Russia said on Friday that its forces had taken control of the salt-mining town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine, claiming to have made its first big battlefield gain after half a year of military setbacks. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the situation.
FIGHTING * Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said earlier that Ukrainian forces were holding out after a "hot" night of battles in Soledar.
* Moscow's February invasion of Ukraine has resulted in more than 50,000 reports of alleged war crimes, Ukraine’s top war crimes prosecutor Yuriy Belousov said, as grim details of the alleged torture emerged. MILITARY
* France is hoping to deliver 'AMX 10-RC' light combat tanks to Ukraine in two months' time, French armed forces minister Sebastien Lecornu said. * A Russian foreign ministry official said Belarus may enter the conflict in Ukraine if Kyiv decides to "invade" either country. Russia used Belarus as a springboard to invade Ukraine in February 2022, and since October has deployed troops in Belarus for joint military drills. But the border area is now heavily waterlogged, making an imminent Russian attack unlikely.
* Kremlin-watchers are examining Russia's latest switch of battlefield leadership after Valery Gerasimov, chief of the military's general staff, was unexpectedly given direct command of the invasion. ECONOMY
* A close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested confiscating property and assets of Russians who discredit the country's armed forces and oppose the war in Ukraine. * China's exports and imports with Russia hit a new high of 1.28 trillion yuan in 2022, Lyu Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs, told a news briefing in Beijing. Trade with Russia accounted for 3% of China's total for the year, he added. (Compiled by Grant McCool and Michael Perry; Editing by Kim Coghill and Philippa Fletcher)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.