigned the highest rank,” the governor of the region said. A tank with petroleum products was hit by the drone and is burning, the governor said. No injuries were reported and there was no threat to residents, he added on his Telegram channel.
May 02, 11:45 PM EDT
All drones targeting Kyiv shot down; third attack on capital in six days
All drones that were used by Russians to attack Kyiv early Wednesday morning local time were shot down by Ukrainian air defense systems, the Kyiv City Military Administration said on Telegram.
There were no reported injuries or casualties, the military administration said.
This was the third attack on Kyiv in six days, the administration added.
May 02, 6:58 PM EDT
Explosions reported in Kyiv
Explosions were reported in Kyiv around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, according to Suspilne, the Ukrainian public broadcaster.
The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces were activated in response, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
S-300 missiles belonging to Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit in Zaporizhzhia, the spokesman of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Bratchuk, said on Telegram.
Reports of damage, and number of people injured or killed were not immediately available.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Max Uzol
May 02, 6:12 PM EDT
Explosions reported in Kyiv
Explosions were reported in Kyiv around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, according to Suspilne, the Ukrainian public broadcaster.
The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces were activated in response, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
Reports of damage, and number of people injured or killed were not immediately available.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Max Uzol
May 02, 12:38 PM EDT
Marine veteran killed while evacuating civilians in Ukraine
A 26-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran was killed in a mortar strike last month in Ukraine while working to evacuate civilians, his family confirmed to ABC News this week.
Cooper Andrews died on April 19 in the Bakhmut area, his cousin Willow Pastard, who is speaking on his family’s behalf, told ABC News.
The State Department announced Monday that an American citizen died in Ukraine, though did not provide more details or an identity “out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
“We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
At least nine deaths of U.S. citizens who have volunteered to fight in Ukraine have been officially reported since the war began last year, according to the State Department.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
May 01, 3:54 PM EDT
2 dead, 40 wounded in latest Russian strikes
Two men were killed and at least 40 people, including children, were injured after Russian missiles struck Pavlograd, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials said.
Serhii Lysak, the head of the military administration of the Dnipropetrovsk, said 19 high-rise buildings, 25 private houses, six schools and preschool education institutions and five shops were hit by the missiles.
Five children were among the wounded officials said. The youngest victim is 8 years old, according to officials.
-ABC News’ Wil Gretsky
May 01, 3:07 PM EDT
Russia suffered 100K casualties in Bakhmut since December: White House
The U.S. estimates that Russia has suffered over 100,000 casualties, including over 20,000 killed in action, from the battles in Bakhmut since December, White House spokesman John Kirby said Monday
Half of the 20,000 killed in action were members of the Russian-backed private military Wagner Group, according to Kirby. The majority of Wagner fighters killed were allegedly ex-convicts, according to Kirby.
Kirby said that the data came from “some downgraded intelligence,” that the U.S. has been able to collect. He was unable to provide data on deaths of Ukrainian fighters.
Kirby emphasized that the U.S. thinks Bakhmut holds “very little strategic value for Russia” and if captured by Russia it “would absolutely not alter the course of the war in Russia’s favor.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
May 01, 1:41 PM EDT
State Department confirms US citizen dies in Ukraine
The State Department announced Monday that an American citizen died in Ukraine.
“We are in touch with the family and providing all possible consular assistance,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
The State Department declined to provide more details or an identity “out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.” It is not immediately clear when the death took place.
At least 10 U.S. citizen deaths in Ukraine have been officially confirmed by the State Department since the war began last year. The majority of those deaths were of Americans who volunteered to fight alongside Ukrainians, according to officials.
-ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Apr 30, 5:48 PM EDT
Russian missile attack in Dnipropetrovsk region hits Ukrainian cities: Reports
A Russian missile airstrike was reported in different areas of Ukraine Sunday evening.
Sixteen Russian Tu-95 bombers were reported in the air from various airfields and explosions were reported in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine at 10:51 p.m. local time.
“Presumably, Kh-101 cruise missiles are actively flying at the Pavlograd-1 and Pavlograd-2 railway stations, where trains with APU (Ukrainian Armed Forces) equipment and people were located,” a Russian Telegram channel, Military Chronicle, said.
