Russian forces were continuing their airstrikes on the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol and pressing their advance on towns in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukraine's military.
The Associated Press’s east on Thursday, including the last pocket of resistance in besieged Mariupol, as the war pushed Finland closer to ending decades of neutrality and seeking NATO membership.
NATO's support of Ukraine — particularly by supplying weapons — has been critical to Kyiv's surprising success in stymieing Russia's invasion, which began on Feb. 24. Many observers thought Moscow's larger and better-armed military would be hard to stop, but the Ukrainians have bogged Russian troops down and thwarted their goal of overrunning the capital.
Russia's forces have taken control of the rest of the city, which they besieged for weeks, as residents ran short of food, water and medicine. Many thousands have fled, saying almost nothing remains of the port city, but an adviser to the Mariupol mayor said Russian forces have now blocked all evacuation routes.
In the wake of their failure to take Kyiv, Russian forces pulled back and regrouped — and switched their focus to Ukraine's Donbas, a region where Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian troops for years. While Russia's advance there has been slow, the general staff of Ukraine's armed forces noted Thursday that Moscow has achieved a “partial success.”
It said that withdrawal was “a tacit recognition of Russia’s inability to capture key Ukrainian cities where they expected limited resistance from the population.” Overnight airstrikes in the Chernihiv region killed three people and wounded 12, according to local media citing emergency services. The regional governor said the strikes on the town of Novhorod-Siverskyi damaged a boarding school, dormitory and administrative building.
Elsewhere, Kyiv prepared for its first war crimes trial of a captured Russian soldier. Ukraine's top prosecutor said her office charged Russian Sgt. Vadin Shyshimarin, 21, in the killing of an unarmed 62-year-old civilian who was gunned down while riding a bicycle in February, four days into the war.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Finland's leaders back NATO bidFinland's leaders announce their support for a NATO bid, a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin as his military was pushed back near Kharkiv.
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Finland’s leaders back NATO bid; Ukraine makes gains near KharkivUkraine's successful counterstrikes have eased Russia's artillery bombardment of Kharkiv, but the conflict continues to disrupt European crop exports and drive up food costs around the globe. Follow our live coverage.
Read more »
Elon Musk Warns Russia May Be Out to Kill Him by The TMZ Podcast
Read more »
Russia pounds vital port of Odesa, targeting supply linesUkraine’s ability to stymie a larger, better-armed Russian military has surprised many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict.
Read more »
Russia training children to shoot Nazi effigies, photos appears to showA Russian city marked Victory Day with a 'Shoot the last fascist' event, which saw a child in a military uniform shoot a Nazi soldier effigy with an air rifle.
Read more »