Day 80 of the Invasion of Ukraine: The Fighting in Donbas is Gaining Momentum, Russian Soldier on Trial

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

The fighting in Donbas is gaining momentum

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has expressed hope that they will be able to arm one million fighters in preparation for a new long phase of the war with Russia.

In Donbas, Ukrainians are fighting pro-Russian separatists in the town of Rubizhne and have halted the advance of a mechanized column on the western approaches to Sievierodonetsk. Local authorities say civilians were killed and wounded in Russian shelling in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions.

Developments in Mariupol

Azov Battalion Deputy Commander Svyatoslav Palamar called on the United States to help evacuate about 600 wounded soldiers from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that difficult, according to him, negotiations for the withdrawal of the military from Mariupol are continuing. He also announced that Ukrainian forces were advancing in the Kharkiv region, regaining six settlements:

"No one can predict how long this war will last. But the Ukrainian armed forces are doing everything in their power to drive out the Russian invaders," Zelensky said.

War crimes

Ukraine's chief prosecutor, Irina Venediktov, said she was preparing 41 war crimes cases against the Russian military.

Yesterday, a Russian soldier was brought before a Ukrainian court for the first time since the start of the war.

US urges Russia for a ceasefire

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has called on his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoigu, to take immediate action to establish a ceasefire in Ukraine. This is their first conversation since the beginning of the war.

The EU and the G7 countries have expressed strong support for Ukraine

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has pledged an additional 500m euros in military aid, and according to Germany's Spiegel magazine, G7 finance ministers intend to provide about 30 billion euros to Kyiv.

At the same time, Russia announced that it was suspending electricity exports to Finland on the grounds that Finland had not paid for energy already delivered in May. The decision comes a day after Helsinki announced it wanted to join NATO./BNR