War in Ukraine: Recent Developments

Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:

The death toll from a Russian missile attack that partially destroyed an apartment building in the town of Khasiv Yar on Sunday rises to 26 as Moscow forces seek to tighten control of the eastern Donbass region.

“26 dead were discovered and removed from the rubble,” while nine people were recovered alive, emergency services say in a statement on social media, adding that work is ongoing.

Six people also died in rocket attacks on the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.

Kharkiv regional chief Oleg Synyegubov said the Russian fire targeted “civilian facilities – a shopping mall and civilian houses”.

After struggling to capture areas of the eastern Lugansk region, Russian forces are now focusing on neighboring Donetsk as they attempt to seize control of the entire industrial Donbass region.

Russian troops are believed to be planning some of their heaviest attacks yet in the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian army warns.

“There are signs that enemy units are preparing to intensify hostilities towards Kramatorsk and Bakhmut,” the report says, referring to two capitals that are still under Ukrainian control.

Russian energy giant Gazprom begins 10-day maintenance on its Nord Stream 1 pipeline – while Germany and other European countries watch eagerly for gas to arrive again.

After the Nord Stream halt, both Italian energy group Eni and Austrian group OMV report that their deliveries from Gazprom have also been reduced.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, on a visit to Kyiv, said his country would provide Ukraine with more long-range artillery and a 200 million euro ($201 million) aid package.

“This war may last longer than any of us hoped or expected. But that doesn’t mean we can sit back and watch passively as he unfolds. We must remain focused and continue to support Ukraine in every way,” he told a press conference Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko are discussing possible joint measures against neighboring Lithuania because of its transit restrictions affecting Moscow’s Kaliningrad exclave.

Since mid-June, Vilnius has restricted the EU-sanctioned transit of goods to Kaliningrad, a Russian region between NATO members Lithuania and Poland. The move has enraged Moscow, which says it’s illegal.

Putin signs decree on accelerated citizenship for all Ukrainians.

The move builds on previous orders – including one issued earlier in the invasion – and makes it easier for Ukrainians living in Moscow-held areas to obtain Russian passports.