Another Russian general killed by Ukrainian forces
Ukraine has added another general to the list of high-ranking Russian officers it has killed in the war.
Russian state media and the Ukraine military confirmed Monday the death of Maj. Gen. Roman Kutuzov during fighting in the Donbas region, the BBC reported. The Russian defense ministry has not commented.
Reporter Alexander Sladkov of state-owned Rossiya 1 said on the Telegram social media app that Kutuzov had been commanding troops from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic.
Ukraine has targeted Russia’s top officers and says it has killed 12, although some of those claims have been disputed. Western intelligence officials have confirmed the death of at least seven senior commanders, the BBC said.
Exchange of war dead yields remains of mill dead
While the fate of the Ukrainian prisoners taken from the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol remains uncertain, some information is emerging about the fighters killed defending the sprawling plant that became a symbol of resistance against the Russian invasion.
Dozens of the dead taken from the bombed-out mill’s ruins have been transferred to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, where DNA testing is underway to identify the remains, according to both a military leader and a spokeswoman for the Azov Regiment.
Ukraine said over the weekend the warring sides had exchanged the bodies of 320 military dead –160 each – and Azov Regiment spokeswoman Anna Holovko said all the Ukrainian remains were from the Azovstal ruins. It’s not known how many bodies remain at the plant.
Zelenskyy: ‘Fatigue is growing’ in West
Some Western politicians and the media are pushing Ukraine to end the war with a result not beneficial for Ukraine, but his nation won’t be swayed, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday.
“I do not have any negotiations on any plans,” he said of peace talks. “Such negotiations are currently at zero.”
Still, Zelenskyy said he believes Ukraine should work “with all European countries, world powers” to end the conflict on positive terms. But he remained defiant as Russian attacks continued
“Fatigue is growing, people want a result for themselves,” he said in a speech to his citizens. “You and I need a result for us.”
Zelenskyy visits front lines in Donbas
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the front lines Sunday in the hotly contested Donbas region, getting an up-close look at his military operation, awarding medals for heroic efforts and leading moments of silence to honor fallen troops.
“I want to thank you for your great work, for your service, for protecting all of us, our state,” Zelenskyy said at one gathering. “I am grateful to everyone. I want to wish you and your families good health. Take care of yourselves.”
Zelenskyy’s tour included Luhansk, where Gov. Serhiy Haidai said Monday that fierce fighting was continuing in the crucial city of Sievierodonetsk.
Grads perform goodbye waltz in front of ruins
Graduating students waltzed in front of the ruins of their high school in Kharkiv, reviving a tradition that has been put on hold because of the war. In Ukrainian schools, the graduating class traditionally dances for the entire school as students hear the bell being rung for the last time, Pravda Ukraine reports.
Olena Mosolova, a geography teacher whose daughter is also graduating this year, said the last waltz was an opportunity to at least somehow recreate the atmosphere of the “last bell” for the students.
“We had imagined a different ‘last bell’ for our kids, but it is what it is, and we want to have a celebration for the kids,” she said.