Foreign media reports indicate that the Russian military now controls almost half of the territory of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sverdansk, which it recently entered as part of its mission to occupy the Donbas district, the heart of Ukrainian industry. In addition, the mayor of Svrodonetsk told the Ukrainian media that “unfortunately, the fighting on the front has divided the city into two parts, but the city continues to defend itself and is still Ukrainian.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian court today sentenced two Russian soldiers to 11.5 years in prison for war crimes. “The court found no evidence that the acts were imposed on the defendants. The suspects pleaded guilty,” the court said. “Including private homes.”
Last Monday, a court in Kiev sentenced Sergeant Vadim Shishimrin, 21, the commander of a tank unit from the Moscow region who murdered a Ukrainian resident in the north of the country. It was the first sentence of war crimes since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Wadim Shishmarin in court (Photo: Reuters)Fierce fighting continues in the shadow of EU leaders’ announcement yesterday to ban most imports of Russian oil into EU countries, the toughest sanction by the 27-nation bloc on Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began three months ago.