Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– Moscow admits Kyiv strike –
Russia confirms it carried out an air strike on Kyiv as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited.
The Russian defence ministry says “high-precision, long-range air-based weapons… destroyed the production buildings of the Artyom missile and space enterprise in Kyiv.”
US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty says its journalist and producer Vera Gyrych died when a Russian missile hit the building where she lived.
– Putin’s G20 invite –
The United States is unimpressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to November’s G20 summit in Indonesia.
“The United States continues to believe that it can’t be business as usual with regards to Russia’s participation with the international community or international institutions,” State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter says.
– American killed –
The US Defense Department warns Americans against going to fight in Ukraine after a former marine was killed on Monday.
Willy Joseph Cancel’s mother, Rebecca Cabrera, told CNN her 22-year-old son died while working with a private military contractor, having travelled to Ukraine in mid-March.
– Russians ‘behind schedule’ –
The Russian campaign to seize control of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine is moving slowly and behind schedule, a Pentagon official says.
Stiff resistance from Ukrainian troops and caution after Russia’s failure to capture Kyiv has led to “slow and uneven progress” in Donbas, the official tells reporters.
– African consequences –
UN chief Guterres will visit several West African countries starting this weekend to highlight the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the African continent, the United Nations says.
– Romania hit by cyberattacks –
A pro-Russia criminal group launches cyberattacks on Romanian government websites over the country’s support for Ukraine, Romania’s cybersecurity agency says.
A series of so-called Ddos attacks, where multiple requests are sent to a website to overload it, hit “public institutions and private entities”, Romania’s National Cybersecurity Agency says.
– UK show of strength –
The UK government says it is deploying about 8,000 troops for exercises across eastern Europe in a show of strength after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Britain is deploying 72 Challenger 2 tanks and 120 armoured fighting vehicles along with artillery guns, helicopters and drones for the exercises, some of which are already underway.
– Russia pays debt in dollars –
Russia’s finance ministry says it has completed payments on two dollar-denominated bonds amid mounting fears that the sanctions-hit country may be forced to default on its foreign debt.
In early April, Moscow had attempted to make payments on these bonds in rubles after the United States barred Russia from making debt payments using dollars held by American banks in the wake of the Ukraine conflict
– Ukrainian grain exports resume –
A ship loaded with 70,000 tonnes of Ukrainian corn leaves a Romanian Black Sea port, allowing Kyiv to dodge a Russian blockade of its key grain exports.
Romania made the port of Constanta available to Ukraine after the country’s ports were cut off in the wake of Russia’s invasion. The ship’s destination was not immediately revealed.
– 13 million uprooted –
More than 5.4 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded two months ago, with tens of thousands joining their ranks every day, the United Nations says.
Beyond the refugees, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates more than 7.7 million people have been displaced within Ukraine, meaning that more than 13 million people overall have been uprooted by the conflict.
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