Satellite imagery appeared to show President Putin’s forces rallying for a new offensive near Donetsk and Luhansk, which could begin within days. Heavy bombardment continued across eastern Ukraine last night, with a Chechen leader, an ally of Putin, claiming that 1,000 Ukrainian Marines had “surrendered” to the besieged southern city of Mariupol, where 21,000 civilians were said to have been killed. Further Russian developments were observed at Kherson Air Base MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES In other developments: • President Biden says Russia’s war in Ukraine is tantamount to “genocide”, accusing Putin of trying to “eliminate the idea of even being Ukrainian”.
