Ukraine’s President Zelensky has given his nightly video address, with an update on the fighting in the east.
He says “the situation in Mariupol remains as tough as possible without any changes,” according to the Reuters news agency, adding that Russian forces have been blocking attempts to organise humanitarian corridors to help civilians leave the besieged city.
He also says, “the fate of tens of thousands of Mariupol residents, who have been earlier moved to the territory controlled by Russia, is unknown”.
Zelensky claims “the intensity of fire by Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction, in the Donbas, and in the Dnipro region has increased significantly” and accuses Russia of targeting residential buildings and civilians.
He adds, “this is such meanness, which for generations will mark the Russian state as a source of absolute evil.”