Hand-to-hand battle is now in Mariupol. After weeks of bombing, at the height of a siege that exhausted the population, the conflict in the "martyr" city of Ukraine is getting more and more alive, with street-by-street firefights near the Azovstal steel plant, a jewel of the metallurgical industry of the city which became the headquarters of its last defenders, the 3 thousand fighters of the Azov battalion.

Moscow claims to have taken "total control" of the port and speaks of an enemy now on the ropes, to the point that 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers (including 162 officers) have surrendered. This last news was denied by Kiev, according to which with a "heroic" action its soldiers managed to escape the enemy and join the Azov battalion.

What is certain is that the Ukrainian resistance will not give up and fight back. In Odessa, two Neptune anti-ship missiles hit the cruiser Mosca of the Russian Black Sea fleet, causing "very serious damage" according to Governor Maksym Marchenko. Moscow denies and speaks of a fire that hit the cruiser, however out of order.

The flagship, burning towards the port of Sevastopol, would eventually sink. According to the Russian ministry quoted by Interfax, the cruiser "lost stability and sank while being towed during a storm". In the past few hours, the Pentagon had also intervened to try to clarify the fate of "Moscow".

Also from the US, the news of the evening is the statement by President Joe Biden who answered "yes" to a question from journalists about his willingness to go to Ukraine.

With the humanitarian situation at its extreme, Turkey has made its ships available for the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol. Moscow's objective is now all concentrated in the East and the conquest of Donbass, Russia returns to threaten Kiev, from which its troops have withdrawn, saying it is "ready to strike enemy command centers, even in the capital region," if the Ukrainian army continues its attempts to attack structures in Russia ”.

Meanwhile, the White House through the mouth of spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirms the allegations of "genocide" made by Joe Biden to Vladimir Putin and announces the sending of another 800 million dollars of new weapons to Kiev: "Bucha, Mariupol, Kramatorsk are all examples of human rights violations, the president spoke based on what he saw, on the atrocities committed by Moscow, ”Psaki said.

A position, that of Washington, which has provoked the irritation of Beijing and Moscow, while from Paris President Macron questions the usefulness of an "escalation of words" to end the war.

Even the Canadian Trudeau speaks of genocide, while the Polish President Andrzej Duda on a visit to Kiev underlines: "This is not war, it is terrorism".

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Here is the news by the hour.

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The US: "We cannot verify the Kiev attack on the Moscow ship"

The US cannot "independently" verify whether the Russian cruiser in the Black Sea was hit by a missile from Ukraine. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said so. "We have been in contact with the Ukrainians all night. They told us they hit the ship with missiles", he said, however, stating that the United States at this time "cannot independently verify whether this was actually the case". "What is certain is that in any case in the way in which it has been carried out, it is a serious blow for Russia", he stressed.

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CIA: "We do not take the Russian nuclear threat lightly"

The United States does not "take lightly" the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. This was said by the director of the CIA, William Burns. "Given the desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks they have faced so far militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential use of tactical or low-yield nuclear weapons," he warned. however, that the US has not noticed any signs that Moscow is preparing such an attack.

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Zelensky: "Russian atrocities push away peace talks"

The atrocities committed by Russian troops in Mariupol and on the outskirts of Kiev, in Bucha and Borodyanka, have further reduced the chances of peace talks with the Russians. This was stated by Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the BBC. What happened to "Bucha leads us to be close to interrupting" the peace talks, added the Ukrainian president. "It's not about me, it's about Russia. They won't have much chance to talk to us anymore." Zelensky, speaking of Mariupol, explained that "in addition to the tens of thousands of deaths, many have disappeared" and "were taken to Russia, some in the fields, others in other cities".

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Ukrainian Parliament accuses the Russians of "genocide"

The Kiev Parliament dubbed the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine as "genocide", using the same definition used by US President Joe Biden.

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Mariupol refugees: "Children who died of hunger, drink the snow"

"In Mariupol the humanitarian corridors are almost non-existent, because the Russian military does not inform the people locked in the shelters. The only way to go out and go to Crimea or Russia, where at the borders some tell us that they have been humiliated and forced to stay naked. in front of the soldiers. In the city there is no food and the looting of shops continues while many have been forced to drink snow water. The first to die are the smallest children, from hunger ". This is what some refugees from Mariupol - who arrived in Dnipro a week ago - in a reception center report to Ansa.

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Kiev: "Russian intelligence attacks their territories to accuse us"

"The Russian special services have launched a plan to carry out terrorist attacks on their territory and then accuse Ukraine". This was reported by the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council - according to reports from the UNIAN agency - after Moscow's accusations of today's attacks on Bryansk and Belgorod.

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Moscow: "Another Ukrainian attack in Belgorod, civilians evacuated"

Two Russian villages in the Belgorod region, on the border with Ukraine, were bombed by Ukrainian forces, according to the governor of the region quoted by Tass. There would be no civilian casualties, while the residents were evacuated.

