1. Russian forces move onto Donetsk next after taking hold of entire Luhansk

Ukrainian forces are today focusing on defending donetsk province within the jap donbas after russia claimed to have taken manage of neighbouring luhansk. The ukrainian trendy team of workers stated russian forces had been now focusing their efforts on pushing toward the road of siversk, fedorivka and bakhmut in the donetsk location, approximately 1/2 of which is controlled by means of russia. The russian military has additionally intensified its shelling of the key ukrainian strongholds of sloviansk and kramatorsk, deeper in donetsk. On monday, president vladimir putin claimed victory in luhansk province and ordered his forces to retain their offensive in eastern ukraine, as the 5-month-long struggle entered a brand new section. It got here a day after ukrainian forces withdrew from the city of lysychansk, their closing ultimate bulwark of resistance within the province.

2. Russia behind mass arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of Ukrainian civilians, says UN human rights chief

Arbitrary detention of civilians has turn out to be significant in components of ukraine held via russia’s army and affiliated armed companies, with 270 instances documented, the un human rights leader said on tuesday, saying plans to reinforce tracking within the united states. The findings had been based totally on information from video display units’ discipline visits and interviews carried out with some 500 victims and witnesses of human rights violations, in addition to different sources of records, un excessive commissioner for human rights michelle bachelet instructed the geneva-based totally human rights council. Notwithstanding restrictions on get admission to, we’ve documented 270 instances of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance. Eight of the sufferers were found lifeless,” bachelet stated in an replace at the state of affairs in ukraine within the duration from 23 february to fifteen may additionally. In a speech at the same session, ukraine’s deputy overseas minister emine dzhaparova accused russia of kidnappings on a “big” scale, which includes of kherson mayor ihor kolykhayev, and known as for their instant and unconditional launch. The un human rights workplace, which has maintained a presence in ukraine since 2014, has now not but been furnished get right of entry to to territory occupied through russian militia, bachelet stated. She also stated her office changed into growing its presence in the united states of america. A un rights spokesperson added that it planned to reinforce its monitoring group in ukraine to eighty human beings from about fifty five, with out giving a timeframe. It has documented some 4,889 deaths of civilians to date, bachelet said, stressing that the actual figures have been “probable substantially” better.

3. Kharkiv under constant bombardment as Ukrainian troops rally to push back Moscow’s forces

Ukraine’s second-biggest city, kharkiv, has come beneath heavy hearth with missiles hitting the city and its outskirts each day as russian forces pass to take manipulate of the donbas, the united states of america’s eastern commercial heartland. Infantrymen in ukraine’s 228th battalion of the 127th brigade of the kharkiv territorial defence group were protecting their positions at the outskirts, however have suffered casualties even as beneath artillery fire. Troops are dealing with to maintain the russian military at bay, for now, the usage of excessive-tech drone technology to goal the us-donated m777 howitzers. Ukraine’s defence minister hanna malyar said currently that the russian forces were firing 10 times greater ammunition than the ukrainian military. Meanwhile, kharkiv’s north saltivka neighbourhood has been closely broken by russian bombardment, and the few ultimate citizens face meals shortages and are struggling to return to everyday existence. Most of the apartment blocks and houses in the neighbourhood have sustained vital harm and are not possible to live in. There may be no water, gas or power in maximum of the houses. Viktor shevchenko, a resident of kharkiv whose domestic changed into destroyed by shelling, stated if the ukrainian military had enough ammunition, they could be able to fight back kremlin’s troops.

“my son is inside the military. In the event that they had enough ammunition, we might push russia away. This is me speaking for the entire global, shevchenko viktor vasilievich: we will push russia away. Due to the fact we’re patriots and we stay on our land.”