War in Ukraine: Latest developments

By: 3 years ago

A photograph shows a destroyed storage facilities in a port of a private company, Nika-Tera, in the southern city of Mykolaiv on June 12, 2022, which was bombed on June 4, according to the military administration. AFP

碍驰滨痴鈥�Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

Second Briton killed in Ukraine fighting

A British former soldier has been shot and killed in Ukraine, his family says.

Jordan Gatley is the second Briton reported to have died fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russian invaders.

Gatley鈥檚 father Dean says his son was killed in the city of Severodonetsk, in eastern Ukraine, which has been under heavy Russian attack.

鈥淗e truly was a hero and will forever be in our hearts,鈥� Gatley鈥檚 father says.

Foreigners鈥� death sentences upheld

A pro-Russian separatist leader in eastern Ukraine says he will not alter the death sentences handed to two Britons and a Moroccan for fighting with the Ukrainian army.

鈥淭hey came to Ukraine to kill civilians for money. That鈥檚 why I don鈥檛 see any conditions for any mitigation or modification of the sentence,鈥� Denis Pushilin, the leader of the separatist Donetsk region, which tried them, tells reporters.

The United Nations has expressed concern over the death sentences handed down against the prisoners by pro-Russian rebels.

Russian strike wounds at least 22

At least 22 people were wounded when Russia struck the western Ukrainian town of Chortkiv on Saturday, its regional governor says.

Volodymyr Trush adds all 22 people wounded, who included seven women and a 12-year-old, had been taken to hospital.

The strike was a rare attack in the west of the country.

Russia鈥檚 defence ministry says the strike on Chortkiv destroyed a 鈥渓arge depot of anti-tank missile systems, portable air defence systems and shells provided to the Kyiv regime by the United States and European countries鈥�.

鈥榁ery difficult battles鈥�

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian officials say their country鈥檚 forces are involved in 鈥渧ery difficult battles鈥�, including in the eastern Donbas region where Russia has focused its firepower.

The Russian army has destroyed a second bridge into Severodonetsk and is heavily bombarding the last one, the key eastern city鈥檚 governor reports.

鈥淯krainian troops are doing everything to stop the offensive of the occupiers,鈥� Zelensky adds.

The Ukrainian leader adds in his address that Ukraine must 鈥渘ot allow the world to divert its attention away from what is happening on the battlefield鈥�.

Ministers at crucial WTO meet

More than 100 ministers are meeting at the World Trade Organization in Geneva to tackle pressing issues including global food security, threatened by Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine.

Top of the agenda as the four-day meeting kicks off is the toll Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine 鈥� traditionally a breadbasket that feeds hundreds of millions of people 鈥� is having on food security.

Russia renames McDonald鈥檚

Former McDonald鈥檚 restaurants in Russia have been renamed 鈥淰kusno i tochka鈥� (鈥淒elicious. Full Stop鈥�), the new owner says.

With a new logo to replace the Golden Arches, the restaurant on Moscow鈥檚 Pushkin Square 鈥� where the very first McDonald鈥檚 opened its doors to long queues and great fanfare in January 1990 鈥� is due to open its doors again on Sunday.

US fast-food giant McDonald鈥檚 announced on May 16 that it would exit Russia in the wake of Moscow鈥檚 Ukraine offensive.

Ukraine to get word on EU hopes

Ukraine鈥檚 bid to become a candidate to join the EU will get a clear signal next week, the bloc鈥檚 chief Ursula von der Leyen announces in a surprise visit to Kyiv.

Von der Leyen says talks she held with President Zelensky 鈥渨ill enable us to finalise our assessment by the end of next week鈥�.

It is the first time the EU has publicly given timing on when the commission will deliver its opinion. The bloc鈥檚 27 member countries need to decide whether to allow Ukraine to start accession negotiations.

Zelensky warns of food crisis

Volodymyr Zelensky has urged international pressure to end a Russian naval blockade of Black Sea ports that has choked off his country鈥檚 grain exports, threatening a global food crisis.

鈥淭he world will face an acute and severe food crisis and famine, in many countries of Asia and Africa,鈥� Zelensky says in a video addressed to the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.

Ukrainians get Russian passports

Authorities in the Moscow-occupied city of Kherson in southern Ukraine have handed out Russian passports to local residents for the first time, news agencies reported.

Russia鈥檚 TASS agency says 23 Kherson residents received a Russian passport at a ceremony through a 鈥渟implified procedure鈥� facilitated by a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in May.

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