Ukraine War: The latest developments in Ukraine

Here is a round-up of the latest developments in the war in Ukraine.

In eastern Ukraine:

  • Thousands of people are trying to escape the Donbas region ahead of Russia’s expected offensive in the east

  • Ukrainian officials are appealing to people in the area to “take this opportunity” to flee “while it is safe”

  • Russian troops are “regrouping and conducting reconnaissance” for an offensive in Donbas – which is made up of the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk
  • The US says that Russia’s withdrawal from the regions outside Kyiv and Chernihiv is now complete, as the war shifts focus to eastern Ukraine.
  • Chernihiv residents tell the BBC they barely had any food or water, and lived without electricity, under a Russian siege

Elsewhere in Ukraine:

  • More than 400 people are missing from the town of Hostomel, a local official says. The town bore the brunt of Russian advances on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, along with Bucha and Irpin
  • Survivor accounts are still trickling out from Bucha, where hundreds of people are reported to have been killed by Russian soldiers

 

  • President Zelensky on Thursday morning welcomed sanctions imposed on Russia but also described them as insufficient. He urged the west to boycott the use of Russian oil.

Global developments:

  • The US has aimed new sanctions at Russia and Putin’s inner circle – including the president’s two adult daughters
  • The UK and US both issued an asset freeze against Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank
  • European Union leaders are discussing what further measures they could impose on Russia to damage its war effort. Proposals include a ban on importing Russian coal – but some senior leaders say oil and gas also need to be banned
  • The UN will not a vote on Thursday on expelling Russia from the UN Human Rights Council over its invasion of Ukraine
  • Russia has warned Nato member countries that any such attempts will be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture”.
  • The US treasury secretary warned that a blanket ban on Russian oil imports would trigger “skyrocketing” energy prices in Europe
  • Canada will summon Russia’s Ambassador to the country over the reported killings of civilians in Bucha and Irpin, and will “present him images” of what happened in the Kyiv suburbs

 

  • The US has warned India against partnering too closely with Russia saying that “the costs and consequences for them” will be “significant and long-term”.