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Pentagon: "Arms in the Donbass in less than a week"

"We will get the new weapons to Ukraine in less than a week and then the forces of Kiev will take them to the east of the country" where the Russians are preparing to launch a new offensive. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told CNN. As for Russia's attack in Donbass, the Defense Department does not confirm or deny that it has already begun.

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Putin: "Now it is impossible to replace Russian gas"

"There is now no possibility of replacing Russian gas in Europe". This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin quoted by Interfax. "The attacks by European partners on the refusal of Russian energy supplies destabilize the situation and drive up prices," he added.

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"Residential buildings bombed in Russia"

"The Ukrainian armed forces bombed residential buildings in the Bryansk region of Russia". The regional governor Alexander Bogomaz quoted by Tass wrote on Telegram.

"The Ukrainian armed forces bombed the Klimovo township today - he said - the bombing damaged two residential buildings, there are injuries among local residents. All relevant services, including the Ministry of Emergencies, are working, people are receiving l 'necessary medical assistance'.

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In Italy, more than 92 thousand refugees

92,716 people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine have arrived in Italy so far, 88,726 of whom are at the border and 3,990 controlled by the Friuli Venezia Giulia railway police department. The Interior Ministry reports it. The increase, compared to yesterday, is of 870 admissions in the national territory. Of the refugees arriving in Italy, 47,927 are women, 10,566 are men and 34,223 are minors. The cities of destination declared upon entry into Italy are still Milan, Rome, Naples and Bologna.

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Moscow: "The cruiser did not sink"

The cruiser Moskva (Moscow) of the Russian Black Sea fleet did not sink and the explosions of ammunition on board ceased, the Ministry of Defense announced in a statement. "There are no active fires. The explosions of ammunition have stopped. The cruiser Moskva remains afloat", the note reads, adding that investigations are underway to establish the causes of the fire that caused the explosion of the ammunition . The Russian flagship in the Black Sea will be towed to port. Moscow denied that the cruiser was hit and spoke of a fire on board which, however, put it out of action.

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Di Maio: "Threats won't stop me"

"Threats will not stop the government's action. We have taken a very firm stance towards the invasion of Ukraine but we are keeping channels open with Moscow and Kiev. I am concerned about this denial that circulates in Italy". Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said this to Italian Stories on Rai 1, responding to the numerous threats received in recent weeks and to the two suspects.

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UN: "1,932 civilians killed"

At least 1,932 civilians have been killed, and another 2,589 injured, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, the United Nations reported, according to Ukrinform. The death toll includes 485 men, 313 women, 31 girls and 54 boys, as well as 72 children and 977 adults whose gender is still unknown, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Ohchr) announced. .

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Moscow: "With Finland and Sweden in NATO, forget the non-nuclear Baltics"

"We can forget about the non-nuclear Baltics if Sweden and Finland join NATO". Dmitry Medvedev, vice president of the security council of Russia, wrote it on Telegram, quoted by Tass. "Russia will strengthen its western borders if Sweden and Finland join NATO, the length of the land border of the alliance with Russia will more than double. Of course, it will be necessary to strengthen these borders," he noted.

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Explosions near the Odessa port

Two explosions were heard not far from the port of Odessa this morning shortly after 10 local (9am in Italy). "Due to the explosions just heard in the city, we ask you to keep calm and stay sheltered. At the moment there is no danger for the civilian population," the press service of the southern operational command said on its Facebook page.

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Obstacle to negotiations the number of guarantors for the security of Kiev

One of the obstacles to the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia concerns the number of countries that should take part as guarantors of security. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, who was part of the negotiating team, said on TV in the country. The Guardian reports, stating that Ukraine wants as many countries as possible to act as guarantors of security, but Russia does not want their number to increase.

Moscow previously indicated that Belarus should be one of the countries that guarantee security, while Turkey has repeatedly offered to play a mediating role between its Black Sea neighbors.

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Kiev: "6,500 war crimes committed by the Russians"

There are about 6,500 alleged war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine for which investigations have been opened. This was stated by the office of the Attorney General of Ukraine quoted by the Guardian.

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Attacks in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia

On the 50th day of the war, Russian forces continue to launch systematic missile attacks and bombs on military and civilian infrastructure in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. The Ukrainian army makes it known.

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Marines prisoners of the Russians, "but they are not a thousand"

The advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Oleksiy Arestovych, announced that marines of the 36th brigade have been taken prisoner by the Russian army, "but it is not a thousand Ukrainian soldiers, far fewer - he said referring to the announcement of Moscow yesterday according to which 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered yesterday - one thousand is a lie. " The UNIAN Agency reports it.

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Abandoned or sunk Russian cruiser

The cruiser Moskva (Moscow) of the Russian Black Sea fleet, which according to Kiev was hit yesterday by the Ukrainian Neptune missiles, was abandoned or sunk: CNN reports this morning, confirming the uncertainties about the fate of the warship that according to Mosca, on the other hand, it was "seriously damaged" by the explosion of the ammunition it was carrying, following a fire that broke out on board.

(Unioneonline)

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