(Reuters) – Zelenskiy said diplomatic efforts were underway to save the remaining fighters holed up inside the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, as more civilians were evacuated from the bombed-out plant.
FIGHTING
* Russian forces continued their ground assault on the Azovstal steel plant with air support, Ukraine said.
* Russia continued its push in the east of the country. Its defence ministry said it had destroyed an ammunition depot in Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region and shot down two Ukrainian warplanes.
* Ukrainian forces made some advances near Kharkiv and Kherson, inflicting heavy losses, while also suffering losses of their own, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said.
Reuters could not independently verify reports of battlefield developments.
HUMAN IMPACT
* Fifty civilians including children were evacuated by bus from the Azovstal steel complex. More are set to leave on Saturday.
* Amnesty International said there was compelling evidence that Russian troops had committed war crimes during their failed onslaught of Kyiv in February and March. Moscow has denied that its forces committed abuses.
* Russia’s invasion has devastated hundreds of hospitals and other medical institutions, Zelenskiy said.
DIPLOMACY
* Putin will send a “doomsday” warning to the West when he leads celebrations on Monday marking the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, brandishing Russia’s vast firepower while its forces fight on in Ukraine.
* Biden signed a $150 million package of security assistance to Ukraine, providing additional artillery munitions, radars and other equipment.
* G7 leaders will hold a video call on Sunday with Zelenskiy in a show of unity the day before Russia marks its Victory Day holiday, the White House said.
* The European Commission has proposed changes to its planned embargo on Russian oil to give Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic more time to prepare for the shift in their energy supplies, sources said.
(Compiled by Rosalba O’Brien and William Mallard)
