(CNN Spanish) — Russia’s war in Ukraine does not let up. These are the most recent events in the conflict that keeps the world on edge.
“Most of Severodonetsk” is now controlled by Russia, with troops “moving towards the center”, according to the head of the Luhansk regional military administration. But Serhiy Hayday has denied Russian reports that Moscow forces have captured the entire city.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed new European Union sanctions once morest Moscow but criticized the delay as “unacceptable”.
In addition, Gazprom, the Russian state energy company, will stop supplying gas to Denmark starting this Wednesday.
Here are the latest headlines regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine:
The Russians control “most of Severodonetsk”
Serhiy Hayday, head of the military administration of the Luhansk region, said Russian troops now control most of the city of Severodonetsk, but rejected suggestions that Ukrainian troops in the area are surrounded.
“We are in constant communication,” he said. “There is an opportunity to maneuver, so the military now calmly maintains the defense in the positions they occupy now. The city at this stage has 90% of all houses damaged. Of these, 60% are almost impossible to restore. And all the critical infrastructure is completely destroyed.”
Hayday said: “Now there is no chance to leave Severodonetsk. It is very risky and the chances of escaping [ileso] they are very small. So it just doesn’t make sense to risk people’s lives.”
Hayday added that the Russian goal was to encircle all Ukrainian troops. “Of course, they would like to capture the entire Luhansk region much faster. Either just cut off the “Lysychansk – Bakhmut” route, or capture Severodonetsk as soon as possible. But they fail to capture the entire area.”
If Russian forces gain control of Severodonetsk, the neighboring city of Lysychansk will be the only urban area of any size in Luhansk to remain under Ukrainian control.
Zelensky criticizes the EU’s delay in imposing sanctions on Russia
(Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday welcomed the European Union’s new sanctions package once morest Moscow, but criticized the bloc for the more than 50-day gap between the fifth and sixth rounds of sanctions.
“More than 50 days have passed since the fifth package of sanctions, this is unacceptable to us,” Zelensky said during a joint news conference with Slovak Prime Minister Zuzana Caputova in Kyiv on Tuesday.
The EU has agreed to ban 90% of Russian oil imports by the end of the year, European Council leaders said on Monday.
Read more regarding sanctions here
Gazprom to stop supplying Russian gas to Denmark
Danish energy company Ørsted confirmed that Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom will stop gas supplies from June 1 following Ørsted refused to pay for gas in rubles.
“At Ørsted, we remain steadfast in our refusal to pay in rubles, and we have been preparing for this scenario, so we still hope to be able to supply gas to our customers,” said Mads Nipper, group chairman and CEO of the firm. danish
Ørsted warned on Monday that it might be disrupted, adding that preparations to minimize the risk of wider supply include filling its gas storage facilities in Germany and Denmark.
About 4% of Denmark’s total energy consumption comes from Russian gas, according to the European think tank Bruegel.
Finland, Poland and Bulgaria have already had Russian gas supplies cut off following refusing to pay in rubles. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in March that “enemy” nations would have to pay rubles, rather than the euros or dollars stipulated in contracts.
World oil prices close at their highest level in almost 3 months
Brent crude closed Tuesday at its highest level in almost three months following the European Union reached an agreement to ban 90% of its imports of Russian oil by the end of the year.
However, oil finished well above its daily highs following a new report indicated that OPEC may be preparing to finally increase much-needed production.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, gained 1% on the day, closing at $122.84 a barrel, the highest close since March 8. Earlier in the session, Brent traded as high as $125.28.
After an initial rally, US crude closed at $114.67 a barrel, down 0.4% on the day.
This comes following the EU forged an agreement on a partial ban on Russian oil imports in a bid to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. While new sanctions were widely expected, this move will further affect global energy supply.
Europe is the largest buyer of Russian energy, with around 2.4 million barrels of Russian crude shipped to Europe every day in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency.
“Somehow, between now and the end of the year, the world has to find a way to make up this shortfall,” said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates.
CNN’s Tim Lister, Kostan Nechyporenko, Niamh Kennedy, Robert North and Matt Egan contributed to this report.
