WAR IN UKRAINE

A Russian official said the referendum would ask residents of occupied regions "how they want to live."

Officials of a critical infrastructure facility that owned the dorm rooms in Ukraine's Cherkasy region colluded with a realtor to organize the scheme, the Security Service of Ukraine said.

Ukraine, one of the major suppliers of wheat worldwide, accounted for 10% of global wheat exports in 2019.

A Ukrainian intelligence official confirmed reports that the Russian army is recruiting prisoners to join its “patriotic ethnic battalions” in Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers forced Russian troops in the Kharkiv region to retreat following massive losses.

The Russian commander also admitted that they are having difficulties holding position due to high-precision artillery strikes from Ukrainians.

The commissioner said the missing soldiers served in Ukraine's Armed Forces, National Guard, Border Guard and Security Service.

The Russian army has recruited more than 370 soldiers in Adygeya and Nizhny Novgorod over the past few days.

The Ukrainian army also destroyed all ammunitions stored at the Russian command center.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry accused Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., of playing politics over Russia's war after she tried to bring renewed focus on the alleged ties some politicians in Zelensky's government had with Russia.

The Georgian Legion commander added that corruption in the Russian army is helping Ukrainians amid the war.

Ukraine's top intelligence official Kyrylo Budanov earlier signaled that majority of active military operations could end this year.

Officials for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said they prevented the Russian army’s attempts to advance toward the city of Sosnivka from the Slobozhansky direction and forced them to retreat. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that negotiations would get harder the longer the war in Ukraine goes on.

The former model had only been in the country for three weeks at the time of her death, her brother said.

According to Ukraine, more than 36,500 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion began in February.

“Putin [may] offer the potential for a cease-fire if only to give him[self] an opportunity to fortify the gains that he’s managed to achieve so far,” defense policy analyst Victor Abramowqicz said. 

Ukrainian forces attacked several Russian military bases located in the temporarily occupied city of Melitopol.

The children recovered by the Ukrainian government were mostly orphans or those deprived of parental care.

The captured individual gave Russians intelligence data on the deployment of the Ukrainian army.

The victim refused to act on an order to dive into the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant's spray pond, according to Ukrainian officials.