According to local authorities, shelling resumed in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv on Thursday morning as of 4 am. The UN is investigating requests from both Russia and Ukraine after 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in an explosion at a barracks in the separatist-controlled Olenivka. President Zelenskyy wants to talk to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, hoping that he can use his influence to end the war

The main thing, 162 day of the war, LIVETEXT:

10:16 am The border police reports that 12,680 citizens of Ukraine entered Romania in the last day. Starting from February 10 (pre-war period), 1,801,507 citizens of Ukraine entered Romania.

10:00 a.mThe State Emergency Service reported that over the past 24 hours, 117 demining operations were carried out by pyrotechnic units, 691 explosive objects were detected, removed and neutralized, and the territory of 92 hectares was surveyed.

09:56 ​Russians feel pressure from HIMARS and use radar reflectors on Kherson supply routes – British assessment

09:52 Russian forces are conducting a powerful offensive using ground artillery as well as missiles in several areas of Ukraine, according to an update from the Ukrainian General Staff on Thursday, The Guardian writes. Previously, Ukraine warned that Moscow could prepare new offensive operations in the south of Ukraine.

Dmytro Zhivytskyi, governor of Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia, says Russian forces bombed three towns with 55 rockets on Wednesday. There were no casualties or injuries, but houses and commercial premises were damaged.

The mayor of Nikopol (west of Zaporozhye) Yevhen Yevtushenko says that his city was bombed at night.

Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to the President of Ukraine, says that the purpose of Russia’s offensive in the east was to force Ukraine to withdraw its troops from this territory.

USA: Russians can fabricate evidence of attack on Donetsk prison

08:50Russia can fabricate evidence of the attack on the Donetsk prison – a US official

08:10A Russian official said on Wednesday that Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners and soldiers killed in the conflict 27 times since the start of the war, dpa reported on Thursday.

The largest exchange took place in June, when each side exchanged 144 prisoners of war.

However, a recent shelling of a prisoner-of-war camp in eastern Ukraine killed dozens of Azov fighters holed up in the Mariupol compound, which was besieged for weeks before surrendering in May.

Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of attacking the Olenivka camp, which is located in territory claimed by separatist groups. (Agerpress)

07:58 ISW: Russia is using the Zaporizhzhya NPP to deter the West from arming Ukraine

07:14The US Senate voted on Wednesday for a resolution to ratify Sweden and Finland’s entry into NATO, a historic vote aimed at strengthening the defense bloc in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine, CNN reports. Only one senator opposed.

06:36Two micro-districts of Mykolaiv and the administrative headquarters in Kharkiv were bombed from 4 o’clock in the morning on Thursday.

01:40 The era of constructive cooperation between Russia and the West is over, according to an official of the Russian Foreign Ministry

01:10 Zelensky called the actions of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder “disgusting”

A brief summary of the main news of the day:

• The UN is investigating requests from both Russia and Ukraine after 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in an explosion at a barracks in the separatist-controlled Olenivka. The warring countries accuse each other of carrying out the attack. Ukraine claims that this was a special operation planned by the Kremlin in advance by Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of Russia claims that the Ukrainian military hit the prison with missiles that were delivered by the United States.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to speak directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the hope that China can use its influence to end the war. According to the South China Morning Post, Zelensky said: “China is a very powerful country. It’s a strong economy. So (it) can influence Russia politically and economically. China is also a permanent member of the UN Security Council.” So far, China has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion, and its president, Xi Jinping, has told Putin that he will support Russia’s “sovereignty and security.”

• The US Senate has ratified Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership by a vote of 95 to 1. The US is the 23rd member country to ratify what would be the largest expansion of the 30-member alliance since the 1990s in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This historic vote sends an important signal about America’s steadfast and bipartisan commitment to NATO and ensuring that our alliance is ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. All 30 NATO members must ratify membership before Finland and Sweden become members.

• Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has been criticized for meeting privately with Russian leader Vladimir Putin after he said in an interview with German media that he had no reason to apologize for his friendship with Putin, which he met last week

• The Kremlin is ready to negotiate a “peaceful” solution to the conflict in Ukraine, but on its own terms, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmytro Peskov said on Wednesday.

• In just one day, Russia launched cruise missiles worth almost 100 million dollars over Ukraine

• Kherson: Russia protects the vital supply route with a “ghost bridge”

• Germany: Prominent left-wing politician sparks outrage after denouncing ‘crazy war against Russia’

• Ukrainians eliminated one of the founders of separatist armed formations in Donbas, Olga “Korsa” Kachura / She was a colonel in the DPR

• Finland has announced that it has seized “military-grade” goods at the border with Russia

00:55Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba on relations with Hungary: “As long as statements do not coincide with decisions, we can coexist and work”

00:10Exxon is negotiating with an unnamed party to sell its stake in Sakhalin-1.

U.S. oil company Exxon Mobil is selling its 30 percent stake in a Russian oil project to “another party,” according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.

According to Al Jazeera, hundreds of energy and consumer companies, including BP, Equinor, Pepsico, Shell and Starbucks, have left the country or transferred assets as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

23:36 Kherson: Russia protects the vital supply route with a “ghost bridge”

Ukrainian officials suspect that Russia is replacing the Antoniv Bridge in Kherson with a floating bridge. Satellite photos show a different plan, Der Tagesspiegel reports.

11:05 in the evening Russia says sanctions make it “impossible” to get turbine for Nord Stream gas pipeline