Explosion Kills Popular Russian Blogger

An explosion occured on Sunday at a cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia, kills  prominent military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and injured 19 others.

Tatarsky, who had been critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was one of several bloggers covering the conflict for online platforms like Telegram. Russian authorities have opened a criminal case and are investigating the incident.

In eastern Ukraine, the town of Avdiivka continues to face ceaseless attacks from Russian forces.

At least six people were killed in shelling in the city of Kostiantynivka. The situation has become so dire that Ukraine’s president has called Russia assuming leadership of the UN Security Council “absurd.”

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of Ukraine’s Kyiv region expelling Russian forces from its cities and towns.

The region, which surrounds Ukraine’s capital city, was one of the first areas to face the brunt of Russia’s invasion in 2022. Fighting lasted over a month, and Russian forces occupied fifteen communities across several districts in the region. The town of Bucha, which was under Russian occupation for 33 days, has become a symbol of the most horrific crimes committed against the civilian population.

President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to punish every perpetrator and never to forgive the atrocities committed.