Putin declares the annexation of four eastern regions of Ukraine whereas Zelenskyy leans towards the bid for NATO membership.

Ukrainian soldiers claimed that they have captured Lyman, a crucial stronghold in occupied eastern Ukraine. On Sunday, Russia used suicide drones to bomb the hometown of the Ukrainian president and other targets. In a counteroffensive that changed the course of the war, Ukraine reclaimed full control of a major eastern city.

The loss of Lyman, a city in eastern Ukraine that Russia had been using as a transportation and logistics hub, is a new setback for the Kremlin, which is trying to intensify the conflict by forcibly annexing four regions of Ukraine and amplifying threats to deploy nuclear weapons.

Alexander Novak, the deputy prime minister of Russia, stated on Sunday that it was theoretically possible to repair the Nord Stream pipeline infrastructure, which has ruptured. "Such incidents have never happened. Although there are technical ways to rebuild the infrastructure, doing so takes time and the right resources. I have no doubt that the right options will be taken into the consideration," he stated.

According to a regional official in Ukraine, 20 people were killed as Russian soldiers shelled a caravan of civilians fleeing their homes in the northeast of the nation. Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, described the attack on civilians as the cruelty that can't be justified on Saturday.

The head of Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility was detained for questioning by the International Atomic Energy Agency. In the upcoming days, talks on establishing a safety zone surrounding the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia plant are expected to take place in Kyiv and Moscow, according to IAEA Director Rafael Grossi.