Several explosions were heard in the city of Pavlograd, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, local Ukrainian media reported.
An air alert was announced for the region at 9:30 p.m. local time and about 10:00 p.m., social networks began to report explosions in Pavlograd.
According to local media, repeated explosions were heard in the city at 10:20 p.m.
The strikes destroyed Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles for the S-300 complex on Pavlograd, Russian Telegram channel Intel Slava reported.
S-300s are long-range surface-to-air missiles.
Supply vehicles with reserve ammunition that belong to the Ukrainian Armed Forces were also hit, the channel said, citing eyewitness accounts.
Intel Slava is funded by the Russian government.
“The detonation of rockets has been going on for almost an hour,” the Intel Slava post said.
It’s unclear how many people were injured or killed.
-ABC News’ Fidel Pavlenko and Anastasia Bagaeva
Apr 30, 2:00 PM EDT
Leader of Russian mercenary group threatens mutiny
The Russian oligarch behind the Wagner private paramilitary group fighting for the Kremlin in Ukraine is threatening a mutiny if his forces are not resupplied with ammunition soon.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner and curator of the Wagner group, penned a letter to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigue, demanding ammunition be provided to his forces on the battlefield.
In the letter, Prigozhin wrote that if supply problems are not fixed fast, he will complain to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his mercenaries would abandon their positions in Bakhmut, Ukraine, where heavy fighting has been going on for weeks, The Moscow Times reported.
“I appeal to Shoigu with a request to immediately issue ammunition. In case of refusal, I consider it necessary to convey to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief information about the existing problem in order to make a decision and about the advisability of further presence of Wagner PMC in Bakhmut in the conditions of a shortage of ammunition,” Prigozhin wrote.
He added, “If the deficit is not replenished … we will be forced to withdraw part of the units from this territory, and then everything else will crumble. Therefore, the bell is already ringing — it is called an alarm.”
Emphasizing the urgency, Prigozhin noted that Ukraine is planning to launch a counteroffensive soon.
There was no immediate public response from Shoigu or the Kremlin.
“We need to stop deceiving the population and telling that everything is fine with us,” Prigozhin wrote. “I must honestly say: Russia is on the brink of disaster. If these screws are not adjusted today, the ‘aircraft’ will crumble in the air.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday wished Ukrainian military forces success in what he described as the “main battles” that are “coming soon.”
Zelenskyy’s statement came a day after he said at a news conference in Kyiv that Ukrainian forces will soon launch a counteroffensive, likely before F-16 fighter jets promised by Western allies arrive.
“Dear warriors, the main battles are coming soon. We must free our land and our people from Russian slavery,” Zelenskyy said at an event where he bestowed medals to members of the county’s Border Guard forces.
Apr 30, 5:52 AM EDT
Counteroffensive expected ahead of Western jet deliveries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian counteroffensive will start before Ukraine receives F-16 fighter jets promised by Western countries.
“Frankly speaking, it would help us a lot. But we also understand that we can’t drag it [the counteroffensive] out, which is why we’ll start before we receive F-16 [aircrafts] or other models,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference for Scandinavian media held in Kyiv on Saturday, according to a script provided by Reuters.
He added, “But to calm Russia down with the fact that we’d still need a couple of months to train on the aircrafts and only then we’d start; No, this won’t happen. We’ll start and go forward, while at the same time, simultaneously, I think this is very important [to receive western fighter aircrafts.]”
He said Ukraine is “capable of putting an end to this war.”
Also on Saturday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine received a signal from some countries about the readiness to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
According to Kuleba, the F-16 fighter jet is the ideal aircraft due to its technical characteristics, although Kyiv does not overlook other aircraft, either. The minister added that the decisive word on issuing F-16s will be with the United States, because these are American fighters.
-ABC News’ Edward Szekeres and Max Uzol
Apr 29, 1:49 PM EDT
23 dead in Russian attack on high-rise building, 17 saved from rubble
A Russian attack on a high-rise building in Uman has left 23 people dead. Among the dead were six children between the ages of one and 17 years old, according to the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Volodymyrovych Klymenko.
