New raids with phosphorus bombs, missiles and ground attacks from Kharkiv to Mariupol, shooting at civilians lined up for humanitarian aid. Amid repeated accusations of crimes against humanity, the Russian offensive in Ukraine - now on its 29th day - continues unabated.

But despite the raids and bombings on civilians, progress on the ground in Moscow appears to be slower and slower. The Kremlin insists on repeating that "the special military operation is proceeding according to plan", but the Ukrainians now highlight a change of strategy: a "phase of war of attrition", as Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to President Volodymyr called it. Zelensky. A new approach which, for Kiev, is the result of the combined effect produced by the huge losses on the ground - 15,600 soldiers from Moscow were killed, according to the latest Ukrainian budget - and the difficulties in taking control of the strategic centers.

For this reason, military reinforcements are arriving from Moscow in Crimea and Belarus, to occupy the entire Donbass region and surround Kiev. The goal, according to the Ukrainian General Staff, would be to end the offensive by 9 May, the day when Russia commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany with a large military parade on Red Square.

But the Ukrainian resistance strikes new blows, day after day: a missile raid destroyed one of the largest amphibious assault ships in the Russian fleet, the Orsk, moored in the occupied port of Berdyansk on the Azov Sea. The bombardment interrupted important military supplies for the siege of Mariupol, also affecting two other enemy ships.

The fighting is becoming more and more ferocious: the use of phosphorus weapons has been denounced this time in the Lugansk region. In Kharkiv, six civilians were killed and 15 wounded while they waited for help in the battered city, where basic necessities are in short supply, as are water, gas and electricity. The center was attacked with cruise missiles launched from the Black Sea, 44 raids in 24 hours.

And in a country increasingly littered with weapons, there is a risk of dying even away from the clashes. As in the village of Obilne, near Zaporizhzhia, where three children aged 15, 13 and 12 were seriously injured by a mine which they believed was a toy.

According to the UN budget, the threshold of a thousand civilians killed was exceeded in a month of war. And concern is growing, relaunched today by the NATO summit , about the possible use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by the Russians.

Other news of the day, the first real exchange of prisoners of war ordered by Zelensky: 10 on each side, as well as 11 civilian sailors rescued after the sinking of a Russian ship near Odessa who were freed in place of 19 Ukrainian counterparts of the ship Sapphire rescue.

The UN today approved a resolution calling for a halt to hostilities: they voted against Russia, Syria, Belarus, Eritrea and North Korea, while 38 countries - including China - abstained. 140 votes in favor, one less than the document approved on 2 March.

Today the European response to Putin's decision to get paid for gas in rubles also arrived. "It is a breach of contract", said Draghi, while the German Chancellor Scholz remarked: "We have examined the matter, for gas there are fixed contracts that specify that payments must be made in euros or dollars, this is what matters. ".

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The day by the hour:

Stoltenberg: “Putin wants less NATO? He is getting the opposite "

"My message is that if Putin wants less NATO, he has got the opposite result, because he is getting more NATO at his borders." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this in an interview with Tg2. "If Putin tries to divide us, he will achieve the opposite. We will see a more united and stronger NATO than we have seen for many years," Stoltenberg added.

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US: "Putin is cornered ready to use chemical and nuclear weapons"

The Biden administration is increasingly concerned that Vladimir Putin could become even more violent, amidst Russian troops bogging down in Ukraine and imposed sanctions starting to bite. This was stated by some American officials quoted by the Bloomberg agency, according to whom Putin's tendency is to intensify the attacks instead of backing off when he feels cornered. Among the options available to Putin to escalate the offensive could be, the officials add, the use of chemical weapons and tactical nuclear weapons.

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The G7 also warns against the use of chemical and nuclear weapons

The G7 "warns against any threat to the use of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons". This was stated by the G7 in the joint communiqué at the end of the meeting. "We remind Russia of the obligations of the international treaties to which it is a signatory".

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Di Maio: "The EU helps member countries to withstand the impact of the war"

"As Italy we are pushing for the EU to support member countries to support the effects of Putin's war". Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio writes it.

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Biden: "We will respond to Moscow's use of chemical weapons"

"We will respond to Moscow's use of chemical weapons, NATO will respond." American President Joe Biden said at the end of the Brussels summit: "The food emergency will be real, not only Russia will pay the price of sanctions but also our European allies".

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“Gas in rubles? Contracts include only euros or dollars "

We have "looked into" the issue and for gas there are "fixed contracts" which specify that payments must be made in euros or dollars. "This is what matters." German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this at the end of the G7 when answering a question about Moscow's claim to receive payments for Russian gas in rubles.

Mario Draghi also speaks bluntly of a "breach of contract".

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Draghi: "No fly zone impossible, China contribute to peace"

There has been "no condemnation of China, indeed the hope that it will contribute to the peace process". Prime Minister Mario Draghi said this at a press point in Brussels, adding that "it is not possible to involve neither NATO nor the EU in the guarantee of a no fly zone".

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5.15 pm - G7: "Prevent any transaction with the Russian Central Bank"

G7 leaders agreed to prevent any transactions with the Russian central bank. This was reported by a senior American official anticipating the contents of the final document of the summit.

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UN resolution, China abstains

The five countries that voted against the humanitarian resolution of Westerners in the UN General Assembly are Russia, Syria, Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea (the same countries that voted against the resolution of 2 March last). China, on the other hand, is among the 38 abstentions (three more than last time). The votes in favor fell from 141 to 140.

