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Serhiy Gaidai, governor of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region
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Air raid on school in Luhansk: Ukraine reports up to 60 dead
7.35 a.m .:
After a Russian air raid on a school in the Luhansk region, the Ukrainian authorities are talking about possibly up to 60 deaths.
After an airstrike on the school in
Bilogorivka
, two bodies have been recovered so far, the governor of the region Serhiy Hajdaj announced on his Telegram channel on Sunday.
"All 60 people who are still under the rubble of the building are probably dead," he added.
According to him, the air raid happened on Saturday afternoon.
90 people had sought protection from the attacks in the school building.
A fire broke out in the school as a result of the bombing and the building collapsed.
The emergency services were able to save 30 people, seven of whom were injured, according to the governor.
Bilogorivka is an urban settlement about ten kilometers west of
Lysychansk
.
The town is heavily contested.
Russia intensifies ground attacks in Donbass
7.08 a.m .:
After several days without any significant progress, the Russian troops have again gained ground in their attacks in the Donbass region, according to Ukrainian information.
“In the direction of Liman, the enemy has attacked the northern edge of Shandrigolove,” said the Ukrainian General Staff in its situation report on Sunday.
Zhandrigolow
is around 20 kilometers north of the city of
Sloviansk
, which is a part of the Russian operation's goal in the Donbass.
In addition, Russian troops continue to launch attacks in the direction of Sievjerodonetsk, Popasna, and Avdiivka.
"In the direction of Kurakhove, the enemy is trying to resume its offensive on Novomykhaylivka with artillery support," it said.
In
Mariupol
, the Ukrainian units would continue to be blocked in the steel mill.
With air and artillery support, the Russian troops continue their assault attempts there.
All in all, the Ukrainian military leadership speaks of nine repulsed Russian attacks.
Among other things, a Mi-28 helicopter, 19 tanks and 20 armored military vehicles were shot down.
According to the report, the Russians have gotten on the defensive in the north of the
Kharkiv
region .
There, "the enemy concentrated his efforts on stopping the advance of our troops towards the border north and north-east of Kharkiv," the general staff said.
Ukraine wants to recapture Kherson
6.10 a.m .:
The Ukrainian leadership is counting on recapturing the city of Cherson in the south of the country, which was occupied by Russian troops.
"There will be no People's Republic of Kherson," said Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Ukrainian radio.
The area will be completely liberated, which will cost the lives of many Russian soldiers, Podoliak said.
He was reacting to statements by Moscow politicians and the occupying power that want to declare Cherson Russian.
»Russia is here forever!«, said the general secretary of the Kremlin party United Russia, Andrei Turchak, during a visit.
Russian passports are also to be issued in Cherson, and the ruble is to become the only means of payment.
This would be a development similar to the people's republics founded by the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Before the Russian war of aggression, Cherson had around 290,000 inhabitants and is located on the lower reaches of the Dnipro River.
In the city, people protest again and again against the Russian occupying power.
Selenskyj complains about the destruction of cultural assets by Russian troops
6
a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has complained about the destruction of cultural assets in Ukraine by Russian troops.
In the war of aggression that has been going on for two and a half months, 200 cultural heritage sites have been hit, Zelenskyy said in a video speech on Saturday evening.
As an example, he cited the rocket hit on the museum of the important Ukrainian poet and philosopher Hryhori Skovoroda (1722-1794) in the Kharkiv region the night before.
"Unfortunately, when people disregard other people's rights, disregard the law and destroy culture, evil returns," said Zelenskyy.
Therefore, Ukraine defends its people, its cities and its museums against Russia.
Minister: Ukrainian pilots should learn to fly Western jets
5.10 a.m .:
The Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov soon wants to have his air force pilots trained on Western combat aircraft.
Negotiations are already under way, Resnikov said on Ukrainian television.
It's time for Ukrainians to master the US A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft, for example.
As other types Resnikov he called the US fighter jets F-15 and F-16 and the Saab JAS 39 Gripen from Swedish production.
According to the minister, Ukrainian soldiers are already being trained by Britain on anti-aircraft weapons and artillery systems.
He cited the Starstreak anti-aircraft missile as an example.
Britain pledges another 1.5 billion euros in military aid to
Ukraine
12:01 a.m .:
According to the government, Great Britain is providing Ukraine with a further 1.3 billion pounds (around 1.5 billion euros) in military aid.
This almost doubles the amount promised so far.
Britain has so far sent anti-tank missiles, air defense systems and other weapons to Ukraine.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will also meet with representatives of leading defense companies in May to discuss a possible increase in production.
fdi/Reuters/AFP/dpa