President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned home the military commanders who defended Azovstal from Turkey, angering Moscow, which it accuses of violating the release agreement. US President Joe Biden will begin a three-country tour, the main topic of which will be the NATO summit and Washington’s decision to allow Kyiv to arm itself with cluster munitions.

A Ukrainian military man controls a drone in the direction of BakhmutPhoto: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia

Highlights of the war in Ukraine, day 501, LIVETEXT:

09:00NATO has turned Vilnius into a fortified fortress with advanced weapons to protect US President Joe Biden and other alliance leaders who will meet next week just 20 miles from a barbed-wire fence on Lithuania’s border with Russia’s ally Belarus, Reuters reported.

A brief summary of recent events:

  • On the battlefield, Russian shelling killed at least eight people and wounded 13 others in the eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman early Saturday, regional officials said.
  • Military commanders who defended the Azovstal plant and then stayed in Turkey after being released from Russian captivity by exchange are returning to Ukraine from Turkey. Turkey has violated agreements by freeing commanders who defended the Russian-captured Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov said on Saturday.
  • Kyiv undertakes to adhere to five principles of using these munitions, in particular not to use them in cities and on the territory of Russia, as well as to monitor the affected areas. Several countries have criticized the US supply of cluster bombs
  • The mercenaries of the Wagner group, founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, are preparing to move to Belarus
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday he was pressuring Russia to extend the Black Sea Grain Transport Agreement for at least three months and announced a visit by President Vladimir Putin in August
  • President Volodymyr Zelenskyi was on Zmiiny Island and recorded a video message to Ukrainians on the 500th day of total war
  • According to ISW, the Ukrainian counteroffensive made “tactically significant” gains in the Bakhmut area and continued operations in at least three other areas of the front line.

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Saturday’s events regarding Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro