5:55 AM: Ukraine lost “a quarter” of its arable land
Ukraine lost 25% of its cultivable land to Russia’s occupation of some regions in the south and eastern, the Ministry of Agriculture said Monday. However, this does not constitute a threat to its food security.
He said that “consumption has also declined due to massive displacements of population and external migrations” out of the country. According to the International Organization for Migration and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), more than seven million Ukrainians have been internally displaced. There are also 7.3 million people who have fled abroad to escape persecution, with more than half to Poland.
5:50 AM: New mass grave found near Boutcha
Kyiv police reported Monday that seven bodies were discovered in a new mass cemetery near Boutcha. This is the same area where civilian corpses were found following the withdrawal of the Russian army at March’s end.
Amnesty International published a report the same day accusing Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. It stated that hundreds of civilians were killed in unabated attacks on Kharkiv (northeast), which were carried out with cluster bombs. .
5:45 a.m.: The most recent highlights on the ground
Monday’s admission by Ukrainian forces that they had left the central part of Severodonetsk after the Russian offensive was made. Since weeks, the two belligerents have been fighting for control of this important city in eastern Ukraine. The pro-Russian separatists fighting in this region claim that the last Ukrainian divisions are “blocked” after the destruction the last bridge that allowed them to reach Lyssytchansk. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, stated that this battle has “terrifying” human costs.
– Pro-Russian separatists also claim that 4 people, including a child were killed, and 22 others were injured by “massive” Kyiv forces shelling Donetsk, their self declared capital.
Three Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian town of Pryluky in northern Ukraine. Four villages were evacuated to avoid possible fires from shelling.
5:45 AM: Good morning everyone! This live will cover the current situation in Ukraine on the 111th anniversary of the Russian invasion.
