Ukrainian forces have been managing to push back against Russian troops in fierce fighting in Sievierodonetsk regardless of Moscow “throwing all its energy” into capturing the important thing jap metropolis, Ukrainian officers mentioned on Saturday. In an interview aired on-line, the Luhansk regional governor, Sergiy Gaiday, mentioned the Russian military has taken management over most of Sievierodonetsk, however that Ukrainian forces have been nonetheless pushing them again.

In response to the Russian military, nonetheless, some Ukrainian navy models have been withdrawing from Sievierodonetsk. “Some models of the Ukrainian military, having suffered crucial losses throughout combating for Sievierodonetsk, are pulling out in the direction of Lysychansk”, Sievierodonetsk’s twin metropolis, which sits simply throughout a river, the defence ministry mentioned in a press release.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has mentioned Moscow’s anti-aircraft forces have shot down dozens of Ukrainian weapons and are “cracking them like nuts”, in an interview that aired on Saturday. In response to Reuters, Russian information company RIA, which first cited the feedback, quoted Putin as responding to a query about US-supplied arms by saying Russia was coping simply and had already destroyed the weapons by the dozen.

Kyiv has rebuked the French president, Emmanuel Macron, for saying it was important not to “humiliate Russia”. The Ukrainian overseas minister, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted in response: “Calls to keep away from humiliation of Russia can solely humiliate France and each different nation that may name for it. As a result of it’s Russia that humiliates itself. All of us higher give attention to easy methods to put Russia as a substitute. This may carry peace and save lives.”

Western sanctions wouldn’t impact Russia’s oil exports, the Russian overseas minister, Sergei Lavrov, mentioned. Lavrov additionally predicted a major enhance in earnings from vitality shipments this 12 months, Russian information company Tass reported.

A EU determination to increase sanctions in opposition to Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko to his spouse is “irrational” as a result of she has by no means held Russian citizenship or resided in Russia, a consultant for the couple mentioned. The EU sanctioned Melnichenko’s spouse on Friday as a part of a sixth spherical of sanctions in opposition to Russia for waging a conflict in opposition to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, mentioned that whereas it was inconceivable to foretell when the conflict would finish, “my optimistic prognosis is that it’s lifelike to realize this as early as this 12 months”, Reuters quoted the defence ministry as saying.

Negotiations with Russia will solely resume after new weapons arrive from the west and Ukraine’s place is “strengthened”, mentioned David Arakhamia, a member of Ukraine’s negotiation group with Russia. One other negotiator, Mykhailo Podolyak, mentioned there was no level in talks with Russia till Moscow’s forces are pushed again so far as potential in the direction of Ukraine’s borders.

Ukraine’s intelligence companies are in communication with a whole lot of captured Azovstal steelworks fighters and Kyiv is doing all it could possibly to make sure their launch, in accordance with Ukraine’s inside minister, Denys Monastyrskiy. Ukraine desires the fighters to be returned in a prisoner swap. Nonetheless, some Russian officers have mentioned forces might be tried or executed.

The US expressed help for worldwide investigations into conflict crimes dedicated in Ukraine, the US embassy in Kyiv introduced. “These liable for conflict crimes – together with direct perpetrators and those that ordered them – should face justice,” the embassy tweeted on Saturday.

A well-known monastery in jap Ukraine, Svyatohirsk Lavra, caught fireplace after it was hit by Russian shelling. The monastery is affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate, which is run by Putin’s ally Patriarch Kirill. There have been stories that 4 monks have been killed because of the assault .

The Ukrainian first woman, Olena Zelenska, and different officers commemorated 261 youngsters killed by the Russian conflict in opposition to Ukraine by hanging bells close to St Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. The bells symbolise the voices of killed youngsters, Euromaidan Press reported.