Russia claims to have
captured the city of Lysychansk and the entire Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine
.
This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense, quoted by Interfax.
Yesterday Kiev denied the taking of the last city of Lugansk but this morning Zelensky's adviser Oleksiy Arestovych had admitted the possible fall of the twin city of Severodonetsk.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Yuriy Sak told BBC that the city of
Lysychansk is not under the "full control" of Russian forces.
, despite Moscow claiming that the city has fallen.
But she added that the fighting in the city has been "very intense for quite some time", with the Russian ground forces "attacking relentlessly".
"For Ukrainians, the value of human life is a top priority, so we sometimes withdraw from certain areas to be able to take them back in the future," she added.
The battle for Donbass is not over yet: even if Russia conquers all of Lugansk we are not at the game over.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Yuriy Sak told the BBC, adding that there are "other large cities in the Donbass area, particularly in the Donetsk region" that are under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces.
"These are cities that have been the target of severe rocket attacks, artillery bombardments in the last two days," he said.
Sak said Ukraine is confident and receiving support from its Western allies.
UKRAINIAN RAID IN MELITOPOL
Powerful explosions around three in the morning in the perimeter of the airport of
Melitopol, a city in south-eastern Ukraine occupied by the Russian army
where the troops of the Federation are based.
Ria Melitopol reports it by publishing photos and videos.
Meanwhile, Kiev admits that the Russians could take Lysychansk.
Admissions also from the Russian front: for the first time the sinking of the Saratov is recognized.
A huge column of smoke
has risen over the area of the Melitopol airport
.
The consequences of the attack are also visible tens of kilometers from the city.
Civilians have not been able to access the air raid shelters because Russian forces have closed them all - Ukrainian media report - and many residents are trying to leave the city.
In Melitopol, the Ukrainian armed forces
destroyed one of the four Russian military bases
.
"More than 30 bombs were dropped," Mayor Ivan Fedorov wrote on social media.
And he added that a large flow of Melitopol residents is expected for the evacuation: "Our task is to help accommodate people who want to move to Zaporizhzhia."
"The Russians are trying to claim that there have been bombings on civilian areas and that the population has been hit: but this is not true," Fedorov said.
The city has been under Russian occupation since the end of February.
Another Ukrainian counter-offensive in the territories occupied by the Russians took place in
Chornobayivka
, a town near Kherson in southeastern Ukraine.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine
blew up a Russian ammunition warehouse
.
This was announced by the regional military administrator of Odessa Serhiy Bratchuk on telegram, as reported by UNIAN.
The center of Lysychansk
THE EU EVALUATES AN AUTHORITY TO STRENGTHEN THE APPLICATION OF SANCTIONS
The European Union is evaluating the possibility of making the sanctions adopted, especially those against Russia, more effective by setting up an 'ad hoc' Authority to control them application as this latter task falls under the responsibility of the Member States and is not always carried out in the best possible way.
This was confirmed by the EU Commissioner for Financial Services Mairead McGuinness in an interview with the Financial Times, saying she was in favor of the idea that it could take the form of an EU version of the Office for the Control of Foreign Assets (Ofac), the agency of the US Treasury.
Moscow: "Ukrainian missiles with cluster munitions in Belgorod"
.
The Ukrainian army hit the Russian cities of Kursk and Belogorod, near the border, with Tochka-U missiles and Reis drones "with a deliberate attack with Tochka-U ballistic missiles with cluster munitions and Tu-143 Reis drones on residential areas , where there are no military ".
This was stated by the Russian defense ministry, as reported by Ria Novosti, adding that "the missile attack was planned and carried out on purpose against the civilian population of Russian cities".
The sinking of the Saratov.
Russia
claims to have recovered a large landing ship that was reportedly sunk by its crew "to prevent the detonation of on-board ammunition due to the fire that broke out" after a Ukrainian missile struck it in Berdyansk port
on
March
24. : it is the first time that Moscow admits the
sinking of the Saratov
.
The BBC reports it.
A Telegram post by a Russian-appointed official in southern Ukraine, Vladimir Rogov, claims that Tochka-U ballistic missiles had targeted the Russian-controlled port.
The ship will be towed to Kerch, Crimea.
Three Russian ships carrying 24 cruise missiles and two large amphibious ships in
the Black Sea
are ready for attacks on the Ukrainian territory.
This was announced on Facebook by the southern operational command of Kiev, reports Ukrinform.
"There have been quantitative and qualitative changes in the naval formation of the Russian fleet: three missile carriers equipped with 24 cruise missiles and two large amphibious ships are now in operation", reads the post.
ZELENSKY: "FEROCIOUS HOSTILITY NEWL DONBASS"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky
reported that since the outbreak of the war on February 24, the territories of 10 regions of Ukraine have been affected and that since then it has been possible to liberate 1,027 cities and villages.
Another 2,610 are still under Russian occupation and many will have to be rebuilt, added Zelensky in the usual video message taken by Ukrainska Pravda, ahead of the international reconstruction conference scheduled for Monday in Lugano.
Ukraine, Zelensky: '2,610 cities and villages still occupied by the Russians'
"Fierce hostilities continue along the entire front line, in the Donbass," Zelensky said in his evening speech quoted by Ukrinform, explaining that "the epicenter is, of course, in the cities of the Lugansk region".
The Ukrainian president then added that "the enemy's activity in the
Kharkiv
region is intensifying. We managed to drive the occupiers out of
Ivanivka
, in the
Kherson
region , and we continue to exert pressure in the south of our country".
"In many cities of the rear now" one feels relieved, "but the war is not over, its
brutality
is increasing in some places and this cannot be forgotten".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram, addressing an appeal to Ukrainians to "help the army, help volunteers, help all those who are left alone at this moment", and "spread the truth about war and the crimes of the occupiers ".
"No matter how difficult it is today, we have to remember what will happen tomorrow. And tomorrow it could bring the most benefit to Ukraine," he adds.
Zelensky, reports Ukrainska Pravda, recalled that on Monday in Lugano, Switzerland, a special conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine will be held,
Zelensky reported that since the outbreak of the war on February 24, the territories of 10 regions of Ukraine have been affected and that 1,027 cities and villages have since been liberated.
Another
2,610 are still under Russian occupation
and many will have to be rebuilt, added Zelensky in the usual video message taken by Ukrainska Pravda, ahead of the international reconstruction conference scheduled for Monday in Lugano.
"Fierce hostilities continue along the entire front line, in the Donbass", said the Ukrainian president in his evening speech quoted by Ukrinform, explaining that "the epicenter is, of course, in the cities of the Lugansk region".
Zelensky added that "the enemy's activity in the Kharkiv region is intensifying. We have succeeded in driving the occupiers out of Ivanivka, in the Kherson region, and we continue to exert pressure in the south of our country".
ANSA agency
Kiev, 796 Russian cyber attacks against Ukraine since February - World
Russia has carried out nearly 800 cyber attacks on Ukraine since the start of the war in late February, three times the same period last year.
(HANDLE)