Sievierodonetsk "cleansed"; Exchange of dead soldiers; Zelensky: We are not giving up

Sievierodonetsk "cleansed"; Exchange of dead soldiers; Zelensky: We are not giving up

Russian forces emphasize that they are finishing the "liberation of Svyatogorsk and neighboring territories" in the Donetsk region.

On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk are "dead cities".

Incident at the session of the United Nations Security Council: While the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, addressed the 15-member body and accused Moscow of inciting the global food crisis with its invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, left the meeting.

A stronger NATO presence in the Baltic countries

The presidents of Lithuania and Latvia used the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is coming to Vilnius on Tuesday, to call for a stronger NATO military presence in the Baltic countries.

As the NATO summit in Madrid in late June decides whether to increase the number of troops on the east wing, given the changing security situation in Europe, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Latvian President Egils Levits called on the military alliance to deploy more soldiers in the region.

"The NATO summit in Madrid must be a summit of decisions," Nausėda told the dpa ahead of Scholz's one-day visit, adding that Lithuania hopes to reach an agreement with allies on the transition from "deterrence to defense, from battalion to brigade, from air surveillance to anti-aircraft" defense", he said.

Referendum in the Kherson region

In the Kherson region, the decision on referendum on possible entry into the Russian Federation was made.

This was announced by the deputy head of the military-civil administration of the region, Kirill Stremousov. He reminded that the Kherson region was left without legislative power, and it will be temporarily replaced by the public council.

The British report: Russia is advancing in Donbas

Sievierodonetsk "cleansed"

The urban settlements of Sievierodonetsk have been "cleansed" of Ukrainian security forces, and fighting is taking place on the outskirts of the city, said the ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Russia, Rodion Miroshnik.

According to him, the Ukrainian formations were almost completely expelled from the industrial zone.

The bodies of those killed in Azovstal returned to Kyiv

The bodies of dozens of Ukrainian fighters who died in the Azovstal steel plant were returned to Ukraine by Russian troops, who occupied the plant in the destroyed city of Mariupol, reports AP.

The bodies were reportedly transferred to the capital, Kyiv, where DNA analysis is under way to determine the identities of those killed, the Azov Regiment, one of Ukraine's units that held the steel plant for nearly three months before surrendering in May, Russian troops said.

Ukraine announced on Saturday the first officially confirmed exchange of dead soldiers since the outbreak of the war. It was said that the two sides exchanged a total of 320 bodies, and the exchange took place on Thursday on the front line in the Zaporozhye region.

Anna Holovko, a spokeswoman for the Azov Regiment, said that all 160 Ukrainian bodies handed over by the Russians were from the debris of Azov. She said that at least 52 of those bodies were considered to be the remains of Azov regiment soldiers, while Maxim Zorin, a former regiment commander who is now at the head of a military unit based in Kyiv, confirmed that steelworks bodies were among those exchanged.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there could be more than 2.500 prisoners from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, who are now being held in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine. Zelensky also said that Russia's plans regarding the treatment of these prisoners are constantly changing.

In Lysychansk

Zelensky: Our army is not leaving its positions in Sievierodonetsk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last night that the Ukrainian army is not leaving its positions in Sievierodonetsk, the city where the biggest street fights are currently taking place.

Zelensky admitted that Russian forces had an advantage when it comes to the number of soldiers in the battle for the eastern city of North Donetsk, but pointed out that Ukrainian forces have "every chance" to retaliate.

"Our heroes are not giving up their positions in Sievierodonetsk. Fierce street fights are taking place in the city," Zelensky said, Reuters reported.

When it comes to the wider, industrial part of the Donbass region, where Sievierodonetsk is located, Zelensky said that "the Ukrainian Donbass stands firm."