May 26, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

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Private Russian army says it will start withdrawing from Bakhmut
03:15 - Source: CNN

What we covered here

  • A Russian attack on a medical clinic in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed two people and wounded at least 31, including young children, officials say.
  • There have been more than 900 attacks on Ukraine’s health care system since Russia’s invasion began, according to the WHO. France joined Ukraine in denouncing the strikes as “war crimes.”
  • Meanwhile in Russia, two attack drones caused a blast that shook the city of Krasnodar, the governor said. The town of Graivoron in the Belgorod region was also attacked overnight, according to a regional leader. No casualties were reported.
  • A Russian reconnaissance ship was seemingly hit by an unmanned surface vessel in the Black Sea, new video shows, casting doubt on earlier claims by Moscow.
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We’ve wrapped up our live coverage for the day. You can read more about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine here, or scroll through the updates below.

It's nighttime in Kyiv. Here are some of the major developments from the war in Ukraine today

It’s past midnight in Kyiv, and news was dominated today by the fallout from a devastating Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Friday also brought reports of explosions on Russian soil and in territories it currently occupies in Ukraine, along with developments in a diplomatic row about foreign fighters.

If you’re just catching up on the day’s news, here’s what you need to know:

  • Deadly strikes in Dnipro: Russian attacks hit a hospital, veterinary clinic and other buildings in the central Ukrainian city, according to local leaders. It left at least two people dead and another 31 wounded, including two children, ages 3 and 6. Rescuers rushed victims to other medical centers while the veterinary staff saved animals from the burning building.
  • War crimes condemnation: An incensed adviser to Ukraine’s president called the attacks “clear evidence” that Russia intentionally targets civilians with strikes like the one on Dnipro. The adviser said such attacks should be considered war crimes — a sentiment echoed by the French government. There have been more than 900 attacks on Ukraine’s health care system since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, according to the World Health Organization.
  • Russia is also taking fire: Officials have reported recent attacks on Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine and explosions on its own soil, including a blast caused by two drones that damaged buildings in the city of Krasnodar. Ukraine hit Russian-occupied Mariupol with two long-range missiles this evening, according to Moscow-backed officials in the southern city.
  • Foreign fighters on trial: Five foreigners who fought for Ukraine are set to stand trial in absentia in Russia, according to state media, and the Croatian government has condemned the move. The country’s foreign ministry called the trial “ill-founded and contrary to international law.” One Croatian is among the fighters facing charges in Russia, along with three Britons and a Swede.
  • The map below shows the latest state of control in Ukraine: Russia claims it has finally seized full control of the eastern city of Bakhmut, following months of fighting. Kyiv’s military insists that it still holds pockets of resistance in the city.

Ukrainian military hit occupied Mariupol with missiles, Moscow-backed mayor claims

Video shared by the deposed Mariupol City Council shows an explosion.

Ukrainian armed forces hit Mariupol on Friday with two long-range missiles, according to the occupied city’s Russian-installed mayor, Oleg Morgun.

In a Telegram post, Morgun said emergency services were at the scene but there were no deaths, injuries or damage to the city’s infrastructure, according to preliminary reports.

Officials with the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic had earlier said explosions in the city Friday were due to a Ukrainian rocket attack, and social media videos showed images which CNN geolocated to the site of the Azovstal steel plant, the infamous site of a weeks-long siege in the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

What Ukrainian officials are saying: Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the city’s Ukrainian mayor, chimed in about Friday’s blast in a series of Telegram posts.

He said Russian forces have set up checkpoints blocking a bridge near the Azovstal plant, and described a scene of confusion, with Russian emergency workers at the scene of the strike.

The Ukrainian official said Russian forces set up an ammunition depot near the plant. CNN cannot independently verify this claim.

“The hit was on the territory of Azovstal,” Andriushchenko said. “Remember we said that they were setting up a base there to avoid strikes? Well, they set it up along with the ammo depot.”

Andriushchenko went on to mock the Russian-backed officials’ handling of the strikes.

“Buses with workers are being sent to Azovstal to clear the rubble,” he said. “The official version is that they are looking for ‘workers.’ Why on earth would you need workers in the middle of the night is clear to everyone … we can conclude that everything is bad at Azovstal.”

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the strike.