Russia took control of Lysychansk, the last town in the Lugansk region of eastern Ukraine that was still under Ukrainian control. Ukraine’s military announced on Sunday that it had been “forced to withdraw” from the critical city.
Here are today’s key developments:
Russia is preparing to attack the Donetsk region, according to Ukraine: The Ukrainian army general staff said that after taking control of Lysychansk, the Russian forces are preparing to continue their movement towards the cities of Donetsk still controlled by Kyiv.
“In the direction of Sloviansk, enemy units are trying to establish control over the settlements of Bohorodychne, Mazanivka and Dolyna through assault operations,” the Ukrainian military said in an update Monday morning.
Attention now shifts to the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the two largest population centers in the region.
School destroyed in Kharkiv attack: A secondary school in Ukraine’s second-largest city was destroyed after being hit by a Russian missile at around 4 a.m. local time, regional administration head Oleh Synehubov said in an article on Monday. Telegram.
There were no injuries at the school, but strikes in other areas of the Kharkiv region left at least three people dead and six injured in the village of Bezruky, Synehubov added.
Hockey player detained in Russia for allegedly escaping military service, reports say: Russian goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov was arrested in Saint Petersburg on Friday at the request of the military prosecutor’s office for evading military service, according to Russian media reports.
According to the Russian media Fontanka, the military prosecutor’s office believes that there are reasons to “consider Fedotov as an escapee from the army”. The 25-year-old Finnish-born Russian signed a one-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers on May 7, following the conclusion of the Russian and Chinese KHL hockey league season , where he led CSKA Moscow to win the Gagarin Cup.
Russia says the weekend strike in Belgorod was aimed at provoking Moscow: According to the country’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, Moscow claims that the alleged missile strike carried out by Ukrainian forces on the city of Belgorod was aimed at provoking Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry has accused Ukraine of targeting the city of Belgorod with three Tochka-U missiles and using explosive-laden drones on Sunday to strike the Russian city of Kursk.
Ukraine has not recognized the strikes.
Ukraine asks Turkey to “detain” a Russian-flagged vessel carrying Ukrainian grain: Ukraine has asked Turkish authorities to detain a Russian-flagged vessel carrying Ukrainian grain, the country’s ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, told CNN on Saturday.
The Zhibek Zholy ship is currently at anchor near the Turkish port of Karasu because “it was actually detained by the Turkish customs authorities and it is not allowed to enter the port,” Bondar said. “We are now awaiting the decision of the competent authorities of Turkey regarding the actions that Ukrainian law enforcement insists on,” he added.
Ukraine says it raised its flag on Snake Island: Ukraine’s armed forces have raised the country’s flag on Snake Island, after forcing a Russian withdrawal from strategically important territory, a spokeswoman for the army’s Southern Command, 1st Captain Natalia Humeniuk, said on Monday.
The small but strategic territory was the scene of one of the first salvoes of the war in Ukraine, with demands from a Russian warship calling on Ukrainian defenders to surrender, who boldly responded with “Russian warship , screw you”.
