War Ukraine - Russia | Putin, Zelensky and last hour of Mariúpol, live

Russian forces are trying Tuesday to break through Ukrainian defenses along almost the entire front line in the east of the former Soviet republic, kicking off what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dubbed the "battle for Donbass."

"A very large part of the entire Russian army is now focused on this offensive," the Ukrainian leader said in a video posted this morning. "No matter how many Russian troops they send there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves."

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, will travel to Kyiv in the coming days and will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodímir Zelenski, and the Prime Minister of this country.

The meeting between the two leaders will take place at a time when Spain is considering, like other European countries, reopening its embassy in the Ukrainian capital, which was closed as a result of the escalation of violence in the war and after evacuate the Spanish residents in that country who requested them.

Russian gas deliveries to Europe via Ukraine fell this Tuesday morning, in line with customer requests, while flows to Germany via Nord Stream 1 remained stable and increased eastward. to Poland from Germany via the Yamal gas pipeline between Russia and the European Union.

Daily nominations for deliveries of Russian gas to Slovakia via Ukraine fell on Tuesday, according to data from Slovak operator TSO Eustream.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk announced on Tuesday the rescue of 76 Ukrainian prisoners of war, of which 16 are civilians, exchanged with the Russians. According to Vereshchuk, it is the fifth official exchange of captives since the beginning of the invasion on February 24. Ukraine has not indicated how many Russian detainees have been sent to Moscow.

Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Russian region of Chechnya and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has assured that Russian troops will take control of the Azovstal plant, in the port of Mariúpol, this Tuesday.

Let us remember that in these facilities a group of Ukrainian defenders resists. Russia has given these fighters, also foreigners, an ultimatum to surrender and hand over their weapons before noon, guaranteeing that they will be allowed to stay alive.

Kyiv and Moscow. In both cities, capitals of Ukraine and Russia respectively, faith is stressed and the commandments are distorted in the midst of war.

On the one hand, Father Lorenzo Zhivchik recognized in Saint Michael's Cathedral, seat of the Ukrainian patriarchate, that "killing is not a sin when we kill to defend the homeland, to protect ourselves from evil."

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk announced on Tuesday the rescue of 76 Ukrainian prisoners of war, of which 16 are civilians, exchanged with the Russians. According to Vereshchuk, it is the fifth official exchange of captives since the beginning of the invasion on February 24. Ukraine has not indicated how many Russian detainees have been sent to Moscow.

"We have exchanged 60 soldiers, of which 10 are officers," Vereshchuk said.

The Dutch government will send heavy military equipment to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against the Russian invasion, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday. After a telephone call with the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, Rutte has detailed that this material includes armored vehicles and has stressed that, in coordination with the allied countries, they are evaluating the supply of additional heavy material.

The US State Department has indicated this Monday that they are studying the possibility of including Russia on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism. "We are studying the facts. We are reviewing the law. If it is the responsibility of this agency or another, if it is effective and appropriate,...", State Department spokesman Ned Price told CNN.

The Government of Japan announced on Tuesday that it will deliver protective masks and clothing against chemical weapons, as well as commercial drones, to Ukraine, while announcing new sanctions against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, including a ban on the import of products, including the vodka

The Japanese authorities have also detailed that the sanctions affect the importation of 38 products that account for about 1.1 percent of imports from the Asian country and have a value of about 16,000 million yen (about 116 million euros).

The United States and other Western countries are doing their best to prolong the "special military operation" in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. This was stated on Tuesday by the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, in statements quoted by the Russian news agency TASS.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow is starting a new stage of what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine, which he predicted would be a significant breakthrough. "Another stage of this operation begins and I am sure it will be a very important moment of this entire special operation," Lavrov said in an interview with the India Today television channel.

“The operation in eastern Ukraine is aimed, as already announced, at the complete liberation of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics. This operation will continue, the next phase of this special operation is starting.”

Kyiv and Moscow. In both cities, capitals of Ukraine and Russia respectively, faith is stressed and the commandments are distorted in the midst of war.

On the one hand, Father Lorenzo Zhivchik recognized in Saint Michael's Cathedral, seat of the Ukrainian patriarchate, that "killing is not a sin when we kill to defend the homeland, to protect ourselves from evil."

Moscow has expelled 15 Dutch diplomats, 14 from the Embassy in Moscow and one from the Consulate in Saint Petersburg. This, according to the Foreign Office, is in response to the 18 Russians expelled, both from the Embassy in The Hague and the trade mission in Amsterdam, as well as a member of the permanent mission to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have affirmed this Tuesday that the Russian forces are trying to gain "full control" of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in the east of the country, after the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, signaled on Monday that Moscow has launched its large-scale offensive in Donbas.