The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Sunday the conquest of a small town, Umanské, in the Donetsk region, in eastern Ukraine, where its army is on the offensive. “Units of the ‘Center’ group of troops managed to liberate the village of Umanské in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the Russian ministry said in a statement.
This small town of less than 180 inhabitants before the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022 is located approximately 25 kilometers northwest of Donetsk, a large regional city under Russian control. On Friday, the new Russian Defense Minister, Andrei Beloussov, welcomed “the progress” made by his army in Ukraine “in all tactical directions”. According to him, 880 km2 of Ukrainian territory have been conquered by Russian troops since January 1, 2024.
Information to remember
⇒ One dead in Russian bombing in the Kharkiv region
⇒ China denies “putting pressure” on certain countries not to participate in the Ukraine Peace Summit
⇒ A thousand people attended the funeral in kyiv of a renowned journalist and volunteer nurse killed at the front
One dead in Russian bombing in Kharkiv region
One person was killed and two injured in a Russian rocket attack in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, where Moscow’s forces launched an offensive in early May, the regional governor said on Monday. This strike targeted, around midnight, the village of Slobojanské, located southeast of the regional capital and damaged houses. “A man was killed and another man and a woman were injured,” Oleg Synegoubov said on Telegram.
The Kharkiv region is targeted almost daily by Russian forces, who launched a land offensive in this sector on May 10, seizing several localities. Ukraine, which sent valuable reinforcements to the area, assured at the end of May that this Russian offensive had been “stopped”. The fighting is currently taking place mainly in the east.
Summit on Ukraine: Beijing denies “putting pressure” on other countries
China denied this Monday “putting pressure” on certain countries so that they do not participate in the Peace Summit on Ukraine organized in Switzerland on June 15 and 16, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr said this weekend. Zelensky. “Using force politics is not the style of Chinese diplomacy, […] China’s position is open and transparent, and in no case do we put pressure on other countries,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters.
Speaking on the sidelines of a security forum in Singapore on Sunday, the Ukrainian president accused China of working to “prevent” countries from participating in the Ukraine Peace Summit, scheduled for June in Switzerland. Two days earlier, Beijing had estimated that it would be “difficult” to participate in this summit if Russia was not invited, a statement approved by Moscow.
“China sincerely hopes that this peace conference will not become a platform for creating confrontation between camps,” Mao Ning said Monday. “Not participating in the conference does not mean that we do not support peace,” the spokesperson stressed. And “even if some countries decide to participate in the conference, that does not necessarily mean that they are hoping for a ceasefire and an end to the fighting. The most important thing is concrete action,” he said. -he continued. China’s “just and equitable” position on this conference “is not directed against any party, and certainly not against this summit”, insisted Mao Ning. The Ukrainian president has increased his travels in recent days to garner support ahead of the summit on Ukraine organized in Switzerland.
Zelensky will attend the G7 summit in Italy
Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the next G7 summit in Italy scheduled for June, either online or in person, his spokesperson said on Monday. “I can neither confirm nor deny that the president will physically participate in the G7 summit, but in any case, whether online or physically, there is no doubt that he will be present,” Serguiï Nikiforov told the Ukrainian television. One of the main points on the agenda of the summit, which will be held in southern Italy from June 13 to 15, will focus on ways to use interests in frozen Russian assets to supply Ukraine new help.
A tribute to a volunteer paramedic killed at the front
A thousand people attended the funeral of a renowned journalist and volunteer nurse killed at the front last week in central kyiv on Sunday. Irina Tsybukh, known as Cheka, was a 25-year-old paramedic who worked rotations in northeastern Ukraine. At his funeral at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, hundreds of people wore colorful Ukrainian vyshyvankas – embroidered national shirts – and carried Ukrainian flags and flowers.
The coffin of the former journalist, who worked for the Ukrainian public radio and television broadcasting service, was also draped with the yellow and blue Ukrainian flag. A member of the Hospitallers volunteer battalion, “she was one of those who not only defended the country, but also worked tirelessly to encourage others to enlist, train and learn to be effective”, Volodymyr Zelensky declared last week.
Last year, she wrote a letter to be published if she were to be killed while serving on the front line in the Donetsk region. “I’m not sorry for dying, because ultimately, I’m living the life I want to lead […] Be worthy of the actions of our heroes, do not be sad, be courageous,” she wrote in this letter that her brother published.