Russia intensifies push for UKraine’s Donbas
After ending weeks of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol, Russia is waging a major offensive in Luhansk.
- Ukrainian forces in eastern separatist-controlled regions say fighting is ongoing in four locations.
- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country is prepared to exchange its troops who surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol for Russian prisoners.
- Russian energy giant Gazprom says it had stopped all natural gas supplies to Finland as it had not received payment in roubles.
Here are all the latest updates:
Moscow may swap Ukraine prisoners for Putin ally Medvedchuk: Negotiator
Moscow will consider exchanging prisoners from Ukraine’s Azov battalion for Viktor Medvedchuk, a wealthy Ukrainian businessman close to President Vladimir Putin, a Russian negotiator has said.
“We are going to study the possibility,” said Leonid Slutsky, a senior member of Russia’s negotiating team on Ukraine, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Medvedchuk, 67, is a politician and one of Ukraine’s richest people and is known for his close ties to Putin. He is also a politician.
He escaped from house arrest after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February but was re-arrested by Ukrainian forces in mid-April.
Russian troops responsible for 7 civilians’ deaths: Ukraine governor
Ukraine says Russian forces are responsible for the deaths of seven civilians in the area of Donetsk in the east of the country that is under Moscow’s control.
Three people were killed in the town of Lyman alone, regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko wrote on Telegram.
Meanwhile in Kherson, occupied by Russian forces, local administrators accused Ukraine of killing three civilians and injuring 10 in the village of Biloserka, in a statement on Telegram.
Ukraine ready to exchange its soldiers for Russian prisoners of war: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy says his country is prepared to exchange its troops who surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol for Russian prisoners.
In an interview with a Ukrainian television channel, Zelenskyy said the most important thing for him was is to save the maximum number of people and soldiers. “We will bring them home,” he said.
Russia claims to have taken full control of the besieged city of Mariupol after the last group of Ukrainian soldiers surrendered.
Zelenskyy talks to Italian PM, urges more Russia sanctions
Zelenskyy has said he talked to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and stressed the importance of more sanctions on Russia and unblocking Ukrainian ports.
Zelenskyy tweeted that he had also thanked Draghi for his “unconditional support” of Ukraine’s bid to become a member of the EU. Draghi had initiated the call, he said.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Read all the updates from Saturday, May 21 here.
