The Ukrainian authorities denied that the besieged city of Mariupol had fallen to the Russian forces, and said that the remaining Ukrainian forces in the southern coastal city would fight to the last breath, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the chances of dialogue with Russia to end the war dwindle with the passage of days.
On the other hand, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in an interview with the US CBS network, expected that the fighting between his country's forces and Russian forces would intensify in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
Here are the latest developments on the 53rd day of this war:
15 minutes ago
British Ministry of Defense: The intensity of the Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol slows the progress of Russian forces in other regions of Ukraine.
Latest Defense Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 18 April 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/3ukVqHHIOX
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/6rh9bFfFUs
— Ministry of Defense 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 18, 2022
23 minutes ago
Adviser to the Ukrainian President on Twitter: Five Russian missiles targeted civilian infrastructure in Lviv.
30 minutes ago
Ukrainian media: Russian bombing targets in the town of Vasylkiv, southwest of Kyiv.
Ukrainian media on the authority of the mayor of Lugansk: At least two people were killed and others wounded in a Russian bombing of a sports complex in the city of Zolote.
37 minutes ago
Head of the Sumy Regional Administration (East): Russian forces are still on the city border, and we do not advise residents to return.
54 minutes ago
Ukrainian media about the mayor of Dnipropetrovsk (east):
Russian forces bombed the city with missiles this morning.
60% of Russian missiles were shot down by Ukrainian defenses.
two hours ago
Ukrainian media on the spokesperson of the Odessa Regional Military Administration:
Russian forces plan to bomb Kherson and later accuse the Ukrainian army of being responsible.
Russia is seeking to use the bombing of Kherson as a cover in order to hold a referendum.
3 hours ago
Al-Jazeera correspondent: Sirens sounded in the city of Odessa, southern Ukraine.
7 hours ago
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyal told ABC News: Mariupol is besieged, but has not fallen, and the Ukrainian forces in it will fight to the last breath.