Ukraine

Ukraine has threatened to close the border for Israeli pilgrims traditionally heading to Uman for the Jewish New Year if Israel continues its current visa policy towards Ukrainian refugees

A 'humanitarian corridor' in the Black Sea has been announced to free stranded cargo ships, a new test of Russia's de facto blockade since Moscow abandoned last month's agreement to allow Kyiv to export grain

A giant hammer and sickle have been removed from the iconic Motherland Monument in Kiev as part of a campaign to remove Soviet symbols that has intensified since the beginning of the war

"The evil state has no more powerful missiles than our will to save lives, support each other and win," President Zelensky tweeted commenting on the attacks on Odessa and Mykolaiv

In the first 2 weeks of Ukraine's counteroffensive, up to 20% of its weapons were reportedly damaged or destroyed; losses have now decreased to 10%, partly due to the fact that Kiev has changed tactics, focusing more on artillery and long-range missiles

Unesco has condemned the attack by Russian armed forces with missiles on the historic centre of Lviv, considered a 'world heritage site' in western Ukraine, saying that 'historic buildings' were hit

President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Kiev with the international working group dealing with Russia's environmental crimes, including Swedish eco-activist Greta Thunberg

"A major Ukrainian counteroffensive is taking place, we don't know if it will be a turning point in the war but the Ukrainians are advancing and liberating many territories," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

Shelter availability in Kiev remains critical: at the moment, only 1/3 of the shelters have been checked and only 55% are ready for use

4 squadrons of F-16 fighter jets, 48 aircraft in total, are "exactly what we need to rid our country of the aggressor" Defence Ministry wrote on Twitter; the government hopes to soon secure US-made F-16 fighter jets, a significant upgrade to the air force

No to proposals envisaging "the loss of territories or the freezing of the conflict" is the Ukrainian position reiterated by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at his meeting in Kiev with Chinese envoy Li Hui

"The final plans for the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not yet been approved but we have several options, all of which are in the works," said Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov

To date "361 minors have returned to Ukraine, but still 19.390 are detained in Russia," said the first lady, appealing to the world to offer all the help it can