Ukraine said Russia is seizing large quantities of grain in territories they hold.
“There are confirmed facts that several hundred thousand tonnes of grain in total were taken out of the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” Ukraine’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotsky was quoted as saying to a television channel.
According to Kremlin’s state media, Russia will quit the International Space Station over sanctions imposed on it after the Ukraine invasion. Roscosmos General Director Dmitry Rogozin said that the partners will be informed about the end of Russia’s work onboard the ISS with a one year notice.
In a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron said France would increase military and humanitarian support to Ukraine.
The dialogue between Russia and the U.S. on strategic stability is formally “frozen”, a Russian foreign ministry official as told news agency TASS on Saturday.
LVIV
Angelina Jolie makes surprise Ukraine visit, meets children
Hollywood actor and UN humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday, the Lviv regional governor said on Telegram.
According to Maksym Kozytskyy, Ms. Jolie — who has been a UNHCR Special Envoy for Refugees since 2011 — had come to speak with displaced people who have found refuge in Lviv, including children undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the missile strike on the Kramatorsk railway station in early April. – AP
PARIS
Macron says France to ‘intensify’ military, humanitarian aid to Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that France would “intensify” its supply of military and humanitarian support following a conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr. Zelensky thanked France for “large-scale military shipments that contribute to the Ukrainian resistance,” Mr. Macron said, adding “that this support will continue to intensify, as will the humanitarian assistance provided by France”. – AFP
KYIV
Russian rocket attack destroys Odesa runway
A Russian rocket attack destroyed an airport runway in Odesa, Ukraine’s third-largest city and a key Black Sea port, the Ukrainian army said on Saturday.
In a Telegram post, Ukraine’s Operational Command South said there was no way that the Odesa runway could be used as a result of the rocket attack.
Local authorities urged residents of the area to shelter in place as Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, citing army sources, reported that “several” explosions were heard in Odesa. – AP
KYIV
Bodies with hands tied found in Ukraine as Russia shells east
Ukrainian police on Saturday reported finding three bodies with their hands tied behind their backs as Russia continued shelling the east and Washington slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “depravity”.
The bodies were found on Friday in a pit near Bucha, a town close to Kyiv that has become synonymous with allegations of Russian war crimes. – AFP