TOP HEADLINES

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will take back Crimea by any means it deems right, and that it would not consult other countries before doing so. "It all began with Crimea, and it will end with Crimea," he said, adding that retaking the peninsula would be the "biggest anti-war step."

• Zelenskyy's comments were quickly followed by world leaders including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warning Russia not to attempt to "annex" Ukrainian territory in the same way it did with Crimea. 

• Germany is reportedly preparing to deliver further arms to Ukraine worth $500 million. The package would apparently include air defence systems, a dozen armored recovery vehicles, rocket launchers, ammunition and anti-drone systems – but it is unlikely to be delivered before 2023.

• This week marks six months since Moscow launched its military assault in Ukraine, ordering tens of thousands of Russian troops into their neighboring country, kickstarting one of the largest scale martial campaigns in Europe since World War II. Russia calls its action a "special military operation."

• Kyiv has banned public celebrations in the capital commemorating the anniversary of the Ukraine's independence, amid growing threat of attacks. Kharkiv and Mykolaiv have also imposed curbs as the U.S. embassy warned Russia was planning to a volley of strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure in the coming days.

• Washington has warned that Russia could strike against Ukrainian government facilities in the coming days as Moscow said it would show "no mercy" over an assassination it has blamed on Ukraine.

• A $75-million superyacht linked to a sanctioned Russian steel billionaire has been auctioned in Gibraltar, in what is thought to be the first sale of its kind since the Ukraine conflict started in February.

• Russian politicians attended the funeral service of Darya Dugina, the daughter of one of Russia's most prominent nationalist ideologues Alexander Dugin, hailing her as a "martyr" whose death must inspire Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. Dugina was killed in a car bomb attack outside Moscow in an attack that Moscow blames on Ukrainian secret services for, a claim Kyiv denies.

• Football has returned to war-torn Ukraine as teams Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 drew 0-0 in Kyiv on Tuesday, getting the country's Premier League season underway despite the conflict. However, amid renewed threats of aerial attacks on Kyiv, there were no fans in the stadium.

• Kyiv has accused Moscow of organizing what they called illegal adoptions of Ukrainian children after transferring them from occupied territories to Russia. "The Russian Federation continues to abduct children from the territory of Ukraine and arrange their illegal adoption by Russian citizens," Ukraine's foreign ministry said.

• The UN is concerned about plans by Russian-backed authorities to put Ukrainian prisoners of war on trial in Mariupol, possibly within days, saying that such a process could amount to a war crime. "There are pictures... of cages being built in Mariupol's philharmonic hall, really massive cages and apparently the idea is to restrain the prisoners," a UN rights official said. "This is not acceptable."

• Lithuania could seek a "regional solution" for banning Russian tourists if EU member states fail to agree on a bloc-wide sanction, according to Lithuania's foreign minister.

IN DETAIL

U.S. urges citizens to leave Ukraine 'now'

The U.S. has urged its citizens to leave Ukraine, saying it believes Russia is preparing to target civilian and government infrastructure as Ukrainians celebrate the 31st anniversary of their independence from the Soviet Union. 

The warning followed a ban by the Ukrainian government on independence day celebrations in the capital Kyiv on Wednesday due to fears of a surge in attacks.

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"The Department of State has information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days," the embassy said in a statement.

U.S. citizens should leave Ukraine "now" by their own means if it was safe to do so, it added.

While the warning is not the first from Washington, it follows the killing of Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian ultra-nationalist, in a car bomb attack near Moscow on Saturday. Moscow has blamed the attack on Ukrainian agents, an accusation Kyiv denies.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged that any Russian attacks in or around the date would provoke a powerful response.

"They will receive a response, a powerful response," Zelenskiy said. "I want to say that each day... this response will grow, it will get stronger and stronger."

Despite his defiance, there was concern among Ukrainian and allied Western officials that Russia was still preparing to attack the capital Kyiv.

Meanwhile leaders of dozens of countries and international organisations took part in the so-called Crimea Platform – most of them by video – in solidarity with Ukraine on the six-month anniversary of the start of hostilities, which Russia calls a special military operation.

Opening the forum, Zelenskyy told delegates: "To overcome terror, it is necessary to gain victory in the fight against Russian aggression. It is necessary to liberate Crimea. This will be the resuscitation of world law and order."

Italy's acting Prime Minister Mario Draghi told the summit Rome would continue to support Ukraine. "We are with you in your fight to resist Russia's invasion, restore Ukraine's territorial integrity, protect your democracy and independence," he said.