Ukraine updates: Russia claims new advance in Donetsk region

A ceremony to remember the more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were killed in an explosion at a prison barracks in Olenivka two years ago, drew several thousand soldiers and civilians to Kyiv's Independence Square on Sunday.

"I was there in Olenivka. I was rocked by the explosion," said Kyrylo Masalitin, who was later released. "Never before have I felt so helpless. And those still in captivity feel that helplessness every day."

Both sides have blamed each other for the explosion.

The rally called on the Ukrainian government to do more to get Russia to release more prisoners of war.

Some of those gathered were also protesting the continued Russian imprisonment of Ukrainian soldiers of the Azov Battalion who were taken captive when Russia conquered the city of Mariupol.

"We're here to remember those who died and also those in captivity. We're here to push our government to work hard on this," a soldier who identified himself as Stanislav told the Associated Press.
 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday threatened to relaunch production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if the United States deploys missiles to Germany.

"If the United States carries out such plans, we will consider ourselves liberated from the unilateral moratorium previously adopted on the deployment of medium- and short-range strike capabilities," Putin said during a naval parade in Saint Petersburg.

Putin added that "the development of a number of such systems is in the final stages".

"We will take mirror measures in deploying them, taking into account the actions of the US, its satellites in Europe and other regions of the world," he warned.

The missiles were the subject of an arms control treaty signed by the US and the Soviet Union in 1987.

But both Washington and Moscow withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, each accusing the other of violations.

Russia later said it would not restart production of such missiles as long as the United States did not deploy missiles abroad.

Earlier this month, Washington and Berlin announced that the "episodic deployments" of long-range US missiles, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, to Germany would begin in 2026. 

Ukraine on Sunday said it struck an oil depot in the Kursk region of southern Russia that supplies the Kremlin's troops involved in the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement that the attack, close to the border with Ukraine's Sumy province, prompted "powerful explosions and a fire, probably involving containers with oil products."

"The defense forces continue to take all measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian occupiers and force the Russian Federation to stop its armed aggression against Ukraine," the statement added.

Firefighters were battling the blaze on Sunday morning after three fuel tanks went up in flames, according to acting regional Governor Alexey Smirnov. He said no one was hurt.

Russia said its air defense systems destroyed a total of seven drones launched by Ukraine overnight.

Five drones were destroyed over the Belgorod region and two over the Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted oil depots and other military infrastructure inside Russian territory with drones and other weapons.

Russian troops have captured the eastern Ukrainian villages of Prohres and Yevhenivka, Russia's Defense Ministry said.

The pro-government Ukrainian military channel Deep State recently said on Telegram that Prohres, in the Donetsk region, had been occupied by Russian troops. 

The village had been fought over by Ukrainian and Russian troops for three months.

The Kremlin has reported dozens of conquests since the start of the year in the annexed Luhansk and Donetsk regions as well as the Kharkiv region, which is predominantly controlled by Ukraine.

Russian troops are currently pushing towards the city of Pokrovsk, northwest of the regional capital.

The Ukrainian government does not normally confirm any territorial losses.

mm/wd (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)