As Russian forces continue advancing in the special operation, the Ukrainian military admitted on Saturday that it had lost access to the Sea of Azov.

Russian troops as well as the DPR and LPR people’s militias are pressing forward, reclaiming multiple settlements in Donbass and tightening the encirclement around the remaining forces of radicals in Mariupol.

In the meantime, Moscow and Kiev have made progress on several issues during peace negotiations, including Ukraine’s neutral status and non-entry to NATO, according to Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

Russia launched an operation in Ukraine on 24 February in order to protect the people of Donbass, as they have been suffering from an eight-year long war waged by Kiev that has claimed some 14,000 lives.