Rescuers, policemen and volunteers managed to save 17 people from the rubble. Heavy machinery and special equipment were involved, according to officials.
Two more women are considered missing, officials said. But the search and rescue operation has concluded, officials said.
“My sincere condolences to the relatives of the deceased. We will punish this evil. We will not allow it to grow. We will definitely stand up and win,” Klymenko said.
-ABC News’ Tatyana Rymarenko
Apr 28, 12:18 PM EDT
Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities kill 24, including children
Russian airstrikes targeted several cities across Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 24 people, Ukrainian officials said.
The city of Uman in central Ukraine’s Cherkasy Oblast was the worst affected. Several buildings were damaged or destroyed. One of the strikes hit an apartment building, killing at least 22 people, including three children, and injuring another 18 people, according to Cherkasy Oblast Gov. Ihor Taburets. The attack happened at around 4:30 a.m. local time, when most people would have been asleep. An entire section of the nine-story building collapsed, with 27 apartments completely destroyed. There were 109 people who lived in that part of the building, according to Ukrainian police. Rescue teams were expected to spend all day and night searching for survivors in the rubble.
Dnipro, Ukraine’s fourth-largest city and a major industrial hub located in southeastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, was hit by “high-precision” strikes in the early morning hours, leaving a woman and a 3-year-old child dead, according to Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov.
Russian strikes also targeted Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital and largest city, but there were no reports of any casualties or damages. It was the first such attack on the capital in 51 days, according to the Kyiv City Military Administration. Preliminary data shows 11 cruise missiles and two drones were destroyed in Kyiv’s airspace, the city military administration said.
Apr 28, 11:54 AM EDT
Ukraine says it’s ‘ready’ for counteroffensive
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Friday the military is “ready” to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
“It’s up to the general staff and the command,” Reznikov said during a press briefing in Kyiv. “We will do it as soon as there is God’s will, the weather and the commanders’ decision.”
Ukraine has received Patriot missile defense systems from the United States as well as Germany and the Netherlands. The Ukrainian military has been trained on how to use the systems and “mastered” them within weeks, according to Reznikov.
“The exact number of batteries, I’m sorry, I won’t say,” he added. “Let the enemy guess.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the world not to consider or call the anticipated counteroffensive “a decisive battle.” Speaking at a press conference in Odesa on Friday, Kuleba said the decisive battle is the one that will lead to the liberation of all occupied Ukrainian territories.
One person was killed and 23 people, including a child, were wounded in a Russian missile strike in Mykolaiv early Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The missile struck a block that had apartments, houses and a historic building, according to Zelenskyy.
“The terrorists will not get away with this yet another crime against humanity,” the president said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Apr 26, 12:50 PM EDT
Zelenskyy has 1st call with China’s Xi Jinping since war began
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping in what was the two leaders’ first official contact since January 2022, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Xi announced that he will send a special envoy to visit Ukraine and “other countries” to work on a political solution.
“I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine’s ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Twitter.
The Chinese government’s official position still refuses to call the war an “invasion.”
The call between the two leaders is said to have lasted an hour, according to Zelenskyy’s office.
“Before the full-scale Russian invasion, China was Ukraine’s number one trading partner. I believe that our conversation today will give a powerful impetus to the return, preservation and development of this dynamic at all levels,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Karson Yiu, Cindy Smith and Will Gretsky
Apr 25, 1:03 PM EDT
At least 2 dead, 10 injured in strike that hit Ukrainian museum
At least two people were killed and 10 injured after a Russian missile hit a Ukrainian museum Tuesday, officials said.
The local history museum is located in the city center of Kupiansk, in the Kharkiv region.
“The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy us completely. Our history, our culture, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media while sharing a video that showed the damaged building. “Killing Ukrainians with absolutely barbaric methods.”
Apr 24, 5:48 AM EDT
Russian passports pushed on occupied Ukraine
Russian officials have warned Ukrainians in occupied Kherson that they may be “deported” if they don’t accept Russian passports, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said Monday.
“Russia is using passports as a tool in the ‘Russification’ of the occupied areas, as it did in Donetsk and Luhansk before the February 2022 invasion,” the ministry on Twitter.
