Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Russian troops in Ukraine are heading south, Slavyansk is the new front line in Donbas

Russian troops are fighting hard and pushing their way into eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region after taking control of the last two towns in neighboring Luhansk.

The governor of Luhansk region, Serhii Haidai, said Russian troops had suffered heavy losses in the capture of the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk but were directing their efforts to the south. At least two people were killed and seven were wounded in shelling of a market and a residential area in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, local authorities said.

The city is the new front line in Donbas. Many places in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions were subjected to intense shelling.

Russian missile strikes also hit the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, Mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said.

Separatists are ceasing foreign ships

The pro-Russian separatist authorities of Mariupol have seized two foreign ships and claim that the vessels are now "state property". The owners of the Bulgarian ship "Tsarevna", which is at the port, told BNR that these actions do not affect the Bulgarian vessel.

Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the so-called special military operation in Ukraine will continue until the tasks set by the president and commander-in-chief are fully completed. Shoigu accused the West of continuing arms deliveries to Ukraine in order to prolong the conflict and assured that the Russian military was making efforts to ensure safe shipping in the waters of the Black and Azov Seas.

Zelensky again wants modern anti-missile systems

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has again asked the West to provide his country with more weapons, in particular modern missile defense systems, to protect Ukrainian cities. He did this in his traditional evening video address, DPA reported.

The Ukrainian leadership has the extremely important task of being able to defend the country from Russian missile attacks by the end of the year, Zelensky said. "But accomplishing this task depends not only on us, but also on our partners understanding our fundamental needs."

Zelensky said there had been no wail of air raid sirens in Kyiv and many other cities for some time, but added: "You should not look for logic in the actions of terrorists. The Russian army does not take any breaks."

The Russian army has only one task, the Ukrainian president said, "to take people's lives, to intimidate people - so that even a few days without an air alert already feel like part of the terror."

Arbitrary detention of citizens has become a widespread practice in areas of Ukraine under the control of the Russian army and allied armed groups, with 270 documented cases, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said, announcing intentions to step up surveillance in Ukraine, reported Reuters.

The findings are based on information from a field monitor visit and interviews with just over 500 victims and witnesses of human rights abuses, as well as other data sources, Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

"Despite access restrictions, we documented 270 cases of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance. Eight of the victims were found dead," Bachelet said in a report on the situation in Ukraine between February 24 and May 15.

In a speech at the same meeting, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Japarova accused Russia of mass kidnappings, including the mayor of Kherson Igor Kolikhaev, and called for their immediate and unconditional release.

Russian delegate Yevgeny Ustinov said Bachelet's report was part of a disinformation campaign against his country aimed at "covering up the crimes of the Kyiv regime". Moscow denies that it has deliberately targeted civilians since its February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

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