Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now

Civilians in “annexed” southern Kherson region started to flee to Russia amid Ukrainian advances and evacuees were expected to begin arriving there on Friday; a Russian-installed official suggested residents should leave for safety, a sign of Moscow’s weakening hold on territory it claims to have annexed.

UN condemns Russia ‘illegal annexation’ of Ukraine land

• A Russian region adjoining Ukraine said it was preparing to receive refugees from the Russian-held part of Kherson.

Fighting

• Ukraine’s armed forces have re-taken more than 600 settlements in the past month, including 75 in the strategic Kherson region, the government said.

• The governor of a Russian border region accused Ukraine of shelling an apartment block but a Kyiv official said a stray Russian missile was to blame - one of a series of apparent strikes on Russian towns.

• Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv. A five-storey residential building was hit, the two upper floors completely destroyed, the mayor said.

• Three drone attacked the small town of Makariv, west of the capital Kyiv, with officials saying critical infrastructure facilities were hit by Iran-made drones.

• Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports.

• NATO said it will closely monitor an expected Russian nuclear exercise but will not be cowed into dropping support for Ukraine.

• Zelenskiy accused the International Committee of the Red Cross of inaction in upholding the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war and urged it to undertake a mission to Olenivka - a notorious camp in eastern Ukraine.

Diplomacy

• Kremlin spokesperson Peskov was quoted as saying in Izvestia newspaper that the goals of Russia’s “special military operation” could be achieved through negotiations.

Economy

• Russia has submitted concerns to the United Nations about an agreement on Black Sea grain exports, and is prepared to reject renewing a deal next month unless its demands are addressed, Russia’s UN ambassador in Geneva told Reuters.

• Russian President Putin courted Turkish President Erdogan with a plan to pump more Russian gas via Turkey that would turn it into a new supply “hub”, bidding to preserve Russia’s energy leverage over Europe.