Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now
* Governors of the Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk regions reported that their regions had been shelled overnight, and civilian infrastructure, houses had been damaged. * Russian offensive in the east is to force Ukraine to divert troops from the area that is truly a danger - Zaporizhzhia, said Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Oleksiy Arestovych.
- Country:
- Ukraine
Ukraine said Russia had started creating a military strike force aimed at President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's hometown, while NATO moved closer to its most significant expansion in decades as it responds to the invasion of Ukraine. DIPLOMACY/ECONOMY
* The U.S. Senate and the Italian parliament both approved Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO. * Zelenskiy is seeking "direct talks" with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to help end the war with Russia, the South China Morning Post reported.
* The first grain ship to leave a Ukrainian port in wartime passed through the Bosphorus Strait en route to Lebanon for a delivery that foreign powers hope will be the first of many to help ease a global food crisis. * Ukraine has to export a minimum of 10 million tonnes of grain to help bring down its budget deficit which is running at $5 billion a month, Zelenskiy said.
* The London insurance sector is preparing to cover Ukrainian grains and fertilizer shipments through a secure corridor, voyages that may need up to $50 million of insurance coverage per cargo, industry sources involved said. FIGHTING
* Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said three civilians had been killed in Bakhmut, Maryinka, and Shevchenko and five wounded in the past 24 hours. * Governors of the Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions reported that their regions had been shelled overnight, and civilian infrastructure and houses had been damaged.
* Russian offensive in the east is to force Ukraine to divert troops from the area that is truly a danger - Zaporizhzhia, said Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Oleksiy Arestovych. * Reuters was not able to verify battlefield reports.
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