Russia is determined to “destroy the whole Donbas step by step” as air strikes continue to bombard the devastated city of Severodonetsk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Relentless Russian shelling is also pounding Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv, where at least 20 people have been killed.
Kyiv has described the strikes on Kharkiv as a bid to force Ukraine to divert resources from the main battlefields in the Donbas to protect civilians.
Mr Zelensky said Russia wanted to turn cities “into Mariupol” and called for the supply of weapons to Ukraine to be accelerated.
“There were massive air and artillery strikes in Donbas,” he said in a video address on Thursday.
“The goal of the occupiers in this direction remains the same – they want to destroy the whole Donbas step by step.
“Lysychansk, Slovyansk, Kramatorsk – they aim to turn any city into Mariupol.”
Luhansk’s regional governor, Serhiy Gaidai on Wednesday rejected Russian claims that its military already controls Severodonetsk.
“Battles are continuing,” he told Ukrainian television. “Russian forces do not have full control.”
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01:43 AM
EU set to make historic offer of candidate status to Ukraine
European leaders will formally set Ukraine on the long road to EU membership at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken to 11 European Union leaders on Wednesday about Ukraine’s candidacy and will make more calls on Thursday.
He said earlier he believed all 27 EU countries would support Ukraine’s candidate status.
“We deserve it,” he told crowds in Amsterdam via video link.
It will take Ukraine a decade or more to meet the criteria for joining the EU.
01:36 AM
Captured Briton Aiden Aslin told his execution will go ahead
A British fighter sentenced to death during a show trial in a Ukrainian rebel region has been told the execution will be carried out, it was reported on Wednesday night.
Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, were captured in the besieged city of Mariupol in April after their unit surrendered after holding off the Russian army for 48 days.
They were convicted of attempting “a violent seizure of power” by the “Supreme Court” of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
The men were told to expect execution by firing squad after pleading guilty to mercenary and terrorist activities.
On Wednesday night, the family of Mr Aslin told the BBC that his captors had informed him that the UK has yet to make any attempt to negotiate on his behalf.
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01:30 AM
Today’s top stories
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A British fighter sentenced to death during a show trial in a Ukrainian rebel region has been told the execution will be carried out
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Pro-Russian separatists claimed they were close to surrounding the Ukrainian forces defending the twin cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk, the site of fierce weeks-long fighting
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned fighting may escalate before the EU summit, saying Russian occupiers were determined to destroy the Donbas
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Russian missile strikes killed at least one person and damaged a school in the southern city of Mykolaiv
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A suspected Ukrainian combat drone hit a major oil refinery in Russia’s south and caused a large fire, in what appears to be a fresh attack by Kyiv on Russian soil
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The head of the International Energy Agency warned that Russia may cut off gas to Europe entirely as it seeks to bolster its political leverage
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Ukraine needs massive financial help to rebuild after the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion