As the Russia-Ukraine war enters its 410th day, we take a look at the main developments.
Here is the situation as it stands on Sunday, April 9, 2023:
Fighting
A 50-year-old man and his 11-year-old daughter were killed after Russian forces struck a residential building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia early on Sunday, authorities said.
A missile fired from Ukrainian-held territory was allegedly shot down over the Black Sea town of Feodosiya in Russian-controlled Crimea, the Moscow-installed head of Crimea’s administration said on Saturday.
British military intelligence said Russian forces were threatening a key supply route to Bakhmut, the focus of their assault for months which Ukraine has said it is defending to wear the invaders down before its counteroffensive.
Ukrainian service members stand atop a tank, at a military training ground near a front line in Zaporizhzhia region [File: Reuters]
Diplomacy
Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova is due to visit India on Monday and will seek humanitarian aid and equipment to repair energy infrastructure damaged during Russia’s invasion, a newspaper reported on Saturday.
The arrest of US journalist Evan Gershkovich by Russia drew a rare joint statement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who demanded the reporter’s immediate release.
More than 30 children were reunited with their families in Ukraine this weekend after a long operation to bring them back home from Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea, where they had been taken from areas occupied by Russian forces during the war. Kyiv estimates nearly 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since Moscow invaded, in what it condemns as illegal deportations. Moscow says they have been transported away for their own safety.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky said on Saturday that he still sees his country on the road to NATO accession.
