Russia troops advancing in Luhansk as east Ukraine under fire

 

If you're just joining us, here are some of today's main developments:

• Ukrainian soldiers have finally ended their defence of the devastated port city of Mariupol, says the leader of the Azov Regiment. The regiment's troops had been defending the Azovstal steelworks - the last part of Mariupol not controlled by Russian forces - despite weeks of bombardment
• Ukraine's military says Russia's army is advancing in the eastern region of Luhansk, with intense fighting reported around Lysychansk and Severodonetsk
• Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan has said he will speak with Finland and Sweden about their bids to join Nato. But Erdogan reiterated that he would maintain his opposition to their applications, with Ankara saying the two Nordic nations should not bother sending delegations to convince Turkey
• Russia will create new military bases in the west of the country to counter the proposed expansion of Nato near its borders, defence minister Sergei Shoigu says
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine's eastern Donbas region has been "completely destroyed" and life there was "hell" in his latest video address
• The US Senate has approved a new $40bn (£32bn) bill to provide military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine - the largest support package since Russia invaded

Διαβάστε αναλυτικά το άρθρο στην ιστοσελίδα:www.bbc.com