Recent News on the War in Russia and Ukraine

Russian forces continue their offensive in eastern Ukraine, with 14 shelling reported in the Donetsk region last night, Ukraine’s interior ministry said.

“Last night, Russian troops shelled the Donetsk region 14 times, killing civilians and wounding 5, 6, 7 and 14-year-olds,” the ministry said in an update to the Telegram.

“At least 24 civilian facilities were destroyed: residential buildings, a kindergarten, a community center and a factory.”

Ukraine said the Russian plane used several missile rocket systems, tanks and heavy artillery to open fire on Mariupol, Lyman, Avtivka, Topropilya, Ochredin, Trobyshevo, Novosilka, Diprovo, and Bisky.

Donetsk in eastern Ukraine has long been the center of Russia, and along with Luhansk is a separatist “republic”. Both are in the Tombas area. A strategic goal for RussiaOf political, ideological and economic significance.

Representatives of a US congress visited Ukraine on Sunday – the first such move since the Russian occupation in February.

“Our delegation went to Kiev to send a vague and echoing message to the whole world: the United States stands firm with Ukraine,” the group said in a statement.

The lawmakers met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky in Kiev, who telegraphed the meeting.

“Putin’s call for continued security, economic and humanitarian assistance from the United States to address the devastating loss of life to the Ukrainian population caused by Putin’s invasion.” , “The report said.

The delegation included Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Jim McCovern, President Gregory Meeks, President Adam Schiff, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congressman Bill Keating and Congressman Jason Crowe. All members Bar Lee and Keating entered Ukraine.

They are now in Poland and are due to visit the country’s capital, Warsaw.

– Katrina Bishop

Russia today introduces its currency in the Ukrainian city of Kersen. Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom.

In its latest intelligence update on Twitter, the ministry said it had sought to legalize its control over Russia’s seizure of the city in March and wanted to exert “strong political and economic influence” in the region.

“Recent statements by this administration declare that the return to Ukrainian control is ‘impossible’ and announce a four-month currency conversion from the Ukrainian hryvnia to the Russian ruble. The Russian ruble is to be used in the first kernel from today,” the tweet said. .

Kherson is a port city of strategic importance to Russia, located 100 km from the Crimea, which was annexed by the Kremlin in 2014 from Ukraine.

“Prolonged control over Gerson and its transport links will enhance Russia’s ability to advance north and west and enhance the security of Russia’s control over Crimea,” the UK added.

On Sunday, Russian state-controlled media reported that Ukrainian “nationalists” had shelled the villages of Kiselevka and Shiroka Balka in the Kherson region. Those claims cannot be verified independently by NBC.

Separately, The Kiev Independent reported this weekend Mobile and Internet services are down in the Kerson region (or administrative district).

– Katrina Bishop

President Volodymyr Zhelensky said he had met with Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Ukrainian capital Nancy Pelosi.

Zhelensky released a telegram video showing the two meeting and shaking hands, describing the United States as a “leader in strong support” for Ukraine.

“Meeting with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in Kiev. He wrote according to the NBC translation.

– Katrina Bishop

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky, in his night-time video conference, switched to Russian to urge Russian soldiers not to fight in Ukraine, even expecting thousands of their commanders to die.

He said Russia was deploying new troops to units destroyed in the early weeks of the war “with little motivation and little combat experience” so these units could be thrown back into battle.

He said Russian commanders fully understood that thousands of them would be killed and thousands wounded in the coming weeks.

“Russian commanders lie to their soldiers, expect them to take serious responsibility for their refusal to fight, and then do not tell them, for example, that the Russian military is preparing extra refrigerators to store bodies. They have not told them about the new casualties that generals expect,” Zhelensky said late Saturday.

“Every Russian soldier can still save his life. It is better for you to live in Russia than to perish on our land,” he said.

– Associated Press

More than 5 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the Russian invasion in late February, and the country that captured more than half of them shows signs of strain.

NBC News reported Poland sheltered about 2.9 million Ukrainians over the weekend, but NATO has reduced everything in the country from classrooms to homes.

The population of the Polish capital, Warsaw, has increased by 15 percent since the war began.

NBC News reports that Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski visited the United States this week to seek further assistance from the international community. He warned that another wave of refugees could not be absorbed by Warsaw.

Thousands of poles have welcomed Ukrainians into their homes, but many have already filled their spare rooms.

The number of Warsaw apartments available for rent has been declining, with rental prices up more than 30 percent since the end of February, NBC News reported.

Read the full NBC News report here.

– Ted Kemp

Sweden says Russian military plane trespasses on Swedish airspace

The incident took place late Friday in the Baltic Sea near Bornholm Island.

In a statement on Saturday, the Swedish Armed Forces said a Russian AN-30 propeller had flown into Swedish airspace and briefly entered the area before leaving the area.

The Swedish Air Force chased down the warplanes that photographed the Russian plane.

Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultquist told Swedish Public Radio that the violation was “unacceptable” and “unprofessional.”

In a similar incident in early March, four Russian warplanes crossed Swedish airspace over the Baltic Sea.

Both Sweden and neighboring Finland are considering NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has warned that such a move, without giving specific details, could have repercussions.

– Associated Press

A Ukrainian commander said on Saturday that 20 civilians had been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol. A video was released on the Telegram And translated by NBC News.

Earlier, Russian state media reported that 25 civilians had been evacuated from the plant. CNBC could not independently confirm any of the claims.

In recent weeks, Russian forces have cordoned off the strategic coastal city of Mariupol and turned the steel facility into the city’s last stronghold.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during talks in Moscow last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had personally called for coordination to evacuate civilians trapped in the steel complex. Following the talks in Moscow, Guterres traveled to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky.

– Amanda Macias