Day 99 of the Invasion of Ukraine: Russia Criticized the US for sending Artillery Systems to Kyiv

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russia has criticized the United States for sending artillery systems to Ukraine

Russia has condemned US plans to send more modern artillery systems to Ukraine and accused Washington of "adding fuel to the fire".

President Joe Biden announced the move earlier but downplayed fears of a direct conflict between NATO and Russia.

The US president said the United States was preparing a new $700 million military aid package for Ukraine. He said the goal was to help Kyiv defend itself and that Washington was not encouraging Ukraine to strike outside its borders.

Russia's foreign minister has accused Ukraine of provoking further Western involvement in current hostilities with its demands for more powerful missiles. Sergey Lavrov said there were "risks" of involving a third country in the conflict.

Fighting continues in the East

Meanwhile, an official in the key eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk said Ukrainian forces now control only 20% of it.

The head of the Luhansk region's administration, Sergei Gaidai, said fighting was currently taking place south and west of the city of Sievierodonetsk, with the Russians trying to encircle it. Gaidai pointed out that the neighboring city of Lysychansk is controlled by the Ukrainian military. The head of the Kherson region, Gennady Laguta, said the Russian military had liberated more than 20 settlements in the northern part of the region.

Zelensky: "Adults and children are being forcibly taken away"

In a video address last night, President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 12 million Ukrainians...