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"400 thousand Ukrainians deported to Russia"

"According to data provided by Russia, 402,000 people have already been deported from Ukraine to date, including 84,000 children. Yesterday there were 366,000. And we do not know what happened to them" This was reported by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. Lyudmila Denisova, quoted by the UNIAN agency, calling it "a war crime".

"We have heard that they are being held in fields where they are filtered in the Donetsk region, then taken to Russia. Those who agree to work are prohibited from leaving their place of residence for 2 years," Denisova added.

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Kiev: "First exchange between 10 prisoners"

By order of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the first exchange of prisoners of war took place. This was announced by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Telegram, as reported by UNIAN. Ukraine traded 10 captured Russians for 10 of its own military. The Russians also took away 11 civilian sailors who were rescued by the Ukrainian army after the ship sank this morning near Odessa.

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Gunfire on civilians lined up for aid in Kharkiv

The Russians fired on civilians lined up to ask for humanitarian aid in the Kharkiv region. The 'Public Kharkiv' reports it, as reported by the UNIAN agency.

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The Farnesina to the Italians: "Don't go and fight in Ukraine"

With regard to the news that appeared in some media outlets relating to the participation of Italian citizens in the conflict in Ukraine, the Farnesina reminds us that "such conduct can be considered criminally relevant under the current legislation (articles 244 and 288 of the criminal code)". The Farnesina reiterates, "to protect the safety of Italian citizens, I strongly advise against going to the country".

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Lamorgese: "67 thousand Ukrainians arrived in Italy"

From Ukraine at the moment "we have about 67,000 arrivals, of which 90% are minors and their mothers, and we only have 5,000 men". This was stated by Luciana Lamorgese, Minister of the Interior, speaking via video link at the Ali's assembly in progress in Florence. Lamorgese explained that, if so far the flow was 3-4,000 people a day, "since yesterday we have noticed a decrease because about 1,600 have arrived", and it is "a fact that the other European colleagues have also found: this does not detract from that, if Odessa or Lviv were also to be touched, then the flows would start again massively ".

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Moscow: "30 biological weapons laboratories discovered in Ukraine"

The Russian Defense Ministry said thirty laboratories used for the development of biological weapons have been located at 14 sites in Ukraine. Tass reports it.

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US and NATO prepare for nuclear accidents

The United States and NATO are preparing for the risk of Russian nuclear and biological accidents. The Bloomberg agency reports, citing Biden administration officials, according to whom the preparations also include deterrent postures.

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"15 thousand inhabitants of Mariupol brought by force to Russia"

"About 15,000 Mariupol residents have been illegally deported to Russia." The mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boychenko makes it known on Telegram, specifying that "the invaders force people already exhausted by the war to get on the buses and deprive them of passports and other Ukrainian identity documents." The deported people - he adds - are first delivered. in the so-called marshalling yards from where they are then redistributed to various remote cities of Russia. "According to the mayor, the Russians block the convoys for the evacuation of citizens (in particular today the buses that left Zaporozhye in the direction of Berdyansk were stopped ) "only to prevent people from returning to the territory controlled by Ukraine, in spite of their will".

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China, "NATO misinforms about our support for Russia"

China accuses NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of "spreading disinformation" by saying that China has supported Russia's war against Ukraine amid growing international pressure to distance Beijing from Moscow. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin replied in the daily briefing that "accusing China of spreading false information about Ukraine is itself spreading disinformation. China's position is consistent with the wishes of most countries and any unjustified accusation and suspicion against China will be defeated.

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They play with an exploding mine, 3 serious guys

They found an explosive device and, not recognizing it, they started playing. But the mine exploded and the 3 boys aged 15, 13 and 12 are now hospitalized in serious condition in the village of Obilne, near Zaporizhzhia.

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Bombing of Ochtyrka, there are dead

The Russians again bombed the city of Ochtyrka in the Sumy region at night: the rockets hit a densely populated area, houses were destroyed and there are casualties. This was announced by the mayor of Ochtyrka Pavlo Kuzmenko on Facebook. "Surface-to-air missiles fired into one of the densely populated neighborhoods of the city. The missiles hit skyscrapers and destroyed them. Unfortunately, people died," the mayor said.

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Anonymous hacks the Russian Central Bank

The Anonymous collective hacked the Russian Central Bank. "More than 35,000 files with secret agreements will be released within 48 hours," the activists wrote on Twitter. In recent days, Anonymous has taken offline the websites of some companies that continue to operate in Russia, including Nestlé which, under pressure, has decided to reduce its activities in Moscow.

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Seven humanitarian corridors today, Mariupol is still missing

Seven humanitarian corridors have been agreed for today. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk clarifying that no safe passage from Mariupol has been agreed. Those who have to leave the besieged city, explained the deputy premier, must go to nearby Berdyansk as Russia has not been allowing the creation of a safe corridor to or from the center of the southern port city for days.

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"Phosphorus bombs over Lugansk region, there are dead"

In the Lugansk region, in south-eastern Ukraine, the Russian army also bombs cities with phosphorus bombs, according to what the head of the regional military administration, Sergey Gaidai, quoted by the UNIAN agency, writes on Telegram, underlining that there are dead and wounded. "During the night the invaders bombed the Lugansk region with rockets and phosphorus bombings - the message reads -. Four people are already known to have died and the Russians have damaged or completely destroyed many houses". Hit the cities of Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Rubizhne, Kreminna, Novodruzhesk and Voevodivka.

(Unioneonline)

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