World Affairs International

As per the Pentagon, Russian forces have lost complete control over Kherson. Ukrainian forces have reportedly captured a neighborhood near Kherson.

Russia’s government has acknowledged the death of 1,351 soldiers in Ukraine, despite U.S. estimates of 7,000-15,000 dead, with up to 40,000 troops missing in action, wounded, or captured. According to the Pentagon, Russia is reportedly moving troops from occupied regions in Georgia to Ukraine. Russia may be fighting a retreat from Kyiv, moving instead to encircle the Donbas, an operation they could’ve conducted relatively smoothly at the start of the war.

Despite Ukrainian success, the increased bombardment of major cities continues to extract heavy civilian death tolls. Reports of mass graves in Mariupol have been confirmed by the U.N., just as statements by Mariupol’s city council claimed 300 had died in the barbaric airstrike on Mariupol’s theatre.

Across the world, renewed calls for extensive materiel support and stances of solidarity with Ukraine have pitted governments and major corporations further against Russia. Ukraine announced a ‘peace award’ for corporations cutting ties with Russia, which today included the major music-streaming service Spotify.