War in Donbas

Shoigu stated that peaceful life is being established on the territories of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics (LNR / DNR) and Ukraine, which are under the control of Russian forces.
He pointed out that the Russian forces, together with the units of the self-proclaimed LNR and DNR, are expanding their control over those territories, RIA Novosti reports.

The new round of US sanctions on the war in Ukraine is targeting a major Russian commercial bank and a "global network" of more than 40 individuals and entities.

According to the announcement of the US Treasury Department, the specific network was under the leadership of the Russian oligarch, Konstantin Malofeev, whose activities had extended to Greece.

Ukrainian authorities say they have agreed with Russia to create a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the besieged port city of Mariupol. This is the first such agreement since Saturday, AFP quoted Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk as saying.

Ukraine received fighter jets to help resist the Russian invasion, as Moscow intensified its offensive in the east where a besieged officer in Mariupol warned on April 20 his forces were facing their "last days, if not hours".

The West has responded to a renewed Russian push into the Donbas region with fresh weapons for Kyiv and a push to increase "Moscow's international isolation".

Russia's offensive in Donbas has begun, world leaders are meeting in an emergency meeting, Putin has rewarded the Bucha executioners. Here are the highlights of events in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russia's offensive in Donbas has started

Russia has launched a major offensive into eastern Ukraine, authorities in Kiev said, opening a new phase of its invasion after being thwarted in efforts to capture the capital.

Powerful explosions were heard early this morning in Kyiv, air raid sirens were triggered not only in the capital but throughout Ukraine.

The blasts in Kyiv have been the most powerful in the region since Russian troops withdrew from that part of the country in preparation for battles in southern and eastern Ukraine. No damage has been reported so far.

The wives of the Bulgarian sailors from the ship "Tsarevna" spoke to journalists in Varna.

Desperate evacuation attempts from eastern Ukraine were underway Thursday as authorities warned of an imminent Russian offensive, following the devastation around Kyiv that has shocked the world.

Over 80,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory have been mined. This makes the country one of the most mined in the world. This is stated in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and the data are from the UN.