War in Ukraine: US accuses Russian forces of serious abuse in Mariupol

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Mariupol

Photo: ANDREY BORODULIN / AFP

This article will be continuously updated.

The United States and Ukraine accuse Russia of looting and abuse in Mariupol

7.40 a.m .:

The US has accused the Russian armed forces of serious abuse in the embattled port city of Mariupol.

A US official said Wednesday that Russian soldiers "beat up" and "electrocuted" Ukrainian officials there.

They would also "loot houses."

The Mariupol city government said on Telegram that the Russians were trying to “put the trading port back in order to export grain, metal goods and other products worth millions of dollars”.

It's "theft".

Overview from the night

7.30 a.m .:

According to Kiev sources, Russian troops fired on the north-eastern Ukrainian regions of Sumy and Chernihiv from Russian territory.

And: Kyiv justifies the extension of martial law until August.

You can find the overview from the night here.

Russian border region of Kursk accuses Ukraine of shelling

7.28 a.m .:

The governor of the western Russian region of Kursk has accused Ukraine of shelling a village near the border.

A civilian was killed in the village of Tjotkino on Thursday night, Governor Roman Starovoit wrote in the Telegram news service.

A number of houses were also damaged.

According to Russian sources, Tjotkino was attacked on Wednesday.

The Belgorod region, which is also close to the border, had also reported shelling.

Ukraine initially did not comment on the allegations.

Senate confirms new US ambassador to Ukraine

7.27 a.m .:

After the US announced that it wanted to reopen its embassy in Kiev, the Senate confirmed career diplomat Bridget Brink for the post of ambassador to Ukraine.

The Chamber of Congress approved the personnel on Wednesday (local time) in Washington.

The State Department had previously announced that the US embassy in the Ukrainian capital, which was closed due to the Russian war of aggression, will resume operations.

The US diplomats left their embassy in Kyiv two weeks before the war broke out.

They went to Poland, sometimes with a stop in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

asc/dpa/AFP/Reuters