Russian army abducts 155 civilians in Zaporizhzhia, 10 updates of Ukraine war

The Russia Ukraine war has entered day 55 today. As per the latest, on Monday, several missile attacks hit the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. At least 7 people died in these blasts, while many people were injured. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to 'fight till the end' in the strategically important city of Mariupol. 

On the other hand, the local government of Zaporizhzhia claims that Russia kidnapped 155 of its citizens, of whom 86 were released. That is, 69 people are still in the captivity of Russia.

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10 updates from the war

1. Atleast 1,000 civilians are hiding in underground shelters beneath the vast Azovstal steel plant in the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Russia was dropping heavy bombs onto the Ukrianian-held factory in the besieged city. There has been a demand to build a human corridor for them.

2. Yet another senior Russian commander has been killed in the latest blow to President Vladimir Putin. Captain Alexander Chirva was the senior officer on landing ship Ceasar Kunikov, part of the Black Sea Fleet, when he reportedly died in the Ukrainian port of Berdyansk.

3. The graves of 269 people were found in the Ukrainian city of Irpin. These were all civilians who were killed in the Russian attack. Several people are also reported missing.

4. Many countries have imposed economic and political sanctions on Russia. But President Vladimir Putin said the imposition of sanctions on Russia will only hurt Western countries. Russia is not affected, he said.

5. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his message late on Sunday, "Russian soldiers are torturing and kidnapping people in areas under their control. But we do not intend to surrender."

6. Some Syrian fighters are planning to engage in the next phase of the war to help Russian troops who continue to attack Ukrainian cities. Hundreds of fighters belonging to Syrian Brigadier General Suhail al-Hassan are ready to fight in Ukraine on behalf of Russian troops.

7. The European Commission has announced that the European Union (EU) is allocating an additional 50 million euros in humanitarian funding to support those affected by the Russian invasion. This includes 45 million euros for humanitarian projects in Ukraine and 5 million euros for Moldova.

8. Ukraine has completed a questionnaire which will form a starting point for the European Union (EU) to decide on membership for Kyiv.

9. Russia has attacked a total of 315 targets in Ukraine in the last 24 hours. These attacks are believed to be the Russian answer to Ukraine's move towards the EU.

10. Military analysts say Russia is targeting arms factories, railways and other infrastructure in Ukraine to reduce its ability to deter a major ground attack in Ukraine's Russian-speaking eastern industrial region of the Donbass.