Residents of Kherson have been warned of penalties for those who don’t accept Russian passports by June 1. Some may be removed from the territory or may have their property seized, according to the U.K.
(LONDON) — Camilla, the queen consort, will be crowned with an existing crown on Saturday at King Charles III’s coronation, but one that has undergone a transformation due, in part, to controversy.
Rather than commission a new crown for the coronation service, as has been customary in royal tradition, Camilla, will wear a modified version of the Queen Mary’s Crown during the service at Westminster Abbey on May 6, according to Buckingham Palace.
Among the changes being made to the crown for Camilla, according to Buckingham Palace, include the removal of the replica of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the original version of which was first set on Queen Mary’s Crown in 1911.
The history of the 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond is entangled in a centuries-long chain of conquest and controversy. It passed through the hands of Persian generals, Mughal emperors and Iranian warriors before being presented to Queen Victoria by the deputy chairman of the East India Company in the 1840s.
“It is, in some respects, the ultimate blood diamond in South Asian history,” Priya Atwal, author and historian at the University of Oxford, told ABC News. “Its origins are rather mysterious and quite legendary, and is this ultimate symbol of the internal political histories of the subcontinent.”
It has been reported that controversy surrounding the symbolism of the Koh-i-Noor is likely to have contributed to Camilla’s decision to exclude the gem from the crown she wears at the coronation.
“The Koh-i-Noor is too controversial right now to risk the queen consort wearing it,” Adrienne Munich, professor emeritus at Stony Brook University and author of the book Empire of Diamonds, told ABC News. “The diamond has a bloody history, reaching back millennia, if myth and history come together.”
Shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II last year, “Koh-i-Noor” began trending on social media as users discussed royal regalia and the reminders they bring of colonization.
While the United Kingdom has maintained and retained ownership of the diamond over the years, the diamond’s ownership remains a point of international contention. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran have all called for its restitution from British possession.
According to Buckingham Palace, Camilla’s decision to not commission a new crown was made, “in the interests of sustainability and efficiency.”
The palace also said in a statement the choice to adorn the crown with new jewels is part of a, “longstanding tradition that the insertion of jewels is unique to the occasion, and reflects the Consort’s individual style.”
“Even with commissioning new crowns, none of that is happening in this coronation, and I find that particularly interesting because the language that’s been used in the statements in Buckingham Palace is that these jewels and the older crowns are being recycled in the interest of sustainability and efficiency,” Atwal said. “But nevertheless, monarchs have been very aware and royal committees have been very aware that diamonds and jewels are inherently symbolic.”
On Saturday, when the eyes of the world are on Camilla and Charles, Camilla’s crown will instead feature the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds.
The diamonds’ inclusion is a tribute to the late queen, who counted the diamonds as part of her personal jewelry collection, according to Buckingham Palace.
The Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds — known as the “Lesser stars of Africa” — are part of a group of stones produced from the Cullinan diamond, which was discovered in 1905 in Pretoria, South Africa.
Known as the famous “Great Star of Africa,” the 530-carat Cullinan I, is the largest-cut diamond made from this stone.
It currently sits on the Sovereign’s Spector with Cross, which will be handed to Charles along with other regalia during the coronation.
Though the Cullinan diamonds have previously been set on the Queen Mary’s Crown, they too are not without controversy.
The Cullinan diamond was purchased by South Africa’s Transvaal government prior to being gifted to King Edward VII as a “symbolic gesture” to heal rifts between South Africa and Britain following the Anglo-Boer Wars.
Over the years, there have been calls from leaders in Africa for the repatriation of “The Stars of Africa.”
“South Africans are increasingly saying this is again a massive symbol of how so much wealth, so much resource was drained from our country,” said Atwal. “If you swap the Koh-i-Noor for the South African diamonds, you’re still in very tricky waters, and I think that is the thing that the monarchy is in, is this catch-22 situation.”
Following the coronation, the Cullinan diamonds will return to a display at the Tower of London, as part of the Crown Jewels collection.
Beginning on May 26, the Koh-i-Noor diamond will also be on public display, and back on the Queen Mother’s Crown, in a new exhibition at the Tower of London.
