Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the city in eastern Ukraine as fighting continues for control of key areas in the Donbas region.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the UK for its “effective support”, following a face-to-face meeting with the UK defense minister in Kyiv.
- Estonia summoned the Russian ambassador to condemn the “completely unacceptable” action of President Vladimir Putin Praise Peter the Great.
- A Ukrainian governor said the country had conducted its 11th prisoner exchange with Russia.
- Amid fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine, 300 Ukrainians left the city of Pokrovsk on a special evacuation train bound for Dnipro and other cities further west.
Here are the latest updates:
Ukraine conducts 11th prisoner exchange with Russia
A Ukrainian governor said on Friday his country had carried out its 11th prisoner swap with Russia since February, exchanging four Russians for five Ukrainians.
Mykolaiv region governor Vitaliy Kim wrote on Telegram that one of the freed Ukrainians was local village chief Oleh Pylypenko, who Kim said was “kidnapped” by Russian forces on March 10.
Estonia summons Russian envoy to protest Putin’s remarks
Estonia has summoned the Russian ambassador to condemn President Vladimir Putin’s “completely unacceptable” praise of Peter the Great, a Russian ruler who captured a city in what is now Estonia.
The Estonian foreign ministry said Ambassador Vladimir Lipayev had been summoned “to condemn President Putin’s recent statements…including his comments about the Estonian city of Narva,” in a statement.
“At a time when Russia is… trying to destroy the Ukrainian state and people, that is completely unacceptable,” it added.
Zelenskyy thanks UK for ‘effective support’
Zelenskyy thanked the UK for its “effective support” to Kyiv, following a face-to-face meeting with the British Defense Secretary.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace met Zelenskyy, as well as his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov, during an unannounced two-day visit to Kyiv.
“The head of state thanked the Minister for the effective support of the British government to Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression,” Zelenskyy’s press service said in a statement.
“The war has shown our true friends and partners, not only strategically, but effectively today. The UK is one such friend”.
Ukraine fears a protracted war could make the West lose interest
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intensifies, officials in Kyiv have expressed concern that the specter of “war fatigue” could erode the West’s resolve to help the country push back. Russian attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has resisted Western proposals that he should accept some kind of compromise. He said Ukraine will decide the terms for the peace itself.
“The fatigue is growing, everyone wants a certain result [that is beneficial] for them, and we want [another] results for ourselves,” he said.
Read more here.
Hundreds of people flee as fighting forces take control of eastern Ukraine
Hundreds of people have continued to flee intense fighting in eastern Ukraine as Russian and Ukrainian forces vie for control of key cities and villages in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
The Ukrainians left the city of Pokrovsk on a special evacuation train bound for Dnipro and other cities further west.
The train was carrying about 300 people – mostly women, children and the elderly – who were forced to leave as fighting neared their homes.
According to UNHCR, as of Thursday, 4.9 million Ukrainians had fled to other countries in Europe in search of safety since the war began.
Welcome to Al Jazeera’s ongoing coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Read all updates from Friday, June 10 here.
