Ukraine round-up: Treason claims and Russians regroup

By Robert Plummer
BBC News

• Published4 hours ago

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• Russia-Ukraine war

It was a day of complex political and military manoeuvres as Ukraine sought to defend itself from external and internal enemies alike.

Away from the battlefield, President Volodymyr Zelensky suspended the head of Ukraine’s spy agency (SBU) and the prosecutor general, saying there were many cases of treason in the two organisations.

He gave some striking figures: more than 60 former employees were now working against Ukraine in Russian-occupied areas, while 651 collaboration and treason cases had been opened against law enforcement officials.

Mr Zelensky signalled his intention to root out such behaviour, saying the “array of crimes” posed “very serious questions”.

Six die in shelling as new assault looms

But bloodshed was never far away. As Russian forces geared up for their next major push, six people were killed in shelling in the eastern Ukrainian town of Toretsk.

The Ukrainian military says Russia appears to be regrouping for an offensive in the direction of nearby Sloviansk.

It is all part of Russia’s goal of capturing the eastern Donbas region after their efforts in the rest of the country were thwarted.

Months into the war, this map shows how much territory Russia now controls.