Wives of the commanders of Azov Battalion meet the Pope; Europe without solutions

Wives of the commanders of Azov Battalion meet the Pope; Europe without solutions

The supply of Russian gas to Germany was reduced by a quarter through Ukraine, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said during his visit to the United States that some members, including Germany, are already paying for Russian gas through Gazprombank in rubles.

NATO said it would continue to support Ukraine but did not want a direct conflict with Russia.

Japan and the European Union agreed at the summit that they would continue cooperation in order to put pressure and sanctions on Russia, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Moscow poses "the most direct threat" to the international order due to its "barbaric war" in Ukraine.

Ukrainian army: New Russian air strikes on Azovstal

The Ukrainian army announced today that Russian forces are continuing air strikes on the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol and that they are advancing towards cities in eastern Ukraine.

In a statement issued on the 78th day of the war, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army stated that Russian forces also carried out artillery attacks in the direction of Zaporozhye, which was a refuge for civilians in their escape from Mariupol. The Ukrainian army also said that Russian forces were using artillery to target Ukrainian units north of the city of Kharkov in the northeast, and cited Russian attacks in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions in the north.

In the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, where fighting has been going on since the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian army has reported "partial success" in Russia's advance. Ukrainian forces reportedly repulsed nine Russian attacks and destroyed several of their drones and military vehicles.

Moscow opens an investigation into experiments in Ukraine

Russia's investigative committee has announced that it will investigate the allegations of the Russian Ministry of Defense about inhumane experiments in biological laboratories in Ukraine, with, as it is stated, the participation of U.S. representatives.

"The investigative committee will ask the Ministry of Defense for information on inhumane experiments conducted in biological laboratories in Ukraine. According to new data, U.S. representatives used patients from a psychiatric hospital in the Kharkiv region to experiment on them. In order to hide their identity, American researchers came through third countries," it is stated in the announcement of the investigative committee, TASS reported.

The investigative committee pointed out that they will work on investigating the criminal acts that, as they point out, were carried out by the Kyiv regime against civilians, and illegal biological research will also be investigated.

Consequences of the shelling of the village of Soloh

Pope Francis received the wives of the commanders of the Azov Battalion

Pope Francis received Katerina Prokopenko and Yulia Fedosyuk, the wives of members of the Ukrainian battalion Azov, who have been trapped with their comrades-in-arms for several weeks in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

At a five-minute meeting, 27-year-old Katerina Prokopenko, the wife of Commander Denys Prokopenko, and 29-year-old Yulia Fedosyuk, the wife of battalion member Arseniy Fedosyuk, asked the pope to intervene directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin and demand their release, Reuters reported. "You are our last hope, I hope you can save their lives. Please don't let them die," Prokopenko begged.

"Our soldiers are waiting to be evacuated to a third country, in which case they will lay down their arms," said the women, citing Switzerland and Turkey as possible destinations.

The EU and Japan are strengthening cooperation, with the aim of putting pressure and sanctions on Russia

Japan and the European Union agreed at the summit that they would continue cooperation in order to put pressure and sanctions on Russia, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Moscow poses "the most direct threat" to the international order due to its "barbaric war" in Ukraine.

Von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at a joint press conference after the summit in Tokyo that they would continue talks on how to optimize the partnership in all areas, including energy.

The Japanese prime minister said that "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not just a matter of Europe, but that it has shaken the international order, including Asia" and that such behavior "must not be tolerated", reports the BBC. At the same time, EU leaders said they wanted the European Union to become a major player in Asia by warning China.

"The Indo-Pacific is a prosperous region. It is also a scene of tension. Take the situation in the East and South China Seas and North Korea's constant threat. The EU wants to play a more active role in the Indo-Pacific. We want more responsibility in a region that is vital to our prosperity," Kishida said.