– ‘Over 1,000’ fighters holding out in Mariupol –
Ukraine says that “more than 1,000” fighters are still holding out at the Azovstal steelworks in the southeastern city of Mariupol, the last pocket of resistance to Russian control in the ruined port.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk tells AFP “hundreds” of them are wounded, some seriously, and require “urgent evacuation.”
She calls on the international community to put pressure on Russia to allow the wounded and other “non-combatants” leave the site.
Russian forces have besieged the plant but the fighters have refused to surrender.
At the weekend, Ukraine said all the women, children and elderly people that had been sheltering at the plant had been evacuated.
– EU oil embargo possible ‘this week’ –
France, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, says Hungary could agree to an EU-wide embargo on Russian oil as early as “this week”.
Landlocked Hungary, a Moscow ally that relies on Russian oil, has been holding up the embargo, saying it needs more time to find new energy sources.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said she made “progress” during talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday in Budapest.
“I think we could have a deal this week, we’re working hard to achieve that,” France’s European affairs minister Clement Beaune told France’s LCI broadcaster.
– German foreign minister in Bucha –
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock makes a surprise visit to the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where Russian forces are accused of massacring civilians before withdrawing from the region in late March.
Baerbock is the highest-ranking German official to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
Her Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra visits the nearby town of Irpin.
The two are the latest in a long line of foreign dignitaries to show support for Ukraine by visiting the sites of alleged Russian war crimes.
– Kyiv residents return en masse –
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says nearly two-thirds of the capital’s residents have returned to the city, two-and-a-half months after the start of the war, which sparked a mass exodus.
“Before the war, 3.5 million people lived in Kyiv. Almost two-thirds of the capital’s residents have returned,” Klitschko says.
– Russian YouTube equivalent hacked –
Russia’s Rutube video platform, its YouTube equivalent, remains offline for a second day after being targeted in a massive cyberattack just as it was about to stream Monday’s Victory Day parade in Moscow.
The company said the attack was the biggest in its history.
Ukrainian media also published photos showing what they said was a hack of Russian television channels with an anti-war message.
– EU accuses Russia of satellite hack –
The EU accuses Russia of carrying out a cyberattack against a satellite network an hour before the invasion of Ukraine to pave the way for its assault.
It says the attack on US satellite operator Viasat, which threw thousands of internet users offline, not only caused disruption in Ukraine but also to “several EU member states.”
– Biden accelerates Ukraine arms deliveries –
US President Joe Biden resurrects a World War II measure used to boost US allies fighting Nazi Germany in order to accelerate weapons shipments to Ukraine.
He says the Lend-Lease Act shows US support for Ukraine against Putin’s “brutal war”.
Biden is seeking the support of Congress for a huge $33 billion package of arms and support for Ukraine.
– Odesa hit by missiles –
The port city of Odesa is hit by a series of missiles, which destroy five buildings and set a shopping centre ablaze, emergency services say.
One person is reported killed in the attacks which come hours after a visit by European Council President Charles Michel, who was forced to take cover from missile strikes while meeting Ukrainian officials.
