Russians try to stop the Ukrainian advance in Kharkiv, and send Mariupol residents to prison camps
2111: Russian invaders send Mariupol residents "who did not pass filtration" to the infamous prison camp Izolyatsia in occupied Donetsk, Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol in exile, has said.
According to him, all those who do not pass the filtration are considered "unreliable" and sent to the occupied territories: to the penal colony No. 52 in the village of Olenivka, Donetsk region, or to the Isolation Prison in occupied Donetsk.
1843: Ukrainian forces liberated Pytomnyk village of Kharkiv Oblast, General Staff of the Ukrainian Army has reported.
General Staff has also said units of the Russian invading forces strengthen the defense In Kharkiv Oblast to slow down the offensive of Ukrainian troops.
In most of the territories that are still occupied by the Russians in the Kharkiv region, the invaders have been shutting down the cell network, and locals in many settlements are left without electricity and water. Russians also forbid them to travel to the territory controlled by Ukraine.
1716: 501 National Guard of Ukraine soldiers were killed in action since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, National Guard of Ukraine has reported.
During a briefing at the Ukrinform Media Center, Oleksiy Nadtochy, Chief of the Operational Department of the National Guard Headquarters, said that 1,697 National Guard servicemen were wounded or injured during the full-scale war, and 501 servicemen were killed. This is the first time National Guard announces losses.
1702: Near Trostyanets, a city in Sumy Oblast, Ukrainian forces recovered documents that prove Russia was planning to occupy the entire Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigation director Oleksiy Sukhachov has said in a statement.
The agency said that during the investigation, the places where the occupiers tortured civilians were also identified. At least 34 cases of unlawful deprivation of liberty and torture of civilians have been reported. Batons, handcuffs, metal ticks and clothes of the victims with traces of blood were found at the crime scenes in Sumy Oblast.
1306: Russian soldiers have been trying to hide their participation in the war against Ukraine, the Defence Ministry of Ukraine Military Intelligence Directorate has reported.
"Realizing the inevitability of punishment for war crimes against the people of Ukraine, the occupiers demand that the command keep their participation in the invasion secret, "the intelligence said.
The GUR explained that such appeals had become widespread in the Russian Air Force.
Not only the direct perpetrators of crimes but also former military personnel who took part in the preparations for the invasion of Ukraine state have been trying to escape revenge for the mass killings of civilians and the destroyed infrastructure of Ukraine.
1206: Invading Russians troops have attacked Slovyansk, a city in Donetsk Oblast, the city's mayor, Vadym Liakh, reported.
"It was a cold and not very good morning for Slovyansk today. The city was hit by a rocket this morning. Two neighborhoods were affected, without casualties, "he said in a post on the Telegram messenger app.
Meanwhile, in Zaporizhzhya Ukrainian Air Defense Forces shot down a Russian missile. Unfortunately, debris from the missile damaged an infrastructure object.
1158: Up to 10,000 people might die in Mariupol from disease and from living in unsanitary conditions by the end of the year, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko has said in a statement.
According to him, there are still up to 170,000 people left in Mariupol.
"The occupiers have turned Mariupol into a medieval ghetto. So the mortality rate will be appropriate. Without medicine and medical care, the restoration of the water supply, and proper sewerage in the city, epidemics will erupt," Boychenko said.
"Today, the majority of the current population is senior and sick. Without proper conditions, mortality among vulnerable categories will increase many times over."
Morning digest
Yesterday evening Ukrainian forces liberated four more villages in Kharkiv Oblast. However, President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Ukrainians not to pressure the Armed Forces to bring victories every day. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $40 billion bill to help Ukraine counter the Russian invasion. The U.S. Senate will vote on the bill next.
Meanwhile, heavy fighting has left Luhansk Oblast without gas, electricity, and water other communications, the oblast council has reported.
Invading Russian troops have been storming Ukrainian positions all over the Donbas, concentrating their heaviest strikes on the Azovstal factory in Mariupol, where some 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are still fighting for the Ukrainian city.
In Luhansk Oblast the Russians aim to take Rubizhne and Severodonetsk, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army has reported.
In Kharkiv Oblast, the occupiers continue to focus their efforts on preventing the further advancing of the Ukrainian army in the direction of the state border of Ukraine.
In the last 24 hours Russia renewed shelling of Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts in Ukraine's north, from Russian territory, local governors have reported. Details about the attacks still being verified.
Heavy fighting is going on in Zaporizhzhya Oblast. The mayor of the town on Hulaypole has called on citizens to evacuate to safety, as Russia has been shelling Ukrainian positions near the town.
Russia has already lost 26,350 soldiers killed in action in Ukraine, the General Staff reports.
Some of the enemy troops were reportedly killed on Zmiiny Island in the Black Sea. This small patch of land has become strategically important for both the Ukrainian and Russian armies, the UK Defense Ministry said in its latest update on the situation in Ukraine.
Ukraine has successfully destroyed small Russian warships, air defense systems, and paratroopers on the island.
However, if Russia still manages to gain a foothold on the island and deploy air defense and cruise missiles, it will firmly control the northeastern part of the Black Sea, UK intelligence warns.
