Latest news about Russia and the war in Ukraine

The Institute for the Study of War said in its statement that Ukraine’s counterattack near the northeastern city of Kharkiv “began to look very similar to the counterattack that eventually pushed Russian forces away from Kyiv and out of Ukraine entirely.” Latest review conflict.

The US think tank said that it was too early to know whether the Russian forces would make a similar decision or not.

She added that Russian forces are likely to launch a ground attack on or around Severodonetsk, a city in eastern Luhansk Oblast, in the coming days.

– Sam Meredith

A Russian soldier is due to appear in court Friday over the killing of an unarmed Ukrainian civilian, the first time since the invasion began that a Russian military will be tried for a war crime.

Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin stands accused of shooting the 62-year-old man in the head through an open car window in the northeastern village of Chubakivka. He faces life imprisonment under the penalties set out in the section of the Ukrainian Criminal Code dealing with the laws and customs of war.

– News agency

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Russian forces were making a “significant effort” around the Ukrainian cities of Izyum and Severodonetsk in an attempt to make a breakthrough towards the eastern regions of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

In its latest intelligence update, the UK ministry said the Kremlin’s primary objective is to encircle Ukrainian forces in the joint forces’ area of ​​operations, referring to the eastern line of communication between the separatist-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.

She said that Ukrainian forces succeeded in preventing an attempt to cross a Russian river in the Donbass, noting that such a maneuver is “risky” in a contested environment and talking about the pressure on Russian leaders to make progress in eastern Ukraine.

– Sam Meredith

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia’s strategic defeat is already clear, saying in his nightly speech that the Kremlin “simply lacks [the] The courage to admit it.”

Zelensky accused the Russian forces of being “cowardly”, adding that they were seeking “to hide the truth behind missile, air and artillery strikes”.

The Russian embassy in London could not be reached for comment.

– Sam Meredith

Top diplomats from the Group of Seven wealthy nations gathered in northern Germany for a three-day meeting focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine and the broader impact it is having around the world, particularly on food and energy prices.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Barbock, host of the meeting, said the conflict had already turned into a “global crisis” because shipments of staple crops were stuck in Ukraine, a major agricultural exporter.

“25 million tons (27.5 million US tons) of grain are currently blocked in Ukrainian ports, especially Odessa,” Barbuk said. “Grains are food for millions of people around the world, and are in particular demand in African countries and the Middle East.”

“That is why we are discussing how the embargo imposed by Russia on grain can be lifted and how we can transport the grain to the world,” she added.

– News agency