The Ukrainian forces have started withdrawing from Severodonetsk, the last big bastion of Ukrainian resistance in Luhansk region. The town’s entire infrastructure has been destroyed, with over 90% of houses shelled. Hundreds of civilians remain in Severodonetsk, many of them sheltered in the Azot chemical plant. The loss of territory is bringing Russian President Vladimir Putin closer to controlling the entire Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the decision to grant EU candidate status to Ukraine and to Moldova is the most important step for strengthening Europe in the conditions of Russian aggression. “Today it is recognized: Ukraine is not a bridge, not a pillow between the West and Russia, not a buffer between Europe and Asia, not a sphere of influence, not a "gray" zone, not a transit territory. Not the border between orcs and elves. Ukraine is a future equal partner for at least 27 EU countries,” the Ukrainian President said.

Ukraine will need at least a decade to clear all the mines and explosives from its land and territorial waters once its war with Russia is over, Reuters writes, quoting an emergency services official said on Friday. Ukraine has managed to clear 620 square kilometres of land that were littered with thousands of explosive devices, including 2,000 bombs dropped from the air, but nearly 300,000 square kilometres are still seen as "contaminated". That is an area roughly half the size of Ukraine's territory, and about as large as Italy, Reuters writes.