Russian strikes killed six people in Ukraine on Saturday, with four deaths in Soumy and two in Odessa, while missiles also hit Kiev and wounded 12 people there. In the capital, the first explosions were heard before the air-raid alert sounded.
The timing mattered because the war in Ukraine had reached its 1,598th day, and the attacks again spread across more than one front at once. Soumy, in the northeast, was hit by two guided aerial bombs that landed in a civilian area, while Odessa was struck on the Black Sea coast.
For Vasile Tofan, the day also carried a political turn in Moldavie. Maia Sandu proposed the 43-year-old, a senior partner at Horizon Capital, to become the next prime minister after Alexandru Munteanu stepped down over differences with the majority. Tofan said he wanted to strengthen the resilience of state and society institutions.
Across the border, memory still hardens the region’s politics. Donald Tusk announced in Varsovie the construction of a Mur du Souvenir for the victims of wartime massacres committed by Ukrainian nationalists, with an eternal flame and the names of identified victims. The announcement came on the eve of the commemoration of dimanche sanglant 1943, a reminder that La Pologne and Ukraine remain allies against Russie even as the killings in Volhynie continue to shadow their ties.
The unanswered question is no longer whether pressure is building around both wars and memory, but how quickly Moldova’s parliament will move on Tofan’s nomination. If Sandu’s choice holds, he will still need the confidence of deputies before he can turn his promise of resilience into government.
