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
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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.
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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.
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Russian missiles hit the Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv. A five-storey residential building was hit, the two upper floors completely destroyed, the mayor said.
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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.
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Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports.
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NATO said it will closely monitor an expected Russian nuclear exercise but will not be cowed into dropping support for Ukraine.
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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
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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.
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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.
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