Key Developments in Russia-Ukraine War April 22: Russian chief negotiator confirmed a news report that “several long conversations” took place on Friday with the head of Ukraine’s delegation at peace talks between the two sides.

Vladimir Medinsky gave no details of the conversations. Earlier this week the Kremlin said Russia had submitted a new written proposal, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had neither seen nor heard about it.

Earlier, the deputy commander of Russia’s central military district said said it plans to take full control of Donbas and Southern Ukraine as part of the second phase of the military operation, Reuters reported quoting the Interfax news agency. He was also cited as saying that Russia planned to forge a land corridor between Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and Donbas.

Satellite images that were released on Thursday, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in Mariupol, showed what appeared to be mass graves near the city, as per an AP report. Local officials have accused Russia of burying up to 9,000 Ukrainian civilians near Mariupol in an effort to conceal the slaughter taking place there.

Sometime back when mass graves and hundreds of dead civilians were allegedly discovered in Bucha and other towns around Kyiv, Russian officials had denied the claims and accused Ukraine of staging atrocities through lies. Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that while Russian troops control most of Mariupol now, Ukrainian forces are still holding out in a part of it. he informed that about 120,000 civilians were blocked from leaving.

Here are the latest updates from the war-torn region:

As per a British military update on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to blockade the Azovstal steel plant probably indicates his desire to contain Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol.

The mayor of Mariupol made an appeal today for “full evacuation” of the southern Ukrainian city which President Vladimir Putin says is now controlled by Russian forces.

The British Ministry of Defence has said that Russian forces are advancing towards Kramatorsk, in the east of Ukraine, which continues to be hit by rocket attacks. On the other hand, the mayor of Kharkiv said the city was also under intense bombardment.

Ukraine was not attempting to establish any humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians trapped by fighting on Friday because of the danger, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

The Pentagon has said that the newly revealed “Ghost” drones that are part of America’s latest arms package for Ukraine were developed by the US Air Force for attacking targets. They are destroyed after a single use. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has pledged $800 million of more assistance in weaponry for Ukraine. He also said that he would ask Congress for more money to help the Ukrainian military.

Ukraine is working on a mechanism to use frozen Russian funds to compensate for its economic losses, its justice minister told Reuters. Ukraine’s central bank governor said the country expects to lose a third of its GDP in 2022.

Satellite image provider Maxar Technologies released the photos, which it said showed more than 200 mass graves in a town where Ukrainian officials say the Russians have been burying Mariupol residents killed in the fighting. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said the Russians were “hiding their military crimes” by burying the bodies of civilians in Manhush.

(With Agency Inputs)