August 6th and 9th mark the anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two Japanese cities destroyed by atomic weapons in 1945. The 74th anniversary of the events will be marked by virtual gatherings in Japan to honour the victims, and commemorative events in Russia and Ukraine, where political and military tensions continue to increase. In a statement, Russia expressed the hope that the anniversaries will bring “a common appeal for a nuclear-free world, based on universal values and principles of justice”.